Advice
Spring bulbs are the underused category of plants that can really lift your garden and add a pop of colour while everything else is still dormant. No matter how big…
Plants
You know it’s nearly Christmas……. when the first thing that greets you at your local garden centre is a vast display of Christmas roses in full flower. This lovely little…
Plants
As any ALDA Landscapes customer will tell you, I am a great fan of Pittosporums, and they feature in some form or another in just about every garden I design….
Plants
At last we have had some rain, and lawns have begun to take on a hint of green – although with rainfall predicted to be less than normal for another…
Plants
As I sit in my office writing this blog, the sun is shining gloriously outside, and it is very warm but there is a gentle breeze to make life tolerable,…
Plants
Some people love bright red. But many gardeners shy away from using red flowered plants in their gardens for fear of their garish and bright appearance. This is a great…
Plants
As I sit here writing my January blog, the sky outside is grey and overcast. It seemed to take forever to get light this morning, and although the evenings have…
Plants
Is it just me, or does it seem very grey and dark all of a sudden? As I sit here writing this blog at 4pm on an early December afternoon,…
Planting Themes
This is the second in a series of blogs looking at using plants for creating different effects, and considers Mediterranean planting – i.e. the plants and scenery that you associate…
Planting Themes
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of planting design is how plants can be used to build and enhance the character and feel of different parts of the…
Plants
As a garden designer, I have very mixed emotions when it comes to Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’. Am I being too controversial if I say that this plant is…
Ideas, Inspiration & Trends
Modern new build houses seem to be allocated ever smaller gardens; we find that even large dwellings nowadays are often located on relatively small plots. This creates quite a challenge…
Plants
One of the joys of my work is seeing a garden being transformed – from the design, through the landscaping, to installing lawn and features, and finally bringing the garden…
Plants
It may be seasonal, but I have to say that Ivy (Hedera) is not my favourite plant. It can be rampant, grows almost anywhere, smothering other plants, and even managing…
Ideas, Inspiration & Trends
When designing a planting scheme for clients, garden designers (me included) always look to provide structure and plant interest all year – through flower colour, plant size and shape, leaf…