We try to put integrated seating in lots of our designs. Just for that time when the sun comes out, the kettle has boiled and you want to go and enjoy your garden.
Seats and benches can be integrated into all sorts of areas in the garden. We also use them to create focal points within designs. Here are a few different examples we’ve done recently.
Floating Slate Bench
Integrated Seat made from reclaimed flagstone
Slate Bench Detail
Long Integrated Bench under-planted with ferns
One of the best things about this time of the year is that plants with scent and flowers stand out because you’re just not expecting them. Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is one such plant.
Easy to grow and maintain it will get up to 8 -10 foot as a multi stemmed shrub or can be kept smaller if required. The beautifully scented flowers appear sometimes as early as November and continue right through into the spring when the mid green foliage takes over.
Depending on the weather the plant can get quite nice autumn colour too before dropping it’s leaves.
‘Dawn’ works best against a dark background or as a focal point. Position it in a spot that you walk past regularly or near a window or door to get the most of the heavenly scent.
The pictures above were taken in January and as you can see the flowers were really getting going.
Here in Wales the snow has gone for the time being (fingers crossed!). The snowdrops are starting to appear. We put over a thousand snowdrops in clients gardens last year – they must be planted “in the green” – i.e. as plants rather than bulbs if you want them to be successful.
We buy both single and double British snowdrops in early Spring and can plant them as part of our Seasonal Maintenance Services
If you want some snowdrops this year or we can help you with your garden please Contact Us
Here’s one of this year’s gardens. A modern and minimalist entertaining space to complement a fantastic conversion of a welsh farmhouse.
More pictures of the design and the finished garden can be found here
If you think we could help you with a garden design or planting please Contact Us
This is a steeply sloping, wide but shallow front garden that we planted last year. Originally turfed and a nightmare to maintain it was a typical new build garden. Poor soil and grass that was struggling. We renewed the soil and stripped off the turf. Then we used new FSC timber sleepers to create mini-tiers. We chose an Amelanchier candanensis as a feature tree against the bare two storey brick wall. It’s a great small tree with lovely blossom as you can see from the pictures, and even better autumn colour.
The rest of the site was planted with a mix of shrubs and herbaceous perennials to give year round interest. Mixed green and blue slate of different grades were used as a deep mulch.
If you think we can help with your garden then please Contact us
You know that Spring is on the way when you catch a glimpse of a clump of snowdrops. These fantastic hardy woodland plants are traditionally seen as one of the first signs of winter’s passing. To grow them successfully though they must be planted “in the green” – i.e. as plants rather than as bulbs. Don’t be tempted to buy as dry bulbs as the majority will probably fail. And once you buy them as plants get them in the ground quick.
We buy snowdrops from specialist growers around this time of year and look to offer them to our clients through the spring. Planted en masse they look great. And you can plant them in the lawn as they’ll have finished their cycle by the time it comes to give the lawn it’s first cut.
Another tip is to plant the double form Galathus nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’ which for mass plantings bulks and divides more quickly. If they do come up “blind” (i.e. they don’t flower) in the first year, don’t worry, they will the next year and every year after that.