If you have been thinking about having your garden redesigned, or perhaps you want to sell your house and are looking for ways to add value to it, now is the best time to talk to a garden designer about the project.

Like most design projects the dialogue between designer and client to find the right solution can take time. There are practical considerations like booking builders and contractors to actually do the works when the design is finalised. Thinking about garden design in the late winter means that all the paper-based work can be done, contactors found and booked, and decisions made in time for the actual work to begin before the summer months. It is also easier to conduct building works when there isn’t snow and ice around to make concrete and brickwork difficult to do.

If you would like to talk about redesigning your garden, or you would like more information about the design process, Please contact me on 07956 906053 or email charlotte AT creategardendesign DOT co DOT uk and I will be happy to discuss it with you.

I redesigned my front garden back at the start of 2008 and removed almost all the old shrubs and replaced them with a prairie inspired scheme of grasses, perennials and box plants. The garden did look a bit bare when I first planted it up but I was convinced it wouldn’t take long to see the plants begin to grow and fill out.

Here is my first update photo that shows how not everything you plant does what you expect:

The Salvia patens that I used at the front should clearly have gone further back but it has been flowering since late July and proved to be much tougher and longer-lasteing than I expected. The Stipa tenuissima grasses are a delight and sway about in even light breezes, they look really nice next to the pink Echinacea (of which I should clearly have bought a few more!)

There may be a few gaps in winter as the Epimediums have not grown very quickly, I suspect that something may be eating them and I must treat them for Vine Weevils.

It has looked really good all summer long and now I shall take stock, buy a few extra plants and have a tidy up before winter to make sure that it looks even better in 2009.

I can make a planting plan for you too, call me on 07956 906053. I qualified with a Foundation Degree in Garden Design from Sparsholt college in 2007.

I have been staring out of the window onto my garden a lot in the last few days (in-between writing leaflets and graphic design jobs, and doing the ironing!) And it occurred to me that at the moment my own garden is at the peak of what it does throughout the year. There are plenty of flowers, colours, insects and birds making the most of it and the whole thing just looks full to bursting.

It can’t, won’t, last. By December there will be gaps and the remains of all those herbaceous bits will be brown and dried.

So, later today I’m ging to get out there and take some photos so that, come December, when I want to plan for next year I’ll be able to see that bits that worked, where there needs to be change and if I can cram in some evergreen bits in-between the herbaceous stuff for winter interest.

I’ll also take an overhead photo by looking out of an upstairs window so that I can draw over the top on some tracing paper if I want to make bigger plans.

If you would like a garden designed to suit your lifestyle please contact me to arrange a FREE initial meeting.

Today in The Times there is an interesting article on making your own garden look as good as a show garden (themed in time for Chelsea Flower Show week).

I was thinking about what tips I would add to those written by Cleve West in the article, here are my ideas.

Cleve mentions the trend for topiary that appears at this years Chelsea show and he recommends buying small plants rather than expensive fully-formed topiary plants. This is a good tip and what Cleve doesn’t mention is that smaller, younger plants will usually settle in quicker and grow better than transplanting an older established plant. So you may not have to wait too long to begin shaping the plants into their final shapes. If you already have a topiary shrub or a hedge then you can also make young plants from cuttings, real topiary on a shoestring budget.

While Cleve urges reader to “Never use more than two or three materials or it starts to get a bit fussy and can make the space feel a bit cluttered. Keep the design simple.” I would add that having a design, on paper or done on the computer on a program like Sketchup, is the first step to creating simplicity because it allows you to add and remove elements easily before you commit to buying anything or digging any holes. If you already have an established and full garden then try taking a photo of it from an upstairs window of your house to identify what parts of the garden are working and where there are gaps you could fill or areas to thin out. Work on the top of the photo using tracing paper or acetate to draw in new feature or planting ideas.

Taking regular photos of your garden throughout the year can also reveal if you have periods where there isn’t much interest in the planting. Even through winter there are plants which look good and add colour or fragrance to the garden and once you know when you have some gaps you can use a book like “What Plant When” published by the RHS for planting suggestions to fill them.

I have had an allotment for the last 4 years and although it can be hard work there is something marvellous and a bit addictive about growing your own food. I like to get as much info as I can about what other people grow on their plots and when they start growing each plant as a reminder of what I should be doing on my own plot. There is a lot more coverage of this interest now and I have just discovered that The Times seems to have it’s own allotment correspondent.

 I have some cauliflowers on my plot, I had better go check them…