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.

The weather has put a stop to gardening!

It can be a useful aid that shows you where the blank areas of your garden are and allows you to plan where you want to fill gaps in the coming spring.

I’d like to visit the allotment, but it’s like a skating rink outside and the snow is still falling. Gardeners generally get a few things sorted out at this time of the year but with this weather it’s proving difficult to make a start.

I would be pruning my autumn fruiting raspberries if I could get to them. The summer fruiting varieties are the easiest to prune as all the stems from last year are cut down to ground level in late winter or early spring. This time last year I was doing the work but it doesn’t matter so much if they are left until the weather improves. These plants will make a new set of stems that bear fruit this autumn and you’ll want to cut the old stems down before these new ones appear.

I will also be chitting my seed potatoes - one job that isn’t affected by the snow as I’ll be finding a cool and light place to put my tray of spuds so they form small shoots (the same shoots you have to scrape off when you want to cook your potatoes) that will grow away when they are planted out in late march.

I would really like to finish the digging and path-making that I started in December at the plot. The last few paths will mean my plot is at last fully cultivated but at the moment it is just too cold to bother with, maybe in a few weeks! There is no point in trying to dig frozen ground to finish my cultivation of two new raised beds, it is possible to damage the structure of the soil (and damage the tiny creatures living in it that contribute to a healthy soil) by digging it while frozen.

It might be possible to plant a few onion and shallot sets in small pots or modules to give them a head start when the weather improves. I will be placing mine in a coldframe insulated with bubblewrap. At least I will feel as thought I have achieved something while the weather is against me!