Contemporary Adirondacks

 

A contemporary adirondak garden chair with a curved back for comfort. Just made a pair of them for my client.  Here's one unpainted and the other painted a fabulous blue.  They can be made to order via my website at Baverstock Gardens (poa)

Custom Built Cold Frame

A must have in the garden to give seed sowing an early start and protecting those seedlings from late frosts.

These are over sized, custom built cold frames made to your specifications and requirements.  Made from treated pine with clear polycarbonate glazing.  They can also be painted or made from Oak.

 

Approximate dinmensions for the one shown 

200cm (w) x 80cm (d) x 60cm (h)

cost of the example shown £500

Prices vary depending on size, material and specifications

Free local delivery and installatio

Christmas Mantle

 

Ready for the yuletide holidays!  

Christmas Fare at Harborough Nurseries

A few weeks ago I had a table at the annual Christmas Fare at Harborough Nurseries. The Thorn, Guestling Green, Hastings, East Sussex.

A great weekend was had by all with lots to see and buy. Vintage clothing, art, homewares, food and items for the home and garden.  

Here are some of the items that I had on sale.  I use found, recycled, new and repurposed materials to make planters, auricula theatres and much more for the home and garden.    All items are available on the "Shop" page of my website.  www.baverstockgardens.com

Local free delivery.

 

Christmas Wreath

 A wreath for the front door.  Made with a moss ring, pine cones, red twigs, mushrooms and berries.

London Wildlife Friendly Garden

A small London garden design to maximize planting space and provide a wildlife-friendly environment.  Includes a circular pond with gravel beach, a hawthorn, amelanchier and betula trees

 

Angel's Trumpets

Angel's Trumpets or Brugmansia adds drama and fragrance to the summer garden.  Fast growers, easy to propagate and have fragrant tropical blooms for several weeks at a time.  Typically overwintered in a greenhouse this plant can be hardy here on the South Coast if given the right protection.

Part of the nightshade plant family, these plants are considered toxic so be cautious if using around children and pets.

Auricula / Plant Theatre

 

Bespoke Auricula / Plant theatres made to your requirements. Starting at £150.  Can be painted to your colour of choice.

For information about delivery, shipping and availability please contact me at baverstockgardens.com

Indoor Plant Theatre

I've made this indoor plant theatre using a vintage frame and making a simple shadow.  This is great way to showcase a special plant or plant collection.   

Is it Spring yet?

Is it Spring yet?

Not quite but almost.

I took the opportunity to go to RHS Wisley the other day to visit their bookstore (always a favourite pastime) and walk through the gardens.

There were signs of Spring creeping into the winter landscape. Snow drops pushing there heads above the foliage. Sarcococca in full bloom, its lovely citrus scent filling the air.

Before we know it Spring will be here. So its time to make sure all those untidy perennials are cut back, winter pruning projects are finished and those other irksome tasks like tidying the shed and cleaning our tools are all completed before we head back into the garden full time.

If you haven't done so already now is a perfect time to make plans for new flower beds, vegetable gardens, landscaping and garden makeovers.

Whether you engage a garden designer like myself or you do-it-yourself, planning any garden on paper first makes good sense. It helps you make good plant choices and avoid all those impulse buys at the garden centre! You will also save time in the long run and save money.

So get cleaning and designing!

Check out my Gallery for inspiration and don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Coming soon to Garden Notes:

• Garden Design Booklet
• Ideas for Summer Containers
• Potting Benches
• DIY Containers

National Tree Week

Plant a tree and be a part of the Tree Council’s national tree week, 21st November - December 2nd, 2007.

Trees, we can’t live without them, literally!

As a landscape designer, I don’t think a garden is complete without one. The rewards for planting a tree are many, shade, privacy, flowers, fruit and wildlife habitat to name but a few.


For many of us space in the garden can be tight, so look for trees that have more than one season of interest. Here are a handful of trees that are easy to grow, low maintenance and will work in any sized garden.

Amelanchier lamarkia or canadensis, also known as Serviceberry or Juneberry, this is a fine multi stemmed small tree. Good for massing or as a single specimen it has spectacular autumn colour, flowers in spring and produces berries for the birds, needs sun, deciduous.

Cornus florida, a beautiful dogwood native to the North East United States, their autumn colour is a gorgeous red and they bloom either pink or white before the leaves unfurl in the spring. This is an excellent choice for all gardens, grows in sun or shade, deciduous. One cultivar to look for is “Appalachian Spring”.

Styrax, there are two types to look for “Japonica” which has small fragrant bell shaped blooms along its wide spreading branches or “Obassia” more columnar with large camellia like fragrant blooms. Both are slow growing beautiful trees with brilliant autumn colour, exfoliating bark and interesting winter architecture, grows in sun, deciduous.

Acer palmatum, so many to choose from, upright, weeping, red leaves, green leaves or multi coloured and dissected leaves. Varieties to look for are “Sangu Kaku”, “Atropureum”, “Waterfall”, “Bloodgood” and the “Dissectum” group. It’s hard to go wrong with this tree, sun or shade, deciduous. My photo above is of an unnamed variety of Acer that I grew as a bonsai.

Magnolia grandiflora “Little Gem”, this is smaller version of its larger cousin, an evergreen that’s good for a courtyard or border. I have used this tree for espalier and large container plantings. Give it a little protection from winter winds, sun or shade.

Happy Planting!