Landscape and horticulture expert

Five basic tips for designing your garden

Designing or re-designing your plot can be really daunting if it is something you have never done before. It does not need to be taxing and should be really enjoyable.

Below are five tips that will help you on your way.

Economic 'lagging' indicators are catches up with the landscape industry

I see that some 'shakers and thinkers' - source Hort Week - in the landscaping world are starting, yes just starting, to acknowledge that the landscaping industry is starting to contract and that there may be some trouble ahead for some firms.

Goodness knows what some of them have been thinking and shaking for the last eighteen months? The time for this thinking is not now but actually back when times were booming.

The time to plan for a rainy day is when the curve is rising and not, as BALI implies it just has started to address, when sliding down the slippery slope.

Landscaping and the art of deception

I like to think that we are all of a caring an honest nature in the gardening and landscaping fraternity but I have to admit to a bit of deception over the years.

You see, if you do not succumb to it then you pretty much will not succeed. Deception is necessary if you are going to get on and the bigger and better the deception then probably the better your reputation.

My advice, after taking the brief from your client, is to take a piece of notepaper and sit in your favourite chair under a soft light with a glass of your favourite tipple.When your head is relaxed and mellow then the deception can begin and boy, are you going to make your client pay for it.

Remember though, this deception must never be revealed. Once the client has accepted your estimate and given you carte blanch to create a garden 'to die for' then all of your cunning and deceptive juices must flow and remain a secret.

Using Willow in landscaping

Have you ever wanted to put up a fence or wall or maybe create a barrier but without the feeling of oppressive enclosure?

What about using Willow to form a live feature. It is very simple to do and very quick to establish. Even after as little as one season the structure can look long established and mature.

There are many forms that a live willow feature can take.  The tunnel or Bowyer is ideal for a fairly quick shelter where perhaps a tree would take too long to establish.

The simple but highly effective decorative hedge planted in the months of December January or February will be thick and lush by the middle of the following summer.

There are many varieties that a Willow worker can choose and because it grows so fast and is easy to propagate and relatively easy to work with the Willow is coming back into fashion.