Are you getting bored of your garden? Traditional garden designs can add a unique beauty to your home. Everybody likes to have a particular style for their home on the inside, so why not have one for the outside too?

Many of us over the winter months forget we have that extra space outside and our gardens seem to get neglected. But now summer has arrived, there is no excuse! This warm weather is the perfect excuse to get out into the garden and start preparing it for the BBQ season. However if you’re not too keen on gardening, or simply don’t have the time, you can hire in professional help.

Outdoor Creations (that’s us), have designed a number of contemporary and traditional gardens over the years! If you want your garden designed, landscaped or maintained over the summer months we are here to help.

One of the main aspects to your garden, are the flowers within it. Each flower will either, shape, colour or shade your garden, just the way you want it too. So it’s important to choose the right ones!

What flowers to go for? When planting any flowers in your garden, you need to consider how they will look once they have grown. What colour will the flower be, how big will the flower grow? All this needs to be taken into consideration.

There are certain flowers that represent certain things too. For example red roses represent love, passion and beauty. The Lily represents new life, and those little daises represent innocence. If you want to create a certain feel to your garden, then choosing the right flower is essential.

Talking of creating a certain feel to your garden; colours also represent certain moods or emotions in humans, for example if the colour of the rose is light pink, it represents gentleness or joy, and yellow represents friendship and delight.

If you’re planning on giving flowers as a gift, the amount of flowers you give, can mean different things. A single rose can mean utmost devotion, and two roses entwined together are a form of communication or question. Eleven roses represent appreciation, and it’s said that thirteen roses show you are a secret admirer. 

So why not use a flower that represents you, in your garden? Get expert advice on how your traditional garden designs can be designed to suit you, by giving us a call.     

Outdoor Creations maintenance services can help you keep your summer gardens looking at their best!

Enjoying the freedom and tranquillity of summer surrounded by pristine gardens manicured to the last inch of grass is the dream of every home owner. Under the simmering temperatures of June and July, the last place you wish to be is indoors. When you are not out with friends, you want to be able to recline in a meticulously pruned garden that breeds a sense of tranquillity. Oh yes, you sigh, but I haven’t got the skills (or let’s face it, the interest) to go around clipping the leaves of your hedge or even watering the withering rose bushes. You’re not alone; many home owners who have even the tiniest of compounds have let them degenerate over time into an untamed jungle that even they themselves fear venturing into.

There is no time gardens are more in need of attention during summer. At this time skyrocketing temperatures make your plants lose water faster and thus they are in more danger of drying up. Fading flowers need to be dead headed promptly, so as to make way for new growth. Water features will also dry up and become an eyesore if not taken care of. So if you’re not up to the task, it is only wise for you to seek help; and not just any help, professional help.

You need experienced, passionate hands to keep your plants looking healthy and vibrant and your lawns carpet like. As part of our maintenance services, you can expect the gardening experts to take care of the following: setting up irrigation systems to water your plants and lawns as well as adding the necessary fertilizers and compost to ensure that everything grows. The pruning of your hedges, flowers and fruit trees that you find so tedious will be in their able hands, as will be the restoration of that wildly growing grass into the tidy green carpet it once was. If you want they will also plant seasonal plants that will better mirror the vibrancy of summer. They will also rake in all dead leaves and whatever has been mowed and pruned and dispose of it for you. The keeping of pests and weeds in check will also be gardening firm’s responsibility.

Aside from the plants, the hired help will ensure your ponds remain brimming with water and that evaporation does not affect water levels adversely. If you have wooden decking in your compound, they will ensure it remains free of stains and dust and is safe from damage by objects placed on it.

Leaving gardens in the hands of professional gardeners during the summer especially makes sense if you will be going away on holiday. The last thing you want to come back to after a relaxing vacation is a wild bush that will take more time, effort and money to bring back to sanity. These are just a few of the reasons why you should be scouting for a professional, cost-effective gardening firm as summer approaches. Have a look at our garden maintenance services, and get the help your garden needs, before it’s too late. 

Stylish gardens can have a real sensual feel to them when creating a habit for wildlife. We all love the sound of birds singing in the morning; many of us also take great joy in watching those birds in our gardens too.

In the spring and summer time, you can attract different species of bird to your garden, by incorporating beautiful bird baths.

Birds love to visit gardens which provide food or water, so by incorporating a bird bath and bird feeder, your garden will be on the top of the birds ‘visit list’. Watching the birds bathe and drink the water, is one of most enjoyable things to do, when relaxing at home.

Did you know ‘moving water’ is the most tempting for birds? This is because birds are able to notice the movement of the water more, than when the water is still, when flying in the sky. Movement can be achieved by using water features in your garden instead of just bird baths. Birds are also said to be drawn to the sound of dripping and splashing, which your water feature will also do for you.

When putting out food for birds, it’s very important to make sure you don’t stop suddenly, as these birds may come to rely on your garden to provide them with food, epically in the winter time. One way of getting species such as, green finches, house sparrows and the beautiful blue tit, can be by hanging unsalted peanuts, in mesh feeders. But, if you’re looking to attract other birds such as, black birds, starlings and robins, you will need to spread the seeds on bird tables, or scatter the seeds all over the ground.

Helping birds to create their nests, is another way of getting more birds to your stylish gardens. How do you do this? By leaving out fluff or old shredded paper in the garden; the birds will use this to build their nests; even leaving out old pet hair can do the trick, as birds will use many types of materials to create their nests.

You can also build small ‘box nests’ for the birds and arrange a series of them around your garden. Most gardeners are said to attach ‘box nests’ up high in trees or on fences, as this gives the birds a safe place, away from preying cats, to relax. However it’s said that, open-front nest boxes, lower to the floor, hidden in vegetation, is the preferred place for wrens and robins.

So why not encourage the most beautiful wildlife into your own back garden? By creating stylish gardens, that incorporate a water feature or two.

Resources:

http://www.whentowatchwildlife.org/index/Species/Birds/Birds.htm

http://birding.about.com/od/attractingbirds/a/attractwater.htm 

It’s true that south east London is not a complete concrete jungle. In fact the opposite is true. Parks like the Greenwich Park form part of the landscape. In case you were wondering, yes, it is the place that encloses the historical Greenwich Meridian and has hence been demarcated as a world heritage site. In the London Borough of Bromley is the Jubilee Country Park, a 62 acre patch of lush green woodlands and grasslands which is also home to a few species of wildlife. But apart from these public parks, there are also a number of gardens attached to huge medieval chateaus, many of which are centuries old.

One of these is Hall Place which hails from the 13^th century. It contains a well-kept garden with immaculately trimmed lawns and a number of trees. Here gardening enthusiasts can buy some plants and flowers to go and beautify their own compounds. The property’s last occupant before it was opened to the public was May, Countess of Limerick who moved into it in 1917. Visitors to Hall Place can refresh themselves at the cafe or pubs that are within the vicinity. Also within the London Borough of Bexley is the Foots Cray Place which was initially constructed in 1754. It contains a rather untamed woodland, a terrace garden and avenues of trees. The Lamorbey is a part of the University of Greenwich and is home to vibrant, beautifully tended gardens as well as a lake. While still in Bexley, you can view a real English garden that has survived for years and years by visiting the municipal park that is part of Danson House. But your kids can also play their hearts out on the playgrounds here using play equipment that is available there. Generally all these areas offer a brilliant family outing.

Other than these there are plenty of gardens (over 180) of different types in Kent you can visit. Kent is unofficially known as the garden of England as its fertile soils sustain a rich variety of plant life. Belmont Park is one of the better known gardens in the south east part of London. It has a walled garden, a kitchen garden, excellent formal lawns and a few wooded areas. Among the gardens you can also visit here is the one Charles Darwin occupied for the last 40 years of his life. The gardens have been recreated to look as they were when the Darwin family lived there.

If you are an inhabitant of south east London and have a compound that you have trouble managing, you will find Outdoor Creations garden maintenance service very useful. The Outdoor Creations team will undertake every single aspect of gardening on your behalf as you concentrate on your work. If you have no garden at all, they will help you design and implement the design, planting the right plants for you. Should you desire any features such as pools or ponds, they will construct these and make sure they work and remain that way. You will also not have to worry about tiny tasks such as mowing the lawn, weeding, pruning and irrigation of your plants; we will do it all for you.

Having a new quality garden design for the summer is not just about making your garden look fabulous, it’s about making you feel fabulous too. An enthusiastic team of professionals to guide you through the best garden designs could be just what you need to achieve the garden of your dreams.

So what are the popular features included in today’s quality garden designs? Garden gnomes are one of the most popular decorative objects around. These little garden friends were introduced in England in 1847, by Sir Charles Isham. Allegedly, he brought gnomes back from Germany and the real reasons for buying them was to see if it attracted ‘real gnomes’ to his garden. It is said that one of the only surviving garden gnomes from back in the day, called a ‘terracotta garden gnome’ is valued today for more than two million pounds.

At the start of World War II, an inventor named Philip Greiebel created these garden creatures; however his makings were put on hold during the war as it was difficult to get hold of the materials. These merry little decorations however, were popular as ever when they continued to be created by the Greibel family. They had high demands because everyone wanted these special gnomes in their gardens.

Many people tried to recreate the gnome with different materials, however terracotta (a type of clay based material) was found to be the best option to use. This material has been used throughout history, and not just for making gnomes, it’s also been used for making sculptures, pottery, bricks and many others objects.

Typically, garden gnomes have a little pointy hat and beards. They are traditionally male and can be sculpted into many positions. Popular gnomes are made to look as if they are napping or fishing.

Garden gnomes have been banned from events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, as judges believe garden gnomes distract the eye from the flower features presented.

There is a myth that gnomes were said to be ‘real men’; small men living under ground, guarding treasure. Traditionally, a male gnome would be wearing a pointy red hat, green trousers and either brown boots or clogs; they are also known to be the family of goblins. These mythical creatures were also known as a ‘household deity’, in other words a spirit or object protecting the household from any evil spirits.

A garden is not complete without adding your own personal touch to it, whether it’s adding garden gnomes or more extravagant features; or by bringing in more wildlife, with bird baths, plants and other water features.

A garden feature (gnome or not) can really make your garden stand out. If you’re unsure as to what feature will complement your garden, ask the professionals at Outdoor Creations to assist you with your quality garden design.

Resources:

http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Gnome
http://andrewnadler.hubpages.com/hub/The-History-Of-Garden-Gnomes

They may be called contemporary garden designs but they still showcase a lot of borrowing from the more ‘traditional’ garden layouts. And they still follow more or less the same guidelines of good landscaping: purposeful layout, symmetry, clever use of light and colour, well defined shapes and lines, all done with the right mix of plants and other features. Failure to follow these guidelines will leave you with a confused garden that is difficult to maintain, and although low maintenance gardening is in vogue due to the pressing demands of modern life… you won’t get to wow your guests with such a compound.

A common misconception among home owners when they hear the words ‘contemporary’ and ‘design’ is that it is something expensive. But this is not necessarily true. You can have a stylish, modern-looking garden without having to pay through the nose, simply let your imagination fly. Here are some ideas to get you going.

One of the things that stand out in modern designs is the use of rigid shapes and forms as opposed to the traditional spherical bushes, circular ponds and round fountains. Rectangular benches, square water features, ‘boxish’ steps and cubical flower pots are some of the ways these hard edges are achieved. There is also a deliberate attempt to keep colours, features and plants minimal; which is understandable given how increasingly difficult it is to get a house with a big garden. With contemporary garden designs you can even have a slice of paradise on your apartment balcony.

Garden decking is a common feature of modern style gardens. In case you haven’t seen it before, or didn’t recognise it, it is an outdoor floor usually of wood on which some will set up an outdoor living room, complete with a fireplace and some will simply place some potted plants. As you can probably guess, the idea is to extend the warmth, comfort and beauty of the interior of the house outside.

Another increasingly popular feature is the infinity pool that gives the illusion of stretching into the horizon. It has an edge on one side from which water flows and then falls before being pumped up and recycled. For added aesthetics, do the edges in beautiful stone or marble tiles. If this does not stun your visitors, nothing ever will. Granted, it is not cheap to install and maintain, but the payoff is more than worth it.

While artificial lighting in gardens is not a novel concept, in modern gardens creatively shaped lights are used to light up stone paths as well as flowers to give the impression that they’re aglow. These lights are also used to highlight or silhouette some plant or feature that you want to draw attention to it. You’ve probably seen a sculpture in a garden with a light at its base which not only illuminated it, but also brought out vivid shadows. It wasn’t by mistake; that is light doing its thing; revealing and creating mystery in equal measure. These are just some simple ways in which you can create contemporary garden designs to revolutionise your living space.

London, especially the south west part of the capital, is known to be home to a good number of public and private gardens. Few world renowned capitals can boast of hosting as many green spaces as London and this can be attributed to the widespread gardening culture of the nation as well as its highly conducive climate. Indeed visitors come from all over the world to promenade among the immaculately landscaped gardens of Hampton Court, Ham House, Chiswick and Kew. There are also gardens open for public viewing in Chelsea and other parts of the country. Almost everyone knows how pricey properties in Chelsea are. Though this cannot be solely attributed to the presence of world renowned gardens, the neat and luxurious air they project can definitely impinge on the cost of nearby estates.

The gardens of south west London, as we’ve mentioned, are tourist magnets not just for their vibrant colours and charming character, but also because of the history behind them. The Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew for instance, were created in 1759 for Augusta, Princes of Wales to beautify her Kew Palace dwelling. Sir William Chambers greatly assisted her and his appreciation for oriental gardening styles is evident in the pagoda which still stands in the grounds to this day. But this facility is not only pleasing to the eye; it is treasure trove of botanical information. It houses a library and archives of books, photographs, periodicals, maps and other useful research material.

Hampton Court Palace Garden also has quite a history, having been created initially under the instructions of Henry VIII over four centuries ago. It has since undergone significant changes in design as the inhabitants of the court changed, from Charles II to William of Orange and the features they introduced have been carefully preserved to this day. Charles II’s canal and the avenues constructed under William’s instructions are still there for visitors to enjoy. The pristine gardens of Ham House were originally designed in the 17^th century and its neat bushes and hedges induce an irresistible feeling of calm and gaiety.

The beauty with these gardens (apart from their natural beauty, of course) is how easily accessible they are even on public transport. Be it by train or by public bus, you can be in any of these gardens in a matter of minutes. And after you’re done with your tour, you can cool off with a walk along the famous River Thames.

While it is true that many Londoners love rolling up their sleeves and picking up a hoe to work on their garden, a number of them, due to the pressing demands of modern living, choose to bring in hired help. For this reason south west London has one company in particular (Outdoor Creations) that deal with landscaping and gardens to manage the garden of busy professionals. Outdoor Creations not only plan, design and implement gardens from scratch; we cater for the individual aspects of gardening such as planting, pruning and irrigation. We also provide whole scale maintenance services either during particular seasons or throughout the year.

One of the easiest ways to make your garden stand out is to style it on one of the many traditional garden designs that are still popular even today. The right combination of architecture, features and plants will result in an immaculate landscape that will be the envy of your neighbours and all who visit you. Whether you prefer something simple and functional that is easy to maintain or a more eccentric design to leave visitors stunned, there are styles to suit all tastes. And these styles have origins from all over the world; Asia, Europe, America, even some typical to the land down under. But regardless of styling, there are essentials to look out for in every garden: strong, well thought out layouts or lines, consistent colours, good use of light and creation of the right texture with your choice of plants. It is also essential that the entire garden has a sense of symmetry and proportionality.

The above elements can be achieved in a variety of ways. One of the most common traditional garden designs that has been used by home owners since the 14^th century is the cottage style garden. It is an informal style that is uncomplicated and easy to implement. Although it was originally meant to be made up solely of vegetables and herbs, later versions have replaced these with flowers, trees and bushes. The idea was to have a vegetable patch close by from which meal ingredients could by easily retrieved fresh from the garden. But even for today’s home owner, a garden featuring such plants as eggplants and tomatoes is not only useful for supper; it will also be rich in colour. Variations of this traditional English design have seen it combined with garden stylings from as far as Asia in order to make it more versatile by including features such as ponds and drought friendly plants.

Another common design that has been used in the past is the knot design. There are many kinds of knot gardens depending on which knot was used as the template for the garden’s shape. For instance some are shaped after the Lindisfarne Knot, a knot used by 7^th century Northumberland monks while the Oriental Knot, as the name suggests is based on decorative emblems of Chinese and Japanese origin. Unlike the more free-handed cottage garden, knot gardens are designed in conformity with geometric guidelines that serve to ensure the closest possible replication of the knot in question. It is therefore wise to bring in experienced hands if you must have this kind of garden. Then you will be able to proudly show off the intricate patterns of the garden to guests from the height of your bedroom balcony.

Other traditional designs that have found their way into modern gardens include rose gardens and rock gardens which are commonly used in combination with other kinds of gardens. Like the knot design above, rose gardens follow a strict geometrical pattern. But if you’re able to reproduce it, you will have the joy of having a garden similar to the one enjoyed by the United States president at the White House!

Would you love a bright traditional sunflower to complement your garden design? Or maybe a romantic red rose? Or a relaxing bunch of violets? Depending on which flower suits your garden, invest in flowers that flourish and impress the neighbours by having the most beautiful flowers peering over the fence.

There are all sorts of different flower shows all over the country. Recently the Spring Flower Show in Cornwall had 10,000 visitors turn up to celebrate its 100^th anniversary. This show is famous for its early show in spring as it has a slight different temperature than other midland places.

Another show you may have heard of is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Every year the Queen and other V.I.P attend the Chelsea Flower Show to support the hobby of gardening. The Chelsea Flower Show started in 1862 and has carried on to be one of the most popular flower shows in the world. One of the old winners and fully committed gardener Suzanne Gaywood has won the Chelsea garden show nine times now, receiving gold medals each time. Suzanne uses her ideas on the bases of the ‘Isle of Grenada’ an Island in the Caribbean where there are many tropical plants and interiors.

The RHS or Royal Horticultural Society benefits everyone in different ways, it is one of the UK’s leading charity events dedicated to promoting gardening throughout the country. This show is held through five days of May by the RHS in the ground of Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea London, attracting visitors from all over the world. This show includes avant-garde, urban gardens and many more.

If you are unable to attend the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year there are similar shows available. For example the Hampton Court Palace show held in early July and runs within Hampton Court Palace in south London. This is one of the most popular flower shows worldwide. The show features floral marquees talks and demonstrations. This is the second popular show after Chelsea Flower Show.

This year at Hampton Court Flower Show it is said to be a real treat for gardeners as there are even more exciting new garden designs than ever before. It has been said that the RHS is linking with the Groundwork (a company for inspiring people to do more in their communities) this year to help celebrate the best designs to come.   

Also RHS run flower shows in Tatton Park near Knutford Cheshire, this show first started in 1999 and carries the National Flower Bed competition and also features gardens with marquees with prized plants and floral design studios.

There are lots of dedicated gardeners out there who thrive on imagination and creating different unique gardens, incredible marquees and stunning plants. Thousands of people line up for the chance to win the gold medal in these flower shows.

If gardening is one of your hobbies, inspire your neighbourhood by creating a garden the neighbours will be jealous of. Why not set up your own flower competition to get your garden looking bright and colourful? Make your garden hold the best flowers that will flourish your traditional garden designs.   

Resources:

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2012/All-Coverage/Articles/Features/Show-highlights-2012
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/RHS-Show-Tatton-Park/2012

How many of us don’t get any time for ourselves? Too busy organising everybody else in the household, as well as ourselves. So when looking into the garden to see unloved dying plants and weeds what can we do to help ourselves? Get some expert help of course (maintenance services)! 

To ‘garden’ or to do the ‘gardening’ is to keep and grow plants as part of horticulture (the art of intensive plant growing and keeping in humans). There can be many stages to gardening, including growing flowers or in other words preparing ‘Ornamental’ plants for decoration. However when we grow plants they can be more than just for decoration, we can grow all sorts of food sources for example. We grow many different types of herbs some can be for medicine or just for food. We even grow vegetables including root vegetables, leaf vegetables and fruit for our consumption. 

Interestingly ‘Forest Gardening’ is the oldest form of gardening, this started in prehistoric times when people would find and understand which plants they could use for survival and other plants that they could leave because they had no use for them. Families were selecting plants and incorporating them into their gardens to help them survive.

Evidence has stated that early signs of human activity with gardening was in 1500 BC Egyptians times, where their tombs had paintings of ornamental plants on. It was said that wealthy people would use leaves and other plants for shade too. Egyptians associated the plants with the gods and when making their gardens they had a wide variety of plants in including fig trees, nut trees, date palms and even willows.

There are many different kinds of gardening used today including ‘Indoor Gardening’ which is the process of growing and keeping plants inside the house, watering them certain amounts of time a day to keep them fresh and healthy. Although keeping a greenhouse can also be called ‘indoor gardening’ as it is keeping the plant in an air conditioning or heated place which is indoors.

‘Native’ plant growing however keeps the wildlife habitat of the plant in a good state as well as the plants themselves. Many organic gardeners will try and interoperate the wildlife into their gardening by maintaining the keep of the animals and plants in the same habitat.

‘Water’ gardening is another different type of gardening, it’s when you keep plants which are grown or its habitat is adapted to water such as pools and ponds. Similar is when the plant is kept in a pot or a hanging basket this is called ‘Container’ gardening. The most common form of gardening to this modern day is ‘Residential’ gardening when the gardening is done close to your resident this is known as your own personal garden, a garden can also be located on the roof, balcony or on a patio.

Keep your personal garden space fresh and tidy with our maintenance services. It will be another load of your mind, one less thing to take care of on top of all those other duties. Put your garden in the hands of the maintenance service professionals.  

Resource:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardening#History