Garden articles and advice

I have been writing articles for the north norfolk post that I hope will inspire you to try something a little different in your own garden. I will post the latest article on this page each month and

dont forget that if you need help creating something beautiful give Shadows Gardens a call on 01692 535673

Water wise

As I write this the garden is looking parched with the long run of dry sunny days stretching into weeks we may be enjoying the summer sun but the plants most certainly are not. Vegetable plants in particular suffer at the mercy of the heat; they need water to swell the pods, tubers and fruit that we enjoy so much.

There are several ways to help save water and also reduce the need for extra watering when hose pipe bans seem likely.

Most people keep a water butt if don’t already it may be time to invest in one although you will have to wait for it to fill up which may take some months. If you have a large garden two or more butts can be joined together.
Grey water recycling is the re-use of water that has been used for the washing up, from the washing machine or after a bath. As long as no strong detergents are used this water can be taken to your thirsty plants by bucket or siphon. Larger water harvesting systems are available and if you feel like going even greener why not try reed bed water recycling systems.

Water is lost from plants and soil by evaporation so you can reduce the need for watering by using mulch around your flower beds.
Common mulch’s include organic mulch’s such as leaf mould, bark chippings, mushroom compost and your grass clippings. Inorganic mulch’s include pebbles, sand, gravel and recycled glass chippings.
Another way to reduce evaporation is to avoid watering the foliage of plants and water early in the morning or late in the evening.
If possible you can bury a foot of drain pipe close to the base of larger shrubs and plants. Watering into this pipe instead of the soil gets the water straight to the roots.

You could also plant your garden with drought tolerant species garden styles such as the desert garden are very striking and often include lots of architectural plants.
Most drought tolerant plants have features that are easily recognisable, plants with hairy or spiny foliage are good at trapping moisture and small or thin foliage will loose less water through evaporation than large foliage.
Drought tolerant plants include Achillea, Berberis and most grass species.

One last thing to remember when weeding avoid digging the soil over to much as this exposes more moisture to the elements. Carefully pull weeds making sure to remove the entire root or hoe the ground allowing the weeds to bake in the sun although if it does rain they will re-establish so plan ahead.

Macmillan garden for Sandringham 2010

Cross our pools with silver

The Macmillan Cancer Support garden Sandringham flower show July 28th 2010

Forget Chelsea the flower show to be seen at in our county is the Sandringham flower show. This

will be the show's 129th year and as well as exhibiting the best in horticulture it is also a great day

out for all the family.

Shadows Gardens show garden this year is in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, the idea of the

garden is to outline some of the ways in which Macmillan helps hundreds of people and their

families as they face an extremely confusing and emotional time in their lives.

We are also aiming to raise money throughout the day so why not pop along and throw in a few

silver coins (5p, 10p, 20p or 50p) to cover the bottom of the two pools within the garden.

I have placed a link on my website for any wonderful people who cannot attend but would still like to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support.

I would like to thank our sponsors this year Steve Penn Paving, Botanica Nursery, Borderstone and Q Lawns.

The ways in which the garden focus's on the help available through the hard working charity

include:

Practical Support

'We guide people through the system, supporting them every step of the way'.

Designed around a maze the garden reflects Macmillan through subtle signs throughout, pointing

the way keeping the visitor on the correct path during an otherwise confusing time. These signs are silhouettes of members of my family who have been affected by cancer and of course Douglas

Macmillan the man responsible for founding the 'Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer',

Macmillan in its infancy.

Emotional Support

'People need emotional support, so we listen, advise and share information'.

When the visitor arrives at the centre of the garden they find a harmonious center, a circle

representing the warmth and support of not only Macmillan but friends and family that are there for the cancer patient and the carers. Two chairs one for the listener and one for the seeker are placed facing each other.

Financial Support

'We fund nurses and other specialist health care proffesionals and build cancer care centres'.

People need financial help to cope with the extra costs cancer can bring, so we give benefits advice, and grants for anything from heating bills to travel costs

At the heart of the garden are two pools representing funds available to health care professionals

and those affected by cancer. During the course of the day the aim is to cover the base of the pools

with donations of silver coins (cross our pools with silver).

Carers Support

The planting within the garden is meditative, relaxing and soft promoting a stress free environment to provide a break for both carers and patients.

Medical Support

Some of the plants in the garden have health benefits and are effective in pain and stress relief the

colours chosen are warm and welcoming creating a calm and relaxing atmosphere.

To celebrate Shadows second year at the show we are running a competition to win a pair of tickets

to show day on Wednesday the 28th of July 2010. One pair of tickets is available in this free to enter

competition all you have to do is answer the three questions below and send the entry to Shadows,

Briggate farm, White Horse Lane, Briggate, NR28 9QZ.

Please include your Name, Address and

Contact number together with the answers numbered 1-3. The closing date is June 30th 2010 only

one entry per household. The results will be announced in the July issue and the winner will be

notified by post or Telephone. The correct entry's will be entered into a draw to determine the

winner. The winners name will be announced, but no other details given, in all promotional

material.

Competition Questions

1. Who are the show garden judges at the Sandringham flower show?

2. The profits from each years show are donated to charity to date how much money have the

committee donated from the shows?

3. Which royal patron regularly attends the Sandringham flower show

Shadows Gardens

Creating a garden that is unique and personal can sometimes feel like an uphill struggle, most garden ornaments are mass produced on the continent and finding something to enhance your own space without looking like your next door neighbour can be difficult. With a little inspiration you could find it easier than you think to have an unusual and original garden feature.

Living willow sculptures and features such as tunnels and arbours have seen a surge of popularity in recent years. Once planted they will last for many years and of course as they are growing they change and mature with your garden. These are planted between December and early April and each one will be original and unique to your garden. You can use willow to produce structures that are not living such as the pictured planter and turf topped seat which I recently completed for a customer in Sheringham. Both pictures do not do them justice as they are so strong I really think you would need to hit them with a car to move them.

Why not try sculpted turf covered areas, although they take a little more time to mow you can create stunning visual impact with, for example, a turf snake slithering across your lawn or something a little more modern maybe a geometric design undulating in your grass. You could also use wildflower turf to create a sculptural wildlife haven. Turf furniture is also possible.

A maze maybe the perfect answer keeping the whole family amused and adding an extra dimension to your garden. I have designed a simple yet effective maze for my Sandringham flower show garden in aid of Macmillan Cancer support this year so why not come along and see how it could work in your garden you can also donate a little change to this worthy charity at the same time.

There are some wonderful uses for old logs if you are feeling creative, why not try making a log bench by removing sections large enough to sit in or using an old tree stump make a throne fit for a Queen or King. Go collecting drift wood and items from the beach to add to your borders.

And lastly why not visit some of the wonderful reclamation yards we have in the county you never know what treasures your going to find. Having something unique need not mean spending a fortune so try to have fun with it.

If you would like some more inspiration or a little help creating and maintaining you garden get in touch.

www.shadowstopiaryhire.co.uk

01692 535673

Beyond the Garden Gate

01692 535673