A big change has happened in the Greenbook world – we’ve moved! Both the business and our lives have made the exciting journey down to Exeter, Devon, a place that’s close to our hearts. It’s also where Chris first picked up his gardening tools and discovered his passion for all things gardens. With its rolling […]
What Makes a Garden Design Sustainable?
Garden designers naturally have a real interest in how their actions impact the spaces they work in. But as responsible designers, we also need to understand how these actions impact the wider world.
Gardens on a budget
It really is possible to live the dream, without spending wheelbarrow loads of money or having lots of experience and knowledge.
Top Garden Design Trends of 2020
Whilst forest fires blaze on one side of the globe and pandemic status is issued on another, you may feel guilty about being so concerned with the top garden
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A job so simple even a baby can do it!
Jude is exploring the garden now that Spring is on the way and he loved tidying this Festuca.
Most evergreen grasses just need a simple comb through to remove the dead and that’s all. You don’t even have to do this every year, only if it is very noticeable.
If you have any garden questions for Jude then please ask away!
Jude is exploring the garden now that Spring is on the way and he loved tidying this Festuca.
Most evergreen grasses just need a simple comb through to remove the dead and that’s all. You don’t even have to do this every year, only if it is very noticeable.
If you have any garden questions for Jude then please ask away!
You wouldn’t believe how many common garden plants are actually native to China.
Plant hunters like Earnest ‘Chinese’ Wilson and George Forrest went exploring through china in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They found these species in the wild and brought them back to England. I can’t think of anything more exciting than doing that!!
These sorts of expeditions aren’t allowed now and if they are then it is heavily regulated.
English garden history is rich with foreign exploration and discovery of unusual plants. Many of which became common favourites and some becoming garden weeds.
Whatever your view on it. They’ve shaped the gardens that we appreciate today and I would have loved to walk in their shoes when hunting plants in foreign lands.
Who else is excited for the year of the fire horse? 🔥🐴
You wouldn’t believe how many common garden plants are actually native to China.
Plant hunters like Earnest ‘Chinese’ Wilson and George Forrest went exploring through china in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They found these species in the wild and brought them back to England. I can’t think of anything more exciting than doing that!!
These sorts of expeditions aren’t allowed now and if they are then it is heavily regulated.
English garden history is rich with foreign exploration and discovery of unusual plants. Many of which became common favourites and some becoming garden weeds.
Whatever your view on it. They’ve shaped the gardens that we appreciate today and I would have loved to walk in their shoes when hunting plants in foreign lands.
Who else is excited for the year of the fire horse? 🔥🐴
I love this drone shot of the bench and fire pit from one of my projects. It’s such a strong shape with the setts continuing the circumference of the circle through the gravel.
Yew hedges either end of the bench will be clipped tight to carry on the curve through the planting beds 🪴
Proud of this bench as it was a bold design idea that I ended up building myself, using Iroko boards cut to the radius and the steel frame was made by @taurusfabrications Plenty of head scratching!
It’s part of a much larger design which was all built by the amazing @johnstonelandscapes - who didn’t miss a beat with details!
I love this drone shot of the bench and fire pit from one of my projects. It’s such a strong shape with the setts continuing the circumference of the circle through the gravel.
Yew hedges either end of the bench will be clipped tight to carry on the curve through the planting beds 🪴
Proud of this bench as it was a bold design idea that I ended up building myself, using Iroko boards cut to the radius and the steel frame was made by @taurusfabrications Plenty of head scratching!
It’s part of a much larger design which was all built by the amazing @johnstonelandscapes - who didn’t miss a beat with details!
Everyone thinks of a pretty masterplan with mood boards and some 3D visuals when they imagine a garden design. However it is these stages that take it from a great idea to a fully buildable, horticulturally sound garden.
Having detailed drawings takes the guess work out when quoting the build and ensures the garden is built exactly as the design intended!
The planting design obviously creates the stunning planting scheme you’ve been dreaming of, but it’s also invaluable for setting out and calculating an accurate plant schedule of sizes and qtys for the build.
Photos are all from my projects and taken by @aspectlandscapemedia
Everyone thinks of a pretty masterplan with mood boards and some 3D visuals when they imagine a garden design. However it is these stages that take it from a great idea to a fully buildable, horticulturally sound garden.
Having detailed drawings takes the guess work out when quoting the build and ensures the garden is built exactly as the design intended!
The planting design obviously creates the stunning planting scheme you’ve been dreaming of, but it’s also invaluable for setting out and calculating an accurate plant schedule of sizes and qtys for the build.
Photos are all from my projects and taken by @aspectlandscapemedia
Garden design definitely isn’t simple and you won’t believe how much time gets put into each stage of the design. Getting the layout and overall look right takes hours of thinking time, combined with a lot of experience and creativity!
It then requires even more construction and horticultural knowledge to take it from a beautiful plan to a full set of working drawings.
The most important thing for me is being able to communicate a dream garden to the client whilst also having a full set of practical drawings to build from.
Garden design definitely isn’t simple and you won’t believe how much time gets put into each stage of the design. Getting the layout and overall look right takes hours of thinking time, combined with a lot of experience and creativity!
It then requires even more construction and horticultural knowledge to take it from a beautiful plan to a full set of working drawings.
The most important thing for me is being able to communicate a dream garden to the client whilst also having a full set of practical drawings to build from.
I loved designing this @gardenrescueofficial garden for a medal winning couple in Loughborough. Reclaimed materials, dramatic planting, bespoke construction… it had it all!
Well done to the build team on this one - absolutely smashed it. That curved gabion bench is such a unique feature.
Thank you @garden_ninja_lee for the banter (as always) and the awesome bee posts!
What did you think of the planting? Bold and beautiful or too bright? Personally I love the contrast but some people can’t handle that much yellow 😂
I loved designing this @gardenrescueofficial garden for a medal winning couple in Loughborough. Reclaimed materials, dramatic planting, bespoke construction… it had it all!
Well done to the build team on this one - absolutely smashed it. That curved gabion bench is such a unique feature.
Thank you @garden_ninja_lee for the banter (as always) and the awesome bee posts!
What did you think of the planting? Bold and beautiful or too bright? Personally I love the contrast but some people can’t handle that much yellow 😂
Behind the scenes of making an alpine trough for @itvloveyourweekend
This was quite gung ho, sheltering from the rain in the back of the van! The plants will really start to settle in over the next growing season.
Plants kindly donated from @kevockgarden - a real mix of some beautiful alpines.
A few of my favourites were - Daphne ‘Tichborne’ Sisyrinchium ‘Devon Skies Erinus alpinus Sempervivum calcareum Sedum spathulifolium ‘Purpureum Leontopodium nivale subsp. alpinum
The trick is to be restrained with your plants and rock selection and to not over fill it. Good drainage is also essential!
The salt glazed trough and granite setts are reclaimed and bought @tobysreclamation and the slate was also second hand from my good friend @ac_roofing_services
Behind the scenes of making an alpine trough for @itvloveyourweekend
This was quite gung ho, sheltering from the rain in the back of the van! The plants will really start to settle in over the next growing season.
Plants kindly donated from @kevockgarden - a real mix of some beautiful alpines.
A few of my favourites were - Daphne ‘Tichborne’ Sisyrinchium ‘Devon Skies Erinus alpinus Sempervivum calcareum Sedum spathulifolium ‘Purpureum Leontopodium nivale subsp. alpinum
The trick is to be restrained with your plants and rock selection and to not over fill it. Good drainage is also essential!
The salt glazed trough and granite setts are reclaimed and bought @tobysreclamation and the slate was also second hand from my good friend @ac_roofing_services
