AD - You’ve got to take advantage of this!
@toolstation_uk are now stocking @stihlgb tools. If you’re like me and often need things last minute, you don’t have to panic and drive all over the place trying to find something in stock. Toolstation will have a huge range of stock available for next working day collection.
Thanks to the Launceston branch of Toolstation for putting up with my shenanigans 😂
#gardening #gardeninglife #gardentools
This probably wasn’t what they had in mind, but it’s the best thing ever.
The garden is absolutely BUZZING with bees, birds, butterflies and other wildlife too 🙌.
Great clients and a great build with @johnstonelandscapes
#gardenersofinstagram #wildlifegarden #gardendesign
Who loves Bridgerton?
@flo_the_gardener and I had a right laugh filming this one. Plenty of swooning around the garden pretending we were in a period drama! I probably should have been wearing a top hat and tails?
The key to bringing this theme to life was the mix of structural evergreens paired with some traditional favourites like Hydrangeas, Roses, Wisteria and Lavender.
The team did an amazing job on the build as always @suzie_topping_pm 🙌. It’s the little details like the brick edging and the angled overhangs on the pergola that give it that traditional feel.
Catch it on @bbciplayer if you’ve missed it 🪴.
@gardenrescueofficial
#gardendesign #gardenrescue #horticulture #gardensofinstagram
Did you catch this tropical paradise?!
This garden rescue was a personal favourite as I absolutely love tropical planting! What was even more amazing is that Barbara already had collected LOADS of amazing unusual plants. I just had the joy of arranging them in a new design.
This style of garden requires you to play with the wide range of texture and really consider how these plants work together. Luckily I had @garden_ninja_lee to help me and despite his hatred for Phormiums 😂, we both trust each other to run with it when it comes to setting out. It really helps to take the load off when you have a big build like that!
Some of my personal favourites for big leaves in this are the Catalpa, the Paulowinia and Tetrapanax.
ALSO who else loves that water feature?!
Thanks as always to the team managed by @benjaminrichardpope 👌
Watch @gardenrescueofficial S11 Ep7 Coventry on @bbciplayer now.
#gardenrescue #gardendesign #exoticgarden #tropicalplants
Possibly a controversial take, but I think having topiary in a naturalistic planting, makes it even better!
Plants from this scheme listed below 🌸.
Whatever the shape may be, the contrast (or juxtaposition if you want to use designer lingo) between the clipped structure and the wild planting, is what really makes the planting stand out.
As humans we crave that contrast. A full field of long meadow grass looks nice, but if it has a mown winding path through it, you’re naturally drawn to that change between neat and wild.
The other benefit for the topiary is that it provides a strong evergreen structure throughout the seasons, always locking the scheme together.
You could do the same with other evergreen plants, and I do that too, but for me nothing beats a crisply clipped Yew!
P.s I haven’t aged…a few years… that’s my legend of a step dad who was out working with me 😂. He loves clipping topiary!
Plants in shot:
Taxus (Yew) topiary dome
Salvia ‘Caradonna’
Sesleria autumnalis
Deschampsia cespitosa
Amongst and around this are also
Geum ‘Mai Tai’
Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘Alba’
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’
Echinacea ‘Pretty Parasols’
Astrantia ’Large White’
#gardendesign #gardenersofinstagram #plantingdesign
A load of plants and year to grow can make a massive difference to a garden…
I loved designing and planting up this garden and each time I visit I’m excited to see how the plants are behaving themselves, however not everything goes to plan! There’s always tweaks and changes to be made, but it’s looking pretty good.
The challenge is the weeding, especially in the first year after disturbing the seed bed. It will calm down though now they’re filling out.
Also have everyone’s Geum’s gone crazy this year?!
#gardendesign #plantingdesign #horticulture #gardenersofinstagram
Transforming a 3mx3m balcony is no easy task…
The smaller the space the more important the details. Every millimetre counts in a garden like this.
Thanks to @the_rhs & @bbctheoneshow I had the pleasure of doing another Pocket Garden Makeover. This year it was for Lewis and Ricky and their 2nd floor balcony that was also their personal sanctuary to escape the worries of the world.
You could tell this is going to be a garden that will be well loved and really make a difference to their lives.
Hopefully it showcases what’s possible in even the smallest of spaces and inspires other people to utilise their outdoor space.
Big shout out to everyone involved from production to build crew 🙌
#gardensesign #gardenmakeover #gardeninspiration
Toby’s Garden Festival photo dump!
My camera roll was mostly pics of animals (no surprise there 😂) and a few selfies, so thanks to @duckgardenplantsandposies and @rhizophyllia for the pics of us all on stage!
I had a great time speaking across both days @tobygardenfest and the whole vibe was so relaxed. Thanks @tobybucklandgardens and @sow_much_more for being the best hosts. Plus Lauren & her amazing team who ran the show!
Even instagram royalty @gardenwithjonny was there! We had a very cosy Q&A at the end of a soaking wet final day 😂
@powderhamcastle is the best setting! What other festival has a deer park, the most amazing views and a wetland habitat full of awesome wildlife.
🪴🙌
#gardendesign #gardenersofinstagram #gardenfestival
What do you think of this?
This is a project I’m working on at the moment down in Dorset and it’s so exciting. I’m really pleased with these how these perspective sketches turned out as well.
The garden features include a dry stone wall with spouts that feed a floating rill and multiple troughs. The whole garden will have traditional, romantic planting, with a naturalistic twist. A chunky Oak pergola and pleached trees makes the perfect spot to chill out and look across the wider garden.
Plus there’s some lovely hard landscaping details going in! Can’t wait to see it develop.
I do hand draw believe it or not, but it’s on the iPad with Apple Pencil so you still have the flexibility of changing things if you make a mistake!
All of my working plans and 3D models are done on @vectorworks of course.
Let me know which bit you like the most!
#gardendesign #landscapearchitecture #gardendesigner
This wasn’t part of the plan..
I had this random idea on site one day after staring at some of the boulders lying around. Thankfully the @johnstonelandscapes team were actually excited to put these into place! 💪
They were heavy lifting and required some precision cuts to get the sat down nicely over the edges.
They were even free as we were using boulders reclaimed from the existing garden.
Sometimes the best details on a project come during the build itself. Thanks for always being adaptable @johnstone_landscapes_jake
#gardendesign #landscaping #gardenersofinstagram #landscapeconstruction
Who else thinks the brink of Spring comes and goes too fast?
It’s so good to see Spring flowers bursting to life, with the bare bones of the garden still on show. Then all of a sudden it’s full steam ahead and everything is in leaf!
This is a project of mine on the edge of Dartmoor and has held up very well even with our soaking wet winter. Can’t wait to see more of the bulbs come through. The Magnolia ‘Stellata’ is putting on a serious display!
Plants from @foliumandflosplants
#gardening #plantingdesign #gardenersofinstagram #gardenlove
Do you want to make a show garden?! 🪴
Applications are still open for the Designer Gardens @tauntonfs !
I will be one of the judges again this year and we would love one or two more gardens to display. The deadline has been extended to Mid April if anyone would like to apply.
You’ll even get a complimentary 3x3m trade stand at the show as well as the garden, so it’s a win win!
Applications aren’t just for designers, anyone can apply so I really encourage you to give it a go! It will be a great experience and we look forward to seeing you there.
Details on the @tauntonfs website 🪴
#tauntonflowershow #showgarden #gardendesign #gardenersofinstagram
Top tips for pruning apple trees! 🌳
I’ve used a combination of my @stihlgb HTA 30 pole pruner, @stihlgb ASA 20 secateurs and a long reach lopper to prune this overgrown apple tree.
The best time to formatively prune apple trees is in the dormant season, between November and March.
#Gardening #gardenmaintenance #STIHL
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!
#horticulture #gardenlove #gardening #gardentips
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? 🔥🐴
Plants from @foliumandflosplants & @webbsgc
#gardendesign #explore #horticulture #botany #planthunter
Bespoke curved bench 🔥
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!
Fire pit by @glowbusuk 🔥
Snaps by @aspectlandscapemedia
#gardendesign #landscaping #landscapearchitecture #gardenlove