Blog Archives - Garden Design Sussex

Best Echinacea Varieties for the Garden

Echinaceas provide striking colours to a garden, blooming from mid-summer through to mid-autumn. Commonly called coneflowers, these easy to grow plants work well alongside other perennials. They are ideal plants when considering prairie-style gardening, their height and range of colours complementing the ornamental grasses employed in this increasing popular type of garden. There are a good number of echinacea varieties to select from, but whichever best suits your planting scheme their colourful flowers will attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies in to your garden. Some varieties to consider include: Echinacea Purpurea ‘Magnus’ This is one of the more common [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T10:47:59+01:00October 6th, 2020|Articles, Blog, Flowers, Front Gardens, Garden Art|Comments Off

Landscaping Ideas for the Side Garden

When landscaping your house, it can be all too easy to overlook the outdoor space at the side of the house. Our attention is often focussed on the front and back garden only, yet a well-thought-out side garden can provide a perfect link between the two. Regardless of how wide the space is, there are many ways to take advantage of this additional outside area. An Attractive Through-way A combination of paving and attractive planting can provide for a visually appealing side garden, one which ideally complements both the front and back garden areas. Pathways can be practical and interesting [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T11:06:59+01:00September 22nd, 2020|Articles, Blog, Garden Art, Plant Combinations|Comments Off

A Retaining Wall Can Add Aesthetic Appeal To Your Garden

When landscaping a garden, a retaining wall can be an ideal solution in making the most out of your outdoor space. The planting scheme understandably takes up a lot of the focus, but the overall aesthetic appeal of a garden involves more than just shrubs and flowers. A retaining wall not only helps level out areas of the garden to give you more planting options, but they can add a level of aesthetic beauty to the landscaping design too. A wall can be built from a variety of materials, providing a feature which fits in seamlessly to your overall garden [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T10:48:29+01:00September 18th, 2020|Articles, Blog, Garden Art|Comments Off

A Garden Lush With Irises

With their colourful variety of stunning blooms, irises are a firm gardening favourite. Their beautiful colours have long caught the eye. Indeed, irises were one of the favourite flowers of the French impressionist artist Claude Monet. As well as lining the pathways of his home at Giverny, irises featured in a number of Monet’s works including ‘The Path through the Irises’ and ‘The Artist’s Garden at Giverny’. Although the bloom of an iris can come and go within the space of a couple of weeks, consideration to the different varieties of iris when landscaping a garden can help extend their [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T10:48:36+01:00September 4th, 2020|Articles, Blog, Flowers|Comments Off

Landscaping a Prairie Style Garden

A prairie style garden provides a striking and naturalistic look to an outdoor space. Whether incorporating the style to the whole garden design or just a smaller section you can bring the joy of the wild meadow in to your garden. The prairie style is characterised by ornamental grasses and sturdy perennials. Providing your garden has good drainage and can offer an open sunny spot, you can consider this style when landscaping a garden, regardless of the size of the plot. With the right planting conditions maintenance is fairly straightforward, allowing for an easier gardening experience. Staples of a Prairie [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T10:58:29+01:00August 25th, 2020|Articles, Blog, Flowers|Comments Off

Using Colour Theory in Garden Landscaping

Colour plays an integral role when landscaping a garden design. Colour can be the most important element to consider in achieving a garden which is pleasing on the eye, working alongside combinations of textures, lines, forms and scale to give you your ideal garden space. When planning your garden, you should consider how colours from the plants will work in the garden as a whole, in specific areas such as borders and in tandem with existing features like walls and trees. To this end employing colour theory can help you achieve your landscaping designs. Image by rikkerst from Pixabay What [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T11:21:53+01:00August 18th, 2020|Articles, Blog, Flowers, Grasses|Comments Off

Raised Beds In Your Garden Landscaping

Using raised beds when landscaping a garden is an ideal way to create a space to grow vegetables and herbs. Regardless of the size of a garden, raised beds allow for easy maintenance and can look visually attractive wherever they are located. As well as making gardening easier they also give you more say over what you can grow since you are less dependent on the natural soil type found in your garden. Choosing the Right Raised Bed Raised beds can vary in height, dimension and material. Before landscaping their design you should first consider the type and quantity of [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T11:02:02+01:00August 4th, 2020|Articles, Blog, Garden Art, Plant Combinations, Pots, Small Gardens|Comments Off

Choosing the Best Herbs For Your Garden

Herbs are a wonderful addition to a garden. Whether growing them for culinary reasons, for attractive and fragrant borders, or to attract bees to the garden, herbs are often easy to grow and maintain. When landscaping a garden consider which herb is best suited for the function you want it to perform. Kitchen Gardens Using a freshly picked herb straight from your garden when cooking is hard to beat. There are many favourite varieties which are staples of a kitchen garden. Basil is a classic summer herb, easy to grow in pots and a lovely garnish to many dishes. A [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T10:53:04+01:00July 20th, 2020|Blog, Flowers, Front Gardens, Garden Art, Grasses|Comments Off

Things to Consider When Pruning Trees

The summer months have arrived and you are finally enjoying being back out in the garden. You can see there are a number of jobs to attend with all the new growth coming through -- including the trees. Part of landscaping your garden will be pruning the trees, but before you head straight in to this job you should consider the best time of year to prune a tree. Why Prune? Pruning has a number of benefits including safety, as you will be removing damaged or diseased branches which could cause harm if they fall. Pruning also helps the shape [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T11:23:20+01:00June 25th, 2020|Blog, Transformations, Trees|Comments Off

The Sweetest-Smelling Flowers for the Garden

One of the pleasures of gardening is the accompanying scents from your flowers and shrubs. By taking in to consideration when different plants bloom while landscaping your borders, you can ensure your garden is filled with pleasant aromas the whole year round. Many plants will attract bees and butterflies, too. Border Plants Lavender is a garden favourite, a summer perennial ideal for borders and lining garden paths, releasing its gorgeous aroma when brushed. There are many varieties, but planted in the correct conditions lavender requires little maintenance. Wallflowers are another garden favourite which are easy to grow, providing lovely shades [...]

By Andrew Staib|2021-06-03T11:23:25+01:00June 22nd, 2020|Blog, Flowers, Garden Art|Comments Off