We are looking forward to installing our first wildflower lawn, and though we had planned to have one installed in our upcoming Glasgow west end design our clients have opted to do this themselves as part of their ongoing gardening activity!  Fair enough!

Our fellow Landscape Juice Network members, Shadows Garden Design have provided this excellent guide to installing your own wildflower meadow, check it out:

Bringing your garden out of the Shadows: How To: Make a wildflower meadow.

Originally posted 2009-10-27 11:42:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

This guest blog has been written by Michelle Strassburg, co-founder of UK based Wood and Beyond sellers of hardwood decking:During this time of year we often get calls and emails from people asking ‘how should I clean my garden decking?‘ It seems that the first few days of summer always bring people out in numbers to the garden and the condition of their decking after the winter months is less than satisfactory. There is also an important safety aspect for keeping the garden decking clean as it will prevent the surface from becoming a slippery one. Cleaning hardwood decking isn’t hard and will ensure the structure will remain in great condition despite the harsh winter elements. Here are couple of tips which we recommend you take.

How To Clean Hardwood Decking?

Pre-Step: First you’ll need to prepare a few essential tools and materials such as a stiff household broom, pressure washer (optional), warm water, soda crystals and chemical agents (optional). We don’t often recommend using chemical agents unless we sold the wood so we know how it will react. If you do decide to work with chemical agents pay attention to health and safety regulations, keep away from children and use protective clothing.

Step One: Make sure the decking surface is free of any obstacles so you can concentrate on cleaning rather than moving toys, chairs and tables around. Do not drag any piece of furniture around. Therefore you should consider getting a helping hand for this step.

Step Two: Using a stiff broom, give the deck a thorough brush followed by jet-wash using a pressure washer if you have one to get rid of dirt and debris. Do not use an industrial grade pressure washer (above 1500psi) as it might damage the wood, those used as multi-purpose home jet cleaners will work just fine. If you don’t have one, use normal pressure water from your garden hose.

Step Three: Unless you know precisely how your wood will react to a cleaning chemical, we recommend using good-all soda crystals. Spray warm water over the decked surface and sprinkle soda crystals. Leave the decking for a few hours and once dry brush using a stiff broom. This stage is the reason why the cleaning should be done in the summer when the decking is dry.

Step Four: After you have completed the cleaning process, rinse the deck area completely to remove any trace of the cleaning solutions and chemical agents. Allow the deck to dry completely before placing the furniture and other items back  on the deck surface.

Enjoy the summer and your garden decking.

- – -
Article by Michelle Strassburg, the co-founder of UK based Wood and Beyond sellers of hardwood decking.

Originally posted 2010-04-27 15:38:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

These fantastic garden daybeds certainly inspire us to design gardens to put them in and I’m hoping that by showing them here as demonstrated at FreshHome they might inspire you guys to get us to draft you up some fantastic design for your own garden!

These beautiful daybeds are made by Lifeshop Collection, a company that is specialized in indoor and outdoor contract furniture, hotel furniture, contract lighting, contract artwork, casegoods, and resin furniture. The summer is near, and a piece of outdoor furniture like this would be great, to relax outside your house, and breathe fresh air. These pieces would be also awesome for an outdoor party. – Via – Espaciohogar – Via – Freshhome

Cheers

Nicky Patterson, Garden Designer @ GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-03-26 17:00:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Presented at Milan Furniture Fair 2009, Green Pockets is an innovative idea designed by Maruja Fuentes a designer from Puerto Rico. Green pockets are ceramic tiles which fuse nature with the interior space, improving both air quality and health. They attach to the wall to create the illusion as if they were actually growing from them. The tiles, made from recycled materials, serve as planters and their unique shape allows them to interlock, thereby creating different patterns depending on the vegetation planted. The pockets bring a soul-soothing dose of greenery and nature to an interior space, improving a room’s aesthetic and air quality. Great for flats and urban housing which may not have vast gardens, not to mention great for the enviroment.

Via – Freshome -Via- Thedesignblog

Always looking for great ideas!!

Best Regards

Matthew Thomson, Apprentice Garden Designer @ GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-06-22 17:00:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Second in a series of blog posts showcasing some of the great ideas out there that help inspire our garden designs and will inspire you to get design motivated!!

Space saving ideas for cultivating your own – especially good for those who live in flats; first the foldable greenhouse:

Now for a neat idea for brightening up your balcony with pots that fit railings:

And lastly for this post here’s a link to an article about green roofs, which are likely to become an increasingly popular sight in th UK in the coming decade:

That’s all for now gang, be back soon with some more boggy blogging!!

Nicky Patterson, GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-03-16 12:10:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

One of my favourite websites: here’s an idea we can all try out!!

Studio G – Garden Design & Landscape Design inspiration » Before and After: Recycled Chairs to Fab Garden Bench.

Originally posted 2009-10-11 09:51:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

A funky and modern twist on the traditional garden parasol design: these can be used when the garden design is such that a traditional umbrella structured parasol might compromise the overall theme of the space.

Coolaroo Shade Sails are bold, brightly colored in square and triangle shapes. It’s remarkable how one lone shade sail can lend an outdoor space a contemporary touch. String up a group of shade sails—like in the photo, below—and you can transform a space into something you’d expect to find at a modern art museum.

What you can’t see from the photos is how durable the Coolaroo material is. This isn’t like hanging out a sheet. The shade sails are made for life outdoors. The sail’s nylon edges will not tear or fray. The color of the material will remain bright even when permanently hung outside and exposed to moisture, intense sun – which is inevitable in Glasgow! – and temperature extremes. The D-rings on the corners of the Coolaroo will stay anchored to the included stainless steel poles. Coolaroo products come with a 10 year warranty. If your shade sail becomes damaged the company will replace it for free.

Best of all, the Coolaroo fabric blocks out 90% of the sun’s harmful UV rays while allowing breezes to pass through. So life under a Coolaroo is cool in more ways than one.  – VIA – SpotCoolStuff

Cheers

Nicky Patterson, garden designer @ GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2009-03-25 17:00:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Originally posted 2009-06-26 13:00:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Why not give yourself a head-start this Easter weekend and get the juniors involved in preparing the garden ready for the summer ahead?

If you have a project in mind where you’d like to have an area dedicated to children’s play or if you’d like to build a garden which will act as an activity and education resource for your children, as well as providing suitable grown up pursuits (such as relaxing and entertaining!) then please drop us a line at GardenImprovements.com and enquire about our Garden Design Services.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Nicky Patterson, Designer @ GardenImprovements.com

Originally posted 2010-04-03 00:26:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I love eating outdoors – BBQs are a truly brilliant way of combining two of my favourite activities, cooking and messing about in the garden!  The time for BBQs and outdoor activity isn’t over yet – despite the chill setting in here in Glasgow; fire up that chimnea and get some of that air round your gills next time we have a clear blue Sunday!

Check out these alternative outdoor cooking ideas from the ever impressive Studio G:

Studio G – Garden Design & Landscape Design inspiration » Garden Tandoor; the Next Trend in Outdoor Cooking?.

Originally posted 2009-10-12 12:13:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter