Getting your garden ready for spring. With the strong winds and storms we have had recently spring might seem a long way off but now that we are in February it actually isn’t that far away. So let’s take a look at what we can start to do to get our garden ready for the spring. Have a quick stroll around your garden to get a good overview. Look at your fences and any walls to check that they are in a good state and not in need of repairing or replacing. Now is a good time to carry out any repairs so the garden is ready to fully enjoy in the spring. Treat your wooden structures with a wood preservative during a dry period. Take a look at our blog on maintaining your fencing https://www.eastlondonlandscapes.com/maintaining-a-fence/ for some further tips. Give your garden decking a good brush with a hard broom. Brush away any leaves or debris stuck in the corners. If there is a build-up of mildew on the decking give it a good clean. Take a look at our blog for maintaining your decking https://www.eastlondonlandscapes.com/maintaining-your-garden-decking/ for some further advice. Check your tools to check they are in good working order and not in need of repair. Store them away in an easily accessible place to get full use out of them this year. Nothing worse than hunting around for a tool when you want to get a job done! Rake over your lawn to remove any debris or dead leaves. This helps to aerate the soil. Try to do this when the soil is not too wet to avoid compacting it. Prune your shrubs and trees. Turn over your soil and weed and mulch your beds. Remove any annual plants as they will not return to clear space in the bed for this year’s planting. Cut away the dead stalks of any perennials. This will encourage growth for the coming year. Take a look at your garden beds to plan your planting for the coming year. Have a look at your current plants to see what new ones will compliment them. They have some great choices in the local garden centres to give you inspiration or you could order summer flowering bulbs online. In February you can start to sow seeds which require a longer growing season. They will need to be grown in a heated propagator. Turn over your compost pile. Try to move the good stuff at the bottom to the top and give it a good mix up. Give your greenhouse a thorough clean so it is ready for all the spring seedlings. Brush all the surfaces and give everything a clean and wash all the window panes. Install water butts now to collect rainfall which are good for your beds and saves on your water bill. Make sure it is positioned below a downpipe to catch the maximum amount of rainwater.
Landscaping Trends for 2016
Landscaping trends for 2016. What trends are set to emerge this year in British gardens? Looking at garden designers predictions, several emerging trends can be seen reflecting the way in which we use our gardens. Easy maintenance is set to continue to be a key theme. For most people, the amount of time they can spend caring for their garden is becoming increasingly limited. Commuting times and pressure of work are increasingly cutting into leisure time. People want gardens that are easy to maintain, yet are pleasant, relaxing places where they can entertain friends and family. Linked to this desire to entertain is the need for lighting so as to enable people to use their gardens for much longer in spring and autumn. LED lighting is becoming very popular due to the fact that it is energy and cost efficient. Many people are using their smart phones to control outdoor lighting systems as well as automatic irrigation systems to keep plants in good condition. Colour is set to become more important. There will be greater use of greens and dark blues on fences and garden structures in order to create foils for plants as well as blending into the garden much more. Well-manicured, perfect lawns are becoming less popular. Such lawns are very time consuming resulting in a more naturalistic approach in which lawns are mown far less frequently. Alternatively, home owners are opting to remove front lawns and reduce the amount of lawn space in back gardens. Instead, they are opting to use gravel, rock, brick and paving especially in the front gardens, with decking, gravel and paving more common in the back. A green space is seen as important, but people want more areas in which they can sit and entertain in comfort. Linked to this is a growth in the provision of covered areas, which will provide shade in summer, and shelter during spring and autumn evenings. Pergolas and terraces are forecast to be popular additions to decking and patios in order to match the move towards greater entertaining at home. Interest in the use of locally sourced materials is beginning to appear, reflecting eco-friendly concerns. More innovative and creative ways are being sought to use standard materials such as stone and wood to define the boundaries of flower beds and garden space. Fence panels for example have been used horizontally as screens, dividing one section of the garden from another, thus providing additional privacy. If you would like to discuss a project please get in touch via our website www.eastlondonlandscapes.com or call 01279 413215. We provide landscaping and fencing services in East London . We offer all our customers a one to one service, from the first site visit to the finished garden, we never forget how important our clients are. We have offices in Walthamstow, East London and Harlow, Essex. We cover Walthamstow, Leytonstone, Bow, Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Hackney, Docklands, East Ham, Stratford, Forest Gate, Clapton, Wanstead, Chingford, Loughton, Woodford, Epping, Theydon Bois, Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell and other surrounding towns in London and Essex.
