Raised Ponds

A pond no-longer needs to be put into a hole in the ground. The latest fashion has ponds raised at least 2 feet high and this makes for easy viewing and easier maintenance.

Benefits include – no excavation, location on top of hard or soft landscape, quick and easy installation, back saving convenience.

Tips for raised Ponds

• Use UV resistant/secure materials such as rock or presure treated timber.
• Ensure the walls are strong enough to take the weight of water.
• Build the pond with insulation to delay or minimise freezing.

This photo supplied by Daisybush gives a hint of what can be achieved on a large scale. You can create your own feature with a pre-moulded pond in a  raised bed or purpose built area.

Raised bed kits are available from Bradshaws, Harrod and Amazon

Gardening Club

The Garden Centre Group have a free Gardening Club and I have a valuable membership card. Their blurb is worth repeating

• ‘If you love gardening as much as we do, why not earn points every time you spend? As a ‘Gardening Club’ member, we’ll reward you with many membership privileges

• Earn 5 reward points for every £1 you spend in the garden centre and online. Our over 60s members will receive double points on Tuesdays on all purchases made

• We’ll add up all the points you have earned and you’ll receive a quarterly mailing with your reward vouchers. Your voucher can be redeemed at all participating garden centres

• You’ll find fantastic seasonal offers throughout the garden centre and online, exclusively for our ‘Club’ members

• As a ‘Club’ member you’ll receive invitations to special events and seasonal previews at your local garden centre

Some of the brands offering membership are mentioned here or contact the web site with a map showing all garden centres in the group.

Lawnmowers Top Grass Cutters

The grass cutting season has started and many people will be wishing they had serviced and sharpened their lawnmower a few weeks ago.

The pictured machine is a Ransom 3 bladed model with the third set of blades under the driving seat. Fine for large expanses of grass like those at Harlow Carr RHS Gardens where the picture was taken.

Smaller lawnmowers will be more appropriate for most gardeners. Amazon sell them from less than £40 too over £400.

Types of Mower

• Hand pushed lawnmowers like the Qualcast Panther 30 Sidewheel Cylinder Lawn Mower is suitable for small areas or the very fit. If you aren’t fit you soon will be pushing this!
• Electric mowers have a trailing cable and are restricted in there scope and are thus a bit out of fashion. Motor mowers have become progressively cheaper in recent years.
• Hover lawnmowers can be motorised or electrical; try the Flymo Turbo Lite 330 1150W Electric Hover Lawn Mower.
• Rotary mowers have a spinning blade running parallel to the ground. An example is McCulloch Petrol 4 Wheel Rotary Mower 2 in 1 Mulch & Collect which ‘does as it says on the tin’ collecting and chopping the grass ready as mulch.
• A cylinder mower has a spiral bladed cylinder spinning at 90 degrees to the grass and generally has a roller arrangement that leaves the stripes on your lawn. Suffolk Punch SP 12E Electric Cylinder Lawn Mower is a well respected make.
• Ride on mowers save energy and are great for regular shape lawn areas and rougher grass.

For those interested in history, mechanical objects or lawnmowers they have their own museum in Southport

Royal Wedding Plants

Red white and blue will be the theme for the Royal Wedding no matter what flowers the bride chooses for her bouquet.

Go with the flow and buy some plug plants or kinder plants in a mix of colours. Bulbs in pots will be more likely to flower in time for the wedding as annuals may not have enough time to grow.

Alternatively give your local florist a chance and buy some cut flowers to make a royal wedding arrangement for your home. Give them warning of the colours and flowers you want and they will have time to condition the blooms for your use. It will also save you having to rely on the choice available at the time or worse still the ‘Petrol Station Bunch.‘

Preformed Pond Shapes

Ponds come in many shapes and sizes, I particularly like the kidney shaped version of this preformed rubberised plastic.
Cheaper versions are now on the market made from blown plastic that is not as rigid but is suitable for smaller preformed shapes.
Of course if you want a bespoke shape you can use Butyl liners, fiberglass, concrete or even clay.

Tips For Installing Ponds

• Avoid sharp edges and stones by lining the base of the hole with sand.
• Beware the weight of water will push a preformed pond deeper so make sure the base is firm and well packed.
• Ensure the pond is level as the water will highlight any errors, slopping over one side and leaving a gap at the other.
• Make a beach area at the edge of the pond so wild life can access the water without needing to jump off the rim or edge.

Tips from Wildwoods

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Mini Tripod for Flower Photos

A simple but very effective way to take better photos of flowers is to invest in a mini tripod.

This enables a steady hand and the ability to get sharper pictures. It also enables you to use a wider field of focus and slow shutter speed without blurry photos.

To get even sharper photos you can use the shutter delay function on your camera. This means it takes 2 seconds to take photo after pressing the button. This means you don’t shake the camera when pressing the button.

The tripod is easily manageable and bendable. The only downside is that you may have to get low down to operate it. Just think it is like weeding on your hands and knees. However, getting to ground level helps take interesting flower photos as you taken at the height of the flower rather than looking down.

At only £12, it’s not a big investment but can make a big difference.

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Exotic Plant Books

Encyclopedia of Exotic Plants for Temperate Climates by Will Giles is an impressive and comprehensive work on exotica. From bulbs, spiky agaves, bold cannas, and hardy banana to palm trees the luscious photos of these unusual plants will seduce any gardener into planting a bed of these wild and exotic specimens.

Exotic Planting For Adventurous Gardeners by Christopher Lloyd was published posthumously and is based on his detailed practical knowledge and his exotic garden at Great Dixter.

Exotic Gardening by Ian Cooke is a recently published work in handy paperback. The advice will help you create jungle-style landscapes in your garden. It explains their characteristics of exotics and advises on how they can be planted and grown to produce a stunning display to be enjoyed even in temperate climates.

Also read about Atrchitectural Plants and Yuccas on Gardeners tips

Ornaments for The Garden

Sorry this is not a picture from my garden which is virtually ornament free. This garden centre is having a sale (I thought everything was always for sale).  After the cold winter some of your garden ornaments may need replacing or you may want to decorate a new part of the garden.

Garden Ornaments

• Ornaments work best with hard landscaping.
• Small and medium ornaments tend to get lost as vegetation grows from late spring. In winter spots look bare that in summer are thronged.
• Beware unnatural colours when selecting your ornaments unless you are A Dermot Gavin type of gardener.
• Ornaments need to be kept clean to look their best.
• Expensive ornaments should be fixed down to deter thieves.

Tip - Plan to spend at least as much money on good plants as you would on a good ornament. A plant should get better with age whilst most ornaments will do the opposite.

This stand at the garden centre was at least as colourful as any bloomin’ garden!

Garden Benches or Seats

When you have done your gardening jobs for the day you will have earned a cup of tea and a sit on your favourite seat or garden bench. From there you can admire your hard work and plan the next list of tasks that need to be undertaken. Gardeners Tips recommends you substitute gin or wine for the tea if the task list is too long!

Benches by Tati include the interestingly shaped teak banana bench. Made from seasoned, kiln dried teak hardwood from sustainable plantations.

A companion seat is two individual wooden seats joined at an angle so you can converse comfortably over your drinks.

Tati products are quality items delivered ready assembled and they make attractive addition to any garden, decking, outdoor poolside or patio area.

What to Look for In a Garden Seat

• Garden furniture needs to last through some tough weather conditions. It pays to buy seasoned hardwood products.
• Opt for the best quality you can afford.
• Good furniture sets-off your garden and will be an inviting feature.
• Ensure the furniture is in-keeping with the size and nature of your garden.
• Locate your seat in the sun with good views and enjoy regularly.

Compost Bins Review

Some general tips on Compost heaps.

It is best to have at least two. This means you can be adding to the second whilst the first is rotten down. For leaves, you will want a dedicated leaf composter – which will be a simpler wire netting or plastic bag.

The bigger the compost heap the better; it enables a higher temperature of composting. This higher temperature means quicker decomposing and more likelyhood of getting rid of disease.

There is a simple art to making compost heaps. Essentially add a mixture of material. See: Tips on making a compost heap.

Plastic Compost Bin

The plastic bin can work well at composting. However, you may need to work harder at watering the compost. My plastic bin tended to dry out. It does have the advantage of keeping the compost in a small area.

Wooden Compost Bin

For a wooden compost bin you can make your own, or buy a pre-made bin like this small one for £25. – Wood Compost bin at Amazon.co.uk Personally, I prefer wooden construction to plastic in the garden. Also, it allows for easier aeration, you can poke a stick through the sides to get some oxygen. This bin is easy to assemble, and the time saved on making your own is probably worth it, unless you enjoy DIY.

Free Compost Bins

Often councils have special offers on compost bins and it is possible to get compost bins free or at vastly reduce rates.

Some cheap / free compost bins may be available here – Recycle Now

Books on compost heaps at Amazon UK

• Benefits of compost bins