Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Measure and Draw Your Garden Plan
THE SURVEY If a large part of the garden is to be redesigned, then it is almost essential to produce a scale drawing or plan of the area. This will…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Maintain the Fixtures and Features in Your Garden
Because of their elevated position and exposure to wind, balconies tend to be prone to a great deal of dust and debris which, without regular cleaning, would soon make plants…
How to Maintain General Plants in Your Balcony Garden
Balcony plants need little maintenance; flowering species should be dead-headed, and any dead leaves and broken or distorted stems removed as and when you see them. This encourages fresh blooms…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Maintain a Small Garden
Whatever type of garden you choose, it will need some sort of landscaping maintenance to keep it looking good. If you don't have a lawn or hedges this cuts down the…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Maintain a Balcony Garden
By its very nature, a balcony is relatively easy to maintain -hardly more trouble than a sitting room containing rather a lot of houseplants that need care and attention. This…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Install Lighting in Balcony Garden
A properly designed and expertly installed outdoor lighting system is virtually essential to all but the smallest balcony. Having said that, even a tiny, plant-only display might benefit from being…
How to Improve Soil Drainage in Herbs Garden
As a general rule, herbs are not fussy plants and they will grow in most soils and situations. A deep, moist, rich soil will promote plenty of lush foliage growth…
How to Grow Shrubs in Small Garden
In a small garden it is important to have attractively shaped shrubs and to avoid planting them too close together, thus spoiling the form. You could choose all evergreen plants…
How to Grow Climbers and Wall Shrubs in Small Garden
Just because an area is often heavily shaded does not mean that the choice of plants is very small. There is a wide range of plants that will grow quite…
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How to Get the Maximum and Best Use from Your Balcony
To get the maximum and best use from your balcony, you should consider very carefully the link between it and your home. On a practical level, access must be suited…
How to Feed and Water for Container Garden
FEEDING Once plants are established and well rooted into the compost a feeding programme can commence. For instance, with subjects planted in spring you can start feeding in summer. With…
How to Feed and Hang Baskets in Window Garden
Seasonal plants will need more feeding than a permanent planting display, since things like annuals, tender perennials and bulbs grow fast and quickly exhaust the soil. Peat-based composts used for…
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How to Determine the Soil Condition in Your Garden
Many plants will tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions but some are so sensitive that they may become very sick or even die under certain circumstances: Soil acidity can…
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How to Design Your Dream Garden
Simple though it may seem, I always judge how successful a garden design has been by three hallmarks: How pleasing it is to the eye — aesthetics It 'works' in…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Design a Small Hobby Garden
This little garden is certainly more of a hobby garden than it is a family one. The patio area is relatively small and would not accommodate many chairs or sun-loungers.…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Design an L-Shaped Garden
Here is a potentially difficult situation where an L-shaped plot could end up as two separate gardens. The layout is designed to unite the two main areas and to focus…
How to Design an Angled Terracing Garden
The terracing in this garden has been angled to produce a more interesting layout. If a design is going to depend upon equal amounts of cut and fill, like this…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Design a Wall and Bank Combination Garden
This design is an example of where the use of walls and a bank have been combined. The area at the back of the house would catch a lot of…
Posted inGeneral How To's
How to Design a Triangular Garden
I had a triangular plot of my own once and it certainly needed careful planning in order to make the most of the rather limited space. This particular layout would…
How to Design a Steeply Sloping Garden
The natural slope of this plot was steepest near the house which is where most of the terracing has been done. The retaining walls have been tiered so as to…