Guidance, advice and ideas from the experts at Thames Valley Gardens on how to build, maintain and grow your dream landscaped garden. Find tips on what to do each month. Inspiration for creating the garden design of your dreams. Planting ideas for year round colour and scent, and how to guides for maintaining your garden and keeping your lawn in pristine condition.
At the end of summer our lawns can look a little worse for wear with bare patches in the shape of paddling pools, unwanted moss and weeds starting to creep amongst the carefully tended grass, and scuffs and dents from impromptu football matches with the kids. The good news is that autumn is a great
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With the long warm days of summer now gone and the first signs of autumn starting to show, you might think the time of sowing vegetables is long past. The good news is there are a number of vegetables, that if you get in the ground now, will give you crops right through winter and
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It’s typical. Just as you start looking forward to your summer holiday, your garden seems to look lovelier than ever! As such, you have to start thinking about making those necessary arrangements that will ensure the survival of your precious plants and flowers while you are away. Failing to take the necessary precautions when it
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Keeping your garden hydrated during a hot spell can be a time consuming challenge. It can also be an expensive undertaking if you have a water meter fitted. But the need to save water during the warmer summer months is actually driven by factors that extend far beyond our own back yard. The uncomfortable truth
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Bugs, critters, creepy crawlies – call them what you like. When it comes to insects people can have mixed emotions. But love them or hate them there’s no getting away from the fact that insects play a vital role in our gardens and are essential for sustaining our natural environment. If we want our gardens
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After a long cold Winter, Spring has finally arrived and the warm sunshine is tempting us back out into our gardens. However, our first forays outside are also the time when we start to notice those neglected patches of garden that we always said we’d get round to replanting or landscaping last year. Now is
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Are you someone who works on your garden all year-round only to head on inside the house once the sun goes down? If so, then you may already be pondering over some garden lighting ideas that will help keep you outdoors for longer. Thankfully, the benefits of installing outdoor lighting reach far beyond simply buying
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Garden fencing serves many purposes. It marks the border between adjoining properties and provides privacy from prying neighbours. It keeps escapologist pets (and children) safely in your garden, as well as helping to keep your garden secure from potential intruders. Yet fencing brings so much more to your garden. With the vast choice of available
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One of the most surprising things about the garden in Winter, is just how much scent can fill the air on a clear, crisp, frosty day. Many hardy plants produce tiny flowers at a time when the weather is at it’s harshest, which exude more intoxicating scent than seems possible given their diminutive size. These
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Climate change is making drought a common problem for avid gardeners. Thanks to an understanding of drought and how plants react to it, Thames Valley Landscapes have put together a list of the top ten drought resistant plants this summer
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Small courtyards, urban back gardens and roof terraces need not be neglected areas of your home. Instead, by employing a few easy landscaping tricks you can turn an unloved area into an oasis of calm and tranquility that’s perfect for entertaining or escaping to at the end of a long day. Create Your Perfect View
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For many people in the UK, their lawn is the pièce de résistance of their garden. It provides spectacular scenery whenever you look out your window, a comfortable place to sit in the Summer, and is evidence of all your hard work in the garden. One of the best ways to elevate the look of
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Growing your own summer fruits is easy when you know how. This is part 1 of 2 about how to grow your own fruits at home. We discuss the best fruits to grow, and how to grow them.
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The addition of a water feature whose size is in proportion to your garden will enrich your outside space in many ways…
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If you are blessed with a large outdoor space, you are likely spoiled for choice with things to do with it. A particularly good idea is to add an open-air structure to provide a shaded entertaining area during the summer months…
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When planning the new features for your garden, one important element often gets overlooked. The garden walkway or path that is dedicated to getting you from one part of your garden to the other. Here’s how you can make your garden path an attractive and practical centrepiece…
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What better way to shake off any Winter blues than to grab hats, coats and gloves and head off to explore one of our local gardens to find inspiration for the year ahead…
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A landscaped garden is not just a space built for your enjoyment, it is also an important habitat for many species of wildlife where the trees, structures and flowers form an eco-system that provides…
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Winter is upon us. It’s the time of year for warm jumpers, fireplaces, and generally staying indoors. Unfortunately, your garden doesn’t have that luxury and has to brave the cold…
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A newly landscaped garden is a pride and joy for many. Make sure you can enjoy yours all day, every day with strategically placed landscape lighting to illuminate key focal points…
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Autumn is here. It’s getting cold, it’s getting dark. You can even be forgiven for thinking that your planting for next year can wait. But why wait when there are some fantastic spring flowering bulbs to get in now…
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September is the month where the summer has officially started winding down, and there is definitely a feel of Autumn in the air. Days are shorter, the weather wetter…
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Every so often, a really interesting project comes along, that we all fight over, and everyone wants to be involved in. Just recently, one of these projects came round…
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The last month of the Summer, August brings with it weather that can reach scorching heights with very little rainfall. Keeping your garden well watered is essential…
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July is the warmest months of the year and a time when we get to see our garden at its very best. The flower borders are overflowing and vegetables and fruit starting to ripen nicely. However, with the heat comes a lack of water…
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June is the time that the garden puts on its greatest show. Flower borders are full, lawns look healthy and fruit and vegetables are growing furiously. With the longest day ahead of us …
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Landscaping your garden can transform it from a dreary dull space to a vibrant paradise. In fact, by giving your garden a well thought out makeover can actually improve the overall value of your house…
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May is the month when the warmer weather hints at the Summer days ahead. Now is the time that gardens really spring into life, rewarding your for all those months of preparation. Spring flowers provide the first of …
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Once you have found the perfect pot and prepared it for planting, now the fun can start with picking the perfect plants you want to fill your garden with colour. Here you can create a variety of different sensations…
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No matter how hard you work to fill every inch of your garden there always seem to be a few bare patches that could do with filling, or unsightly garden regulars such as compost bins or log piles that could do with hiding. This is where a carefully planted summer pot is perfect…
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