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.
With the quality of our air becoming a huge health concern in our cities and urban areas, we keenly support using organic methods to counteract the effects of pollution for the benefit of our health and well-being. With ‘Clean Air Day’ on 20 June 2019, we have decided to mark the occasion by bringing you
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Turn the clock back to 1950 and the English garden was a different place. The atmosphere would have been alive with insects – an active, buzzy and hazy ecological environment full of tiny creatures. With just 1% of bugs actually considered ‘pests’, it’s likely that just about this entire airborne community was made up of
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In the past spotting a bug or creepy crawly on the leaves of a favourite perennial or prize-winning vegetable would have struck horror into the hearts of most gardeners. Retribution would have been swift and almost always involved reaching for the insecticide to take down the invading invertebrate. Nowadays gardeners are much better versed in
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The weather forecast hints at some wet and windy weather in the Thames Valley these coming weeks. It’s something we all expect from this time of year. But what if – like in 2015 – the bad weather turns up and stays for a while? With advice on how to create drought-free gardens and outdoor
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If your new year’s resolution involves getting your garden ship-shape in time for summer, then you’ll no doubt want to know what’s expected to be hot on the garden scene in 2019. To put you on the right path, we’ve put our heads together here at Thames Valley Landscapes and have created the following list
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Most of us have come to realise that spending time outside has a positive impact on our health and wellbeing. Yet we are still put off from even venturing out into our own gardens when the weather takes a turn for the worst. Sure, braving the prospect of rain, sleet or snow is not most
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We’re under no illusion: It’s not that hard to find a landscape gardener in the Thames Valley region. A quick look online will present you with plenty of companies offering everything from basic gardening services to grounds design and architecture. But finding a reliable and customer-centric landscaper can be another ball game altogether. How can
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If you’re looking for a clean, contemporary feel to your new garden scheme then look no further than porcelain paving. Porcelain paving is a relatively new addition to materials that are suitable for garden paving, drives and patio. Man made from natural materials this type of paving resembles large tiles and provides a highly consistent
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Resin bonded or resin bound shingle is an ideal paving choice when you want to have the decorative look of shingle, but without the problems associated with loose stones. By adhering the shingle to a sub-layer, you will no longer have the problems of these small stones getting caught in footwear and being walked through
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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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