flower - LJN Blog Posts - Landscape Juice Network2024-03-29T00:59:58Zhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/flowerWildflower guru: the woman who knows meadowshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/wildflower-guru-the-woman-who-knows-meadows2015-02-02T18:50:55.000Z2015-02-02T18:50:55.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><span style="color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7199993133545px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: #ffffff;">Pam Lewis has worked with meadows and grassland all her life. Her own garden,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardenstovisit/10146194/Cultivated-chaos-the-meadows-of-Sticky-Wicket.html" style="color: #234b7b; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7199993133545px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;"><strong>Sticky Wicket</strong></a><strong style="color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7199993133545px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong><span style="color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7199993133545px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: #ffffff;">in Dorset, was made famous by her book Making A Wildflower Meadow, first published in 2003 and now out in paperback. Sticky Wicket is composed of eight meadows (some tiny, some large) that have been developed in different ways. Today Pam works as a consultant, helping to enrich gardens with wildflowers and has developed fascinating strategies as a result of her lifetime’s work and keen observation. As gardeners, our appreciation of the value of wildflowers both aesthetically and from a habitat point of view has grown dramatically; most of us like to include them in our plots, small or large. Pam’s work also illustrates how smaller spaces such as an area of gravel, a battered wall or a tiny lawn can all cater for wildflowers.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #282828; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20.7199993133545px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: #ffffff;">Read the full article by Bunny Guinness - <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/11385005/Wildflower-guru-the-woman-who-knows-meadows.html" target="_blank">Wildflower guru: the woman who knows meadows</a></span></p>
</div>Treebox garden to appear on Countdown to Chelseahttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/treebox-garden-to-appear-on-countdown-to-chelsea2014-05-16T15:30:00.000Z2014-05-16T15:30:00.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314213295?profile=original" target="_self"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314213295?profile=original" width="640" class="align-center" /></font></a></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">The Treebox living wall is appearing on BBC One’s Countdown to Chelsea programme.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Treebox, which specialises in urban greening, has been working with garden designer Matthew Childs and Dan Riddleston of landscaping contractors Bowles & Wyer.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Countdown to Chelsea</font><font face="Arial Narrow"> has been broadcast at 3pm each weekday in the run up to the show opening on Tuesday, May 20, and is following the progress of the garden’s installation.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Treebox are installing two 3m high panels comprising a variety of ferns. The panels have been designed so that their texture creates a fluid-like feel, which mirrors the garden’s water feature.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Armando Raish, managing director of Treebox, said: “Treebox has been involved in previous installations at Chelsea, and everyone in the team is excited to be working on such a prestigious and challenging piece for the 2014 show.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">“Our living walls have been used in a whole range of urban settings, but this installation at Chelsea also vividly and beautifully illustrates how well they can work in gardens too.”</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Garden designer Matthew Childs, who decided to pursue his dream of becoming a garden designer after surviving the July 7 London bombings in 2005, has designed a tranquil, thought-provoking garden for show sponsors Brewin Dolphin. The garden, which includes copper arches, rough damp mossy boulders and smooth rippling liquid metal, seeks to convey a sense of anticipation and emerging energy.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">A team of up to 14 is working 12-hour days to complete the installation, with around 170 man-days going into its construction.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">Matthew has previously won the Best Show Garden award at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Show.</font></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><font size="3" face="Arial Narrow">To see a list of all the Countdown to Chelsea programmes, both screened and forthcoming, visit: </font><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0441zgd/episodes/guide" target="_blank"><font face="Arial Narrow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0441zgd/episodes/guide</font></a></span></p>
</div>Wild flower meadow transforms gardens at Harefield Househttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/wild-flower-meadow-transforms-gardens-at-harefield-house2013-09-11T12:17:52.000Z2013-09-11T12:17:52.000ZLandscape Juicehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/LandscapeJuice<div><p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314135035?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="200" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314135035?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="200" class="align-right" /></a>A wildflower meadow has transformed unsightly weed-infested land into a riot of colour, delighting its owner, the man responsible for sowing it and an increasing population of bees and pollinators.</p>
<p>Estate manager James Chipchase created the two-and-a-half acre meadow, which forms part of the seven acres of gardens at Harefield House, near Faversham, Kent, using a wildflower mixture from British Seed Houses. </p>
<p>One of British Seed Houses standard wildflower mixtures, ‘WFG4 Neutral Soils’ with the addition of meadow vetchling and cornflower, was sown in September 2012 and its debut flowering made a big impact at the privately owned property. </p>
<p>“It was fantastic, absolutely amazing, and the cornflower did particularly well. Richard Brown from British Seed Houses advised on the mix to be used to suit the soil type and aspect and we certainly achieved the effect we wanted. Everyone is over the moon,” James explained. </p>
<p>The next step is to add more cornflower as part of autumn maintenance as James is keen to build up a seed bank of this annual species. </p>
<p>The meadow complements the formal and classic style country gardens at Harefield House. Two years ago the same meadow site was little more than overgrown waste land full of nettles, thistles and noxious weed. </p>
<p>Glysophate was used in April 2012 over the whole area to kill the weeds and the site was cut back throughout the summer and chisel ploughed so the weeds could not get a hold. </p>
<p>After cultivating it clean throughout the year it was power harrowed before the wildflower seed mixture was sown with a hydroseeder. It was subsequently ring rolled twice. </p>
<p>This year field workers were recruited to hand pull the sow thistle and spear thistle which was then removed off site. </p>
<p>After flowering, the meadow with its mix of red, white and blue flowers, will be mowed at the end of August/beginning of September and hay cropped and baled. </p>
<p>Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager at BSH, said: “We are always happy to give specialist advice to our clients and to hear of such successful outcomes. We are continuing to advise James as he wants to develop and improve the meadow. </p>
<p>“BSH has supplied a comprehensive range of UK native wildflower mixtures for more than 25 years. Our ‘WFG’ range of mixtures is designed to suit soil types and aspects, is very user friendly and helps both landscape contractors and domestic users to easily identify the correct mixture for themselves. </p>
<p>“In addition we have our ‘RE’ Regional Environmental range which is targeted to specific areas and replicates the most common national vegetation classification. It is particularly useful for landscape architects and ecologists.” </p>
<p>Richard added: “We can easily provide bespoke mixtures on request or a mixture of the two. All the wildflowers in our mixtures are UK native species and sourced in the UK. We also do two mixtures that contain non- native ‘garden species’ that particularly benefit bees and pollinators. All our mixtures have been endorsed as ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ by the RHS.” </p>
<p>Generally speaking wildflower mixtures can be sown all year round, but not in periods of extreme drought or waterlogging, and ideally sowings should be made into clean, weed-free ground. Wildflower areas need to be maintained if they are not to turn back into rough grassland and a cutting schedule that maintains a good diversity of species is essential, Richard advised.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Website: <a href="http://www.britishseedhouses.com/">www.britishseedhouses.com/</a></p>
</div>Will a garden designer source plants for my new garden?https://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/will-a-garden-designer-source-plants-for-my-new-garden2011-09-27T12:00:00.000Z2011-09-27T12:00:00.000Zlovelucysummershttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/lovelucysummers<div><p>I <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">am often asked this question and I suppose the response will be different depending on the company you approach.</span></p><p> </p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">At <strong> </strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://theopengardencompany.co.uk" target="_blank">OGC</a> we would give a resounding 'Yes'. Most of our design projects are from start to finish, so we normally offer this as part of the landscape design process. Also I strongly believe that hard landscaping has to be married with imaginative plantsmanship and one cannot co-exist without the other.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">However, the other part of this question is <strong>"What if I don't want a new garden design, but would like some creative planting for existing or renovating borders?</strong>"</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">And here we just have to balance individual requests against our usual 'design' practice.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">There's no doubt we answer lots of requests from non-clients trying to source a particular plant, shrub or tree.<br/></span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Although it's easy enough to recommend particular plant nurseries, it might be that the client (as is usually the case,) </span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">has</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">a very limited plant knowledge. So we're really sending them off to buy plants that might not be suitable for the spaces or aspect of the garden or in time may grow too big or become a nuisance. Which is not a good thing and does our reputation no good at all.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">So it's a tricky balance. Replacing plants that have not fared well or died can be a costly exercise for the non-gardener.</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">When you use a knowledgeable plants person, you are taking away the risk of planting the wrong thing in the wrong place. Or you have bought something</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">that</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">dies on you because you weren't aware of its non-hardiness or growing requirements,</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Planting is a very creative skill in itself and not to be underestimated. Unlike painting a wall in a house interior, <em>which can be changed very easily when you tire of it,</em> planting, especially shrubs and trees are a permanent every-growing feature of a garden that will change in size and scale with the passing of the years.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Good planting is something that requires thought, experience and artistic license. </span><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Good planting will mature over the years to become an intrinsically valuable aspect of the garden. It is also one of the most joyful and expressive aspects of the design process and even the most experienced plantsman will continue to experiment and develop this creative craft as the years go by.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">It would be very easy for a design company to do the same old plant combinations. However, that's a lazy and uninspiring route.</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">It is not a static thing.</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A valuable plantsman will keep up-to-date with new trends, plants, hybrids or cultivars coming on to the market.</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Every time we plant a border, we are bringing fresh ideas to life, combining new, traditional and different plants in an innovative way.</span> <span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Planting, plant selections, new cultivars etc will change year on year, in relation to fashions, weather patterns and the designers' own caprice.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Which is just as it should be.<br/></span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br/></span></p><p> </p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br/></span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br/></span></p></div>TO BE OR NOT TO BEhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/to-be-or-not-to-be2011-09-27T11:00:00.000Z2011-09-27T11:00:00.000Zlovelucysummershttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/lovelucysummers<div><p>Lately I seem to have an increasing number of requests to 'endorse' products. I am assuming this is because of the success of the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.greenfingersguides.co.uk/" target="_blank">Greenfingers Guides books.</a> It also doesn't seem to hurt I have a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://knightayton.co.uk/Women-Presenters/Summers-Lucy.html" target="_blank">minor celebrity.</a></p><p>Yes I can see that getting individuals like myself writing ( via blogs, magazines, books etc.) about a company's products is a useful marketing tool for them. But I ain't exactly Meryl Streep! So far I have refused to do so, mainly because am trying to figure out how I feel about this issue. Yes, it's great to be offered money to talk something up, but then that does that leave me obligated to promote things when they are a bit sub-standard or something I don't really believe in?</p><p>A friend of mine said to me " Bloody hell, Lucy go for it. What a great position to be in...</p><p>It does seem silly in a recession to refuse good money, but for the life of me, I just couldn't recommend anything that isn't something I believe is a good or useful product. It can't be all about the money, although I'm sure everybody out there will tell me it is.</p><p>I already suggest services, products etc that I have used in our <a rel="nofollow" href="http://theopengardencompany.co.uk" target="_blank">landscaping</a> capacity for free and am happy to recommend good services or suppliers.</p><p>So the dilemma is should I accept payment for some of of these?</p><p>On balance I think I will continue to promote those companies, products or services I have personal experience of for nothing. Why not? Made round to go round I say. But I guess one has to be pragmatic and if I can road-test or experience a new product for other companies I have no personal knowledge of, then I would happily recommend them if the product/service proved to be a good one.</p><p> </p><p> </p></div>Back in the gardening saddle againhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/back-in-the-gardening-saddle-again2011-09-26T16:30:00.000Z2011-09-26T16:30:00.000Zlovelucysummershttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/lovelucysummers<div><p><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>Phew, where has the year gone?</strong></span></p><p>I have recently been in the dying thoes of an edit on my next book Evergreen Plants, which will be released on Amazon et al in March 2012.So look out for it won't you? And did I mention my <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Border-Flowers-Greenfingers-Guides-Summers/dp/0755317602/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317056140&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Border Plants</a> book was shortlisted for Best Reference Book of the Year 2010. Will I top that with Evergreen Plants I wonder?</p><p> </p><p>With the demise of this duty, I can now switch my undivided attention back to our landscape design practice, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theopengardencompany.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.theopengardencompany.co.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>I can now get back to designing beautiful gardens once again for our clients in the South east. Not that we ever stopped. It's just that I've had to limit my time. However <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theopengardencompany.co.uk/how.php" target="_blank">Mark Lockhart</a> my fellow director is very capable and we discuss every detail as we go, books or not. Actually though typically we work in Surrey West Sussex and London, this year we've spent a fair amount of time in the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.contemporaryblue.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mediterranean</a> designing some wonderful gardens and using all those plants we never get to play with in the UK because they are non-hardy. </p><p>Somebody in our small, but cheery office reminded me that that every single one of our lovely garden design clients found us by personal recommendation. It is always a minefield advertising your services as a landscape design company isn't it?</p><p>At the expense of a little smuggery, we think that's rather an accolade!</p><p> </p><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314144679?profile=original"><img width="750" class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314144679?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"/></a></p><p> </p></div>The Southport Flower Show 2011https://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/the-southport-flower-show-20112011-08-20T08:00:00.000Z2011-08-20T08:00:00.000ZMick Gammagehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/MickGammage<div><p>The most entertaining and inspirational independent flower show in the UK<br/><br/>My Wife and I attended the Southport Flower on Friday 19th August and what a fantastic day it was with something for everyone both young and old. In addition to the Grand Floral Marquee and Show Gardens which are indeed the main attractions as to why so many people attend every year, there was jousting medieval knights, free flying birds of prey and dog displays<br/><br/>This years show theme was "Vintage" with ideas inspired from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the show gardens were all spectacular and I bet the judges had a hard time choosing the best gardens this year, well done to everyone<br/><br/><strong>VIP Day Ticket</strong><br/>We purchased a VIP day ticket, the privileged way to experience the show and the best in food drink and amenities and the level of service we received was exceptional starting off with morning coffee as we arrived, a 4 course silver service lunch with complimentary bar and later in the day a delightful afternoon tea and towards the end of the day finished off with more Pimms...........even the sun was shining, what more could you ask !!<br/><br/>It certainly was a pleasure to be sat on the same table as Paul Crone, a Granada TV presenter, he has you in stitches whilst your sat at home with the comments he makes on TV, well he was exactly the same meeting him in the VIP lounge with his dry and very witty sense of humor and it certainly made a great day even more memorable.........thanks Paul :)<br/><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/paul-crone.jpg"/></a><br/><br/><strong>Show Gardens</strong></p><p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden1.jpg"/></a></p><p><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden2.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden3.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden4.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden5.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden6.jpg"/></a><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/show-garden7.jpg"/></a></p><p><br/><br/><strong>Grand Floral Marquee and Floral Arts</strong><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display1.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display10.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display4.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display5.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display7.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display8.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display9.jpg"/></a><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display.jpg"/></a><br/><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/floral-display2.jpg"/></a></p><p> </p><p><strong>Clown</strong><br/> A very entertaining clown managing to go round all of the show whilst balanced on the top of a large ball, he would roll towards someone then pretend to be falling of the ball making the person jump with fright, very funny indeed<br/> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/"><img class="align-full" src="http://www.crystalclearideas.co.uk/images/southport-flower-show/clown.jpg"/></a></p><p>With more than 200 stalls covering an array of various gardening products, landscaping and home improvements to food and cooking its well worth visiting</p><p>Well done to everyone involved in the Southport Flower Show it certainly was a memorable day</p></div>Updates & New Ideas from MPR Landscapeshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/updates-amp-new-ideas-from-mpr-landscapes2011-08-05T10:00:00.000Z2011-08-05T10:00:00.000ZMark & Yasmin Roworthhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/MarkYasminRoworth<div>MPR Landscapes are based near Chorley,Lancashire. We undertake all aspects of Landscaping & Grounds/Garden Maintenance throughout Lancashire. We pride ourselves on being a family run business so communication and customer service are always at the highest of standards.<br/><br/>This week we have been at our regular residential homes in Blackburn. Undertaking jobs such as fencing, flagging and general maintenance and tidy ups. It has been a good week, if a little damp thanks to the weather.<br/><br/>We are offering a Winter Package that is appealing to our commercial customers, it is also available for domestic properties too.<br/>It involves snow clearance, gritting/salting pathways and car parks etc. As a a lot of interest is being generated we are booking customers on to our rounds now for when/if the bad weather arrives. If anybody would like more information please get in touch.<br/><br/>This Sunday we are attending Knowsley Flower Show with <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.meadowsmobilereptiles.co.uk">www.meadowsmobilereptiles.co.uk</a> .We are looking forward to viewing the trade stands,having a browse and meeting potential customers.<br/><br/>Our website has had some touch ups, a few images added, other services put on and various link changes etc so please have a look. We are on twitter & facebook so feel free to follow/like us and have a chat!<br/>Kind Regards<br/>Yasmin<br/><br/>Website: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mprlandscapes.co.uk">www.mprlandscapes.co.uk</a><br/><br/>Twitter: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/#">http://twitter.com/#</a>!/mprlandscapes<br/><br/>Facebook: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/MPR-Landscapes/199085313468734?ref=ts">http://www.facebook.com/pages/MPR-Landscapes/199085313468734?ref=ts</a></div>My visit to Chelsea Flower Show and lots of pictures!https://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/my-visit-to-chelsea-flower2011-06-03T14:18:13.000Z2011-06-03T14:18:13.000ZFrancoise Murathttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/FrancoiseMurat<div><p><b>CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW – A RIOT OF COLOUR!</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p>Well it was that time of the year again – the Chelsea Flower Show. I must admit it is always the highlight of my year - design wise and horticulturally speaking. I love the atmosphere. I enjoy the hustle and bustle, I drown myself in the rose exhibits (literally!), I take snaps of plants and flower combination that I find interesting, I also take photos of hard landscaping details – such as how a step is built or how a cantilevered staircase looks ( I am a rather sad construction geek at heart and Swiss!).</p><p> </p><p>But Chelsea is not just about those things, it’s about searching for excellence, reinterpreting old stalwarts of design like paths, steps and seats, re-inventing a look and sometimes, just sometimes, coming up with something so totally amazing you leave with a head full of wonderment at how inventive man just is!</p><p> </p><p>Anyway let’s look at pictures and there are plenty. I did have to go through over 350 of them and pick the highlights to share with you. I have not mentioned every garden but you can visit our <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.176522869071874.43536.148117355245759">Facebook page</a> to see all (well most) of them.</p><p><b>It would be too much to put everything on here so please do follow the links with loads of pictures if you are interested- it's nice to share the lovely things I saw and enjoyed this year :)</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://bit.ly/js2vZX">http://bit.ly/js2vZX</a></b></p></div>How To Make a Wildflower Meadow Part Onehttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-make-a-wildflower-12011-04-18T20:30:00.000Z2011-04-18T20:30:00.000ZNick Mannhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/NickMann<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314114192?profile=original"><img width="200" class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314114192?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="200"/></a><strong>Introduction</strong><br/> This is not the complete guide to making meadows - it's not even close to it. We have <a rel="nofollow" class="textlink" href="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/meadows_resources.html" target="_blank">a list of links and books</a> on our website from much better qualified folk which will give you a much better and in depth description, but I felt it might be helpful to have a brief outline online, to coin a phrase. Gentle reader, I imagine you are a gardener or landowner looking to turn a relatively small area of land into a meadow - if you're thinking larger scale I would be delighted to put you in touch with someone altogether more credible, and if you're thinking smaller have a look at <a rel="nofollow" class="textlink" href="http://meadowanywhere.com/" target="_blank">www.meadowanywhere.com.</a><br/><br/> There is a mystique about meadow creation that suggests it is difficult and time consuming. Not necessarily so. A small area of wildflower meadow not only puts a large tick in aesthetic and ecological boxes, it will also REDUCE some of your most wearisome labour.</p><br/><p>Make one because you want to and not because you think it's the right thing to do. This translates into its management too; one gardener's weed is another's favourite wildflower.<br/> <br/> <strong>What is a Wildflower Meadow?</strong><br/> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/wildflower-seeds-annuals.jpg"><img class="align-right" src="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/wildflower-seeds-annuals.jpg"/></a>Long before you start your wildflower meadow area you must address some questions. Before we start, let's establish something. What is a wildflower meadow? It's not this (yet), lovely though it looks. These are grasses and <a rel="nofollow" class="textlink" href="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/Cornfield_Seed_Mix.html" target="_blank">annual wildflowers,</a> of which you can buy natives (shown) or non-natives, which produce a gorgeous display in mid-summer and provide welcome nectar and pollen to pollinators. That's all though folks. If you use non-natives, or do multiple sowings, you can extend the flowering period, but it's not only quite a different look to a meadow - no grasses, for a start - but also fails to produce interest for as long or to deliver a nice rewarding ecosystem. Butterflies, for example, love the nectar from annual wildflowers but need perennials and grasses as foodplants for their larvae. Furthermore, annuals demand a completely different regime; I grow them in borders and follow the tips in this video from one of our suppliers, Emorsgate Seeds: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu_nDqXeTwQ">Managing Cornfield Annuals</a><br/><br/><strong>Is My Site Suitable?</strong><br/>So, back to wildflower meadows. To start with, can you grow a meadow on your site? How much sun does your putative meadow get? As much as possible; it is of course possible to grow wildflowers in shade, but a wildlflower meadow you won't get. Is the area you're thinking of used for anything else? Many folk (mea culpa) establish a nice looking meadow area in a new orchard, only for it to be shaded out in 10 years time. In any case, fruit trees like rich soil, meadows don't. This last point is much debated. You'll read a lot about meadows' need for low fertility soils. I don't think that's entirely true particularly in a small scale, although richer soils make for more management as you'll have to hoick out nettle and dock endlessly. You should definitely work to reduce soil fertility over time by removing cuttings.<br/><br/><strong>How Do I Start?</strong><br/>You have a choice of 3 routes (all of which those lovely people at Habitat Aid can help you with), and will need to take different first steps according to which you choose. The table below attempts to summarize the differences between wildflower turf, seed mixes and plugs. Of course, all 3 are not mutually exclusive, and we often recommend starting with say half the area you are thinking of working on.<br/><br/>We've only recently figured out how to make successful wildflower turf, but it's a problem which seems to have been cracked by our supplier. Its great virtue is that it is instant, and can create an almost immediate effect. Although you can include annual wildflowers in a seed mix, we often have customers complain that there is nothing happening in their meadow for ages while the perennial flowers establish themselves. It can be pretty diverse, but not as diverse as the better seed mixes, and of course it's one size fits all; unless you have over 400 square metres to cover, in which case we can produce turf on a bespoke basis, there is one - albeit rather good - mix for everyone. You not only lose local diversity, but you couldn't easily tweak the mix for a particular purpose either. You might want to encourage a particular species of butterfly by introducing its food plant, for example. I think it's a cracking solution for some, however. Don't be too put off by the cost; if necessary you can use a chess board planting system, alternating between existing sward or seeded squares and wildflower turf. This video is well worth a look: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://vimeo.com/15457940">Wildflower Turf</a> . Fab.<br/><br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/Devon-meadow-mix.jpg"><img class="align-right" src="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/Devon-meadow-mix.jpg"/></a>Seed mixes are much cheaper and can be tweaked as to soil type, situation and customer requirement. The ecologists like them as you can find very diverse mixes with at least relatively local provenance; this mix is from the Blackdown Hills, for example. Designers don't because they take a couple of years to really get going and can be oddly fickle, although you can easily get pretty much instant colour by adding a "nurse" of cornfield annuals - which is what you can see in the first photo. If you don't buy your seed through us please please make sure you are buying from another specialist supplier, preferably a signatory of the Flora Locale code of practice.<br/><br/>It's relatively tricky to establish a seed mix in an existing sward, which puts a lot of people off. One way or the other you really need to start with a clean sheet, which means either mechanical or repeated chemical intervention to kill existing weeds or, better, stripping the topsoil off completely. You can try to cheat, by using the useful grassland flower Yellow Rattle (see below) - we've done it successfully, but it takes at least two seasons and can be a bit tricky. Much easier to use plug plants, which can be inserted so long as you keep the grass away from them while they establish.</p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="431"><colgroup><col width="121"></col><col width="103"></col><col width="102"></col><col width="105"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr><td height="21" width="121"></td><td width="103"><strong>Seed</strong></td><td width="102"><strong>Plugs</strong></td><td width="105"><strong>Turf</strong></td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Cost</strong></td><td>Low</td><td>Medium</td><td>High</td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Diversity</strong></td><td>High</td><td>Low</td><td>Medium</td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Speed</strong></td><td>Medium</td><td>Medium</td><td>Instant</td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Local</strong></td><td>(can be) High</td><td>Low</td><td>Low</td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Use in grass</strong></td><td>Slow</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Customization</strong></td><td>High</td><td>Medium</td><td>No</td></tr><tr><td height="21"><strong>Preparation</strong></td><td>High</td><td>Medium</td><td>Medium</td></tr></tbody></table><br/><br/><strong>What Next?</strong><br/>Many people sow/plant/unroll in spring. If you do, be prepared to water - particularly as our springs have been so dry recently - and make sure the soil has been properly prepared. At that time of year it's difficult to know how many weeds might be lurking on your site. There's also an issue with "vernalization"; many species, most renownedly Rattle, need a prolonged period of cold before they germinate, so if you sow them in spring you won't see anything until the following year. If you've decided to do the meadow thing around the time of writing - April - that's perfect. Spend the summer preparing the site and planning and DON'T shoot from the hip. Work towards D Day in October, when you want to be looking at bare soil.<br/><br/>If you want to convert existing grass into meadow without going through this stage it will take longer than you think. You can either use plug plants or <a rel="nofollow" class="textlink" href="http://www.habitataid.co.uk/acatalog/Yellow_Rattle__Rhinanthus_minor__Seed.html" target="_blank">Yellow Rattle,</a> or both. For plug plants make sure the grass is cut tight and killed or removed around each plug so that it won't be outcompeted by it. Reckon on 5 per square metre, and if the grass is particularly lush use Rattle as well. Yellow Rattle is an attractive annual wildflower which parasitizes grass, reducing its vigour and thus giving other wildflowers more of a chance. It needs to be sown in Autumn, and you need to cut any existing grass very short as well as scarify it to see around 50% earth before raking the seed in. The idea is that after a year you can cut tight and scarify again, but this time sow your other wildflowers.</div>All About Gardening - Lincolnshire Showground 1st to 3rd Julyhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/all-about-gardening2011-04-14T09:00:00.000Z2011-04-14T09:00:00.000ZUnreal Gardens - John Stobarthttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/UnrealGardensJohnStobart<div><p>We will be attending the brand new gardening show to be held at Lincolnshire Showground in July this year</p><p> </p><div class="node description"><p style="text-align: center;"><em> </em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>See 1000s of beautiful plants on sale at reduced prices, get expert advice from experienced growers, plus fantastic food and drink as well as horticultural gifts and accessories. Call 01702 549623 or email jen@aztecevents.co.uk Advance tickets £4 or free for age 5-16. Tickets on the gate £5.50 or £2 for age 5-16.</em></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em><span><em>Find out more at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.aztecevents.co.uk/all_about_gardening_lincolnshire_home.htm">http://www.aztecevents.co.uk/all_about_gardening_lincolnshire_home.htm</a></em></span></em></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em> </em></span></p><p><span> </span></p><p>We will be featuring a show garden to highlight the advantages of using some of our products and our range of fantastic artificial grasses will take centre stage we will also have beside the show garden a trade stand where visitors can order goods on the day featured in the showgarden.</p><p> </p><p>Visit the website <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.unrealgardens.co.uk">www.unrealgardens.co.uk</a> for regular updates or check out the link above for more information. I am positive that this show will become a regular feature at Lincolnshire Showground and though it may not be Chelsea, it won't have the Chelsea prices either. So make a trip to Lincolnshire Showground and bring the whole family for what will be a great day out. </p><p> </p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314102872?profile=original"><img height="196" width="659" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314102872?profile=original" class="align-center"/></a></div></div>Contemporary Show Garden with Simple Foliage in Flower Bordershttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/contemporary-show-garden-with2011-03-21T14:11:56.000Z2011-03-21T14:11:56.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><img class="alignnone" title="Contemporary Garden" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/show-garden-10-proj-conoss001.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="439"/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" title="Contemporary" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/contemporary-proj-conoss001.html">Contemporary</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</div>Concrete to Green Space using Lattice & Flower Beds for Plantshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/concrete-to-green-space-using2011-03-17T16:12:57.000Z2011-03-17T16:12:57.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><img class="aligncenter" title="Concrete" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/green-space-08-proj-fbdoss001.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="439"/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" title="Concrete" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/concrete-green-space-proj-fbdoss001.html">Concrete</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</div>Maintenance Free Railway Sleepers Encircle New Turf and Flower Bedhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/maintenance-free-railway2011-02-24T13:55:50.000Z2011-02-24T13:55:50.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><img class="aligncenter" title="Railway Sleepers" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/maintenance-free-12-proj-dwsyrk001.jpg" height="439" width="585"/><br/><br/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" title="Railway Sleepers" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/railway-sleepers-proj-dwsyrk002.html">Railway Sleepers</a><br/><br/>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.<br/></div>Transformation of a Cottage Garden Wall with a Brick Path and Flower Bedhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/transformation-of-a-cottage2011-02-18T18:26:15.000Z2011-02-18T18:26:15.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><img class="aligncenter" title="Cottage Garden" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/brick-path-03-proj-cotcdy001.jpg" height="360" width="480"/><br/><br/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" title="Cottage Garden" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/cottage-garden-proj-cotcdy001.html">Cottage Garden</a><br/><br/>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.<br/></div>Large Natural Stone Patio Space with Flower Beds in Stone Wallshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/large-natural-stone-patio2011-02-15T09:09:51.000Z2011-02-15T09:09:51.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><img class="aligncenter" title="Natural Stone" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/natural-stone-11-proj-dwsegw001.jpg" height="439" width="585"/><br/><br/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" title="Natural Stone" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/natural-stone-proj-dwsegw001.html">Natural Stone</a><br/><br/>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.<br/></div>Contemporary Garden Design with Bamboos in the Flower Bedhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/contemporary-garden-design2011-02-04T12:00:00.000Z2011-02-04T12:00:00.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p><img class="aligncenter" title="Contemporary Garden Design" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/bamboos-05-proj-condzg002.jpg" height="392" width="585"/><br/> <br/></p><p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" title="Contemporary Garden Design" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/contemporary-garden-design-proj-condzg002.html">Contemporary Garden Design</a></p><p> </p><p>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</p></div>Large Courtyard Patios with Water Feature and Pergola Flower Bedshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/large-courtyard-patios-with2011-01-22T19:30:00.000Z2011-01-22T19:30:00.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p><img class="aligncenter" title="Patios" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/patios-proj-09-dwsask001.jpg" height="435" width="580"/><br/> <br/></p><p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/patios-pergola-proj-dwsask001.html">Patios</a></p><p> </p><p>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</p></div>Victorian Garden Restoration with Brickwork Flower Bedshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/victorian-garden-restoration2011-01-19T14:46:19.000Z2011-01-19T14:46:19.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/garden-restoration-proj-fbdeat001.html#">Garden Restoration</a><br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Garden Renovation" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/brickwork-06-proj-fbdeat001.jpg" height="263" width="350"/></p>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.<br/></div>Landscaping Spaces of Narrow Garden with Deck & Flower Bedshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/landscaping-spaces-of-narrow2011-01-17T14:50:13.000Z2011-01-17T14:50:13.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p><br/> <br/> <img class="aligncenter" title="Landscaping" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/deck-summerhouse-05-dkgart001.jpg" alt="Landscaping" height="435" width="580"/><br/><br/></p><p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed by clicking <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/landscaping-spaces-proj-dkgart001.html">Landscaping</a></p><p> </p><p>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</p></div>Wildflower Pond with Rustic Deck & Pontoonhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/wildflower-pond-with-rustic2010-12-05T18:47:23.000Z2010-12-05T18:47:23.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><img class="aligncenter" title="Wildflower Pond" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/wildlife-pool-02-wtfcdy003.jpg" alt="" height="360" width="480"/><br/><br/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/wildflower-pond-proj-wtfcdy003.html">Wildflower</a><br/><br/>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.<br/></div>Decking With Built-in Flower Plantershttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/decking-with-builtin-flower2010-11-19T19:47:25.000Z2010-11-19T19:47:25.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/decking-01-proj-dkgawg001.jpg" title="Decking Project" class="aligncenter" height="370" width="490"/></p><br/>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/decking-proj-dkgawg001.html#">http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/decking-proj-dkgawg001.html</a><br/><br/>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:steve@garden-design-pictures.com">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.<br/></div>Retaining Walls with Circular Stepshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/retaining-walls-with-circular2010-09-21T13:44:50.000Z2010-09-21T13:44:50.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/retaining-walls-10-dwsdmf001.jpg"/></p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com" target="_blank">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/retaining-walls-proj-dwsdmf001.html#" target="_blank">Retaining Walls with Circular Steps</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mailto:%20steve@garden-design-pictures.com" target="_blank">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</div>Circular Lawns & Gavel Pathshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/circular-lawns-amp-gavel-paths2010-09-12T17:00:00.000Z2010-09-12T17:00:00.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/circular-lawns-03-proj-fbdjad001.jpeg"/></p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/circular-lawns-03-proj-fbdjad001.jpeg" target="_blank"></a>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com" target="_blank">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/circular-lawns-proj-fbdjad001.html" target="_blank">http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/circular-lawns-proj-fbdjad001.html</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="http://mailto:%20steve@garden-design-pictures.com" target="_blank">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</div>Architectural Composition using Stainless Steelhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/architectural-composition2010-08-16T16:53:52.000Z2010-08-16T16:53:52.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/contemporary-garden-03-condsi001.jpg"/></p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/stainless-steel-proj-condsi001.html#">http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/stainless-steel-proj-condsi001.html#</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing steve@garden-design-pictures.com and requesting more information.</div>The English Flower Gardenhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/the-english-flower-garden2010-08-16T16:23:37.000Z2010-08-16T16:23:37.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p style="text-align:left"><img src="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/image-files/flower-bed-design-01-fbddsi001.jpg"/></p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/english-flower-garden-proj-fbddsi001.html">http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/english-flower-garden-proj-fbddsi001.html</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing steve@garden-design-pictures.com and requesting more information.</div>Buzz before the showhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/buzz-before-the-show2010-08-16T11:05:45.000Z2010-08-16T11:05:45.000ZMichèle Martinhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/MicheleMartin<div>There’s just 4 days to go to Southport Flower Show and I can’t wait!As a garden designer there’s part of me that can’t help wishing I was doing a garden at this year’s show. But then commonsense kicks in and reminds me I’ve enough on my plate with this show, judging the student design competition, organising the speakers for the Grand Floral Marquee - oh and preparing my talk ‘Creating successful flower borders’…as well as my day job designing gardens and giving horticultural advice.This year’s show garden designers and landscapers are working flat out now. Once the building work started many locals (including me – I admit it!) made regular detours past Victoria park to see how things are progressing. During ‘Build up’ the whole mood of the site is dictated by the weather so today’s sunshine is most welcome. It’s great to see old hands helping newcomers with loans of boys toys or tips on where to get vital supplies and receiving mugs of tea and choccy biscuits as thanks. One of the great sights is Keith driving round on his JCB quietly and efficiently squeezing through impossibly small gaps between white vans without ever so much as a scratch.Every year I’m surprised at how tiny plots chalked out on the ground seem to grow in size as they’re built into gardens and stands. Now that the marquees are up the nurseries and sundries sellers are beginning to arrive. The night before the show opens, the florists will arrive. They leave it to the last minute, keen to keep their blooms really fresh.All shows usually have a last minute panic – usually too much or not enough water or electricity but the team behind the scenes work steadily and (if required) through the night so everything is as pristine and perfect as it can be for opening day.There’s such a buzz on the first day of the show as everyone catches up with old friends and new ideas. Many exhibitors arrive very early - the perfect time to get a sneak pre-view of the floral displays and completed show gardens. Not to mention be tempted by the scent of hot coffee and bacon butties. I might need one or two to keep me going – especially when I’m doing the Q&A session on the bandstand the weekend. If you’re going to the show do come and say hello.Southport Flower Show runs from Thursday 19-22nd August 2010</div>Colour blind designhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/colour-blind-design2010-08-14T13:10:04.000Z2010-08-14T13:10:04.000ZShadow Hallhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/ShadowHall<div>After writing a post for my blog on colour in planting schemes it seemed a natural progression to write advice on how to design for someone who is colour blind.If you are colour blind yourself then you will already know from experience what looks good and what doesn't but for those of us who aren't then it can be difficult to picture your world.Colour blindness affects around 1-20 men and around 1-200 women according to the BBC Health website.When designing for someone who is colour blind you must discover the form their colour blindness takes, it is in fact very rare for a person to have the severe form in which all colours appear as black and white or hues of grey.I am no expert but after completing a job for a gentleman that had a form of colour blindness this is my understanding after the research I have done.Protanomaly, a common form, affects the red pigment meaning that reds, oranges and yellows will appear duller and violets and purples will have a stronger green pigment than red making them actually appear blue.<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="225" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314122626?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt=""/></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img width="225" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314122385?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt=""/></p>Another slightly less common form, Deuteranomaly, does the same to green pigments meaning reds, oranges and yellows all appear slightly more red and therefor more vibrant.<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314121524?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt=""/></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314123485?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt=""/></p>Another form, Protanopia, that also affects the red, yellow and orange pigments. This will have more of an affect on design as reds are often seen as black or grey. This affects the red pigment in other colours causing yellow hues to show very little difference and blue hues are similarly affected. Green is seen as another hue of yellow and purple as another blue.An example of the effect on garden design will be when Pink flowers are seen as blue due to missing red pigment.<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314123213?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt=""/></p><p style="text-align: center;"><img width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314128480?profile=RESIZE_320x320" alt=""/></p>Deuteranopia affects the green pigment in the same way and therefor the person will see blues and reds with greens appearing as a hue of grey with tints of red and blue. Reds and oranges and yellows as hues of red.Therefor grass will appear as a grey with a slight red and blue tint.Designing a garden in this way can be challanging as a beautiful combination to you could to your client look awful and even clashing. After this type of design job I have never looked at foliage and flower colour in the same way. This was a by-post design and photos will be forwarded when the garden has matured a little but he seems happy with the outcome, I wonder what his neighbours think?</div>Curved Flower Bed Design with Circular Patioshttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/curved-flower-bed-design-with2010-08-09T09:00:00.000Z2010-08-09T09:00:00.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314117516?profile=original" alt=""/></p>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com" target="_blank">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/flower-bed-design-proj-fbdgst001.html" target="_blank">http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/flower-bed-design-proj-fbdgst001.html</a>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing <a rel="nofollow" href="http://maito:%20steve@garden-design-pictures.com" target="_blank">steve@garden-design-pictures.com</a> and requesting more information.</div>Raised Flower Bed Design & Reclaimed Pavinghttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profiles/blogs/raised-flower-bed-design-amp2010-07-27T14:44:42.000Z2010-07-27T14:44:42.000ZSteve Barkerhttps://landscapejuicenetwork.com/profil/SteveBarker<div>A new project submission has been made to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com">www.garden-design-pictures.com</a> and the pictures can be viewed here: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/flower-bed-design-proj-fbdldl001.html#">http://www.garden-design-pictures.com/flower-bed-design-proj-fbdldl001.html#</a><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3314118484?profile=original" alt=""/></p>If you are a Garden Designer or Landscape Gardener you can claim your free advertisement and link to your website by emailing steve@garden-design-pictures.com and requesting more information.</div>