How to stop your pond from freezing over winter

The weather forecasters can’t seem to agree on whether we’re in for a super cold winter or not, but it’s always good to be prepared for the worst, so if you have a garden pond or water feature, start thinking about winter prep before it turns too cold.

If you have a healthy amount of fish in the pond, you’ll want to take care of their welfare and avoid the pond freezing up over the winter.

If the temperature drops below 10 degrees, stop feeding them, as this prevents them from making waste products that can be processed by the plants left in your pond. There should be enough nutrients in the water for the fish to survive as they will be in semi-hibernation.

It’s not absolutely essential to remove your pond pump over the winter, and it can be a good thing in some cases because it helps to keep the surface of the water agitated and therefore free from ice. If there’s a period of especially cold weather on the way though, it’s advisable to switch it off while it’s extra cold as having it on can lead to drainage problems later on.

It’s advisable to move the pump closer to the surface of the water while you’re running it, so that the colder water at the very bottom of the pond doesn’t mix too much with the slightly warmer water nearer the surface.

It is essential to take out the pond filter over the colder months, simply because freezing water can damage it. The activity within the pond will have slowed down over the winter anyway so it’s not essential to have it running during winter.

It may well be worth investing in a good quality pond de-icer to help your fish survive over the winter period, if you’re expecting very cold weather and there’s a likelihood that your garden pond might freeze over. A de-icer works by leaving a small area of the pond free of ice, ensuring that any build-up of harmful gases is released out of the pond, rather than being trapped beneath the surface.

A heater is another option but they can also be very expensive to use; anything over 500 watts will guzzle power and cost a lot of money, so be aware before you invest in a pond heater.

Keeping the pond ice-free is down to careful preparation and vigilance over the colder part of the winter, but with a little effort your pond should make it through the winter unscathed...

Winter garden birds

You might not want to get outside in the garden when it’s cold, but the birds that visit your garden are there in search of food to keep them going throughout the colder months, so it’s a good idea to be prepared for them.

Some smaller birds have to eat almost a third of their own body weight in food every single day, so putting out lots of high energy food for them will really make a difference.

The top five birds that you’re likely to spot in your garden in winter are:

Robin
They are the face of many a Christmas card for a reason; robins are the most commonly spotted bird in UK gardens over the winter. They can occasionally nest in unusual and even unsuitable places, and in gardens they tend to favour dense hedges or creepers near to the ground. They are also quite partial to a nest box. They mainly eat insects like meal worms but will also appreciate fat balls and ground peanuts too.

Blue Tit
Although Blue Tits are usually woodland dwellers, they like to visit gardens and are common in urban areas and parks too. They like a garden where there’s a wealth of insects to eat, especially aphids. They are agile little birds and love to cling to a hanging feeder. They also love to make a nest box their home. To feed Blue Tits in your garden, put out sunflower seeds, peanuts and fat balls.

Blackbird
In the garden, blackbirds mostly feed on soil invertebrates like earthworms, so if your garden has plenty of flower beds and lawns you’re likely to attract them. Shrubs with berries also attract them in winter. Blackbirds like to nest in shrubs and hedges if the weather is mild they sometimes lay their eggs as early as February, so keep an eye out for them. Put out some kitchen scraps, especially raisins and other fruits.

Great Tit
These birds love to frequent gardens, parks and open spaces – in fact anywhere there’s a tree. They visit gardens to feed on mainly insects, and in winter they also like to forage for tree seeds. If you want to see them in the garden, entice them in with sunflower seeds, peanuts and fat balls.

Chaffinch
Chaffinches spend most of their time feeding on the ground, and you’ll often spot them under seed feeders or bird tables. They are creatures of habit and it’s not unusual to see the same birds returning to your garden for up to five years. They eat insects and small seeds and build their mossy nests in shrubs and hedges. To encourage them into your garden, give them seeds and peanut pieces.

November pruning of trees and shrubs

You might think that now it’s November, you can take it easy in the garden apart from the occasional tidying up of leaves and mulch. Your work isn’t done yet, though. It’s true that by this time of the year, the garden is pretty much dormant, but this actually makes it a really good time of year to prune back many popular garden plants.

It’s perfectly fine to prune many plants throughout the dormant season. In fact, it can even be easier to do, because as soon as the leaves have you can see the shape and prune back to it. If you’ve planted any new trees recently, prune them back now and remove any damaged growth. This will help to balance the shape of the canopy. You could also take off any damaged or lop-sided growth
from established trees.

It’s not too late to complete any leftover pruning jobs you didn’t get around to in October and get them sorted ready for the winter. If you haven’t managed to prune back any of your winter-stemmed shrubs, they can still be cut back at the beginning of November. Prune them back hard and cut all of the previous year's growth to around 1-2cm.

You can also safely prune back some of the shrubs that would traditionally be cut back hard in early spring. Doing the work early can benefit them, as it helps to keep the plants’ larger and more brightly coloured young foliage – think about doing this to plants like such as smoke bushes and elders. If you don’t want to lose any of the bushes’ height, you could always leave a few of the branches untouched over the winter.

Don’t be tempted to prune back any spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia just yet though – keep an eye on them and wait until they have finished flowering, otherwise you’ll miss out on this year’s display.

If you have lavender in the garden, lightly cut it back so that they don’t grow back too woody. The same applies to curry plant and cotton lavender plants. Prune existing roses right back by about half to prevent 'wind rock.'

Take off any frost damaged shoots from evergreens that have already been damaged by cold weather, and then remove any reverted green shoots on hardy variegated evergreens. Keeping everything pruned back and tidy over winter will ensure that in spring you have a garden to be proud of.

Keep the wildlife happy over the winter

You have to feel sorry for the garden wildlife – the cold winter months are a harsh time for birds and animals, who may struggle to find food and water. Here are a few tips for keeping the birds and more happy over the colder seasons.

One of the best ways to keep your garden birds well fed is to put out fat balls for them in wire cages (not the plastic bags) You can make your own by melting ordinary suet into moulds – you can use things like a log with a hole drilled into it or even a coconut shell if you have one. Try making the balls from different recipes, too, so that you’ve got something for all the different birds. Finches like berries, tits like insect cakes and starlings will go mad for peanuts.

Add some seeds too – birds need these to help them get a balanced diet, and smaller birds also like to munch the seeds from sunflower heads if you have any. Fill a wire mesh feeder with nuts and/or seeds and place them around the garden. If there are no marauding cats around, you could also add some seeds to a wire mesh ground feeder; robins love them.

Thrushes and blackbirds will soon clear up any over-ripe apples, and like leftover fruit and raisins, so you can also add those to the ground feeder.

Looking after other creatures

Small animals can be overlooked in winter as they crawl into what they think are cosy places to hibernate. For this reason, always check compost heaps and bonfires for sheltering and hibernating animals, like hedgehogs, toads and frogs.

If your pond ices over, melt a hole in it so that wildlife can drink, and also get in and out of the water. The best way to do this is by sitting a saucepan filled with hot water on the ice to melt a hole, rather than simply tipping hot water onto it, hitting or cracking the ice which can create harmful shockwaves.

Put out a shallow container of water for birds and animals who need access to it.Leave herbaceous and hollow-stemmed plants unpruned until the winter months have passed, so that animals can shelter in them during the colder periods.

These tips should make sure that your garden is a welcoming safe haven for any wildlife that makes its way there this winter!

Hardy Winter Plants...

Cold weather can kill off even the toughest garden plants, as the cold causes the water in plant cells to freeze, damaging the cell wall. Even hardy plants and evergreens can be damaged by severe cold weather when soil becomes frozen. Plants die from lack of moisture too, when the ground freezes and they can’t take up water. Keep a close eye on your plants to avoid losing them to plummeting temperatures!

Autumn is a good time to plant flowers ready for spring, and some of our favourite plants will even produce a flower or two during the winter if it’s mild, and will give your garden a big burst of colour when spring arrives.

Try adding a few of these bedding plants in the next month or so, and wait for a bright and colourful spring...

1. Pansies
Pansy plants bloom longer than any other winter flowering bedding plant, so if you need a splash of colour in your flower beds, borders or hanging baskets, invest in some pretty winter-flowering pansies. Grow some in a sunny or partly shaded parts of the garden, and make sure you dead-head them regularly to keep them flowering.

2. Violas
These produce lots of little dainty flowers, and are just as versatile as pansies. Great for hanging baskets, some varieties even have a lovely fragrance.

3. Primroses
Modern varieties of primrose start flowering from mid-winter onwards, and they are available in a range of colours to brighten up your garden. Primroses work well in borders and bedding, and can also be added to window boxes for a bit of colour on a dull day.

4. Polyanthus
Polyanthus are colourful and long-lasting, which makes them superb winter bedding plants. They also suit baskets and boxes.

5. Wallflower
These smell gorgeous and look lovely in the garden, when they flower. Although traditional varieties tended to flower in spring, modern variations also have a floral display in autumn, which can last a while if carefully tended.

6. Stock
These are always popular in for winter, with their large, ruffled, fragrant floral spikes which appear from mid-spring through to mid-summer. During winter, they show a rosette of leaves which bursts into bloom in spring.

7.Forget-me-not
A great partner to spring bulbs, Forget-me-nots are traditionally blue, but also look gorgeous in pink and white, self-seeding to give the garden an almost permanent display.

8. Cyclamen coum
A true winter-flowering plant, Cyclamen coum is a colourful addition to your garden even during the cold January and February weather. Cyclamen has dainty flowers and marbled leaves, and the blooms will inject a welcome splash of pink into your winter garden.

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What to do in October

October is likely to be your last chance to get any real work done in the garden before the weather takes the decision out of your hands. It should still be reasonably warm unless we get hit with a really early winter, so get the gardening gloves out and get the last minute pre-winter jobs done.

Some plants don’t survive cold days and even colder nights, so if you have any delicate house plants outside that have been getting the benefit of late summer sunshine, bring them indoors now and avoid a surprise frost ruining them.

 

If you have a greenhouse, delicate plants will be fine in there, if not, take them indoors or get them under shelter if possible. You might want to acclimatise them slowly; if it’s warm you can leave half-hardy perennials until the end of October, but in frost-prone areas it’s best to bring them under cover, or into the shelter of the building, early in the month.

Give the perennials their last cut of the year; trim everything back ready for spring. Prune plants like climbing roses right back and get shrubs looking neat and tidy.

Give the lawn its last cut before winter, and tidy up leaves and foliage that have built up in early autumn. Raking the leaves up prevents them from browning the grass, as well as generally making the garden look tidy! You can save some of the leaves for mulch if you like, which you can put over borders to help keep soil from getting too cold. As a finishing touch, you could also give your lawns a feed; this can help to to stimulate root growth and is well worth it for on lawns that get a lot of wear over the spring and summer.

Keep clearing the leaves up all through the winter so that you keep the lawn looking healthy. Just add them to your mulch collection and they’ll serve a useful purpose instead of cluttering up the garden.

Get planting done ready for next year; anything that you plant at this time of year will hopefully benefit from time over the winter to take root. Evergreens can dry out if you plant them in exposed areas over the winter though, but if you’re happy to carry on watering them even when it’s cold outside, it’s also worth planting those.

Grass seeding season is coming to an end

It’s that time of the year again; time to start thinking about seeding your lawn before it gets too cold and you have to leave it until next spring.

Technically, you can get away with sowing your grass seed until October if you’re lucky, but it’s best to get the task completed well before the end of the season to avoid any inclement weather that might catch you unawares and cancel out all of your hard work.

If we’ve been lucky enough to have unusually dry weather through to September, make sure that after seeding, you keep the seedbed moist until the grass has grown to 6cm.  Keep it watered with a fine spray rather than a high pressure hose that can displace your newly planted seeds.

Many garden experts recommend waiting until September before sowing grass seeds because it makes it easier to spot germinated weeds and get rid of them, and also the weather will be cooling down so you won’t need to water the seeds quite as much as if you sow them in spring or summer. The ground should still be fairly warm and moist which will give the seeds a good start before the winter sets in. If sowed early enough, by mid-autumn your grass seeds should have grown a decent root system which will hopefully keep them going throughout any difficult conditions over the winter months.

For a successful lawn, the soil needs to be warm enough to support the seed germination, so getting the grass seeding completed before the weather starts to cool down gives you a better chance of having an enviable lawn next summer. The optimal temperature for the soil is around 6-8 degrees as that’s the minimum temperature that’s needed for the seeds to germinate, in practical terms, this translates to an air temperature of 10 degrees or above.

Once you’ve sowed the seeds, keep an eye out for any weeds, which are always a menace in newly sown lawns. It doesn’t matter how high quality your chosen grass seed is, or how careful you are about getting your seed bed prepared, there will always be weeds waiting in the wings because they are already there in the soil. The best way to control any marauding weeds that germinate from the 'seed bank' in your lawn is to mow them out.

Driveway upkeep – common problems to look out for

Everybody wants to keep their driveway looking good – in many cases it gives visitors their first impression of your home, and is something that most householders take a lot of pride in.

If you want to keep your drive looking great for years to come, you need to put in the hours with maintaining it. Properly tending to it from the start will add to its longevity, reduce any potential repair costs and increase the value of your home.

The problems that are likely to crop up with a driveway, of course, depend on the material used to surface it.

One of the most commonly used materials is gravel, and the issues you might have include:

• Potholes – It’s difficult to avoid the pothole effect in a gravel driveway, no matter how tightly packed the stones are. The weather and continuous traffic will take a toll. It can be tempting just to take stone from another area of the driveway and fill any holes with it, but in fact what this will do is cause the same problem to eventually occur in another part of the drive, no matter how carefully you take stones from different areas! We suggest keeping some gravel back when you have the driveway laid so that you have a supply to remedy any uneven areas that crop up over time.
• Poor drainage – A driveway laid by a professional landscaper such as John Lessels Landscaping shouldn’t have any issues with drainage as this would have been organised at the start of the project. However, if you take on an already laid driveway, or lay your own, it’s something you could experience problems with at a later date. The first thing you might notice is erosion, leading to the deep ruts and potholes, and a loss of gravel. If the problems were caused by bad construction, you’ll probably need to call in an expert to install some sort of drainage system.
• Loose stone – If the gravel doesn’t seem to stay in the driveway, not only is it annoying but it can also damage lawnmowers if you don’t spot it. We’d suggest edging an errant driveway to prevent the stones escaping all over the garden, which will look good as well as keeping the gravel where it should be.

For advice on driveway projects, contact the friendly team at John Lessels Landscaping and we’ll help you find the solution.

Common Garden Pests (and how to spot them)

It’s not just bugs and insects that lay claim to your beautifully tended garden – microscopic bacteria, fungi and viruses are all there, ready and waiting to make your bedding look sorry for itself and kill off your well watered plants.

It’s not all bad – a certain amount of pest activity does help to support the bugs and wildlife that does your garden good. Don’t be tempted to douse everything in insecticide; it may wipe out the bugs to begin with but it won’t stop neighbouring colonies of pests or diseases racing in to the area – which will now be free from their predators too!

Sometimes, things can get a little out of control, and action is needed. In the right conditions and with an abundant food supply, pests can multiply. Sometimes it’s seasonal, plants grow faster when the weather is better and insects like aphids love new spring plants to feast on. During the summer only female aphids hatch, and they can go on to give birth to live young within a week of being born themselves. One solitary aphid could turn into a huge colony within weeks.

If you decide on a chemical spray, ask advice from a garden centre on which one to use as they all have different properties and some are not suitable for gardens where pets are usually milling about. The problem with a chemical spray is that it can ruin the balance of a garden and it can take years to get it back.

Preventative measures are a better way to keep the pest population down.

• Use pest- and disease-resistant plants wherever you can, especially with fruit and vegetables.
• Grow a wide range of different plants and mix them up mixed together – this will stop pests and diseases from spreading so easily to nearby similar plants.
• Encourage wildlife that kills off pests – ladybirds, spiders and other garden insects all help keep the pest population in check, as do garden birds.
• Think about investing in traps and barriers where you can, to shield plants.
• Get to know what your plants look like when they are healthy and growing as they should do. This helps you spot any problems before they become too well-established.

Designing your garden to be pest-resistant can be a project in itself; whoever said that gardening was easy? If you would like advice about landscaping your garden, the best places for certain plants and more, speak to the experts at John Lessels Landscaping and we’ll be delighted to help you with all your garden landscaping needs.

Planning the Perfect Barbecue Garden

The sun is peeking out from the clouds and we’ve been lucky with the weather recently; with the World Cup and Wimbledon enticing us to gather our friends around and chill out in the sunshine, thoughts naturally turn to barbecues and eating al fresco.

If your lawn is crying out for some garden maintenance, and you’re embarrassed to invite the neighbours round because of  the weed colonies, you need to get cracking on beautifying it before the summer holidays arrive and the smell of burning sausages fills the air.

Roll up your sleeves and get stuck in; to start the operation, if you haven’t got round to it yet, clear away all of the mess from the spring (and winter). If you have a proliferation of mulchy leaves, get shot of them, and any other bits of mess that have landed on your lawn. Once you’ve tidied up, if you left the garden furniture out and it’s looking worse for wear, move it out of the way or at least into the garage/shed so that you have a blank canvas. You can tart the old furniture up later. Spend some time removing any extra garden furniture, garden tools, and weeds so you have a clear, clutter-free space to host your parties.

Is your garden the perfect design for a barbecue? Some shapes and sizes work better than others. You need enough room to host your guests (obviously) and space for a barbecue that’s big enough to feed everyone. Try a practice run; set a table up in the garden, and put the barbecue near the house, then imagine if you have enough room for people to sit down, mill around and (if inviting kids) play and run around. Experiment with the layout until you feel comfortable.

If you haven’t got one already, the next thing you need is a decent barbecue. You’re looking for something that’s easy to use (even with a beer in your spare hand) , will last you a while and of course, cooks food thoroughly. At this time of year there are plenty to choose from and you can get a great deal if you shop around.

You need decent garden furniture too; if you banished your tired looking deckchairs to the shed with their mould, invest in something a bit more durable. Plastic is always a good option because it’s hardy and lasts a while, or for a more sophisticated soiree you could look into investing in some wooden furniture. If you do go with wood, you’ll have to be more careful about looking after it than plastic, it will cost more and probably not last as long, but hey, it will look fabulous!

All you need to do once you’ve got that sorted is fire up the barby, crack open a beer and enjoy the smell of charcoal…

Driveways and the law

Just like everything else, when it comes to driveways there are rules and regulations you need to be aware of – mainly to do with planning.

Since 2008, if you want to cover your front garden with a hard surface, driveway or paving, and the area that needs covering is more than five square metres, you’ll need to get planning permission if you’re putting down traditional, impermeable materials which don’t control rainwater running off onto the roads.

You don’t need  planning permission  for less than five square metres, nor do you need it if the surface you’re putting down will permeable or porous, or  if  you use a traditional surface which directs rainwater to a lawn or border to drain naturally (or there is another drainage solution, like a soakaway added)

If you want to avoid planning permission, you could look at alternative options like;

·         Permeable paving
·         Porous asphalt
·         Sustainable drainage systems / rainwater harvesting systems
·         Combinations of gravel with a green, vegetated area
·         Traditional hard surfaces that incorporate run-off to your garden or lawn or a rain garden or soakaway

It’s fine to lay hard surfacing which lets water to soak into it along with concrete permeable paving or porous asphalt, but you will need to make sure they are laid on top of a sub-base which lets water pass through and be stored.

Other ideas include letting water run-off into your lawn or flower beds, or working it so that the run off is directed towards an area of your garden where it will collect, and either soak into the ground or flow to the drains.

Soakaways are another option; these pipe water into a gravel-filled trench or container and from there it soaks back into the ground. These are only suitable for properties which have larger front gardens, as they need more space than other options and legally they need to be a certain distance from your house or any other buildings.

For advice about driveways, what’s suitable for your property and how to make sure that your driveway conforms to all the relevant legislation, talk to an expert garden landscaper like John Lessels Landscaping.

Laying the Groundwork for the Borders to Edinburgh Link

It’s exciting times for the Borders to Edinburgh Rail Link, a project that John Lessels Landscaping has been keeping a very close eye on since we were involved in some of the ground works for this important project.
Last month, Network Rail announced that they were more or less halfway there, with 44 per cent of the line which will stretch between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, south of Galashiels, being finished, and that by the end of May they should have been at least halfway there.

It will be great to see the trains run for the first time in 46 years, in September 2015, as we’re too young to remember when the old Waverley line to Carlisle was still in use. The line should be in operation again by next summer, and following driver training and line testing will be open for rail users by September.
The rail link has been an absolutely massive project; construction started last year and so far over 850 members of staff have worked on it, clocking up 2.1 million hours. That’s not including independent contractors like ourselves. Rumour has it that there have been over 25,000 bacon rolls supplied to construction workers so far…we may or may not have partaken in a few ourselves!

You wouldn’t believe the amount of work that goes into reopening an old railway line. For example, it’s involved refurbishing 104 bridges, installing 16 miles of drainage, and moving 804,000 tonnes of earth. That’s an awful lot of digging. That’s not to mention the logistics involved in stabilising the old mines along the route, restoring the Lothianbridge viaduct and two tunnels, and re-routing a section of the Edinburgh City Bypass! We’re sure it will be worth it to have this important strategic railway line back in operation.

Interestingly, we’ve also heard that Alex Salmond has been hinting that it’s possible the Borders Railway could be re-opened all the way back to Carlisle. He was also keen on trying to bring high speed railways into Scotland, but we’ll believe that when we see it.

At John Lessels Landscaping we’re very proud to have been able to contribute in our own way to the project, and we’ll be watching in anticipation to see what happens next.

Top Tips for Gardens in June

We’re fast approaching the longest day of the year. The sun encourages us out into the garden but it’s only then as we’re sitting on our lovely patio with a Pimms in our hand that the warmth has tempted out lots of weeds – number one thing to do in this month will be battling the pests and keeping your garden looking tidy! Our advice is to do this little and often, rather than leaving it to do all in one go; the task will be much easier cut into smaller chunks. And your knees will thank you for it.

Another constant job for gardeners in early summer is dead heading. Your beautiful blooms will shrivel up and keel over as fast as the weeds sprout up to replace them, so keep on top of removing spent heads from pots, baskets and flower beds, and give them a good feed every now and again.

Depending on whether we get a ‘barbecue summer’ or simply a dismal, wet one, you’ll have to step up your watering routine, too. Give everything a good watering once or twice a week when it’s warm and dry, except for hanging baskets which really need water every day. If you have lots of trees and shrubs, and there are no hosepipe bans in place yet, leave a hose by the base of the plant for an hour or so, just on a trickle.

If you’re planting in June, just as at any other time of year, the most important thing is to water the plant in well, whether it’s a perennial, bedding plant or shrub. To do this properly, make sure that you give the root ball a really good soak in a bucket of water before you plant it – it’s ready when there are no more air bubbles popping to the surface.  Dig your hole, fill it to the top with water and let it drain, then put your plant in the hole. Once it’s in place, cover it with soil and then water it well again.

If you’re planning on spending time enjoying your garden, lounging on the patio and generally socialising outside, keep an eye on the moss that can grow on driveways and patios. Get rid of it along with any weeds as soon as you see them pop up, and hopefully you can stop them proliferating too much over the summer.

For more advice about garden landscaping, decking and more, speak to our experts at John Lessels Landscaping.

Top Five Weeding Tips

Image: Green Seedling In Hand by domdeen via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Weeding – it’s never going to be anyone’s favourite job, is it? Some people claim to find it therapeutic, blitzing all those pesky weeds, but for most of us it’s a necessary evil if we want our garden to look presentable. The good news is that in just ten minutes a day you can get on top of your weed situation and make sure that your driveways, paths and gardens look pristine.

 1. Get mulching!

Mulching really makes a difference to the overall weed situation, simply because bare soil is like an open invitation for all the weeds in the garden to congregate and take root.  If you pre-empt the invasion by covering any bare soil with mulch, it stops them from seeding and growing. You can use pre-made shredded leaf and straw mulch, or make use of your own garden waste, but organic mulch is better than non-organic, especially for vegetable patches, herb gardens and fruit.

Mulching also has the benefit of enriching the soil with the nitrogen it needs for healthy growth.

2. Give it some air

Give the soil in your garden a good raking over, especially around the bases of plants, to aerate it. It’s recommended that you do this at least once a week, and to a depth of 3-5 inches. Collect any loose weeds up as you go. Don’t over-rake your soil though, because this can have the opposite effect, embedding weeds into the soil as you go

3. Just 10 minutes a day!

You really don’t have to spend hours and hours in the garden, it’s just a matter of keeping on top of the little jobs so that they don’t turn into one big one. If you make a deal with yourself to get outside and do a bit of weeding every day, just for ten minutes, you’ll be able to stop roots of weeds from bedding in and growing too much. Even if you’re just outside enjoying a spot of spring sunshine, you can weed here and there and get rid of them as they appear.

4. Don’t forget your pathways

 The annoying weeds that crop up in between the paving on your pathways and driveways won’t stay there – they’ll soon start appearing in your lawn and borders if you don’t take care of them, too.

5. Cover old crops 

Bare soil from old vegetable patch crops is another open invitation to weeds. They love an empty space! Prevent them by planting ‘cover crops’ to fill in the space while you’re waiting for your next crop of vegetables or fruits to start growing.

For more advice on gardens, contact a garden landscaping expert like John Lessels Landscaping.

Five Common Landscaping Fails

Image: www.geograph.org.uk

Sometimes, the gardens you lust over in the upmarket magazines can seem so doable; but landscaping a garden is fraught with pitfalls and things to think about before you start planting those gorgeous perennials you saw at the garden centre.

Here are a few words of advice from garden landscaping experts …

1. Choosing the wrong plants 

Don’t buy everything you like the look of; not everything will flourish in every type of soil, or in the particular part of the garden you have in mind for it.

Check the spot you want to fill with foliage first thing in the morning, at noon, and mid-afternoon, note down where the sun hits and take your notes with you to the garden centre. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice about what should go where. Check the soil too –if you’re not sure what type of soil you have (chalky, sandy, clay, silted, peaty, loamy) get some tips here:

2. Bad patio and pathway foundations

This is one area you probably will need professional advice, even if you intend to do the work yourself. Make sure that the base materials are right for the job, that the depth is right and that the materials used for the pathways have been properly chosen to withstand the amount of use they get.

3. Not matching the garden to the home

It doesn’t matter what you’ve seen in the gardening magazines, if the garden doesn’t match the property, it will look out of place. A charming Victorian cottage demands a country style garden with plenty of flower beds, while a newer property can embrace simple lines, and plants that complement the minimalist styles of newer homes.

4. Forgetting about the weather

Don’t ignore the fact that it can rain a LOT in Scotland, and the rest of the UK. Recent weather events will attest to the power of the British climate. The last thing you want is a flooded patio or waterlogged lawn. It’s not all bad though; rain is full of nutrients that can benefit your garden, so find a way to collect it up.  Water butts, drainage systems, or filter strips are all options, depending on the size of your garden.

5.  Not thinking ahead when planting trees.

Many people forget the capacity of trees to grow – fast growing trees can be a real problem if they get too tall (don’t mention the dreaded Leylandii) and it’s not just your sunlight that could be at risk from ill-thought out trees, some trees compete with other plants or even cause problems with the foundations of houses if they are built too close. You need to decide what the tree is for; just to look pretty, privacy, shade or anything else?

For expert advice, speak to the team at John Lessels Landscaping.

Garden trends to look out for in 2014

It’s almost Easter, so thoughts are turning to gardens and whether we’ll be able to enjoy them this summer! The weather forecasters are predicting a mega-hot summer (but don’t they say that every year?) and March was the warmest we’ve enjoyed for centuries, so will our gardens be getting much use this year? We do hope so!

Gadgets

There’s a heavy focus on lighting and gadgets this year, with technology providing many opportunities to accent garden landscapes in dramatic yet affordable ways, making even the most average patio or decking area look inviting, and creating socialising space.  Exciting developments include photovoltaic LED glass pavers (illuminated bricks that can be integrated into a path or patio) and new LED fixtures, devices and apps to give you control over your garden when the sun goes down.

On the not-so-good side, brightening up your garden with ‘quirky’ extras is another phase that gardens are going through, and it’s set to continue through the summer of 2014 with interesting adornments like penguin solar lights, the type of decoration you probably didn’t know you needed…

Plants

If you’re wondering what to plant to stay on-trend in your outdoor areas, it’s all about the Great War. Turning your garden into a floral tribute to the fallen is catching on as 2014 is dominated by the First World War centenary. For an average garden, Flanders Field poppies are big news, with national campaigns already under way encouraging gardeners to sow them.

In bedding plants, the humble Begonia is replacing the ubiquitous Busy Lizzie, mostly because Busy lizzies are being hit with downy mildew problems.

Super foods can make their place in any garden - sales of curly kale are up 32 per cent and so you can plant your own and be ahead of the super food, kale crisp eating crowd with your very own crop. Baby leaf versions of the trend veg are also quite popular.

Landscaping and maintenance

In practical terms, the emphasis this year is on simple, easy and low-maintenance. Gardens are for enjoying, not weeding, so sprinkle and go seed, fertiliser and compost products like Flower Magic and equivalents are selling well. If you’re looking for the ultimate way low-effort garden maintenance, contact John Lessels and we can do it all for you!

Designing your perfect driveway

You want to make a good impression with your driveway – after all it’s the first thing people will see when they come to visit you, and you want it to look great. It’s also got to be durable and long-lasting, as there’s going to be a lot of traffic coming and going on it over the years.

Your first task when you’re planning a driveway is to take a look around you at the landscape you want to fit the driveway into  and imagine what will look really good in it. For ideas, you can look at garden magazines and websites, or you could speak to a garden landscaping expert like John Lessels Landscaping who can advise you on what would go well and suit your needs.

A driveway looks best if it takes into account the style of your home, too, and there is a huge variety of different layout options for residential driveways available for you to choose from, taking into account the type of use, the location, accessibility and more.

Once you have a rough idea of the design you’re looking for, you can start choosing your materials. If you have a set budget, there will be some options that aren’t practical, but it’s still possible to create a feature driveway with a ‘sensible’ amount of money – you don’t have to go mad. If you have your heart set on a very long driveway, remember, even though it’s obvious, it’s going to cost a lot more because of the extra materials needed. That’s why many large driveways are paved with gravel, because it’s often the most affordable option.

It’s really important to compare the price you pay for the installation and design to the cost of maintenance and durability of the materials you choose. Sometimes you might think you’re saving money by going for a cheaper paving material, but you find that it needs replacing a lot faster than the higher quality materials, so it’s a false economy. The material you choose needs to be strong enough to support the traffic you expect over it, resist drips, chemicals and tyre marks and look good for as long as possible. Again, if you're not sure, speak to an expert in garden landscaping.

If you really love the idea of a decorative driveway, but can't afford to completely pave it, you could also try adding accents like decorative borders and aprons instead. You get the decorative effect but pave the bulk of the area with cheaper gravel, which gives the aesthetic effect and is just as hard-wearing.

How to get your garden spring-ready

Many of us have been left with none too great looking gardens after the winter we’ve just had â€" so if you look out over a garden that’s in a bit of a sorry state, don’t fret, you’re far from alone!

There’s plenty you can do to perk up your outdoor areas ready for sunnier days, so follow our tips and you’ll soon be smiling at your garden again.

Tidy it up!

If you gave up on tidying the garden every time the wind blew another load into the back garden, it’s time to face up to the job at hand right now. Get rid of any dead and/or rotting pant material, and make sure that bacteria, fungal spores and lurking insects are removed from anywhere they can make a nuisance of themselves.

The right place to plant

Before you plant that lovely shrub or sow the seeds for a burst of colourful blooms, read the instructions. Making sure that your new plants have the sunlight, air and water they need is imperative if you want your garden to thrive, and it only takes a small miscalculation in the amount of light a plant needs and you could end up with a disappointing result.

If you’re not sure where and when to plant, speak to a professional garden landscaper.

Water management

You want to be watering your plants where they need it at the roots, not just soaking the whole thing in the hope that the water will drip down. It’s not a good idea to water the leaves too much because wet foliage can leave the plant open to diseases and pests. Try to keep plants evenly moistened, don’t over water them and then leave them for ages in between waters, as this can lead to uneven growth.

Get the right season and temperature

Some like it hot â€" like tomatoes, but others like cabbages and lettuce need to be kept a bit cooler. Plant your cool season plants earlier in the year while the soil and air are still relatively cool and they are more likely to flourish â€" you can leave your heat loving crops until a bit later on.

Build your soil

Biologically active soil supports healthy plants, and by integrating compost and mulch (healthy of course) into the soil, you also feed the micro-organisms that change it into the nutrients that will feed your plants. Compost and organic fertilisers are great sources of dead plant material, as is garden mulch placed on top of the soil around your plants.

Look after the critters

Supporting the ‘good’ insects and birds which eat the pests that feed on your garden is an eco-friendly way of keeping pests away. Nurture the lady bugs and lacewings, and make sure you feed the garden birds - many birds are insectivorous and helpfully eat insect pests for you.

For more tips and advice on making the most of your garden, contact John Lessels Landscaping.

How to get your garden spring-ready

Many of us have been left with none too great looking gardens after the winter we’ve just had – so if you look out over a garden that’s in a bit of a sorry state, don’t fret, you’re far from alone!

There’s plenty you can do to perk up your outdoor areas ready for sunnier days, so follow our tips and you’ll soon be smiling at your garden again.

Tidy it up!
If you gave up on tidying the garden every time the wind blew another load into the back garden, it’s time to face up to the job at hand right now. Get rid of any dead and/or rotting pant material, and make sure that bacteria, fungal spores and lurking insects are removed from anywhere they can make a nuisance of themselves.

The right place to plant
Before you plant that lovely shrub or sow the seeds for a burst of colourful blooms, read the instructions. Making sure that your new plants have the sunlight, air and water they need is imperative if you want your garden to thrive, and it only takes a small miscalculation in the amount of light a plant needs and you could end up with a disappointing result.

If you’re not sure where and when to plant, speak to a professional garden landscaper.

Water management
You want to be watering your plants where they need it at the roots, not just soaking the whole thing in the hope that the water will drip down. It’s not a good idea to water the leaves too much because wet foliage can leave the plant open to diseases and pests. Try to keep plants evenly moistened, don’t over water them and then leave them for ages in between waters, as this can lead to uneven growth.

Get the right season and temperature
Some like it hot – like tomatoes, but others like cabbages and lettuce need to be kept a bit cooler. Plant your cool season plants earlier in the year while the soil and air are still relatively cool and they are more likely to flourish – you can leave your heat loving crops until a bit later on.

Build your soil
Biologically active soil supports healthy plants, and by integrating compost and mulch (healthy of course) into the soil, you also feed the micro-organisms that change it into the nutrients that will feed your plants. Compost and organic fertilisers are great sources of dead plant material, as is garden mulch placed on top of the soil around your plants.

Look after the critters
Supporting the ‘good’ insects and birds which eat the pests that feed on your garden is an eco-friendly way of keeping pests away. Nurture the lady bugs and lacewings, and make sure you feed the garden birds - many birds are insectivorous and helpfully eat insect pests for you.

For more tips and advice on making the most of your garden, contact John Lessels Landscaping.

Garden landscaping – top tips to get you started

If you’re completely new to garden design and landscaping, it can feel a bit overwhelming. With a little help from the experts, you can come up with the perfect landscaped garden just for you. We’ve come up with a few ideas to get you started.

Make a wish list

What will you be using the area for? Are you planning to use the space for frequent entertaining and summer barbecues? Do you love the idea of ‘The Good Life’ and fancy the idea of growing your own fruit and vegetables?

Will you need space for the kids to play, and somewhere to park a car? Decide on your basic needs and wants and use them to come up with a basic must-have list, then use the list to sketch out your ideal garden space.

Play around with ideas and don’t worry if you aren’t the most artistic person, going to a garden landscaper with a rough sketch of what you’ve been imagining is a great starting place.

Study your existing garden

This is where you need to pay attention and make some notes. What direction does the garden face, and where does it get the sun? Which areas are naturally shaded most of the day? Are there any areas of the garden that create a sun trap – you might not want to put your herb garden, or your eating area there.

Go outside on a windy day and see if there are any areas that seem to amplify the wind…these areas are the worst places for a barbecue, or a seating area. Not taking climate and position into account is one of the problems that first time landscapers often make – something a professional garden landscaper would always check first.

Focal points

Pick out your garden’s best feature and work it. If there’s a sculpture, a tree or a pond, you can work around that and make that the focus of the rest of the design. Drawing the eye to the most attractive part of the existing garden can make landscaping the rest of the garden that much easier.

Start with small steps

It can take time to develop an idea for a garden, and once you’ve decided what you want, it can take time to put the plans into place. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure you don’t take on too much at once, and don’t be afraid to ask for help from experts if you think the project is just too overwhelming. Take your time, and you’ll be much happier with the results; what you see on garden makeover shows takes a lot of expertise and a whole team of people to do!

For advice on landscaping, turfing and garden maintenance, ask an expert at John Lessels Landscaping…

Five Tips for choosing the best paving for your project

You’ve been studying gardening magazines and scouring websites for ideas, but will the designs you’ve seen work in your own garden? Here are five tips on getting the results you really want when you start that landscaping project.

Look at some samples first

You’re going to be looking at that paving for years to come, so it’s a good idea to do your research before you have it laid.  You’ll find that most garden landscaping companies are happy to give you a few samples; it’s in their interest to let you see the product so that you can imagine it in your own garden.

Once you’ve looked at them in-situ, you can pick your favourites and see how they’ll fit in with the existing garden, the colour of your walls and so on. You can also visit the companies’ showrooms and see displays in many cases, to give you an idea of effects and designs.

Think about texture

If you’re looking for a cheaper solution, riven stone works in most situations, although you need to be careful to choose the right tone. For sharper edges and a smoother finish, a more contemporary choice might be sawn stone which can look really great in a well-designed garden area. Check whether the slabs need sealing after they’ve been laid, especially if the shade is a really important consideration for you, because sometimes sealing stone can change its colour.

How thick is thick?

You’ll need a different thickness of stone for a driveway or anywhere there’s likely to be parked cars than you will for a garden area. If you’re trying to stretch your budget, before you decide on your perfect stone, be aware that some budget stone is only available in a depth of around 25mm – for a driveway you really need at least 40mm for it to last. If in doubt, ask expert advice.

Natural or concrete?

If your budget won’t stretch to natural stone, there are some great concrete products too. If you choose a concrete product, make sure they are laid by an expert or at the very least take care to make sure that any cuts are hidden so that you can’t see inside the slab.

Textures
It’s fun to add a bit of interest to a paved area by mixing up the textures. Different textured stones can be used to define different areas in a larger expanse of paving, so you can mark out the seating area or the main pathway for example.

If you’re not sure about whether any particular stone, style or technique will work in your garden, speak to an expert at John Lessels, we’re always happy to give advice!

Protect your building with Modac.

Protecting buildings and exterior surfaces from the harsh effects of the weather is something that we are always happy to help with, and using Modac to do this for one of our clients was the obvious solution. We were approached to landscape a front garden in Edinburgh, and we worked with the client to come up with some ways of making sure that we kept the damp out of the beautiful paving that we were laying at the front of the house.

We love designing and creating driveways and paving solutions for our clients, and of course we like the challenge of living up to our "best driveway" award from Marshalls, one of the leading UK suppliers of stone for driveways. We got to work on the project as soon as we’d talked the plans over with the client, and decided to use natural paving at the front of the house and then add Modac colour to highlight the natural colours in the paving stones, which would help to protect the garden and keep it looking good long term. To add interest we designed bespoke planters which we filled with screened topsoil.

We like to use Modac in some of our gardening projects because it’s really proved its worth over the years, and it’s a good, reliable product. The coating is alkaline resistant and made from 100% acrylic latex which works to seal, decorate and protect new and existing concrete, so it can be used on floors, walkways and driveways as well as the exterior of buildings.

Modac isn’t a new thing; Modac coatings have been used in one form or another for over 50 years. It was originally used to create new concrete skyscrapers in America in the early and it’s still as popular as ever because it tends to last that much longer than a lot of standard coatings, something that’s really important when you’re building a driveway that’s going to get a lot of use. If it can keep a concrete skyscraper from the ravages of the American winter, it can keep paving looking smart in Scotland!

As you can see, the combination of the garden design, including the attractive planters and the colourful, sophisticated-looking paving, looks fantastic at the front of this house, and with the addition of the Modac, it should stay looking this good for many years to come.