Category: encourage bees

Creating a Beautiful Garden with minimal maintenance

The weather is getting warmer, the evenings are getting longer and we can look forward to enjoying lots more time outside. May is a great time to plant a low maintenance space so you can begin to spend time enjoying the garden throughout the year.

Low Maintenance Ideas

Consideration of the Garden structure

Ditch high maintenance grass and develop a patio surrounded by carefully planned borders or a series of patios interspersed with planted areas

Easy care planting

Opt for easy care drought tolerant planting to give colour, scent and encourage pollinators. Use verbena, salvia or lavender, self-seeders like poppies and forget me nots, evergreen shrubs and ornamental grasses

As an extra measure you can add an automated watering system to ensure plants are kept watered until established and during extreme drought periods. You can also add mulch to keep moisture in the soil

Patio garden

Container Planting

Use pots and containers to add seasonal interest and colour in the border and on the patio

Making use of the extra space in the garden and create an extension to your home

  • Develop a seating area for relaxing and socialising
  • Make a dining area for entertaining
  • Add lighting for evenings outdoors
  • Consider shade. Plant for shade, build a structure or add in a piece of garden furniture to give shade

If you are ready to finally unleash the full potential of your garden or roof terrace get in touch for a consultation.

Get in touch with Fen today at Bloomingplaces

Design Maintain Develop

Based in Kingston Upon Thames, covering SW London

Sowing the Seeds of Love

Now is a good time to start sowing seeds – any flowers of your choice – for an abundance of colour from summer through to Autumn

 

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Popppies are prolific self seeders and once you plant them in your garden they will continue to self seed every year over the years – they provide a late spring/an early summer colourful display and the bees just can’t get enough of them either

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Whether you choose the traditional red or a colourful mix of orange and yellow they will bring sunshine to your garden everyday

 

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golden wonder yellow and orange poppies

 

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And then have fun after the blooms fade pressing the flowers and making your own creations for cards, decorating present wrapping etc

 

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Marigolds are another prolific seed producer.  Once you get them in your garden you can collect the seeds annually and sow again in early Spring to produce colourful displays for your summer garden. They don’t tend  to self seed like the poppies so best to hand collect the seeds once the flowers have faded.  Best grown in pots as the snails love these too! But try not to use slug pellets. When hedgehogs eat the slugs they ingest the pellets too and this in turn destroys them and upsets the whole delicate ecological balance.

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Sunshine on a rainy day

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and have some fun pressing the flowers…………. to make your own unique creations

 

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