Tag: garden furniture

Gardens for Good

by Fen Ryan gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces

Early signs of spring and what’s in bloom now

February is well on its way and the signs of early spring are already appearing day after day all around us, with the appearance of snowdrops, daffodils and the sprouting of muscari bulbs. Now is the time to give the neglected garden some love.

For a border that performs all year round, alongside spring flowering bulbs, you can also plant winter flowering shrubs like viburnum, skimmia, helebores and corms such as cyclamen. Now is a good time to get these in if you want to develop a garden to attract pollinators and one that is full of life and interest throughout the year.

A well planned garden will result in a continuous succession of blooming plants that will perform year upon year attracting pollinator and insects.

What you choose to plant and where you plant it contributes to creating a garden with great bio diversity and a pleasing aesthetic that is resilient and sustainable.

What to Plant now

It is not too late to get some instant spring interest into your garden as this can be done with the addition of seasonal planters and window boxes filled with frost hardy plants. As the season moves the bulbs and plants can be moved to the borders and with thoughtful positioning will continue to perform year upon year. There is also some time left to plant trees, winter shrubs and move mature specimens

Seasonal jobs for now

The birds are about in abundance, singing their hearts out to attract a mate to settle and nest with in Spring. Now is the best time to get larger shrubs, trees and mature climbers cut back so as not to disturb the nesting once it begins. Add a bird box and bath alongside some feeders to the garden to attract the birds in.

  • cut back mature shrubs, trees and climbing plants
  • plant root ball hedging and trees
  • plant winter shrubs
  • plant flowering spring bulbs
  • cut back ornamental grasses
  • add in a bird box, bath and feeder

What to plan now

If you are thinking of planning or developing your garden this year, or wish to simply enjoy it during warmer days, planning ahead is important. Getting the right jobs get done during dormancy ensures the least disruption and offers maximum potential for developing a garden to enjoy all year. Starting now means you can

  • Develop a functional layout with minimum disruption
  • Plant up the evergreen structure for all year round interest
  • Develop layered planting schemes to develop bio diversity in the garden
  • Plant already in bloom winter and spring plants to add seasonal interest
Patio garden

Now is a good time for planning space and adding structural evergreen planting

layout for a small patio garden

It all begins with a seed

THE IMPORTANT THING IS SOMEHOW TO BEING

CONTACT

Now is the time to get your garden Spring ready

by Fen Ryan, gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces

You may not be thinking about the garden right now in January, but if you actually want to maximise your enjoyment time in the garden during 2026, it is actually the right time to engage the services of a gardener to plan and prepare.

Winter is the best time to engage with the services of Bloomingplaces to plan and begin creating your garden in time to enjoy once the warmer weather arrives – avoiding the Spring rush.

Spring is the busiest season of all for gardeners. The best gardens are always prepared in advance.

January is the best time to

  • secure installation dates a better range of options will be available right now
  • prepare groundworks whilst the soil is right and easier to work with
  • plan designs, materials, furniture and planting schemes

Lawns and Patios

Now is the perfect time to

  • Install or upgrade patios and pathways meaning minimum disruption to enjoyment of your garden, ready for entertaining when the first warm days arrive
  • Prepare garden areas gradient
  • Replace lawns or reseed areas, improving soil structure and drainage in problem lawn areas, ensuring healthy lawn growth in spring

Planting Plans

January is ideal for planning planting schemes for the seasons ahead

Ensure all year round interest and plant now for a garden that includes

Structure – such as shrubs, hedging and trees

Borders – prepared to include seasonal interest with spring and summer bulbs and perennials for year upon year interest

Wildlife friendly, environmentally conscious with use of native plants, resilient gardens go hand in hand with and low maintenance designs

Pet and environmentally friendly ideas can all be included in a well planned garden

Do not hesitate to get in touch and book a consultation now to create the garden of your dreams to enjoy all year round, call Fen today at Bloomingplaces: Phone: 07769651599 or email fenryan@outlook.com

Fen at http://www.tinybloomingplaces.co.uk

Sitting Pretty

As most of the hard work in the garden gets done in autumn, early winter and early spring, by late spring and summer it is time to tools down, sit, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour with a long cool drink with a bit of  light pruning on the side.  A crucial requirement for this is a place to sit and enjoy the views from every angle.  Here are some of the  spots in my space that help me do just that.

Mediterranean Medley
The Scented Patio, Jamine, Lavender, Lemon blossom

Patio chairs and table surrounded by a lemon tree, geraniums, jasmine, basil, bay and lavender.  For a small terrace or patio all of these can be planted in containers around your dining area to bring a little piece of the mediterranean to your space.  The lemon, lavender and  jasmine flowers will fill the air with a delicious scent on a summers evening.

Parisien Parlour
Lemon Tree with Narcissi and Muscari bowl

The same patio in spring – pop a big bowl of your favourite spring bloomers on the table, muscari and daffodils are in this one, and with the  all year round blooming lemon tree as a backdrop it brings a little bit of  glamour to your patio – Paris in the Spring anyone? Just step outside.

Under the shade of the tropical looking and shade loving Fatsia Japonica

Cute and convenient – this ceramic stool can be easily moved around and is great extra outdoor seating that doesn’t take up much space. It adds a dash of bright colour on a dull day.   I popped this one outside my bedroom door. Perfect for those moments when you just want to be away with the birds!

This bench was hand made from the same wood as the decking, it was concieved, built and hand-painted by the amazingly talented Frex, it is a great sunny spot to sit in spring and shady in summer, it also doubles as a display for  spring planted pots and acts as extra outdoor storage.

Simple but effective, this bench was made from a slice of wood cut to order at a timber merchants in the lake district and is supported on circular slices of log,  it is simple and rustic and gives that lovely low level of seating so you can really sit “in” your space, simple to assemble.

“Get Amongst It” the sunken deck, adding a new dimension to your space

One of my favourite places to sit, the sunken deck,  here you can view the garden on another dimension and really ” get amongst it”, for a  summer  garden party I  usually pop in some cushions to make it extra comfy

The sunken deck lined with artificial grass, we use it like a rug and roll it out on those hot days when all you want to do is lie but the grass it too wet also ideal for a small space where you don’t have a lawn …………

 

Pop in some cushions and get amongst it

 

 

This image was taken before I had my side terrace built.   I was gearing up for the planting in the area so  I test planted in big pots.   I wanted a tropical feel in this slightly shaded area of the garden and it inspired me to see that a tiny space with the right planting could be heaven (tropical heaven) on earth.  The chair is surrounded by Elocassia, hardy palms, ferns and bamboo to give that tropical feel.  Another good tropical-like plant but tough as old boots is fatsia japonica which features in  my wrap round tropical terrace.  All can be grown in pots and containers and can really give your terrace or balcony an amazingly tropical evergreen feel.

hardy palms, evergreen ferns, fatsia japonica, bamboo and elocassia all contribute to that tropical feel

Spotted in Ireland on a beautiful walk in co. Kilkenny – this one just had to be shared – a garden bench handcrafted from nature

Handcrafted from Nature Simply Stunning

it’s all in the detail  – the bench composition

A great idea for a small space, plant up a tree of your choice in a large pot,  this one is an olive tree,  make a wooden top to for the pot and  create a table – a garden, a dining space and a light shade all in one.  Perfect for tiniest of patios or balconies

This pretty dining set spotted recently in columbia road market – a great place for all your gardening needs (perfect size for a small terrace or balcony)

Also check out Oliver Bonas   http://www.oliverbonas.com/homeware/furniture I recently noticed they were doing some really  cute and colourful patio sets this year – perfect for your tinybloomingplace

Create a little outside space to enjoy, a place to explore your thoughts, inspire you, relax you, a place to sit and contemplate, but don’t just think about it……………