Tag: nature

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

Window boxes are not just for summer

by Fen Ryan, gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces

Having spent lots of years and endless money on plants to add seasonal window boxes, to dress the front of the house, I finally decided enough is enough and went about creating the perfect window box that would require, minimum maintenance yet give all year round seasonal interest, and give relief from the task of having to re-plant window boxes every season and every year. The tinybloomingplaces signature window box was born.

The base plant for the box consists of a winter hardy, trailing evergreen, yellow flowering sedum with wonderful glossy green leaves that grow and spill over the planter. the sedums perform all year flowering prolifically from early spring through to summer.

Sedum: Yellow flowers in spring, all year round green glossy leaves

The glossy leaf sedum forms a lovely backdrop to the next arrival, the yellow narcissi, which will pop through in February and stay through to early spring.

Narcissi: early spring colour, flowering every year

These are closely followed by the purple hyacinths for late spring.

Muscari: or grape hyacinth, spring flowering every year

Next there is the arrival of a deep red geranium coupled with purple lavender and this lets me know we are truly into summer.

Geranium and Lavender: the perfect summer couple, flowering year upon year

Once the summer flowers fade some pretty white cyclamen are ready to take their place, centre stage, and bloom from autumn right through to early spring. The Cyclamen with their white flowers and silvery green leaf make a lovely winter scene, set against the remaining silver leaf of the lavender (this remains all year after the purple scented flowers have gone) and the green glossy leaves of the sedum (that remain throughout the year). They have a long flowering period and are perfect for keeping the momentum going until the arrival of the narcissi again in Spring.

Cyclamen, flowering from autumn into winter

The combination also looks great in larger containers and planters that can be added to the front garden to give joy and keep flower and plant interest going all year round. The choice of colour can also be changed to suit individual taste. The container has been developed specifically to be tolerant to dry periods and not droop on a hot summer day, give all year round interest and repeat flower year upon year.

All of these plants and bulbs are put in together in one box or planter to give an effortless, low maintenance all year round display.

Contact: fenryan@outlook.com or see http://www.tinybloomingplaces.co.uk for further information