Tag: small outside space

Getting the garden in gear for the forthcoming year

by Fen Ryan, gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces

  • summer blooms
  • outside dining
  • relaxation zone
  • textured planting
  • evergreen shading
  • spring scents

We’ve all done it, looking endlessly at the garden during a balmy summer day and wishing it could look like the place you see in your minds eye. You may have an aspiration for your garden but it may need aligning with the possibilities of the space. Taking up a consultation with a designer will allow an assessment of your site which will pull together a brief that will ensure you end up with a functional, beautiful design, bespoke to your space, making your dream a reality. Dream the design now design that dream.

  • colour scheme
  • layout
  • textures

To get the garden to its best possible end result, during the consultation the designer will look at all the elements that need to come together to give the structure and functionality that go towards developing a lush, evergreen, usable space. Hardscaping in the right places, created with carefully chosen materials, alongside plants, that will be chosen for their suitability to the site as well as their structural form, contrast shapes as well as scent. A mix of perennials and evergreens will take the garden through the seasons giving it a vibrant, lush outlook throughout the year. Soft flowers against an evergreen backdrop creating a space to enjoy from day into night.

  • ferns
  • spring colour
  • scent
  • winter interest
  • spring colours primrose
  • skimmia
  • movement

Your garden may just need some tweaking to get it where it needs to be and February is a fantastic time to set the scene in the garden for what is to come for the rest of the year. Its the right time to move existing shrubs/plants whilst they are dormant, putting in bare root perennials for later in the season and popping in sprouting spring perennials bulbs for spring scent and colour. Its the perfect time to either start on maintenance and cleaning up your existing garden before spring bursts forth or to get the wheels in motion to get design layout plans started for early building and plant planning so the garden is ready to enjoy as soon as the warmer months arrive. And remember a well planned planting scheme is key too creating a garden with all year round interest.

Get your garden in gear, don’t leave it for another year.

For a free initial consultation call Fen on 07769651599 or email fenryan@outlook.com

Autumn Borders

by Fen Ryan, gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces

A feathery autumnal touch for the borders; grasses and self seeding perennials

Time to plant

Often the garden starts to tire as September approaches but it is not the time to “give up”. With our milder weather season extending well into September and beyond there are still many moments to be enjoyed from the garden. September is the perfect time not only to move existing plants to a different location, if required, but it is also a great time to add autumn colour to the border, whilst stock is available, extending the season and enjoyment for the months ahead. It is a window of opportunity not to be missed.

Layers of textured foliage and subtle colour make for a beautiful autumn border

Perennial plants that have not fared well can be moved to a different location before they disappear into a winter slumber. This is the best time for them to establish their roots in a new location so they will perform better the following year. Plants offering autumn interest can also be added to extend the garden display late into the year. Autumn is the perfect time to alter, adjust and add to borders, whilst bearing in mind next years performance.

Deep purple hues from foliage with deep pink flowers contrast wonderfully with light green foliage and lime flowers. All set against a feathery orange tinged background

Choosing Plants

Choosing perennials that will come back year upon year will ensure the garden matures and performs annually giving remarkable displays for every season.

Choosing a small selection of plants, considering texture, colour and height will give a desired look and feel to the border. Planting en masse will ensure an eye catching and effective display. Make sure you take on board the orientation of the border before choosing plants

Planting en masse for a naturalistic feel

September is not the end of the gardening season. It is a great time for getting ahead of the game. Planning and planting borders in September and October ensures plants can be acquired that are giving a great display at that time of year and on into late autumn/winter. It also allows consideration for and inclusion (or moving/removal) of existing plants within the border to ensure an aesthetically pleasing planting scheme is achieved. It is by far the best time to plant up a garden to ensure interest and longevity across the seasons.

Garden Design Ideas for a small space

Fen Ryan, gardener and designer at Bloomingplaces

Create a sense of seclusion in the garden

The home & garden should compliment each other. So connecting design elements, from the architecture of the house and the style of its interior, with the garden is key to creating a designed look and feel to your garden. This can be done using colours, patterns, plants as well as form or lines and will ensure a successfully designed garden individual and unique to your home.

Unify with colour

These elements can be introduced through the correct selection of hard and soft landscaping, plants, furniture, pots, fences and ground surfaces. A unique bespoke feel can be enhanced by connecting the colour of different elements of the house such as downpipes, windows and doors to garden to the garden hardware such as furniture, fences and pots. The choice of materials for patios and surface covering in the gardens can also be connected to the house interior and chosen to compliment and contrast.

The overall looked can be enhanced by mixing and matching textures, using materials or tones to create textural interest. Texture is key to making a space feel characterful, rich and unique.

Introduce textural interest with planting

Introducing plants with interesting leaves helps bring lots of texture into the planting. Knowing light levels soil and consideration of looking after plants in the longer term are all important things to consider when making plant choice in order to ensure longevity of a garden that looks good. Surroundings and environment should be taken into consideration to ensure a garden will thrive in the longer term.

Amazing Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the prettiest, friendly laid back cities I have every had the pleasure to visit.  In this city you don’t  even need your own outside space to enjoy being outside amongst your very own cultivated blooms.The tolerant nature of the free spirits that live in this city means that you can  just put your bench and pots out on the pavement and enjoy.

kerb appeal

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and even if there is no opportunities to fill the pavement well never fear, create your tiny blooming place inside – genius

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Attracting birds into even the most urban of streets by hanging feeders…..  in cities where people care and contemplate human existence and the importance of connecting with nature, even the city centres become a haven for plants and wildlife.

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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……………