You can't afford not to 'grow your own'

Well with the current expense of food in general and with people becoming more aware of food production and the potential chemical exposure that our food is subjected to , it is no surprise that many people are turning to ‘grow your own’.  This also relates to me, someone who works full time and volunteers for a local children’s group, thought I would have the time required (and energy) to grow my own.

So my garden is not big, so my veggie patch would be similarly small, but I thought see how I get on, and maybe it can expand as years go by. So, forever the consumer, I headed to my local national DIY superstore for some seeds, some organic compost (may as well go organic at the same time!) and some sleepers.

How hard can grow your own be, if it can be done by Old Man Fowler on his allotment, surely me, the earth mother, can grow few spuds and beans.

So, to set about prepping the ground. To grow your own, you need a decent plot with decent soil, hence the sleepers, if I raise the bed and fill with good quality compost, surely that is a good starting place? So I admit, I did get the man of the house to bang in the corner posts and secure the sleepers in place that was most definitely a man job, along with breaking up the soil.

Right, so my grow your own patch was taking shape, it was all looking good in raised beds, filled with yummy organic compost, this had to work! Next I spent a back breaking day planting seeds in pots and distributing them around the house on various windowsills to take advantage of the sun. The next few weeks were an agonising wait whilst I waited for the seedlings to grow big enough that I could plant them out into my plot.

So the time came when the seedlings were strong enough to go outside and was the plot ready to take them? Was it ever, I think every cat in the neighbourhood had thought.... oh litter tray!!  So prior to lovingly replanting the seedlings, I had to sift through the plot looking for kitty presents, I certainly did not fancy my carrots growing through a cat poo thank you very much!

So eventually my grow your own seedlings were planted, and I sat and waited. And watched. And picked off slugs on a regular basis. And then ended up going back to the supermarket to buy my veg. My attempt at grow your own fed the slugs and birds, gave the cats somewhere to defecate and gave me a bad back, but produced not one usable end product.

But on the flip side, I had fun, it got me to enjoy my garden in a way that I had not done in the past, so whilst ‘grow your own’ didn’t mean I could shun mass produced veg, it certainly gave me a new respect for my garden.

Time to think about that new Gazebo.

Gazebo’s have always been an attractive addition to any garden. In Britain our temperate climate usually means that any sunshine in the summer is welcomed rather than hidden from in a gazebo, so they do tend to be more popular in warmer countries. However there are gardens in the UK that benefit from having a versatile gazebo, more than likely to shade from the rain rather than the sun. Being a largely temporary structure, a gazebo can provide shelter from the sun in the summer and provide shelter in the cooler months, especially with the addition of space heaters. As well as being adaptable in terms of size, shape and function, they also can make a good looking feature to a garden.

Normally your garden will need to be a fairly large size to accommodate a gazebo, even if they do come in various sizes or else it will be more shade than sun. A gazebo is normally between 4 and 8 sided with a roof and open on the sides, although can have glass sides, to make it more into a summer house.

One famous gazebo can be found in the Twilight series, at the end of the first book ‘Twilight’ there is a beautifully decorated gazebo at the prom night, which sees a very romantic scene between the two main characters.

The history of gazebos is long and varied, existence of them can be found in ancient Chinese literature and other civilisations, going back several millennia. Even though there long historical evidence, no one has been able to determine the origin of the name. There are thoughts that it may come from the French Que c'est beau meaning how beautiful or from the Latin gazebo meaning I shall gaze. The word gazebo in English writings has been found as far back as the mid 1700s in an architect’s book written by John and William Halfpenny.

Where ever the name comes from, gazebos are becoming more popular in Britain, enabling people to enjoy their gardens for longer. With the many styles and materials available this has lead to a vast difference in price, with tent like structures being affordable for many households to permanent, stone and wood versions costing a lot more, and even needing planning permission depending on the size.

One thing that can be said is that a gazebo will be a welcome addition to any garden, regardless of how big or how much it cost.  

When it comes to garden furniture plastic is not fantastic.

What is it with garden furniture? We spend hundreds of pounds on pieces of furniture only to use it for the 2 or 3 temperate evenings that the UK has in the summer. Then it gets left over winter, and never looks the same the next year, instead going for the rustic look. Maybe that is just me?

Maybe I should have researched what garden furniture is out there before impulse buying the first wooden set that looked good and would actually fit in my garden.  I am thinking that it would have been prudent for me to have gone for a plastic set, that way giving me protection against the weather and an easy wipe clean solution to muddy cat paws and spilt cider. However for all its ease of care, plastic garden furniture reminds me of cheap cafes by the beach, usually a bit sticky from Cornwall’s best vanilla ice cream. The other downside of plastic seats is the horrid sticking to the back of your legs in the summer, leaving you with big red marks across the back of your thighs making you look like you have had a fight with an octopus. Having said that, the range of colours that plastic garden furniture comes in, may be enough to sway even the wearers of the shortest shorts.

Whilst metal garden furniture looks amazing, it can need a higher budget. It does however appear to have a longer life and doesn’t need as much TLC as its wooden counterparts. Short wearers will need to exercise the same air of caution in the warmer sunnier months, as the metal seats could cause the same infliction as the plastic versions.

So that is why I settled for a wooden set. I wanted to be able to sit down in the safe knowledge that I will not do myself an injury, I also did not want my garden looking reminiscent of an ice cream parlour. Only being able to choose from brown, dark brown or light brown was not an issue, I prefer the natural look for my garden anyway.

All in all who would have thought that so much thought could go into the purchase of garden furniture.

A garden arch is not just for Christmas!

Garden arches are a great way to height, design and texture to any garden, whilst without giving up much ground area.

Garden arches come in many different styles, giving the gardener much choice on materials and budgets.  The common materials for garden arches are wooden, metal or plastic, there will also be traditional stone arches in many ornamental gardens although these are not commonly available in today’s DIY or garden centres.

So why would you use a garden arch, as previously mentioned they provide height and texture to a garden but also can be used in much that same way as a picture frame. If you have a statue or particularly impressive urn, then by adding a decorative garden arch will accent the area.

As well as providing a decorative frame, a garden arch may be simply used as a home for climbing plants such as vines or clematis.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

So when would you consider using a garden arch.

It can be used at an entrance way to the garden, to provide a fragrant and pretty opening, or as an access way into another dimension of the garden, thus providing more a journey as the visitor progresses around the garden.

What things are important when you are choosing your arch? What size do you want? It is critical to bear in mind the scale of your outdoor space, an arch that is too big will take over and detract from the rest of your hard work, whilst an arch that is too small will be lost amongst the rest of the backdrop.  You will want an arch that adds height and style, not creates an imposing tower of blossom or vines. It must also be passable underneath, if that is what is wanted, so think about your visitors, and remember to prune regularly if needed.

Secondly you will need to think about style and substance. What material do you want the garden archway to be made of? What is important to remember here is whether or not you will be using the archway as a trellis for climbing plants or will leave it au naturale. If you are using it for climbing plants, then it will need to be sturdy enough to hold the weight of the fully grown plant, whilst if you will not be using plants, it will need to be decorative enough to stand alone in your garden without looking out of place. 

The style of the garden is just as important for the overall look of your garden. If you have a traditional cottage garden, a glass and steel garden arch would no doubt look out of place, where as a ornamental wooden framed garden arch would look just as daft in a Japanese themed garden area.

What can be said is that a garden arch is a welcome addition to most gardens so when you are designing your garden make sure you leave enough room for a garden arch.

The beauty of bowers and arbors in the modern garden

If you are lucky enough to have trees or vines along a pathway in your garden, there is no doubt that at some point the tops with bend forward and meet with the trees or vines on the other side. This will create a beautifully green and fragrant archway known as a bower. Otherwise known as an arbor, a bower can be a handsome addition to the larger garden, giving you a pathway of leafy, shadiness, whilst providing an area of solitude and mysteriousness.

If you have a smaller garden which is not full of tree lined walkways, then a bower can be made with the addition of a wooden frame, known as a pergola. This brings to mind ladies in crinoline, wondering when Mr Darcy will ask them for their company at dinner.  You do not need to live in Downton Abbey though to have the benefit of a bower. They can be a stunning addition to any garden, creating a haven for flower loving insects and birds, whilst providing a cool walkway out of the sun.

These bowers or arbors can have many uses, to provide shade on a terrace, to link buildings or simply give the climbing plants something to grow up. All of which can look stunning when the foliage is in bloom.

Throughout the 18^th and 19^th centuries, these wooded areas fell out of fashion, because of the artificial nature of them, however they have seen a reintroduction in recent years and can the frames can be found to fit any style of garden or budget.

Bower frames now are commonly made of a weather resistant wood, sometimes supported on a stone base for robustness, but will all be a lattice style in order to give the vines or climbing plants something to entwine around and grow up. The more traditional design was stone support pillars, with wooden eaves, supporting a lattice frame over the top, this obviously would be an expensive way to have a bower nowadays, and trying to find a stone mason may prove somewhat tricky too.

If you want to add a touch of class to your garden, and fancy growing your own vines, then a bower may certainly be the option for you.