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How To Make The Best Of Your Small City Garden

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Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all live in the countryside and have beautiful gardens, wooded areas, ponds and somewhere for the children to disappear off to? How about pouring a glass of cold wine and sitting with a bowl of olives on your patio looking out at the rolling hills?  Ok, this is my dream, and actually I’m sat here with a cold cup of tea looking out at a postage stamp of a garden with rolling roofs as a view.  Your city garden doesn’t have to be duff. It is possible for us city dwellers to have a really smart space that is both functional and leafy. If, like me, you’re uninspired and have no idea how to make your patio fit for a party, or your pots productive, then read on to get glean some tips.

Work out your space

It may seem tiny but you could be surprised by how large the area is once it is cleared of clutter and the general garden detritus that we collect. Get out and clear up so that you can take some proper measurements to make a plan.

How do you want to use it?

You need to decide what is you actually want from your outdoor space. We went against small city garden advice and decided to have a grassy area. We felt that it would be nicer for the children but it may suit you to have zero maintenance and go for a patio. Maybe you want to grow as much as possible or maybe you need to block a nasty view. Prioritise what your requirements are.

Style

You may already have fixed ideas about the style of your garden, but if you have no clue, then buy some gardening magazines or get some books out from the library. Make yourself a folder and snip out cuttings when you see something you like that you think may be transferable to your space. You will probably work out quite quickly what type of garden you’re drawn to, whether it’s formal and structured, or flowing like a cottage garden. Both these types and others can be incorporated into a small space.

Ambiance

Some people think of certain garden adornments as tacky but there are ways to create an atmosphere in your space with resorting to naff items. Some small lanterns or a discreet water feature can add soothing lights and sounds and make a brilliant outdoor space for entertaining or simply relaxing.

Think Pots

Pots are the small garden owner’s friend. There are countless styles, shapes, colours and sizes and numerous outlets to purchase them in. Almost anything can be grown in a container: small trees, fruit shrubs, perhaps roses or exotic plants. They can line the edges, cluster on steps or be hung from walls and fences. Box shapes are often an effective way to maximise space while adding structure to your urban design. The possibilities are endless and you don’t need to be a horticulturalist or have an urban design job to make your space fabulous. Everyone can have a go. In fact, I’m going to get a hot cup of tea and sit in my garden with a magazine and get some ideas to improve my own.

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Sam Wright is a urban journalist and dweller of small spaces with pots of advice.






5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Shabby Chic Twist

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Using old items in the house at a new location does require some amount of expertise and artistic attitude. Benefits are manifold, but the most obvious is establishing a lived-in look. Similar logic applies when attempting to give the garden a unique look. The simplest way to go about it is to opt for garden equipment hire services. However, some amount of preparation is needed. Here are five ways to give your garden a shabby chic twist.

  • Use old earthenware to store plants. Order of containers can always be changed at a later date. Give sufficient thought to finding right colors blending with the overall landscape. For example, use large containers lying idle in the home. Opt for makeshift arrangements. Different colors are used to create a bright look. Make a deliberate attempt to store your favourite plants in the best earthenware pots.
  • Cane and stone furniture blend naturally outdoors. Weathering does not have drastic effect on usage. Staining does take place, which is actually required for creating the vintage look. Consistency is the key here. If bright colors are chosen at one end, similar combinations are adapted at the other. A shabby chic look encourages some amount of disorder in the overall design.
  • Garden waste is bound to occur. Areas to be cleaned with equipment like portable chippers and shredders often need a professional touch simply because you need garden equipment hire staff over the long term. Nevertheless, these are areas offering maximum flexibility to incorporate new chic designs. Special attention is paid to keep costly garden design elements clean and free from weathering.
  • Winding paths leading to definite areas can be dispersed with antique lampposts or other such vintage material deliberately made to look older. The ideal look blends with overall atmosphere created within an entire locality. Practical aspects must be considered. Certain items are easily available simply because they sell in volume. Overall cost does come down by adapting such gardening strategies.
  • Give every plant its due. For instance, making more lawn space available for easy maintenance makes sense. Creating vintage value is achieved in steps. A claw foot tub holds herbs while a series of pots hold precious roses and other flowers. Movable containers give more options. As and when chic designs become available, a new landscape is created without much difficulty.
  • Traditional ways of gardening did not encourage use of new materials. Concepts have changed. Pay constant attention to what is released in the market. Find attractive containers promoting plant growth, allowing better usage of water and other resources. Cast iron and other materials last for a long time. Place an antique bird feeder made of cast iron at a vintage position.
  • Experimenting with what is freely available in the house is a good start. Allow your imagination to go wild with painting ideas. Rustic garden furniture and shade garden plants easily create the shabby chic garden look. Opt for garden equipment hire services until you are happy with the overall look. Maintaining artistic value is then a simple task.

Cormac Reynolds writes for a wide range of DIY and home design blogs and loves to take part in some home work at the weekends. This article is for Best at Hire

Tips For Keeping Your Garden Beautiful And Healthy

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Your garden should be able to add beauty to your home and provide you a good view of nature. It should be something that can give you peace and tranquility when you want to relax and have some peace of mind. However, your garden won’t give you all these if it’s dirty and pest-ridden, nor will it be pleasing to the eye if it’s full of weeds and weak and dying plants.

 

If you want to have a beautiful and healthy garden, then here are some tips worth following.

Buying Plants

Let’s say you’ve gotten rid of all weak, sickly, and dying plants and you want to replenish your garden with new ones, what should you do first?

At the nursery, you need to check the plants you’re going to purchase. You need to make sure that they’re healthy and that they’re not carrying any pests or diseases that can infect healthy plants.

You also need to check the roots and the leaves. Make sure that the roots look and feel firm, and see to it that its color is white. If you notice that the roots look dark and mushy, avoid it. It’s not going to be a good buy. The stems and leaves may look healthy, but its roots are saying otherwise. In a few days, its rotted root system is going to kill it.

As for the leaves, see to it that its color is vibrant. Avoid plants that have dead spots on its leaves, and avoid those, too, that have holes.

Insect Damage

Pestiferous insects can do a lot of damage to plants. They feed on the leaves, stems, and even the roots. They even feed on the flowers. Not only can they cause extensive damage to plants, but they can also spread infection and diseases. In the end, these pestiferous insects are going to leave you with weak and dying plants, plus an unsightly garden as well.

If you want to keep pestiferous insects away, then you have to allow beneficial insects to stay. These beneficial insects are the natural predators of the pestiferous ones, some examples of which include green lacewing, damsel bug, minute pirate bug, ladybug, bees, spiders, beetles, etc.

Having beneficial insects in your garden can help keep plants healthy and beautiful since they prey on pests. Unfortunately though, if you’re using chemical products and pesticides for your garden, these beneficial bugs are oftentimes killed together with the pestiferous ones. Their numbers dwindle drastically that, when the population of the pestiferous insects climbs back up, there are a few left of the beneficial ones to control them.

For this reason, choose natural and organic pest control methods first to spare the population of the beneficial insects.

Organic Insect Repellents

As mentioned earlier, if you’re going to use pest control methods, it’s wiser to use organic and natural ones. You can even make your own homemade insect sprays. They work wonders to control pest population; plus, they’re safer for humans, pets, and the environment as well.

For garden pests though that can’t be controlled through these means, you can get in touch with a pest control company to get rid of them for you. Just see to it though that the company’s offering green solutions for pest problems.

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Jennifer Daggett, a blogger and freelance content provider, writes for http://Admiralpest.com. She usually gives tips for controlling pests the natural and organic way.

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