What is looking good in your garden right now?
Sonia
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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R Hughes
4 years agoCarolina
4 years agoRelated Discussions
How do you maintain your garden when you're short on time?
Comments (13)Weekly? Oh, how I wish it were only weekly. I'm out there nearly every day culling the three-cornered leek that has reappeared as a thick blanket despite me culling it in the first spring I was here, in my new house, then finding it had reappeared hugely aggressively last year and now, in my third spring, it's even thicker and even more widespread - and is now not only in the flower beds but also in the lawn, thick along the edge, scattered within it. Front and back. It takes about two hours to clear about a square yard - digging under the bulbs; banging off the (very good, I've been told) soil in which there are always several earthworms which I need to hang on to (obviously); then picking out the tiniest bulbs left behind. I don't think I can ever finish it this year - as happened last year - which means the problem will go on for decades. I don't really have the time (I need to work, I need a life beyond digging and clearing). The only solution I can think of is to bring in help but my budget won't allow that. I value having lawn so paving it over isn't an option. I will have less planting space, which will eventually mean less weeding, but it's not something I can do right now - I've too much to do to bring the indoors up to date. I disagree with Jo DP. The previous owners had a keep it wild policy and now I have this big problem with a massively invasive plant. And, yes, I have tried using it in recipes - it really isn't worth the effort of keeping it under control (to have a limited supply). I'm an experienced and adventurous cook and three-cornered leek is an overrated ingredient, even though it's free and in my garden....See MoreWhat are your best tips for making a small space look bigger?
Comments (11)I particularly enjoy working on small living spaces. I take my love of sailing and the clever use of storage on yachts and combine this with white neutral colours to make the most of storage and space. Metamorphic dual purpose furnishing and minimal living, can make the smallest pads, into palaces....See MoreRight then, now what..?
Comments (0)Christmas is by far and away my favourite time of the year !!! Everything seems friendlier, warmer and cosier. Houses are beautifully decorated and welcoming. Folks are full of the Christmas spirit – and not only the type that comes from a bottle! Then there’s New Year, and a feeling of hope and optimism, no matter how much more talk of Brussels we’re subjected to (and I don’t mean the sprouts!). And then there’s . . . well not much really. A bit of an anticlimax. Twelfth night duly arrives, down come the decorations and the house looks barer than ever. It can even look a bit tatty. Perhaps it was like that before Christmas and we just didn’t notice. We’re all spent out so a major facelift is out of the question. Well worry not; you don’t have to have the resources of a chancellor about to pay a Brexit bill to give your home a new lease of life. A little really can go a long way. Take the living room for example. If your walls are currently painted you’d be amazed at how much fresher the room will look if you just give them another coat or two of paint – even if it’s the same colour. But while you’re at it why not change the colour? It could either be a dramatic alteration, giving the room a complete change of direction, or a variation of your current colour, making the room feel warmer and cosier if you choose to go stronger, or crisper and smarter if you opt for a lighter shade. I know I’ve been bigging up The Little Greene Paint Company a lot lately, but not without good reason. Not only is their paint splendidly easy and economical to use, having up to 40% more pigment than its rivals therefore giving a better coverage and richer result, but the selection of available colours is truly superb. But why stop at a coat of paint? Wallpaper is continuing to make a big comeback – if indeed it ever really went away. As I’ve mentioned over the past months, there are some wonderful papers to be had at the moment. And I’m not only talking about the dramatic and bold papers for the feature wall, although of course these still continue to Wow us with their ever increasing ingenuity, making full use of rich pattern and colour, along with special materials such as metals, beads of fine glass, and even Swarovski crystals. Wallcovering manufacturers are definitely catching on that not everyone wants a feature wall, and that not every room can take a large pattern. We are seeing more and more in the way of subtle patterns, soft stripes and textures – loads of lovely textures! With brand new collections in from Brian Yates, Romo and Zoffany to name just a few, you can really treat all four walls to something special. Whether it’s a soft metallic, a delicate texture, a small design or a fabric effect, there really is a plethora of gorgeousness to choose from. There are of course many other ways to refresh your home without spending a fortune. The humble cushion is often overlooked, but can become a little hero when it comes to adding pizzazz. You may have found a fabulous fabric that you’d love to have as curtains but can’t stretch to right now. It only needs a couple of metres to make four scatter cushions to throw on the sofa or bed. Failing that, you can liven up your living room or bedroom by adding scatter cushions in a stunning plain or textured fabric, and teaming them up with co-ordinating accessories such as lamps or vases. Generally speaking the smaller the item, the more intense the colour can be without upsetting the balance of a room. New bed linen can often do the trick in a bedroom, as can a change of bedside lamps or even just lampshades. A tired carpet or a bare wood floor will almost certainly be enhanced by a rug, or possibly two. Wool Classics’ Sensus collection offers a wonderful range, from exquisitely soft viscose piles, to some of the deepest and most luxurious shaggy rugs we’ve seen. Or why not refresh your bathroom and give it a whole new feel with something as simple as a change of colour in the towels. All of these are small changes that can make a big difference, so no excuses – the economic outlook may be somewhat dreary, but our homes don’t have to be. John Biddell, John Charles Interiors Live 24 7 magazine editorial - January 2018 http://www.johncharlesinteriors.co.uk/blog-latest.html...See MorePatio Slabs - Right now Confused.Com
Comments (6)Good quality and cheap don't really sit that easily together I am afraid. Forzaitala is right in that you can get cheap sandstone for the price she indicates. Beware though as the cheaper stuff is often softer and absorbs more water. The softness doesn't mean it will wear out, but it does mean that it will also absorb stains more easily as well as water. The water also means that it is easier for algae to grow and penetrate the surface of the stone and for dirt to be ground in. This makes it much harder to clean. People tend to forget that patios do need at least an annual jetwash and if the surface gets dirtier more quickly then you have to increase this frequency. Another thing to remember about the cost of the stone is that this only represents a small part of the patio cost unless you are laying it yourself. A patio costs around £200-220 per square meter laid and so labour makes up a large part of the cost. Similarly as Forzaitala says, uncalibrated stone gets very expensive to lay because the sub-base has to take account of the different thicknesses of each paver - so avoid it unless you are looking for something like reclaimed old Yorkstone. Cheap stone can also be a false economy in other ways too - I recall a client who sourced cheap stone only to find that it wasn't quite flat and so had lots of trip hazard edges and places for water to pool when it had been laid. A word of warning on concrete slabs. The cheaper they are the worse they will be - this is both in appearance and wearing. After a few years small bits of concrete wear away and you can see the gravel that was in the mix standing out - looks horrible. Finally - don't forget outside Porcelain - can be cost effective and very hard wearing and easier to clean. A good supplier for the South East is London Stone, or CED nationally....See Morerachelmidlands
4 years agorachelmidlands
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