Create your own contemporary garden

If you want a fresh new look for your garden that will look great and be easy to maintain you should go for a contemporary garden design.

Contemporary garden designs increasingly focus on turning an outdoor space into an additional living area. Often coined an ‘outdoor room’, this approach to modern garden design work well for those who want a beautiful space to enjoy, but perhaps don’t have the time to maintain a fruitful garden.

When it comes to planting, a popular approach in contemporary garden design is simplifying the space. Large lawned areas and continuous planted borders are swapped for more strategically placed organic elements, which can create a clutter-free look to your garden and reduce the amount of maintenance needed.

The plants become just one part of the architecture. You can include clipped hedges, specimen trees and uncomplicated sections of planting.

Grasses and bamboos are very easy to care for, grow quickly and can help break up areas. Large planters are useful if you have no planting areas and can be moved around easily.

Crisp, clean lines are an essential part of contemporary garden design, which can be applied to gardens of all shapes and sizes. Equally important is the use of space, geometric layout, simple design, and no clutter!

Here are some of our plants that will fit in beautifully in a contemporary garden design -

Brahea Armata Mexican Blue Palm 
Striking blue/grey colour makes this hardy palm stand out from the crowd.
Likely to reach approximately 12 feet (4 metres) in U.K, the Brahea Armata Mexican Blue Palm is indigenous to Mexico and looks beautiful.










Black Bamboo Phyllostachys Nigra 
Famous black caned bamboo which fits into any garden either modern or traditional. This bamboo produces canes which go black in their third year, beautifully offset by deep green foliage.








Ophiopogon Planiscapus Niger Black Grass
This black grass will grow to 25cm/ 10 inches and they will beautiful produce white flowers tinged with purple in summer.
They are evergreen and frost hardy and perfect for the modern, contemporary garden design.





Contemporary garden design means you can approach the project in the same way you would an interior design project. We have so many more beautiful potted plants, large planters, grasses and bamboos online for your perusal.

Come to us to create your own contemporary garden space!

Real vs. Fake Christmas trees

With little less than 7 days until December arrives Christmas is only around the corner meaning that thoughts are already turning to preparations for gifts, cards and decorations.

Each festive season there are always new takes on the old Christmas traditions, modern and contemporary decorations, colour schemes and themes.

Whatever your take on this festive season, it is likely you will still be upholding the old school tradition of a Christmas tree in your home or office and will find yourself confronted with the choice between a fresh, real tree or an artificial plastic version.

Artificial Christmas trees first appeared in the 1930’s and since then their appearance has become more widespread, however, what most people don’t realise though is that the best choice is always the most natural, and here’s why:

-          Cycle of life – Real Christmas trees are grown on farms in crops to maintain a constant, steady supply so while many people do believe purchasing a real tree can cause harm to the environment it actually supports the growth of the industry contributing to the cycle of life that can improve our environment. This happens because each tree absorbs CO² and other gases emitting oxygen as nature’s natural filtration system.

-          Recyclable – Landfills are faced with a shortage of space, with this in mind a real Christmas tree can be disposed of and used a mulch to replenish soil, create habitats and fuel while fake plastic Christmas trees have no further use once they are rubbish, do not disintegrate and will fill landfill space.

-          Scent – A real Christmas tree can bring a fresh scent of balsalm fir to your home which cannot be replicated and adds to that Christmassy feel and comfort often missing at Christmas time. If you’re having guests over for the holidays, give them that fresh ambience.

-          Unique – Because real Christmas trees are grown naturally they are all individual meaning that even though you may decorate your tree with ornaments that feel individual to you, your tree will be like no one else’s either, in height, width or stature. Go as large or as small as you want.

If you’re a garden centre or domestic homeowner and are looking for a Christmas tree or wholesale Christmas trees to sell this December take a look at our website with some great offers to be had.

How to care for your tree fern

Making up the Cyatheales group of ferns, Tree Ferns are groups of plants which take on a tree-like form and can grow -with the right care- up to 20 metres tall. Slow growing and striking in appearance they are ideal for placement in a sheltered and shady garden with plenty of space to thrive, as the plant can often spread.

We are excited about the arrival of our new batch of Tree Ferns at the end of this week and to celebrate we thought we would give you a comprehensive guide on how to care for yours to ensure that they flourish in your garden all year round.

As slow-growing plants that can increase at almost one inch per year you may want to consider purchasing a fern with a longer length of trunk to ensure it fills the space that you want to satisfy.

What to look for?

Look for healthy and undamaged crowns with new fronds of leaf and a well developed root system that is likely to adapt quickly to your garden, you will spot this by how robust the roots are in the container, don’t pick one that sits loose.

Ensure that the plant is completely pest free and has no aphids or scales on the leaves, ferns need to have a good start in life, so this is vital. Also make sure that your fern is good shape, this is especially important if it has been dug out of a pine forest.

Where and how to plant?

Our ferns generally flourish in full or half shaded gardens so avoid direct sunlight as this can dry the plant out. However, ensure that it is likely to get some and is not completely in the shade and protected from the wind.

If you have an outdoor tap and connected hose, perhaps consider planting near here. As your fern will need a lot of water.

Make sure that your soil is well drained upon planting and consider adding organic matter to help the new plant establish itself while providing an easy way for the roots to grow.

If your soil is heavier or made up of clay components then you will more than likely need to dig a hole that is twice the size of the container the fern comes in and line it with compost to improve drainage and conditions for the plant.

Feed and water

The trunk and crown of a tree fern will not withstand drying out so require regular and efficient watering, so make sure the plant remains damp and during hotter conditions, spray the trunk with water.

Unless you live in the wetter parts of the UK you will need to keep on top of watering and you will soon see newer fronds appearing perhaps 4 weeks after planting. 

Don’t feed your fern initially, once established look to feed the plant with liquid high nitrogen fertiliser, diluted as required once a month when the plant is in growth from mid-spring to summer, this will stimulate natural growth. 

Winter care

It is likely your plant will lose its fronds over the winter months, but this is natural and to be expected.

Prepare for winter forts by using our top tip of pushing hay into the crown for insulation on the immediate onset of colder temperatures, this will encourage fresh fronds to grow as spring approached by which time the hay will have rotted away and bestowed nutrients into the ferns growth serving two purposes at once. 

In the more severe winters consider Hessian blankets and wrap these around the trunk for further warmth.

Containers

Tree ferns can be grown in containers, pots, and in greenhouses as long as there is filtered light and only moderate humidity – use loam-based compost and adding fertilizer once a week droning growing season.

Many of our tree ferns are imported from Australia and are truly stunning additions to any garden. We are expecting new batch on July 31st and these can be ordered online however fronds will be removed prior to dispatch. We also offer wholesale prices for our ferns.

Or, why not come and browse our full range in person and see these truly beautiful plants for yourself? Our nursery is situated in Leicestershire. Contact us today for more information on our nursery plants.