Spring is the time of year to think about any major works you might want carried out in the garden. Our gardening and outdoor experts can track down the right people for any requirement so give us a call if you're currently contemplating a project. We've asked gardening expert, Jerrard Watts, for some suggestions as to how we can help.
Finding a gardener
‘We get quite a few requests from members wanting to find a regular gardener,' says Jerrard, ‘and we can help find people suitable for any size of garden, for all around the UK.' Some members use us to find them grounds management companies, and others for a one-off garden clearance. Most suppliers are very flexible in the services they provide, and in the way that you can pay, so call us to discuss finding the perfect service for you.
Larger projects
Whether you want to build a swimming pool, put in a tennis court, get a new driveway, or even do a complete garden redesign, we can help. ‘Our lifestyle managers can manage any project you want to take on,' says Jerrard, ‘we can find all the suppliers you need and then oversee it so everything goes smoothly. I recently worked on a request for a member who wanted fifteen trees planted in his garden. I worked with a tree surgeon and a landscaper to make sure the whole procedure went ahead without any problems.' We can also advise on getting planning permission, as well as suggest creative solutions to anything that is troubling you about your garden.
Ideas for 2011
‘Recent years have seen a massive upswing in people growing their own fruit and vegetables,' Jerrard says. ‘We can help with creating kitchen gardens and building greenhouses.'
Many London-based members don't have access to a private garden, but we can recommend landscape gardeners who specialise in making features out of balconies and roof terraces, and can install water features and living walls. The latter, a vertical wall made of plants that is self-watering and moves with the wind, is a particularly trendy idea at the moment for those with limited space.
For larger gardens, ‘Natural swimming pools are becoming popular,' says Jerrard. ‘These are effectively ponds that you can swim in but you don't have to manage the water. They attract lilies, frogs and various other pond life. It's a nice, unique feature to have in the garden.'
Bringing new life to the garden
It can often be hard to think of new ways to bring life to your garden, other than changing the flowers you plant, but our experts are brimming with ideas to spice up your outdoor space. ‘An arbour is always worth considering,' says Jerrard. ‘It's a wooden structure that vines, wisteria and grape vines can grow on. They can really add character to a patio and it only takes one or two years for them to fully develop.'
'I would also suggest thinking about the front of your house, which I find is overlooked by a lot of people. There's so much that can be done with the entrances and exits of a property.' We have relationships with designers and consultants that specialise in this field.
For members wanting to delve into the garden for the first time, we can make this venture all the easier by putting together planting schemes and suggesting the best things to grow at this time of the year. Call us to discuss ideas for your garden this spring, regardless of the scale of the project.
