Thursday 30 January 2014

Our smallest garden yet!

 
 Before .....an uninteresting strip of lawn requiring regular mowing.

 
After.....an attractive , contemporary design with easy care planting and beach pebbles. The artificial turf still allows room to step out of the car and no mowing needed!
 

As this was such a simple project our clients and I designed the garden "on site" by laying out a tape to get the shape we liked. I then measured it , transferred it to my computer, and tweaked it to get a really attractive curving shape, and a proper scale plan that our landscaping team could work from.

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Hippo in my pond!

With all the rain we have been having, it was a shock to find my garden pond  suddenly1/2 empty the other day. We topped it back up and it has been fine since so obviously it is not leaking. The probable reason was that on our clay soil, ground water beneath the liner could not drain away fast enough, and so made a giant water filled bubble pushing up under the liner,( technically know as a "Hippo" ). This displaced the pond water out onto the lawn.Then the water drained away and the hippo disappeared but leaving the pond 1/2 empty. Luckily the fish all seem OK. If this wet weather keeps up we will have to keep a regular check on the water level in case it happens again, not that there is much that can be done other than rescuing fish that get washed out onto the lawn. In hind sight we could have fitted some sort of drain beneath the liner when we built the pond.... as lesson for the future perhaps.

Thursday 28 November 2013

Still Harvesting Apples!

Image copyright FhFGreenMedia
 
I am still picking up windfall Bramley apples , having already harvested and stored the best ones. The windfalls wont keep so I have been making chutney and freezing some. There are still plenty left  on the ground for the big flocks of fieldfares recently arrived from colder latitudes. I have also experimented with making Apple Leather which has been very well received by friends and family. It makes a lovely snack for lunch boxes and when out on a long walk or bike ride, and keeps for at least 6 months . Here is the recipe:-

Peel, core and chop 1Kg cooking apples.
Add juice of 1 lemon
Cook gently until soft.
Push through a sieve to get a smooth pulp.
Add and mix 150g honey.
You could add spices such as ground cloves and cinnamon at this stage, but I didn't.
Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper and spread the pulp thinly over them.
Dry in a very low oven at about 60 degrees C or  Mark 1/8 or in the bottom oven of an Aga for 12 - 18 hours  until the consistency is leathery but not crisp. NB you are just drying it out, not cooking it so a low temperature is vital. A warm airing cupboard might even work!
I have to pin up a reminder on the kitchen notice board or else I forget to check how it is getting on..one batch got a bit crisp, but I recovered it by brushing with water to soften it again.
You can cut the leather with scissors and then roll up in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight tin.

You can also use blackberries with the apples,  and plums would also be good, in fact you can make leather with almost any fruit ( including tomatoes apparently!)
Recipe based on one in River cottage handbook No 2 "Preserves" by Pam Corbin

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Our latest project


 
Before...Treacherous steps dominated this depressing area of the garden and divided the space leaving little room for table and chairs.

After. Designing the steps in a different configuration made better use of the space and there was even room for a raised lily pond. The granite paving and matching walls give a contemporary feel and trimming back the overgrown shrubs has made this a lovely sunny place to relax.