1. Can you build gardens in the winter?
There is no reason as to why construction of gardens cannot be a year-round process. All construction and horticultural work can be undertaken 12 months of the year although the following should be taken into consideration.
Nowadays with turf manufacture being a year-round industry we can turf at anytime, except in times of drought/hose-pipe bans. If there are no bans and as long as a new lawn is correctly irrigated or well-watered for the first few weeks, you can turf through-out the summer. Similarly in winter as the turf comes already growing it can be laid throughout. Except in very heavy frosts or snow-falls, but these are few and far between nowadays and will be regionally dependent, London based landscaping is different weather- wise to Scottish landscaping for example. Grass/turf is an evergreen plant, that will grow albeit slower in the winter, year-round, so it will ‘’knit’’ together to form a lawn all year-round.
With regard to construction, most works can be carried out year-round, although finishes such as rendering, pointing of paving and even painting are weather –dependent and you wouldn’t carry these tasks out in the rain, but as soon as the rain has passed over, you can carry on with such tasks. Making provision for damp/wet weather is part and parcel of U.K landscaping in the winter.
Frost can affect works especially anything cement/ water based, such as pointing, render and foundations. This is usually dealt with by either undertaking other tasks within a project in times of persistent frost, or applying frost-proofing products to your mixes. A good landscaper would add this as a matter of course when the temperatures dip below 5 degrees as a precautionary measure.
Planting again is weather dependent, but can be carried out year-round. In a heavy-frost or heavy, persistent rain you wouldn’t plant. But as long as the ground is prepared correctly and the plant is healthy and correctly nourished then planting is a task that can be carried out equally as well in January as it is in March as long as the weather on the day allows.
Spraying of herbicides or similar in winter will not work effectively as plants are dormant, so the herbicide will not enter into the plant/weed. This type of work is usually carried out from March through to October (growing season), although there are specialist companies using new products that can spray perennial/annual weeds all year-round. Plants such as Japanese Knotweed would need to be tackled by such a company and a specific programme of spray applications would be needed to be calculated to combat this type of plant
2. The planting looks smaller than I anticipated. Why is this?
Any planting plan unless it is for a show-garden or instant effect is normally showing eventual growth for up to three-five seasons time. So when finished more soil maybe visible than on plan, but in 3-5 seasons, the plants have grown to their optimised size. It is not good to have plants competing with each other for nutrients, so by having them smaller it gives them time to grow into the space to find their own source of nutrients. It also gives you time to transplant them if required and you get the added bonus of seeing growth spurts and change in your garden at a natural rate.
3. Do I need planning permission?
To date no planning permissions for general landscaping in the rear of gardens has ever been required. Although if any aspect of your project has any inclusion of garden structures i.e. walls above 2.0m, garages, summer-houses and gazebos, it would be prudent to call your local authority planning office to check if you need permission or not.
Structures such as a greenhouse or a small shed are classed as ‘permitted development’ and so don’t generally require express planning permission. If you live in a conservation area, check with your local planning office, in case permission for such development has been withdrawn. Aside from planning permission it is advisable to check your title deeds, which may reveal special restrictions which are enforceable by neighbours.
A wall or fence that is built or changed to over 2.0m high must also have express planning permission. Boundaries can be built up to 2.0m, if they are at the back of the garden or if the boundary is at the side. If a boundary fronts a highway it must not exceed 1m tall, without first getting express planning permission. Planning permission is required for any structure in the front garden, with the exception of a porch. Even before erecting a large ornament in your front garden or decorative trellis work, it’s best to check with your local planning office first.
4. How do you design a low maintenance garden?
A garden can be designed to require minimal maintenance, but all garden/outdoor spaces will at some stage require maintenance. Even if this does not involve maintaining plants or living organisms it will involve, clean, repainting, staining natural and man-made materials.
The amount of maintenance required to re-invigorate your garden after being recently built is down to personal preference. But by choosing good-quality, robust materials that are well designed into a space and built to a high level of construction method will reduce the amount of on-going maintenance you will have to undertake in the future. Good design and implementation reduces maintenance.
5. What is the impact of climate change in UK gardens?
The impact of climate change on gardening is likely to have far-reaching effects on the average domestic garden. The heavy rain-falls, over the last few winters and periods of summer drought are already having an impact on what we plant and how we maintain our gardens. The chance to grow exotic-fruits and sub-tropical plants in the summer are difficult to keep healthy in the winter, where water-logging can cause problems to Mediterranean species.
Warmer temperatures also bring new pest and disease problems for gardeners, changing climate is already creating ideal conditions for the spread of insects such as lily beetle and new vine weevil species. Fungal diseases thrive with the wet winter conditions. Phytophthora has already claimed some of the U.K’S HISTORIC Yew Hedges.
What you can do:
- Plant for the future, use drought tolerant species or damp-loving plants suited to the conditions in your garden.
- Plant wind-breaks to protect the garden from stormier weather.
- Prepare soil to maximise drainage.
- Set up a water-butt to have your own supply.
- Create wild-life gardens with ponds to help animals in the winter.
- Don’t clear too much existing plants on slopes as this creates erosion problems.
Q: Should I treat my decking?
A: All external timber will be effected in some way by the sun and UV rays. Wood treatments will help protect the boards from splitting, swelling, warping and even cupping and is highly recommended to keep your decking looking new. Treatments applied will also delay the fading process but will not totally prevent the boards eventually turning silver-grey in colour.
Any discoloration of the decking can be removed by belt-sanding the boards and re-applying your chosen treatment – do make sure all fixings are recessed 3-6mm on installation to prevent sanding away the heads over time.
Timber oils are such as ‘Cabot’ Australian timber oil are a good choice and come in four natural wood tones – natural, Honey Teak, Amberwood and Mahogany Flame.
Q: Why use stainless steel screws?
A: These are recommended when installing hardwood or softwood decking, due to their non-corrosive properties. Some fixings of poor quality will cause a black staining to effect the timber surrounding the screw head.
Q; Is grooved decking non-slip?
A: The answer to this is yes and no. It will depend upon climatic conditions, footwear and activities undertaken on the decking. Both grooved and smooth boards could be dangerous especially in winter and freezing conditions or possibly after rainfall. Your footwear will definitely help stability under foot - rubber soled trainers will grip better especially on ribbed or grooved surfaces than flat soled shoes.
Anti-slip deck boards are available and have resin bonded aggregate inserted into two recesses per board, ideal for bridges, schools and commercial areas.
Tip: When choosing grooved decking try walking on it bare footed before making your decision as you may find that some very deep grooved deck boards will pinch your feet and can be very uncomfortable. It can be too late or very costly to find this out once the boards have been laid.
Q: What is Leca?
A: Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate, LECA are versatile medium that has hundreds of small pores that retain moisture and help give maximum oxygen to the roots. It can also be used to reduce the total weight load of planters located in gardens or roof terraces.
Q: How can I stop my new slabs from staining?
A: External stone benefits from correct care just as stone laid inside your home. Areas that will be used for BBQ's and parties should be sealed in order to prevent food staining, it also helps to reduce the growth of algae, frost damage and weathering. A product such as Lithofin Stainstop is commonly used on porous natural stone.
Q. Mushrooms appearing in the lawn?
A:This can happen in new lawns. Its nothing to worry about as they soon disappear. They tend to grow in periods of high humidity.
Q. Yellowing lawn?
A:Discolouration can be caused by a fungal disease? It is advised to check with your supplier for more details as the lawn may need spraying with a fungicide. Spraying should be carried out by a qualified operative.
Q. Patches appear on my lawn?
A:Patches can be caused by dogs or foxes urinating on the lawn.
Q. ‘Thinning grass’
A:This can be caused by a number of things; poor drainage, lack of water, lack of nutrients, fungal disease, shading on the lawn, etc
Q. What type of lawn mover should I use?
A: This depends on the type of turf but in most cases we would recommend using a rotary lawn mover with a grass collector and roller with inbuilt height adjustments
REMEMBER
Lawns are living plants, and in some cases lawns don’t establish well, even when you have followed all the instructions and prepared the soil correctly and followed all the recommended procedures. Lawns can be harmed by fungal diseases which are contracted from the soil. If a fungal disease attacks your lawn you should always seek advise prior to using any chemicals to deal with it! |
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Garden Design London 
