Garden designers & landscapers

Nonetheless, Sandstone’s recently enjoyed the opportunity of transforming an old, tired and uninspiring Tunbridge Wells garden, into a new cottage garden reusing and recycling wherever possible.
In conjunction with Ali, our clients had the vision to have their new garden designed using many of its existing features in a new way, thus retaining the aged feel of the space and cutting (all importantly)costs.
For example old yorkstone paving was lifted and relayed in another part of the garden to provide a lovely terrace, while many of the mature shrubs were also lifted, stored and successfully replanted.
The garden’s soil was removed from one area and reused in another, as was a concrete terrace that was lifted, broken up and used as sub base for the new driveway.
Constructing in this way is often an option but many people prefer to work with a blank canvas, throwing away everything and starting again – sometimes a great shame!

Well, quite frankly it’s marvellous, we are not under a foot of snow and the relatively mild temperature has meant that we have been able to continue with the wonderful restoration project in which we’re involved in East Sussex.

Designed by Ali, Sandstone’s team are restoring a woodland “dell,” complete with two rustic timber bridges over storm gullies leading to a small waterfall. A newly created path has been built using reclaimed, railway sleeper steps, filled with chipped bark to complete a woodland walk sympathetic to its environment. Once the large scale clearance of brambles, rescue of the existing Rhododendrons, Acers and Camellias, the appearance of the recently planted Spring flowering, bulbs emerging will be a sight to behold.

Well done to our onsite team who has actually had to contend with tremendous amounts of MUD !

Sandstone’s staff attended the award ceremony to collect the award en masse. We had a super day, met some very interesting people and appreciated acknowledgement from our industry peers.

“The companies and individuals have each demonstrated a level of professional excellence that inspires others and, as a direct consequence, drives up the standard across the landscape industry.”

What a good note to end the old year on and look forward to 2012.
For photos of the event:

http://www.bali.org.uk/awards/2011/winners

Interestingly (for us anyway), the last month seems to be one of creating marvellous spaces for many of our clients’ children; perhaps winter highlights the lack of space inside the house.
For one family we were asked to create a bespoke tree house in a small garden without a tree – no problem!
Returning to this small, Tunbridge Wells garden, that we had landscaped 5 years ago, Sandstone has designed and built a fantastic play house on stilts. It has a balcony and accommodates the very necessary slide and swing, so the whole structure fits into quite a small area in the corner of their garden.
The pleasure felt by the children in their new play space seems to mirror the fun that our team had building it and that Ali felt during the design process.

Tip: Check if you need planning permission.

We are delighted to hear that we are Britsh Association of Landscaping Industries, National Award winners for 2011.
We entered one of our favourite, modern, Tunbridge Wells gardens into the category for Domestic Garden Construction and recently heard the exciting news of our success. Being judged as worthy of this award by our industry peers means a great deal and is testament to our fine team of Landscapers.
So, on with the glad rags and off we’ll all go to the awards ceremony being held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane in early December.

Well, actually at the time of writing my garden and specifically my veg. plot, looks distinctly early October – but I suppose this is consistent with this year.

Having suffered the neglect of our summer holiday my courgettes, cucumbers and even tomatoes are just about over. Luckily, the carrots and beetroot are still splendid and seem to be thriving in the jungle like bed we’ve returned to. Having said that the slugs have begun to enjoy this ready food source and I’m beginning to think about pulling them sooner rather than later!
Although I usually leave the vegetables in the ground until the first frost, this year I don’t think I will, I suspect they may come up before the end of the month, meaning they’ll have to be stored.

Both carrots and beetroot need cool, moist conditions and damp sand is my preferred method so:
- Line a crate with newspaper and put in a thick layer of damp sand.
- Brush off the excess soil from the undamaged vegetables and lay them on top of the sand leaving space between each one.
- Cover the vegetables with another thick layer of sand.

Let’s just hope I’m far too ahead and an Indian summer is just round the corner!

Even if nothing else is designed in your garden it is a good idea to plan the space where you’re going to have your terrace or patio. Although the area doesn’t have to be too big in order to provide somewhere comfortable to eat, it does have to be thought about in advance.

On the practical front think about the position of the sun, ease of access from the house, the size of table and chairs you want and drainage. On the aesthetic decide on the material you’d like to use and the positioning of any pots and planters.

After being surrounded by Type1 aggregate for 18 months, the fact that I run a busy landscaping company has finally paid off and I’ve been furnished with a lovely sandstone terrace. With plenty of time to plan, exposure of the bedrock in the area we wanted our terrace to be did not cause too much consternation; we now have a lovely little rocky outcrop as a feature to compliment the newly laid surface.

First thing in the morning or in the evening it’s a great pleasure to walk barefoot over the warm, flat surface while food can now be served in a space deliberately designed to fit our tables and chairs etc. Even the gazebo fits with ease so it’s not quite so awful that we’ve returned to the typical weather pattern of an English summer; sunshine and showers!

With memories of the RHS. Chelsea Flower Show dimming and RHS. Hampton Court show not until July, we can recommend the idea of visiting the Jacksons Show Gardens, based at their Head Office site near Ashford.
The gardens are the result of a very different type of garden design competition, one for environmentally friendly and sustainable gardens. These are open to the public all year round and not dismantled after a week, obviously allowing the gardens to grow and develop.

Sandstone was very happy to have been asked to construct two of the show gardens and refurbish the existing gardens, (2010 competition winners). The longevity of the Jacksons project appealed to Sandstone, believing as we do in the importance sustainability and adapting to the needs of our environment.

Three hectic weeks of building culminated in the unveiling of the gardens by
celebrity gardener Joe Swift. He opened the three 2011, winning gardens and the four revamped gardens from last year. Joe commented on how the unique Jacksons show garden project is important for the industry highlighting the use of design, quality products and accessibility.
To view the gardens online and obtain details of the winners please visit:

www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/pages/multimedia/images.aspx?gid=766

Tip: Think beyond the hard landscaping too

Much more seasonal now but there still hasn’t been any rain worth speaking of in the Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks area, (as I write). Although a return to more ‘normal’ seasonal conditions is predicted in the next few weeks, for now we have to continue watering our recently planted trees and shrubs; by recent I mean anything planted since last October. How much water is needed?

Obviously this depends on many factors, the size of the tree or plant, where it is in relation to the sun and surrounding foliage, and the type of soil it is planted in.

Only by looking closely at your newly planted tree or shrub will you know how it is coping with the dry conditions. A stressed plant will have wilted leaves. As the condition worsens they will turn crispy and eventually drop off. So ensure that the plant is checked every couple of days and watered at the first sign of stress. The signs of over watering are the leaves turning yellow and spotted, rapid leaf drop and poor growth.

Tip – A hose perforated with holes, placed around the base of newly planted trees and along borders of shrubs and flowers, takes out a lot of the hard work.

With the unpredictable British weather it’s hard to know when and if warm weather will arrive. Not wanting to be caught out, our Tunbridge Wells clients had foresight and requested Sandstone to carry out much of the work on their stylish, new garden during the winter months. The correct decision, as happily our clients are now ready to get pleasure from long, Sunday lunches with friends and family in their new garden, during the BBQ summer ahead of us!

In order to introduce light into this contemporary garden and after obtaining the necessary permission from the local tree officer, the crowns of two rather large trees were lifted during the non growing months. They are now not only resplendent in new leaf but also in the fact that the garden is now clear enough for them to be appreciated in their own right. The sunlight can now stream through to the benefit of the lawn and budding flowers.

To take full advantage of the garden’s more open feel Sandstone designed and made a bespoke, stainless and bilau pergola, providing a defined seating area. A picture of this can be seen at http://www.sandstonedesign.co.uk/pergolas-gazebos.html pic.2

Another interesting idea was to make a bespoke, slatted screen in bilau hardwood to run down the side of the garden in front of bamboo, (Phyllostachys aurea). This leads down to the end of the garden where it meets a terrace of black slate; creating a united space of modernist tranquillity!

Tip - It’s time to sort out your lawn. The RHS Gardening Advice for lawns gives step by step instructions to follow.