I’ve been working on a construction detail for a deck and steps made out of Millboard, with a Plas Pro recycled plastic sub-structure, for a client whose brief has steered me towards a product which will weather predictably, be long lasting and resistant to mildew, algae etc. I use SketchUp for my designing…

I posted about my green roof in April last year, and thought it might be helpful for anyone considering doing a similar scheme to post an update. Here in Gloucestershire, this year has been so much wetter than the previous two, and it has made a big difference to the plants on this unirrigated roof. I've decided that I'm not impressed with the system I used to construct the roof: I don't believe (though admittedly I haven't excavated to find out for sure) that the plant roots are able to…

This is a great time to take a walk round your (or your clients') garden, with a camera and a notebook, to look at where to plant bulbs in the Autumn. I often find myself wondering where on earth (literally) to fit bulbs in when the time comes, especially if you have a lot of herbaceous plants which you allow to stand over the winter. Come the Spring and I am looking at gaps and wishing they were full of Snowdrops, or later Tulips.

Yesterday I spent a very pleasant 1/2 hour after work…

A while back I posted about getting one of my gardens professionally photographed. I’ve been going through photos over the last week as I am having my website revamped, and need to make sure it showcases the best images, and it has made me more aware of a few simple tips to bear in mind when either having a garden photographed, or doing it yourself.…

I used to live in Brittany, where I worked for a while on a plant nursery. One day while weeding the pots of Azaleas, my boss pointed at the hedge, saying ‘regardes, troglodyte!’ , which I translated as ‘look, a cave dweller!’. Puzzling: life in rural Brittany could sometimes feel like going back in time, but not to that extent.…

I posted a blog about this garden 6 weeks ago, and since then the build has continued well. Saying that, I think all builds go through phases when they seem to be taking shape really fast, and others when you wonder if it will ever be finished, and I get the feeling that just now the energy on-site has faded slightly, and they're not yet at that stage when they're so close to finishing that it gets exciting again. Clients get tired of living surrounded by builders and mess, and just want it…

Last November I went to see prospective clients on a site near Cheltenham, and knew straightaway that this project was one that I very much wanted to be involved with. The house was very contemporary, with curved facades and large areas of glass. Inside the style was personal and distinctive, with a large collection of mainly North American art. The big windows gave great views out onto the garden, and the clients were keen to really transform the currently uninspiring garden.…

The water butts have long run dry, and feeling a bit guilty about watering the garden, not to mention thinking maybe we shouldn't have had a water meter fitted, we've started showering in the bath with the plug in and siphoning the water off afterwards for the garden. Surprising how much there is, certainly enough to make a difference. It's a bit of a faff, but it feels good not to be wasting all that perfectly re-usable water.

I also noticed that one of the veg beds which I had…

Had a shed clear out yesterday. I know that sounds like a bit of a sad thing to do on a bank holiday monday but it's one of those jobs that is never top priority so never gets done and yet it is always a pain trying to use the shed when it's cluttered, dirty and disorganised, so today while the OH was (finally) finishing off a bit of paving, I tackled The Shed. Loads of stuff in there that I hadn't touched since moving here 4 years ago. Mice have made themselves at home, shredded all kinds…

My roof garden has been gradually evolving: it was constructed over a year ago but planting has been piecemeal and experimental. Last year I was very hard hearted and didn't water as I wanted everything to be able to fend for itself but with the dry Spring last year this made for a very slow start and many seeds just…