yardz

THE ULTIMATE MAINTENANCE FREE YARD

2009-11-18T13:07:58+00:00

I've mentioned Sedums in posts before. They are a great plant that as an alpine are able to withstand hardy conditions. This makes them perfect for low maintenace situations such as on roofs. They are very good in dry conditions as their foliage stores water.

Though usually used on 'green roofs' I see no reason why you couldn't just plant the whole of you yard with sedum to create a living green mat.Once planted, as long as the preperation is right, it's as easy as laying turf, you have an almost maintence free garden. By mixing varieties you would be able to having a reasonable succession of flowering and the plants will become a kalidoscope of colourful foliage. It is also a very enviromentally friendly way of gardening with no need of fertilizers and irrigation.

It is well worth looking at www.sempergreen.com who are international specialists in the field of using sedum and will give you some great ideas.

SHELVES VEGETABLE

2009-11-17T13:35:14+00:00

As regular visitors to my blog will know I am really interested in vertical gardening and the advantages it brings to the small space gardener.

This French System by the designer Germain Bourne is designed for flexible vertical growing. Each shelf is filled with a suitable growing media allowing for vegetable culture from sowing to harvesting. Watering is via a waterfall system with water flowing from the top shelf to the bottom. The system is made from stainless steel and is 3m long and 1.6m high.

It looks very stylish and would look great filled with a selection of grasses for those not into 'grow your own' yet.

PERNETTYA PEARLS

2009-11-15T14:17:41+00:00

Pernettya mucronatta is a great small evergreen shrub for containers and windowboxes over winter. It has small shiny green leaves that take on a bronze tint over winter but its main feature are the pearly dark pink to white berries that it holds from late autumn into early summer. Prefers acid conditions so treat it to some ericaceous compost when planting.

SOLAR PYRAMIDS

2009-11-15T11:29:43+00:00

Though I use them myself and find many of the new designs very interesting, solar lighting is not always that practical. Solar lighting is great outside in the summer when daylight has enough power to recharge batteries enough to give a long period of light at night but present technology, even with LED, has not acheived the same over dull winter conditions.

Never the less I do like these solar pyramid shaped lights from www.cdn.overstock.com . They are designed for edging a deck but would fit anywherewhere light is needed to outline an edge. The shape is very practical with the four solar panels to pick up sunlight as the sun moves round and the are made from rust resistant stainless steel. My one gripe though is the fixing screws which seam a bit heavy handed.

£22.06

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Pyramid-shaped-Solar-Deck-Light/3938812/product.html

BEACH LOUNGER BRINGS THOUGHTS OF SUMMER

2009-11-14T10:21:39+00:00

As the rain tips down and thewind blows a gale, I was taken with thoughts of summer on finding this Beach Lounger Seat from www.lovethyspace.co.uk.

This inflated comfortable lounger is available in three colours - dark grey, light grey and orange. It can be used in two positions, either upright with the foot rest behind for support or as a perfect lounger with the rest for your feet. The chair comes complete with a hand pump for inflation and a handy carrier bag. The fact that it is inflatable and easily storage makes it a winner for balconies and roof gardens but perhaps not in November.

www.lovethyspace.co.uk £99.00

DYNAMIC COMPOSTER FOR LOOKS AND BENEFITS

2009-11-13T13:27:20+00:00

Composting in a small space is not easy. The very nature of composting means that you have material sitting about in some form of composting bin for a long period. Most of these composters are not very stylish. The www.keter.com Dynamic Composter is for a new age with a very classy black and lime green finish.

Having filled the Dynamic Composter with any suitable kitchen waste, garden cuttings, leaves etc. the composter is rotated using the handle. This aerates the mixture helping it to decompose much quicker than in a normal compost bin. By rotating the mixture every 7-10 days realy good compost can be obtained in a relatively short time.

GIVING A FIG

2009-11-12T14:12:40+00:00

Choosing fruit trees for small outdoor areas is not easy. There are many top fruit trees such as apples, pears, peaches and nectarines that can be grown in containers on dwarf rooting stocks. But one of the problems with these is that they look wonderful in blossom in spring and again when fruiting in the late summer and autumn but over the winter months they just look like twigs not giving a lot to the yard.

Figs on the otherhand seem to offer plenty of advsntages, They are evergreen with large glossy deep green leaves, hold their fruit twelve months of the year and are perfect for container growing as they need their roots restricting to fruit well.

One of the best varieties to grow is Brown Turkey (Ficus carica Brown Turkey) which fruits well with fruit having a good flavour. They are on offer at www.floraselect.co.uk from £12.00. www.floraselect.co.uk will deliver nationwide for a fixed rate of £8.50. They also stock a wide range of plants as well as an extensive range of containers. Well worth checking out.

GLOBAL WARMING HITS SPRING BEDDING

2009-11-12T11:04:17+00:00

Having planted my spring bedding a month ago I was suprised on returning from a few days away to find that the Muscati Misty Skys planted amongst small Buxus plants had already grown. They have formed quite a rosette of leaves but I am sure that now the temperatures are dropping they will stagnate until they produce their flower spikes in late January and February. Muscari Misty Skys are a mixture of grape hyacinth from whites through to dark blue. They can still be planted now if you can find any left at garden centres.

TULIP ICE CREAM SUMMER MEMORIES IN SPRING

2009-11-10T16:51:41+00:00

Here is another great Tulip for those that like something a bit different. It's Tulip Ice Cream which is on offer from www.gardeningdirect.co.uk at £14.99 for 5 bulbs.

Tulips,unlike some other spring bulbs including daffodils, can be planted as late as January and still produce amazing results, These eye catcing bulbs 'resemble a scoop of raspberry ripple ice cream overflowing its cone'. They are a real talking point, bringing colour to any container or windowbox in a sunny spot. Go on amaze your neighbours!

BLOOMING BASEMENT GARDENS

2009-11-10T12:43:03+00:00

Yardz tends to look outwards and upwards when considering how to use outdoor space. This week the problems of basement gardens came to light with a visit to Bath. Most visitors look up at the splendour of the Georgian architecture and forget that all these town houses have basements with small yards. These were designed to allow steps to go down from the pavement to the kitchens below.
Many have been left as just a paved yard to store dustbins, bikes, etc, while others have created green havens with shade and damp loving plants.