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This elegant flower is perhaps my favourite of all flowers (especially the oriental lily).  I love them in the house, but also in the garden too.  Not just the fragrant lilies either, I love them all for their beautiful colours, their signature shaped petals and the way they look so elegant and striking in the garden.

Any keen gardeners itching to get jobs done in the garden but finding the recent weather restrictive, can make a start buy ordering their summer flowering bulbs right now. 

These lilies cost £17.50 for 30 bulbs.

There are plenty of surfaces of gardens to choose from which not only give you something to walk on, but also to give interest to your garden.  The type of surface you choose will be dependent upon a number of factors, namely the proposed use, location in the garden, cost and personal preference.  Some gardens have one surface throughout whether that is grass or paving, but most comprise a number of difference surfaces that link together.

Grass lawn – this is achieved by either planting seeds or by laying turf.

Evergreen Grass Seed – A high-quality grass seed for hard-wearing lawns, this mix is ideal for patching, over-seeding or sowing a lawn.  It contains perennial ryegrasses and fescue, as well as the Headstart formula to improve germination.  Apply from March through to October.

Laying a turf lawn is so much quicker than creating a lawn from seed, and it can be laid all year round although in very hot summers you will need to ensure that it is kept well watered.  The cost is generally more than that of grass seed, but when considering the limited amount of work and time involved, it is often worth paying for.

Place the rolls of turf in a convenient position for laying and break the surface of the soil with a rake.  Position the first roll by making sure the ends are butted together and use a plank of wood as a guide.  When the first roll is laid down use the plank of wood to compress and to prevent marking the turf.  Repeat these steps until all rolls are laid down and trim edges with a knife.  During the growing season the turf can root down within a week.  If you lift a corner of the turf and it is adhering to the soil then you can give it it’s first cut, set you mower to the highest setting and gradually reduce to the desired height with subsequent mowings.  You should wait until the turf is well rooted, usually before walking on the lawn.

Delivery of this product is available to the UK Mainland only and the minimum order is 30 square metres.

Bark chippings – A soft alternative to grass.  Good for children’s play areas.  Needs replenishing every couple of years or so due to decay and disintegration.

Rolawn Decorative Bark is a quality, durable, golden brown deluxe ornamental pine bark.  Its attractive appearance and shape make it ideal for beds and borders.  Rolawn Decorative Bark can also be used as a mulch to inhibit weed development, improve moisture retention and act as insulation for plant roots, reducing plant loss in cold weather.  Other kinds of bark are also available.

Gravel  -  Relatively inexpensive and very easy to lay even in irregular shaped areas.  Good for discouraging intruders as the noise emitted when walked upon.  Helpful to restrain with firm edging as it has a tendancy to scatter.

Paving slabs  -  A wide range of possibilities is available in form, colour, size and design from the plain to the highly decorative.  Very versatile and hard-wearing.

This kit includes all the paving required to lay a 11.25m2 patio, with the appearance improving with age.

Kit contains all the slab required to create an octagonal paving feature.

This year in particular we are experiencing some very cold snaps, so gardener’s beware!  It is a good idea to protect outside pots and containers with bubble wrap or similar protective layers, and place them all together in a sheltered area of the garden.  Lag outside water taps too to prevent the risk of burst pipes.

Although you wouldn’t expect it, plants can suffer drought conditions in frozen temperatures at this time of year when the soil is frozen.  Therefore it may be necessary to water your plants to ensure the cold water slightly defrosts the soil and allows the plants to gain some water.

Heavy snow will need to be shaken off plants to avoid it becoming heavy and thus increasing the risk of delicate branches and stems being snapped with the weight.  Similarly, avoid walking on frosty and snowy grass to avoid breaking the brittle grass stems.  Although if you have young children, the first sign of snow will make them want to rush out into the garden to build a snowman!

It isn’t all about feeding the birds and protecting from frost though.  Towards the end of January is a perfect time to start sowing vegetables and fruit such as tomatoes, chillies and cauliflowers.  These need to be sown indoors and kept warm (ideally in a heated propagator) before being hardened off in a cold frame outside prior to being sown in the ground.

 (Outside tap jacket)

For a quick and easy fence to erect for your garden, giving it an image boost, this palisade arched fence kit is a good buy.  The gaps between the slats will enable wind to get through and thus give extra stability to the fence.

A natural look has been favoured for this image and looks great in this garden, but the fence can also be painted if preferred giving an equally good look.  Wood staining can also be applied perhaps to match in with other fences or garden woodwork.

They say an Englishman’s home is his castle, and we are certainly very protective of our own little area of the world.  Perhaps that is why fences and trellis panels are so prevalent in our gardens to set up demarcation lines with neighbouring properties (remember than all your posts and fencing must lie in your garden), and for privacy and security.  However, increasing numbers of modern housing estates have stipulations that front gardens must be open plan in design – with no fences.

Although an instant impact may be achieved with a fence or trellis, they can’t be erected and then forgotten about.  Maintenance is required to prevent rot.

There are two main types styles of fence: solid or open.  Solid fences usually comprise of wooden panels (mainly pine or larch) that have interwoven or overlapping slats of wood attached to frames.  These panels are available in a range of sizes and may or may not have spaces between the slats.  You need to bear this in mind when making a choice, as panels with no gaps between the slats create greater resistance to the wind and are therefore more likely to be blown down in high winds.  If your garden is in a particularly exposed windy site, I would opt for something that offers more tolerance of the wind.  Another popular type of solid fence is panels of bamboo lashed together.  These fences are inexpensive, afford great privacy and shield some wind, but their longevity is limited.

Open fences include picket (vertical boards fixed to horizontal rails) most often seen in suburban front gardens.  Post and rail fences are inexpensive and strong, with two or more horizontal rails fixed between posts, but aren’t the most attractive fences unless covered by shrubs and trees.  Perhaps the most expensive option is railings which are usually made from cast or wrought iron.

A trellis can be used as a design feature on their own, a boundary marker or a support for fledgling plants and flowers.  They come in many shapes and sizes (and colours too!) and are quite inexpensive but can give dramatic effects.  Trellises are also good at concealing ugly buildings or outhouses.

Before you even start creating your lovely new garden it is worth thinking about all the tools and equipment you are going to need, and importantly where you are going to store it.  Unless you have a fairly large garage that is not taken up with your car, the family’s bikes, tumble dryers and freezers, you are likely going to need to consider investing in a shed or other storage container.

Sheds are ideal for storing garden tools and are relatively cheap.  They will keep the rain and extremities of weather from your tools and don’t look out of place in a garden.  We’ve chosen a windowless shed here for the simple reason that prying eyes won’t be able to see what goodies you have locked away, and therefore we feel they offer a little bit more security for your valuable tools than a shed with windows.

This BillyOh tongue and groove shed is available in 5 different sizes and comes with a 10 year warranty against rot, fungus and insect attack, and FREE Delivery (to mainland England and Wales – additional charges for delivery to Scotland).

Itching to create that perfect garden?  As with everything, careful planning and setting foundations need to be laid before you start.  You will need to consider:

What do you want your garden to be?  Do you want it to be an outdoor room for entertaining, a place to grow fruit and vegetables, an area for the children to play safely, or just a basic lawned area which is easy to keep tidy with a few potted plants?  The answer to this will need to be combined with other ideas before you can even begin to create your dream garden.

You should also have an idea about what is your style.  Are you into a minimalist gardens with carefully structured designs incorporating specially chosen rocks set in gravel or little in the way of plants and grass?  Or is a wildflower garden more your thing, or a cottage-garden inspired theme?  Perhaps you prefer a classic formal garden with its symmetrical arrangements of plants and paved areas and immaculate lawn.

Answers to the above questions may also need to take into consideration the size of the space you have available, what is the garden like at different times of the day?  Which parts get the most sun?  Where is the wettest and windiest spots?  Is the area flat or sloping?  If the area is large, it is often best treated as a series of compartments of individual areas of interest.  Small sites don’t necessarily mean you are limited  in ideas of beauty and fantastic gesture.  Differing levels around the space and the inclusion of trees and shrubs from neighbouring gardens all add interest and structure.

You will also need to think about the general climatic atmosphere of where your garden is located.  The range of plants you will be able to grow will be dramatically influenced by rainfall, temperature and wind.  Even within a garden there are pockets of differing micro-climates.  For example, the bottom of a sun-baked wall will be very different from a frost pocket, and therefore the ability of various plants to grow will be marked.  The nature and drainage of your soil will also have a major impact on what you can place there.

Once you have thought about the above, and feel you are armed with a mass of information, one final, and very important factor needs to be considered – cost!

What is your idea of a garden?  Commonly it is thought of as a place where plants, flowers and grass grow, but often it is more complex than that.  To some people, the idea of spending hours tending their carefully planted foliage is their idea of bliss.  To others, having a low maintenance area for outdoor living is more their bag.  Whatever your idea, we hope Gardens2enjoy will bring you plenty of ideas, inspiration, hints and tips to help create a personal creation that will bring you years of pleasure.

Over the coming months (and perhaps years) we aim to develop the website to include sections on where you can buy plants and seeds, vegetables, gardening equipment, garden furniture and toys.

We also welcome feedback and your hints and tips.

Over the coming weeks, months and years we will bring you ideas and tips on how to create the perfect garden for you.  This will be an ongoing endeavour that will evolve with time so there will always be something new to find.  We will also bring you good sources for items you need to create the perfect garden, from books, equipment and even plants and seeds themselves.

We hope you will come to enjoy and find useful this site.