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.

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.