Blue Daisy Blog

According to various reports the colour purple is bang on trend this year and fashionistas everywhere will be purpling themselves up!  So, what does this mean for gardens and garden designs then?  Basically incorporating the colour purple into your plant schemes will bring your gardens right up to date. 

Check out one of our previous articles from last year  where we have recommended using purple and orange plants together creating an energised and vibrant mood. If you're after a more calming, romantic and peaceful mood try soft pinks and purples.   Not only do we love orange and purple together but this year it is reported that RHS Chelsea have a garden or two that are using these colours!  

Compost is something that we're always being asked about so in response to all those questions you have we've put together a downloadable Blue Daisy guide - Composting Made Easy.

We tell you what you need to compost, what to put into your compost, and answer the following questions and more:

• How often do I need to turn the compost?
• How long does it take to make?
• How do I know when it’s ready?
• If I’m leaving my compost to ripen where do I put all the compostable material I continue to generate?
• I heard that rats are attracted to compost – is that right?
• Can I add weeds to my compost heap?

So, if you want to know the answers to these questions and more please download your Blue Daisy Guide - Composting Made Easy here.

When I’m designing gardens the subject of climate change sometimes crops up and I’m being asked whether it is possible to ‘drought proof’ a garden.   One garden that has succeeded famously at this is the Beth Chatto Gardens in Essex and her ‘Gravel Garden’ has been an inspiration to gardeners and designers alike.  Her gravel garden works with nature and does not fight against it, she used plants that will cope in dry conditions for example, Lavender, Cistus, Bergenia, Allium, Sedum and drought resistant grasses that have not been artificially watered since around 1992!

If you are thinking about having your garden designed and are starting with a blank canvass you could consider installing an underground rainwater harvesting system, a huge undertaking to be completed before the hard landscaping begins but well worth considering.  Harvested rainwater has many uses around the house for example flushing the toilet and washing machines but it can also be used to water the garden.  Today a lot of people have water butts - which are great - but they don’t last long during a period of drought which we all saw this April when we had no rain for most of the month!   It is also very important to choose your plants and the location of them carefully; you need to include plants that can cope with little water yet look good most of the year; after all you do want a beautiful garden.

Having a productive garden – it’s all the rage, bang on trend and everyone seems to want one.  The only thing is no-one seems to have the time to tend one and as much as they’re popular now, they can be time consuming and, for beginners, confusing. 

You could start small, think about what you like to eat, (take a look at what is in your fridge right now if you’re short on ideas) and rather than having to think about things like crop rotation if you’re growing vegetables you can grow some in containers instead - but if that’s not for you (and it’s not for everyone) – my advice is to think about fruit.  It is generally easier to grow, not as time consuming to look after and the rewards are truly wonderful (as our picture shows!).

This weekend saw the very first Edible Garden Show which was held at Stoneleigh, Nr Coventry and the weather certainly held for it.  I wasn't sure what to expect with it being a brand new event, sometimes they can be slow to start and feel a little empty, this was not the case!  We went on Sunday and arrived about midday and as we walked what did feel like quite a way to the event we were amazed at the amount of cars that were there.  As soon as we showed our tickets and went in I was really pleased to see a hustle and bustle of people chattering, trying to get to the next stall or just simply asking questions!