Willow Heart Garden Design

12/06/2023

Really enjoyed my trip to just over the border into Scotland. Lovely to see so many wonderful and unusual plants in situ in the gardens then able to buy in the well stocked nursery. On hand is Helen who has expertly grown the plants and has a wealth of knowledge to share. The nursery and garden is a hidden gem and well worth a visit.

24/04/2023

Well we’ve certainly had some April showers over the weekend 🌧️🌦️ The good thing is that everything in the garden is growing really fast. ( Including the weeds!!) so now is the perfect time to mulch your garden beds. To save as much weeding later in the year, preserving moisture and improving the soil, it’s an all round win for gardeners. If no other jobs are achieved in spring I always mulch my beds with a thick layer of composted bark. As well as all of the above it also sets off the newly emerging plants to their best!

Mulching is a generic term and you can use whatever you can get hold of, here are a few suggestions:-
- home made compost
- horticultural grit - perfect for alpines
- bark
- soil conditioner
- leaf mould
- Strulch - a mulch made from straw

Photo 📸 - Emerging Lupin leaves with jewel like raindrops 💚💧

20/04/2023

Nearly Tulip time !🌷 I can almost see them growing by the day in this lovely spring sunshine ☀️ I planted these up in terracotta pots in December, placed them in a sheltered spot in the garden. Now they’ve been moved into prime viewing position on the steps up to the lawn so I can see them from the house, and enroute to the greenhouse. Hope you’ve got sunshine too today!
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06/02/2023

Todays view along the greenhouse bench. The little violas protected against last nights frost although even when frosted they are sure to bounce back. My crocus pots also on the top shelf - not to protect from frost as they are very happy outside but to keep out of reach of 🐭!!
So many of my bulbs have been eaten this year I’m hoping the mice won’t find these ones!🤞

01/12/2022

Well worth a read if you’re thinking of having your garden designed ✍️🪴🌱🌷

This week's blog considers what £25,000 will buy you in landscaping. I often feel sad when I visit prospective clients who have been saving hard to buy the garden they saw on a TV show. They didn't realise that the cost plastered over the screen was considerably less than it could ever be built for. The disbelief and disappointment on their faces is heartbreaking.,

So in this article - and with the full consent of the garden owner involved, I've deconstructed the cost of building a modestly sized family garden. I wanted to explain why landscaping costs what it does and give a fair example of what to expect from a landscaping quote.

https://www.hollandscapes.co.uk/what-does-25000-buy-you-in-landscaping/

07/07/2022

Beautiful Daucus carota, common name wild carrot! 🥕no wonder its so good for pollinators look at that landing pad!

24/06/2022

Amazing opportunity to buy a beautiful piece of handmade true workmanship! 🌳

20/06/2022

Hurray the parasol is up!☂️ The sky is blue and the Salvia is in full flower! Love this deep purple of Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’. Perfect compliment to the softness of Nepeta and great as an edging plant to the lawn. Loves a sunny spot with free draining soil. Flowers for weeks and no need for staking. An allround good long lasting perennial that looks fabulous planted enmasse 💜💜💜

31/05/2022

My little slice of ‘Chelsea’. I love the Chelsea flower show and savour every minute watching on TV. Only problem is it’s an extremely busy time of year as both a gardener and Garden designer! I’m still only half way through catch-up never mind actually going to the show!! Nevermind, maybe by the time RHS Tatton Show I’ll be able to sit down and enjoy the whole show. So back to Lupins - such a beauty but remember to dead head to get more flowers and plant towards the back of your border with a later flowering perennial such as Phlox to take on the succession banner once they’ve gone over. 💜💗💚

28/04/2022

Fantastic inspiration with National Children’s Gardening week. Lots of ideas to get children inspired by nature and growing National Children's Gardening Week 🌱🌱🌱🐛🌻🥕🌽🥦

It's one month until National Children's Gardening Week! 😲

With this in mind, this is what you can get involved in:

🏫 School comp: There is still time to begin growing grass caterpillars to enter our fantastic school competition! With so many prizes up for grabs, you have a great chance of winning! Grass seeds typically takes around 10 days to germinate. https://www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk/school-competition-2022/

🔍 Find your closest event: Visit our events page to find out where your closest National Children's Gardening Week event is. https://www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk/gardening-events/

🏆 Competitions during the week: We will be running back to back competitions all throughout National Children's Gardening Week. With even more great prizes available, these will be individual competitions for your kids to get involved with!

27/04/2022

When designing gardens I often talk about creating focal points and framing the view….Today my view was framed by a ❤️ to .Normally it takes an enormous amount of treats to get him to be in the right place at the right time!😄🦴🐾❤️

18/04/2022

Not quite an Auricula theatre as they haven’t all started to flower yet, so just a mismatch of violas, muscari, ivy and my first dainty auricula 🌼. Hopefully there are more to come! Hope everyone has had a lovely Easter weekend 🐣

28/01/2022

The most stunning flowers of Witch hazel shining bright in todays afternoon sunshine in my client’s garden. ☀️ This winter flowering shrub has the most delicate spidery flowers that sparkle in the depth of winter to remind you spring is just around the corner! Added bonus their scent is rather gorgeous too! 💛🌱💛🌱

01/01/2022

Happy New Year! 🌳💚🌱 Here’s to a happy healthy new year with lots of gardening, growing and spending time with family, friends,nature and 🐕🌳💚🌱