Garden Maintenance in Winter

Winter, to most people, means the end of the gardening season. It’s a time to shut the garden gate and let nature take its course. Besides, you’ve already reaped summer’s benefits and done quite a lot of work to keep your garden looking clean and healthy.

However, this should not be what you want to do as winter approaches. You should do your best to prepare your garden for spring and summer by maintaining it during winter. If you have been wondering what you should be doing to show love to your garden this winter, read on.

1. Continue Watering

This is essentially the simplest and cheapest way to protect your garden during winter. While most people think that watering plants during winter can result in freezing of water in the soil, this is far from the truth. It has been discovered that water does a lot in helping to generate heat in the soil. As such, regular watering of plants throughout the cold and dry season helps your plants to remain healthy.

2. Clear out the Garden

Your garden should be clear of dead foliage as well as dead stems. This should be done for many reasons, one being that untidy, old looking plants can be a source of pests, disease, and even funguses. If insects were feeding on you crops in the summer, they might have laid eggs on the plants’ stalks and leaves.

For this reason, you should remove all spent plants from the garden surface. You can bury such waste in garden trenches if they are disease-free. Doing so can add organic matter to the soil while also keeping away pests that could have hatched from the eggs left behind.

3. Take Some Plants Inside

There are some plants that won’t survive winter, no matter how hard you try. In such a situation, you can keep the outdoor container plants in your house to shield them from the freezing temperatures. However, you will have to place such plants where they can get the unique needs for warmth, light, and humidity.

As you transfer such plants, be sure to prioritise the ones that are healthy. By doing so, you will increase the chances of survival. Plants that are not healthy should not be brought into the house to prevent them from contaminating the healthy ones.

4. Build a Greenhouse if you can

One of the best ways to upgrade your garden and ensure that everything in it remains healthy all year round is to add a greenhouse to your property. You can decide to make things a little bit more interesting by building a smart greenhouse as this will make it easier to automate factors such as water, temperature, and others that enhance growing conditions.

5. Replenish Mulch

Your garden requires mulch in the winter just like it does during summer. Adding a thick layer of mulch in the winter has quite a number of benefits such as regulating soil moisture and temperature, as well as easing the transition into winter. Remember that as the mulch breaks down, it adds fresh organic material into the soil, allowing it to become richer in nutrients.

6. Leave Nature to Take its Course

You should not worry so much about the soil as it continues to snow. In fact, the snow can protect it through insulation and keeping the temperature more consistent. If, however, the snow is too much and it lands on the branches of your trees or other plants, be sure to clear it. You should knock it off from the lower branches as you go upwards so that it won’t damage the lower branches with its weight.

Conclusion

Keeping your garden healthy even during winter is possible with a few adjustments in the way you do your gardening. Remember that maintaining your garden during the cold season prepares it for the next season. If you feel like the work is too much for you, there’s always an option to hire a gardener.

So, if you are looking to hire the professionals to maintain and improve your garden, Kite Landscapes are on hand to help. Call us today on 01344 886 331 or visit our contact page. 

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/garden-maintenance-in-winter/

Beautiful Winter Water Feature Ideas

There is no doubt that summer has passed, and that the cold, dark winter is approaching… fast. However, there is no reason not to invest in a water feature this winter! Today, we will be discussing some fun winter water feature ideas for your garden. 

Internal Water Features

The interior features are naturally protected from the elements and will work well regardless of the season. However, this all depends on the amount of space you have available in your home, there are many smaller features or even water features on the table that you can choose from, and they take up very little space.

Primary Power Function Instead of Solar Energy.

Although the characteristics of solar energy are excellent for the environment and you can place them anywhere in your garden with access to sunlight, their performance will gradually decrease as the year comes to an end. This is due to a limited hours of daylight during the season of winter. 

For this reason, if you’re planning to use your water feature all year round and not just in the summer, we’d suggest using a main power source. However, keep in mind that you will need an external weatherproof plug for the main external features that work with water. Otherwise, the operation may not be safe, however, if you employee professional garden landscapers, they have all the necessary qualifications and tools to do a safe and secure job. 

Birdbath

One type of feature that is also useful during the winter months, in addition to being attractive, is a birdbath. There is a large selection of bird baths available, including some with integrated water features. Although, it is useful for wildlife throughout the year, it provides an easily accessible feature of freshwater at a time when it is difficult for birds and other wildlife to find it during the harsh winter. 

The benefits of a birdbath include; fresh water for creatures which may have limited supplies in the winter months, bringing wildlife to your garden, the beautiful singing of birds and scenes of water flow.

Water Lights

You may want to consider the characteristics of water with particular lights. That will give you long periods of fun, both indoors and outdoors, allowing you to see them even when the day is dark. Some features have multicoloured lights, while others have only white LEDs: they illuminate your home or garden and can add to the general atmosphere of winter festivals.

Water Fountains

Water fountains can look pretty all year round, in the summer they flow with fresh water, creating those perfect summer day vibes, and in the winter (dependent on temperatures) you could have your very on ice sculpture. 

 

However, when the water freezes it could cause damage to the pipelines. You must ensure that preventive maintenance is performed on all of your outdoor taps to avoid a very cold, wet, and expensive problem. Paying for a plumber who replaces a defective valve will cost you much less than having to pay for emergency plumbing services when your pipe is frozen and broken in the middle of the night.

 

Another option to help prevent the outside tap from freezing is to add a section of thermal strip to the tube. The thermal tape is a wire that is wrapped around the formed tube to help prevent it from freezing. It comes in different lengths, and you can connect and disconnect it when necessary. It is an affordable option that works. Wrap the thermal tape around the pipe, cover it by insulating the fibreglass tubes, and connect it. It may be used to help melt already frozen pipes, although they work best as a precaution.

Top Tip

If you decide to select an outside water feature and intend to turn it on and off during winter, be careful not to allow water to freeze, as this may damage the function and the pump. Most sellers of these features also offer products to protect them and prevent water from freezing, which is a good investment because it will extend the life of its function and give you peace of mind!

 

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you create the garden of your dreams through our garden design service, then get in touch today on 07860 231389 or pop us an email at kitelandscapes@btinternet.com. 

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/beautiful-winter-water-feature-ideas/

Benefits of having decking in your garden

Decking can be a really good alternative to grass in your garden. Timber decking has become increasingly popular and is a really great addition to your home. Decking isn’t just a place for relaxation and to entertain guests it can also add value to your home. Below we have compiled some reasons why so many homeowners opt for decking.

Advantages of having decking   

Aesthetics

Wood gives a rustic and naturally attractive appearance that enables it to give your home some aesthetic value. This can also make the space family-friendly so may be more appealing for families if you decide on selling the home.

Ideal space for entertaining guests

Decking is a great outdoor space for entertaining, it can be a fantastic space for a summer evening and you’re hosting a family party or BBQ. Decking also makes it easier to have garden furniture as it is a sturdy surface.

Low maintenance

One of the many advantages of having decking is that it requires very little maintenance, over the course of a lifetime. You just need to mop, or jet wash it occasionally as when the winter months past it can become slippery due to algae and go slightly green.

Flexibility

Decking doesn’t have to just be around by the backdoor where most people tend to have it, timber decking is very versatile and it can be used around ponds, water features or just placed where you get the most amount of sun in your garden.

 

Decking can be built quickly

If you are looking to add space to your home a deck is a really good idea. Decking can be completed in a matter of weeks depending on how big space is. They are a great long-term investment. Some home improvements can be intrusive on everyday living but having a decking added to your garden won’t intrude into your life or home.

Gives you extra space

You can always use your deck as a storage place too. Decking can add a dimension to your back garden and transform the garden and the way you use it. We don’t get too much sun here in the UK in summer but when we do, why not make the most of it by creating a place to relax and enjoy it.  

We hope that our blog has been informative, and you can enjoy your decking. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01344 886 331 or head over to our contact page to fill in the online enquiry form. 

 

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/benefits-of-having-decking-in-your-garden/

The Benefits of using a Garden Planner

Are you looking for some inspiration for your garden design? Would you like to see or visualise the design of your garden so that you can have a better idea of how your garden will look like, even before starting any of your garden landscaping work? Most garden planners can help you to do this by using some advanced garden planning tools. 

A garden planner can help you to plan and design the garden layout and content of your front or back garden, this is a great way to stay organised and get control of your landscaping project. A professional garden planner will assist you with everything you need, from calculating the size available, designing the shapes, adding walls and boundaries like fences, bushes, a water feature all the way to an outdoor garden building within your back garden. So, let’s explore the benefits of using a professional garden planner. 

 

Why use a Garden Planner?

Garden planning should never be underestimated, especially because gardens take various forms. Using a garden planner that can readily generate different garden designs is a key driver in the eventual outcome of a well-planned garden. These are some benefits of using garden planners:

Collaboration 

It is easy to get carried away when looking to design your garden by yourself, and especially if you have no prior knowledge as to how. You may have a garden idea in mind and not know how to actualise it. Two heads are always better, so by employing the services of a planner, you can bounce ideas off of each other, giving you the advantage of collaborating with someone that knows what they’re doing and can help you unravel your dream garden.

Foresight 

As with many things in life, foresight enables you to get a clear picture of what it is you’re trying to do and the outcome you want to achieve. Garden planners provide a vivid picture of the final look and aesthetics of a garden by equipping you with the most suitable sketches, planting plans, colour coordinations and shape concepts. If you’re looking to accessorise your garden with water features such as ponds, streams, bird-baths or fountains, using a garden designer will give you a heads up on placements that could serve to provide water for your garden and for birds, bees and butterflies while conserving water at the same time.

Direction

Garden planners direct the tone of your garden by providing the right plant lists for your garden. If an area of proposed garden space receives more sunlight than the rest, planning helps you figure out the best location for planting flowers and/or crops so that you don’t find yourself in a situation where vegetables that require lots of sunlight die because they were planted in shady areas. A planner also directs you on how to keep your plants and crops in good condition.

Functionality 

Good soil, sunlight, space, and water are some of the elements that make up the foundation of any successful garden ground. Meaning the outcome of a garden is dependent on the functionality of these elements. Garden planners will not only point out the need to use fertile soil that is moisture-retentive yet well-drained, but they’d also push for a central watering system that regularly water’s your garden and leaves you rest assured when you’re away and unable to water it daily.

 

Thank you for reading this blog post. If you have any gardening related queries, visit our contact page or call us on 07860 231 389.

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/the-benefits-of-using-a-garden-planner/

Benefits of a Tiered Garden Design

 

Garden design, when broken down to basics, is how you would like to arrange your plants, decking and all other garden ornaments within your garden. When landscapes are tiered, patterns and designs are achieved where the outcome often reflects the gardener’s organisational design and pattern dexterity. The benefits of tiered garden designs are not only limited to beauty as presented through art and design, but also have scientific benefits to humans, insects and soil.

Attracting Visitors

 

Naturally, beauty exposes itself, and the first thing to strike the mind when you approach a well-manicured landscape is the mixture of floral displays that captures various flowery shades set within the garden. This allows someone to stand a better chance at attracting visitors as the plant life incorporated within the landscape design offers refreshing air and beautiful views.

Tiered home gardening is more personalised than just mixing a bunch of flowers together. It allows room for someone to display their creativity and presentational skills in the form of garden design. With a wide range of patterns, styles and designs; creators can pull from a range of different sources to create the unique garden that they desire. 

Other benefits of tiered garden design are due to the amount of greenery implemented within the premises, allowing for the feeling of fresh air which creates a stress-free zone. The different scents from plants implemented can help anyone unwind.

Terraces

 

Some tiered garden designs take advantage of terraces in a step like display. With terraces built and flowers planted into the landscape, the effect of soil erosion is reduced tremendously. Besides increased plant coverage, whether flowers or vegetables are planted within a garden, the tiered garden design presents your creative vision in an interesting way. With regard to benefits to the soil, landscape gardening enhances soil quality by improving its structure.

For All Garden Sizes

 

A keen gardener set on transforming any space within a homestead into useful application looks no further than tiered gardening. 

Regardless of the size of the garden or topological challenge, landscape gardening can find a way in which to incorporate this style of landscape design. This argument stems from the fact that tiered gardening can be done in containers, in layered compartments or it may just take a special arrangement of stones in areas where plants cannot grow. Ideally, with landscaping, no piece of land within a homestead can be rendered useless.

All in all, tiered gardening is an existential culture that projects human creativity as it depicts beauty through landscaping. In the process, scientific benefits that border on soil structure, mind development as well as a refreshed environment stand to be reaped.

We hope that you find the information presented useful. If you would like to contact us about any of our services then feel free to use our online form.

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/benefits-of-a-tiered-garden-design/

Decking Boards | Everything you need to know

The outdoor space of every home acts as an extension of its interior. As such, it only makes sense that you build or update your deck to boost its value or even provide a peaceful retreat. However, decking can be an especially overwhelming job for homeowners. There are so many decking material options to choose from, all of which have their share of merits and demerits. With so many materials available, it can be difficult to know how to choose the best which decking boards can stand the test of time. It wasn’t so long ago that the only available decking material option was wood, that came in two or three different types. Well, today there is composite lumber, hardwood imports, plastic decking boards and other types of decking options available. 

Types of Decking Board Materials 

 1. Pressure-heated wood

This is one of the least expensive options in the market. The wood material is chemically treated to resist mould, insects, and rot. However, it tends to warp and crack over time, making it need a lot of ongoing maintenance.

2. Redwood

Redwood is a natural wood decking material. It is, however, a much rarer material. Thus, fetches a higher price, with the clear grades commanding more money. This is an expensive option as we all know that quality comes with a premium price tag.

3. Cedar

This material is available in both lightweight and strong options and can make for a beautiful deck. Being that wood also has naturally occurring oils help to make it resistant to insects and rot. But you still have to protect it from cracks and splinters using stain and sealer.

4. Composites

This is the fastest-growing decking material in the industry right now. They are made using wood fibres and recycled plastics. Thus, don’t splinter or warp and are impervious to rot and insects. They are also virtually maintenance-free and look and feel like actual wood.

5. Tropical hardwood

Most hardwoods are a luxury choice and can last up to 50 years or more. Ipe is one such hardwood, it can be stained with the UV filtered stains to protect the hardwood decking as well as transform the look of the decking to your choice. But you can also use oil-based penetrating sealers that are formulated specifically for tropical decking boards. They are also quite pricey.

6. Aluminum

This is a strong, weather-resistant material that’s also rust, rot, and insect-proof. It’s also very lightweight and comes in many colours. Its finish is thick with a slip-resistant coating added to it, which makes it maintenance-free. All these features are what makes aluminum decking boards fetch such high prices. 

 

 

Factors to Consider When Buying Decking Boards

Your home’s design

Of course, you want to have a deck that compliments your entire home. As such, it is crucial to look at the different designs, colour, and finishing of each material before settling on the best option. The design of the railing is also just as important as most manufacturers use different railings like mansion or provincial styles on their materials.

Weigh costs

By now, you know that different decking board materials have different price tags. However, when considering the pricing, be sure to factor in the costs of railings, supporting structure, and stairs. Even the planks underfoot are a necessary consideration. If you opt to hire a professional for the job, then ensure to note the cost of labour as well. It’s not cheap to build or repair decking board materials.

Deck-wise features

Here, you want to look into the decking board features like:

• Resistance to sun and spill.
• Stiffness and rigidity. 
• Design options.

Not paying attention to these features can leave you buying the wrong decking boards for your garden decor. And with the prices that these materials fetch, it’s only right that you make this a one-time-purchase. 

 

Conclusion

This article aims to provide you with as much information about different decking materials and options. With it, plus the considerations mentioned below, you should have a better idea of what you want and be more informed to make a buy decision. 

Here at Kite Landscapes, we offer a wide range of garden services in local Bracknell and surrounding areas, this includes garden design such as decking design, garden landscaping, as well as all maintenance work around your garden. If you need help with choosing the right decking materials for your outdoor project, please get in touch on 01344 886 331 or 07860 231 389, we are always happy to help.

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/decking-boards-you-need-to-know/

5 Creative Small Garden Ideas to Maximise Space

If you have a small garden area, but you desperately want it to not only look great but also have some style, you might have to get creative. Maximising space is one thing you seriously have to consider. There are lots of ways to use small garden designs to maximise space and to take your small garden landscaping to the next level. Here are 6 creative, small garden ideas that will get you thinking:

1. Wall Flower Display Made from Old Pallets

If you or a friend have any old wooden pallets lying about that you were going to throw away, don’t bother, because they can be turned into a wall-mounted flower display. You can break down the wooden panels from the pallets, paint them, and turn them into a shelf like vertical flower display that takes up only a small space and is ideal for placing flowers and plants.

 

2. Coffee, Food Cans and Jars as Plant Holders

If you are a big coffee drinker or have any old metal food cans or glass jars that might have been used for jam, they can easily be turned into cool little plant pots. They look great, and it’s an ecologically sound way to recycle used items, as opposed to throwing them away and impacting planet earth.

 

3. Hanging Gardens Made from Old Tires

This is an interesting way to spruce up your garden landscaping and cut down on garden maintenance. Have 3 old tires hanging beneath each other, hold together using a rope, and fill with plants to create an amazing hanging basket effect. If you are seeking low maintenance garden design ideas, this is a really creative one.

 

4. Vertical Gardens with Stacked Crates

If you have any old wooden crates that you do not use any more, you can stack them at angles and fill them with plants to create a vertical garden. This is a great way to make the most of the space with your small garden designs.

 

5. Making the Most of Garden Corners

One way to make the most of the limited garden space is to ensure you decorate the corners of your garden areas. These are the ideal points to create a collage of colourful flowers that give the garden more depth and character.

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Just because your garden area is small, it doesn’t mean you cannot make the most of your existing space. Small garden designs that use unique and creative ideas to do something different are very rewarding. You can use old items that you have laying around to create furnishings and displays that take your garden’s aesthetics to the next level. Get creative, have some fun, and maximise the space in your garden to create something exciting.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post and discovered more creative ideas for small gardens. If you have any enquiries or wish to contact us, visit our contact page or call us on 01344 886 331.

source http://www.kitelandscapes.co.uk/5-creative-small-garden-ideas-to-maximise-space/