Brighten up your garden this winter with a Skimmia Japonica!

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Skimmias are evergreen shrubs that are extremely valuable for their multi-season displays, especially in winter. They are a species originating from the Himalayas, China, Japan and South East Asia, flowering early over winter, so are a good plant to give colour and fragrance when there is little else.

Skimmia japonica is a small shrub that during the winter produces long lasting clusters of bright pillar box red berries, these are nestled amongst its dark evergreen leaves. Spring is celebrated by this hard working skimmia with deliciously fragrant white flowers as seen in the picture above.

Most skimmia varieties are either male or female, so you need to grow two different varieties, to ensure the females produce their bright red berries. There are some hermaphrodite, self-fertile varieties, so only 1 plant is needed for fruit to develop, although even these will produce more fruit if a male is grown close by. Skimmia japonica Rubella is a good choice for a male partner, as it is the most attractive, with lovely dark red flower buds in winter as seen in the picture below.

For the best display, plant skimmia in full sun or partial shade, in any soil, although a rich, moist, but well drained spot is best - plants may become chlorotic on very poor, dry soil. Add plenty of organic matter to the planting hole to give plants a boost. Plants need no real pruning, a simple, light trim after flowering will help keep plants in shape - skimmia almost thrive on neglect so are ideal plants for low maintenance gardeners! They also cope well with pollution making them good plants for city & courtyard gardens.

For best results plant them in flower borders and beds, patio containers, cottage & informal gardens, woodland gardens. This plant is perfect for lighting up a shady spot in your garden or at the front of a border. They are also a perfect ingredient in seasonal containers and make lovely Christmas pots by the front door.

Love Your Lawn This Winter

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Its that time of the year again when the weather starts to have a bigger impact in the garden with strong winds, heavier more persistent rain, cold frosty mornings and even the possibility of snow. One part of the garden that has a hard time through these winter months is your lawn.

Here are a few tips to help your lawn through the winter months and give it a kick start in preparation to the summer. I cannot promise a Wembley style pitch in your garden but you will have a stronger, healthier lawn because of it.

  • Raise the height of the cut as growth rate slows down
  • Apply an Autumn fertilizer to the lawn to keep it healthy
  • Apply a moss killer if needed
  • Reseed any areas that are worn or need topping up with topsoil
  • Keep the lawn clear of fallen leaves as a build up can cause problems like lack of airflow over the grass which can start rotting the grass and also allow diseases to ruin your lawn
  • Try to keep off the lawn as much as possible, especially after rain                                              

Good Luck!                                                      

Redhill, Surrey

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This project was completed back earlier this year. The house is situated on the top of a steep hill in a woodland area . This particular property had a long thin front garden which after negotiating the gradual slope up to the house, I found a decking area around the entrance to the house as well as at the entrance to the back garden from the conservatory.  Both needed removing due to being very slippery surfaces and rotting in parts making it dangerous for visitors.

The first job was to start by destroying the current decking at both the front and back of the property, this went really well with no splinters! Whilst doing this I found electric cables running across the areas I was working, these were identified and removed as required.

Once the deck was removed at the front of the property I was left with uneven ground which would need excavating to a depth of 100mm and a compacted scalping base installed. And once the deck was removed at the back of the house I found that there was a concrete hardstand all the way around to the front gate. I worked out my levels and as thought the concrete could be paved over. The metal drain cover that was situated on the corner of the conservatory was changed for a recessed cover which allows it to blend in with the other paving.

The paving used on this project was Marshall's Heritage York, as you can see in the pictures this was laid in a repeating pattern .The paving was laid on a full bed of a sand and cement mix this is done to get the slabs to the correct levels that are required and to make them secure . The pointing mix was made using a white cement and sand so to get a mix which was more in keeping with the colour of the paving . Paving was used all around the house as it provided safe, easy to maintain areas for access and pleasure when needed.

Merstham, Surrey

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Spent the last couple of weeks working on this project in Merstham, Surrey. This particular project was fairly straight forward with the only challenge coming from the unseasonably hot weather. The original garden was prone to flooding near the concrete hardstand near to the house as well as parts of the fence missing! My views on fixing this was to install a brand new fence all the way around as well as an enlarged patio area with reset levels and big enough for a table and chairs.

As you can see from the finished product above this garden has a small slope from back to front. The starting point was to install the new fence which has concrete gravel boards and posts which stop anything from rotting and more importantly extending the life of the fence.

Next part was to get started on the patio, which firstly included digging back the garden to extend the overall size. To combat the flooding problem a soak away was installed under the patio as well as it being built to fall away from the house into the gravel strip at the end. To provide access to the rest of the garden a set of sleeper steps where constructed to span the width of the patio and hide the height difference of the neighbors fence.

Finishing touches to the garden included installing a concrete base and erecting a 8ftx6ft shed which provides storage of garden furniture and tools. The lawn was left due to the owner wanting to add there own personal touches to the garden.