Garden Designs, Inspiration & Practical Gardening Ideas

Today's thought for the Moment comes from the inspirational site of Steve Brunkhorst.

His ideas and motivational tips about the way we live our lives and enjoy life are always a welcome and thought- provoking message in his weekly e-zine.

I've just read the thought of the day and been inspired. Why not try it now?

Thought for the Moment

Struggling to find inspiration in your life? Need to clearly see a way forward? We strongly suggest that you spend just a few moments of your time to view "The Secret".

This may be just what you are searching for and it costs nothing to look.

Pictures and creative notes of Landscaping Design Ideas, scenes and features for inspiration to learn from both nature and other peoples creativity.

Taming a natural spring in a hillside beside a road and small housing development in Nailsworth, Glos.

Detail of a small section of herb garden using a crushed green granite stone called locally, "Green Griggon" set between two rows of Marshalls' "Tegula" square brindle sets and surrounded with crushed plum colour slate. All of this was laid on weedscreen membrane over bare soil. Some plants like our garlic chives and oregano, manage to root through but generally do not really get a good foothold.

This simple sleeper set on its narrow edge makes an easy raised bed from the brick path. Use treated timber stakes driven down into the ground about 450mm (18") at the back to hold the sleeper in place by screwing or nailing through into the back of the sleepers. We sometimes drill down through sleepers and insert steel rods down into concrete footings if we are going up any higher. You can also use steel RSJ's or channel sections about 150mm(6") set into concrete to build higher retaining structures.

We discovered this fascinating futuristic garden design (right) in someone else's show garden at Westonbirt Arboretum (The Forestry Commission's favourite National Tree Collection in the South West of England). The variety of transparent colours and reflections that were created by these huge special glass panels with wonderful planting intrigued us all and we felt that you would find it exciting too. It is an inspiring, modern use of toughened glass with colour laminated ideas for gardens and landscapes. On the left reflective glass gives different colours and impressions on the colourful planting surrounding the panels. On the right glass panels depict different tree species and their trunk colour and textural content. These were part of the Westonbirt Arboretum Summer garden displays and are by other designers.

Could you use these in your garden to create the impression of walking in a woodland glade? Screen part of your garden to create a secluded retreat? Used in conjunction with stainless steel and decorative aggregates and strong structural plants they would be really impressive!

How about creating a smaller scale maze. You could use box plants in the form of a small parterre with white or coloured gravel and planting in pockets between the paths.

This ornamental maze is constructed using yew hedging and only needs clipping once or twice a year. It's at Longleat House in Wiltshire.

To get the best information about current ideas and thinking of useful projects to use in your garden an inexpensive subscription to an information packed magazine such as "Practical Gardening" or "Garden News" is a must.

For more in-depth research and to increase your personal education and knowledge about your chosen specialist garden subject, style or design feature buy a reasonably priced book from our on-line associate store by following this link.

I've just added two great books to my collection, about using grasses in you garden landscape mixed with various perennial plants. One is a Dorling Kindersley book by the Royal Horticultural Society under the "RHS Practicals Range" ISBN No. 0-7513-3721- 8

The other is called "Grasses" - Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design, by Nancy J. Ondra ISBN No. 1-870673-42-5