St Mary's hospital garden officially open.

The newest garden at St Mary's Hospital officially opened on the 1st May 2009. The ribbon was cut and a speech given by Sheila Paul, chief operating officer. (See county press May 8 2009).
The garden can be discovered between the maternity unit, endoscopy unit, chemotherapy unit and the Mottistone suite, at St Marys Hospital, Newport, Isle of Wight.
Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens designed and constructed the hard and soft landscaping including the choice and installation of the plants; having won the tender for the project last year. The garden was designed with sustainability in mind. The timber used for the main uprights is European FSC hardwood; for the pergola local conifer and Oak, and for the deck a recycled hardwood and plastic composite. The bricks are Island reclaimed. The path surface is made from a resin bonded stone. The soil was enriched with manure, organic feed and mychorhizal fungi. After planting the ground was mulched in local wood chip and local shingle. Wildlife habitats were made by Haylands farm from local timber offcuts.
Beautiful glass sculptures have been created and installed by Martin Evans, and furniture has been skillfully created by Paul Sivell using chainsaws.
Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens will now maintain the garden fortnightly using natural and organic horticultural practise.

Our latest landscaping project

Our garden design and installation for the Chemotherapy department, St Mary's Hospital, Newport, IOW. Nearing completion, you are welcome to visit the garden which can be found between the Endoscopy and Maternity departments.

We've been busy moving:

Craig Antony Ratcliff | Gardens

15 Winton Street, Ryde
Isle of Wight,PO33 2BX

Office: 01983 613907 Mobile: 07940 598145
Web: www. cargardens.co.uk E-mail: acorns@cargardens.co.uk

Warrens' favourite plant right now

The Japanese Anemone.

This lovely plant is a real spirit lifter during all this rubbish weather.

It bears its flowers on long stems that nod in the wind, from mid to late summer. Its easy to grow, spreads nicely, enjoys most positions and will even be happy in clay, and damp shady spots.

A great performer.

Our latest landscaping project

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2008

Sam's new favourite plant!

Acer Palmatum dissectum

Plants and Planting

We love plants! They are after all what brings a garden to life.

Whatever your style, care requirements and budget Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens can suggest suitable plants. We carefully assess your garden's aspect and soil conditions (which vary widely on the island) and can prepare professional planting plans to complement your existing space or a new design. If you already have good specimens we can advise on transplanting them.

We source the highest quality plants from a selection of our favourite growers on the island and from overseas and install them following the best organic principles. We endeavour to provide organically grown seeds, bulbs and larger plants; and use organic feeds, stimulants, peat free composts and local farm yard manure during installations. We recommend suitable companion planting to help keep the new look healthy, and enjoy combining natives with exotics.

We are also becoming increasingly involved in 'growing your own' and are happy to help with fruit and vegetable planting, all with out the use of potentially harmful chemicals. The edibles in our care are truly organic.

Lawns are not forgotten either; we supply and lay local hard wearing turves or we can seed to your requirements including wild meadow mixes.

We also work with holiday parks and lets enhancing the visitors experience of the 'gardening isle' through exciting planting.

And of course all of our work can be complemented with aftercare through our excellent maintenance service.

These photographs display some of our favourite plants that we have installed and cared for. Please click on them to explore further.

Organic Garden Maintenance

Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens offers an island wide garden maintenance service that is honest, reliable and professional. We are proud to offer a personal and tailored service that will suit both you and your garden. We can be reactive, or schedule to visit your garden fortnightly, monthly or on a quarterly basis. After each regular scheduled visit a note is left by the gardener detailing the duties performed.

Garden management is a service that we are delighted to provide and we have a growing portfolio of great gardens that we care for through out the island. Our horticultural work is confident and professional ensuring that you can enjoy your garden both now and long into the future. If you feel we can be of help for your space please contact the office to arrange a free consultation in your garden.

Organics. Our business aims to be as organic and sustainable as possible. And this is particularly evident in our maintenance service. We do not use synthetic herbicides or pesticides, but instead look to using a more natural and traditional approach. We keep weeds down with regular weeding, heat treatments and mulches. We aim for a balanced approach towards pests, (such as aphids) encouraging predators (such as ladybirds) to visit and take up residence with suitable companion planting and by providing wildlife habitat areas. By utilising natural fertilisers (such as seaweed extracts) we can help keep your plants healthy and strong so that they are more likely to withstand any disease or pest attack.

Lawns. A healthy and balanced garden will also be more likely to with stand extremes of weather. Lawns for example are the first to show signs of drought stress and to combat this we include regular cutting, seasonal scarification, aeration and a twice yearly feed to the lawns in our care.

Fruit and vegetable. Within our maintenance schedules we can offer help with 'growing your own'. You may not have the time or indeed the energy to be a part of this growing trend but we can be on hand to help. Your garden can provide a healthy harvest and we can play a part in bringing this to your plate. And of course all the produce will be grown organically. Good for you, and good for your pocket too!

Green waste. This is of course an inevitable by product of gardening. We encourage the recycling of your gardens clippings and prunings by composting them. We offer bespoke compost bays and containers, and the regular management of these heaps is included in our maintenance schedules. And within 6- 12 months of this process starting we can return the lovely compost to your borders.

Wildlife. We encourage the regular provision of food (such as wild bird seeds), and water for the animals living in our gardens. We will always care for the wildlife in your outdoor space.

Tools. We have a good range of hand and petrol driven tools at our disposal, ensuring our services are efficient and competitive.

Examples. Some of our gardens are private, some are commercial, some are small and some are large; but by always responding to our customers’ wishes, the atmosphere and the potential of the space we can ensure to maintain and develop its beauty. These photographs are examples of some of the gardens that we manage. Please click on the images to explore further.

Apple blossom

The recent thunder storms have created some dramatic weather. I only wish I could capture it on camera! The change in light has a interesting effect on the garden, its plants and flowers.
Reducing the amount of blossom on fruit trees at this time of year will produce an even, healthy and abundant crop later in the year.

Garden Artworks

Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens has links with several artists producing unique pieces of art suitable for outdoor environments. If you would like to commission a piece for your garden, please feel free to discuss with us or with the artist directly.

Artists: we invite you to display your work on our web pages, so please contact us via e mail with some photos of your work if you think we may be able to help.

This is a contribution from a local artist, Steve Baxter, Riboleau Street, Ryde, IOW.

"The starting point for all of my sculptures is the place they will end up, whether it is garden, park, square or gallery.

There are many considerations for a sculpture beyond it’s image; balancing impact with harmony, instant interest with longevity or durability with purposeful fragility to name a few.

I have been lucky enough to gain commissions that have tickled my art-bone and challenged me through their brief. These have become creations in metal, stone, wood, wire, or whatever the place demanded.

Describing pieces only shows where words can fail and looking succeeds; the pictures that accompany this give you a glimpse. To help sculpture live you need to be right there with it."

Contact us!

We would love to hear from you!
If you wish to discuss your ideas about your outdoor space, you can contact Craig at:

Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens
4 Mitchells Road,
Ryde,
Isle of Wight, UK.
PO33 3JA

Mobile 07940 598145
Office 01983 613907

or email the office on
acorns@cargardens.co.uk

We operate island wide.

My favouite flowers in the garden right now

Lunaria, common name Honesty.

This beautiful plant and highly scented flower is attracting our attention (and the bees) in our garden at home. Jemma and I planted the seeds last May and kind of forgot about them until this year we have this amazing display. The dried seed heads later in the year resemble the moon, and look great in flower displays. A highly recommended, easy plant.

Links

If you enjoy browsing the web for gardening advice or ideas... here are some of our favourite and most visited web sites. We’ve also included some local Isle of Wight sites we like and a couple more general ‘life style’ sites. Its all very Green and Organic!
(All links open in a new window.)

National Garden Scheme

www.ngs.org.uk

If you enjoy having a nose around other people’s gardens then this is for you! Use this web site to find out which, where and when your local private gardens are open to the public. Money raised at the gate is donated to local charities. The team at CAR Gardens will be visiting a few NGS gardens this year.

'How To' gardening sites :

Garden Organic
www.gardenorganic.org.uk

CAR Gardens are professional and commercial members of Garden Organic. They are a registered charity dedicated to researching and promoting all things organic. We find their research vital for us to provide an organic garden service. A clear and easy web site to use, and if you become a member you can give them a call for advice.

Garden Organic Catalogue

www.organiccatalog.com

This is where we get lots of our organic seeds from. The site is good but makes more sense if you order the paper version too. The range of organic pest control is worth considering too. Join Garden Organic to receive 10% discount on orders.

Royal Horticultural Society
www.rhs.org.uk
Another gardening charity we just couldn’t be without. Their knowledge is just about as definitive as it gets. Nice web site with loads of helpful information, and useful plant finder. Become a member and you get the privilege of speaking to an adviser personally.

Plantlife International
www.plantlife.org.uk
When redesigning, landscaping and maintaining gardens it is all too easy to forget about the natural habitats of plants and the pressure we put on them. The Plantlife website helps remind us how precious our natural environment is. We are proud to support this charity, as after all it is flora that our business is built upon.

Wildlife interest in the garden:

Buglife
www.buglife.org.uk
Find out about the mini beasts in your garden in this fun site. Read on and it doesn’t take long to realise just how crucial our tiny neighbours are for a healthy ecosystem. This web site is reason enough not to use pesticides and herbicides in our gardens or farmland.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust
www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk
Learn about beautiful bees in this lovely site. There’s an interesting page about gardening for bees too.

Wildlife trust for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
www.hwt.org.uk
CAR Gardens became Wildlife Investors in 2008, the first business to join on the Isle of Wight. The Wildlife Trust is a UK wide organisation with 47 local trusts. They work together to protect wildlife in towns and the countryside. We have found their work inspiring to take action for our natural world. Their web sites are packed full of information including promoting gardening for wildlife.

Local Isle of Wight Interest:

Ventnor Botanic Gardens.
www.botanic.co.uk
Visit this site and you’ll soon need to visit The Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight. A young garden full of plants from around the world, thriving in the unique micro climate of Ventnor. There’s a nice nursery with plants on sale grown in a sustainable way.

The Lavender Farm, Newport.
www.lavender.co.uk
For all things Lavender, this is the place to visit.

Godshill Organic, Godshill.
www.godshillorganics.com
What ever we can’t grow at home we look to these people first for our organic produce. They aim to equal or better the prices of supermarkets, and they’ll deliver locally too. The shop has the best selection of all organic produce on the Island, and it is an enjoyable experience to visit them! Buying locally and seasonally is made possible with farms like this. Godshill Organics are proof that sustainable living is viable.

Lifestyle:

Centre for Alternative Technology
www.cat.org.uk
There is an alternative! Visit this site to learn how to green up life, your home, and your garden. They have a good on line shop too.

Recycle Now - Going Greener in the Garden
www.recyclenow.com
This site promotes recycling, with hints and tips to help keep our waste from landfill. Living and working on a small Island makes you realise just how important it is reduce, reuse and recycle. CAR Gardens take great pride in recycling our customers green waste into useable compost.

Friends of the Earth

www.foe.org.uk

If you want solutions to environmental problems then this site will be of interest to you. Climate change lobbyists. Their shop ‘the natural collection’ is well worth a browse; and if you get feed up with sending greeting cards, you could try their E cards.

Rapanui Clothing- Organic and sustainable clothing

www.rapanuiclothing.com

A brilliant site by a local Island company promoting sustainable living. Their clothing range is pretty good too! Organic, fair wear and sustainable. CAR Gardens have bought our team Ts and Hoodies from their range. Organic fabrics really do feel different! Check out their bamboo fabric for ultimate comfort. So nice though, you may not want to wear them for gardening!

Who are we?

Craig Antony Ratcliff Gardens is a landscape gardening company, based on the Isle of Wight, UK.

Craig Ratcliff is the owner, and he employs a small team to assist in designing, constructing and maintaining private, public and commercial outdoor spaces. With our busy environment we endeavor to supply work to local artists, trades and craftspeople. We also offer work experience opportunities to students of the island college.

Craig's qualifications: His horticultural, design and construction skills have been gained with excellent training at ‘London Gardens’ and ‘Clifton Nurseries’; and of course many years of hard work! Craig's academic years rewarded him with a BA Honours in 3D design.

A little bit of history: After gaining 8 years experience with gardens and customers across London, Jemma and Craig relocated their family and business to Ryde in 2006. They wanted to live near to the coast and enjoy a more rural environment. The move to the ‘gardening Isle’ has been great for the family and the business.

Craig's business aim: to be outstanding in the design, construction and development of the Island’s private gardens, public and commercial spaces, and to enrich the ecology of the Island.

We are proud to offer a personal and tailored service island wide, that will suit both you and your space.

Art in the garden

Since my school days sculpture has been close to my heart. I studied ceramics to degree level, and gained a strong sense for form and function. This training is applied to my gardens, and has forged a desire to incorporate interesting art in the garden.

I welcome artists to display their work on my web pages, and this is our first contribution from local Ryde artist, Steve Baxter.


Head for a garden: Welded steel rod, aluminum net, resin and oil colour. 2m x 1.4m.

Steve writes:

"I wanted to produce a large sculpture for ‘Cassie's garden’ as the site I was allotted had room for something fairly substantial. However the brief was for a temporary work which was structurally sound but light in weight.

On the day we first viewed the garden the early evening summer sun lit up all the plants. I wanted that light to

influence the look of my sculpture, altering its appearance hour by hour.

The garden also has a sense of calm and order created by experience and sensitivity. The gardener selects plants to live together; assembling it’s many parts into a whole. I wanted to reflect this through a network of plant images joined together to form a single calm image. The reflection in the pond was an added bonus".

STEVE BAXTER, RIBOLEAU STREET, RYDE. ISLE OF WIGHT

Testimonials from our Happy Customers!

Thank you to all our customers who have taken the time to think about and send us these comments:

Sanjay Randany at Waxham House Residential Home, Ryde wrote:

Thank you for the lovely work you & your colleagues have undertaken for us. The residents are extremely happy with the new look garden.

Lynne Carr, Seaview wrote:

It has been a pleasure and a huge relief to have CAR Gardens looking after the garden, we have our own idiosyncratic view of what is important to us, and in CAR Gardens we found people who are totally in tune with our objectives. I have been able to relax in the knowledge that the garden is well maintained in the organic ethos, with precious plants acknowledged and cared for.

Kathleen Harrison, Shanklin said:

“I absolutely love my garden. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

Linda Procter, Totland wrote:

Thank you to you and Warren for all your hard work, I am so pleased with the results.

Craig transformed a badly-planned part of our back garden into a wonderful sitting-out area, which will be much used. He and Warren worked in atrocious weather to complete the project using locally produced products and craftsmen, creating a patio in sympathy with our house. We enjoyed their company and look forward to working with Craig again.

Debbie Hansford, Carisbroke Meadows wrote:

Thank you, Thank you. You have transformed my ‘bog’ to a beautiful peaceful relaxing garden, exactly what I dreamed but didn’t think possible. Both yourself and Warren work extremely hard in all weathers, you’re reliable, absolutely the right guys for this project. I look forward to your continuing support/ advice over the coming years.

Margaret Tree, Freshwater wrote:

I am delighted with the decking area you created in my small patio garden. The use of logs for the handrail and supports has given a rustic feeling in keeping with my 17th Century cottage.

Pauline and Tony Bristow, Shorewell wrote:

We are very pleased with the way you cleared and planted a very difficult part of our garden. Thank you sincerely.

Nina Watkins, Freshwater wrote:

I have the greatest pleasure in recommending Craig, whose expertise in the creation and maintenance of lovely gardens is outstanding. In addition, he is a conservationist who works closely with nature and since coming to the island (lucky us!) he has taken a keen and active interest in our ecology and wildlife. He is a charming, hardworking and very intelligent young man, reliable and sensitive to the needs of clients, and it is always a pleasure to have him around.

Roger and Louise Bristow, Totland wrote;

Craig and Warren arrived in January (2008) to replace our ageing pergola and arch. They took the utmost care with the existing roses and honeysuckles and despite atrocious weather worked non stop. They showed sensitivity and understanding of the horticultural requirements, repositioning the arch to provide a better vista. We would have no hesitation in recommending them for garden design, in fact our neighbours are already looking forward to having them plan and build a decking area for their garden.

Paula Williams, Horringford wrote;

My garden has been resurrected over the last 18 months by Craig and Warren, the All-weather team. They have remained professional and efficient whilst retaining a good sense of humour. We have already recommended them too many colleagues and friends.

Supporting the Wildlife Trusts

CAR Gardens have an ambition to succeed as a business whilst reducing its impact on the natural environment. After all, the natural environment is fundamental to the sustainability of a gardening business! So to be part of the solution of a changing planet we have promised to donate 2.5% of our annual net profits to environment based charities. This year our largest donation will be with the Wildlife trusts.

This was a Press Release by the HWT partially taken up by the County Press on Friday 4th April 2008.

Giving Wildlife a Helping Hand

"The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is inviting local businesses on the Island to support its work in the conservation of local wildlife and habitats by joining the Trust as a ‘Wildlife Investor’.

The first Island business to become a Wildlife Investor is CAR Gardens, an ethical and organic based landscape and garden maintenance business, based in Ryde.

Craig Ratcliff, the proprietor, and his staff, are passionate about their work and see membership of the Wildlife Trust as a significant benefit.

He says, “I’m delighted to be able to support the Wildlife Trust as a Wildlife Investor. CAR Gardens will always seek to enrich our customers’ environment through both good design and responsible horticulture. We believe that having a beautiful garden must go hand in hand with caring for our environment for us and our future generations.”

It’s this philosophy that fits so well with the aims of the Wildlife Trust. Gardening for Wildlife is a big activity supported by the Trust, and Craig comments,” Designing an area of your garden to include plants and habitats that will attract beneficial insects, birds and small mammals can be very rewarding; and it doesn't have to look scruffy!

The range and combinations of plants in today’s gardens can provide a real haven for our native wildlife."

Trudy Gough, Fund raising Officer at the Wildlife Trust added,”We are delighted to have Craig and CAR Gardens as our first Wildlife Investor on the Island. Becoming a Wildlife Investor is an effective way in which you can demonstrate to your staff, customers, suppliers and the public that your company is taking a real interest in local wildlife and the environment. In return we hope that we can help you and your staff to enjoy, and more fully understand the region’s varied habitats and wildlife.”

Debbie Tann, Acting Chief Executive of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said, “The membership scheme is open to organisations of all sizes. As a charity dedicated to wildlife conservation and environmental education, your membership, costing from just £150, is vital in supporting the Wildlife Trust. We would love to hear from you.”

For more information and to see the range of benefits available to you, please call Trudy Gough on 01489 774400, email her on trudyg@hwt.org.uk or visit our website at www.hwt.org.uk"

Warrens' favourite plant so far!

In response to 'The meet the team' blog a couple of weeks ago, Warren has reconsidered his position on "favourite plant right now" and asked me to post the following:

Allium var 'Hair'

Looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss storybook! Whimsical blooms have reddish purple hearts and protruding hair-like greenish yellow flowers-sure to draw attention when planted with more sedate alliums, lilies or iris. Perfect for a "please touch" children's garden...or anywhere that the wild things are!

Warren used these plants to great effect in our planting plan in Carisbroke Meadows last year.

Bird, bat and bug boxes for your garden.

Looking after gardens organically means working with and harnessing the forces of nature.

And so with this in mind we are using wildlife habitats in each new design and offering our regular maintenance customers these bat, bird and bug boxes.

Birds, bats and bugs such as lady birds and lacewings will feed on pests found in the garden, and are a vital link in a healthy ecosystem, and a healthy garden. And so by offering shelter in your garden, you will in turn bring a natural pest control.

The students at Haylands farm are making these boxes from sustainable IOW timber, and leaving them untreated to benefit their wild inhabitants. Haylands farm is a local charity that assists young people with learning difficulties.

This project is proving very positive for all involved, and not only the wildlife! We and the farm are selling the boxes for £7.50, and each purchase will help the farm step closer to being financially sustainable.

www.haylandsfarm.demon.co.uk

Our latest landscaping project

The owner of Waxham House Residential Care Home in Ryde approached CAR Gardens with an interesting brief.


The garden was almost entirely laid to lawn and concrete, with a loved but dominant fish pond. Our customer really wanted the garden to be a place of interest, vitality and movement. Crucial in our considerations had to be the residents of the home and how we could make their garden a place to sit, relax and have time with their visitors. And when the weather was poor it should be of interest to view from the windows.

With a limited budget we set to designing a new brick outline, and to concentrate on providing more space to sit, and plant generous borders with shrubs, herbaceous, scented climbers, ground covers and a flowering cherry tree with edible fruit.

The pond, and statues were repositioned and the old concrete had a good clean up. As part of our commitment to gardening organically we utilised various methods for strong and healthy plants the natural way, such as feeding the soil, incorporating manure, applying mycorrhizal fungi to the roots of young stock, mulching the surface and installing various wildlife habitats. The wild birds were tempted in with more feed stations, and a clean water supply.

Since completing the works our customer gave us this feedback:

"Thank you for the lovely work you & your colleagues have undertaken for us. The residents are extremely happy with the new look garden".

We trust the new garden will bring enjoyment for many people for many years to come.

Meet the team: Craig, Warren and Sam

Craig. Owner of CAR Gardens.

I have been gardening since as long as I can remember. As a child I grew vegetables at home, and dug a hole to Australia in the back garden! I graduated from Bath with a BA Hons in 3D design, and after a few years paying my student debts of as a postman I found my path in professional horticulture. After training with London Gardens and Clifton Nurseries in London for 5 years I started my own business in 2004, and relocated to the Island in 2006.

My favourite plants right now are: Helebores



Warren. Gardener, Designer and training Landscaper.

Warren was my first member of staff since being on Island. He completed his horticultural training at the Island college in 2006 with a double distinction! He has been working along side me for over a year now. Warren is always looking for inspiration, and loves to relax at home after a successful days work. He is also a successful sailor.
His favourite plant right now is Daphne.



Sam. New recruit.

Sam has just started working with us and has quickly proved himself as a great asset to the team. He has recently left sixth form with 6 A levels under his hat! Sam is now embarking on an evening wood working course at the Island college. He is bright and practical, and is enjoying the outdoor work. He has an interest in the sustainable building industry.
Sam enjoys sports, going to the gym and learning new things.
Sam's favourite plant right now is Berberis.

For Sale - Nest Boxes

Valentines day sees the launch of National Nest Box Week. Sometimes it feels like each day of the year is allocated to some cause, but we are of course happy to advertise this annual event.

Tradition has it that the 14th February is when wild British birds start pairing up before preparing for their nests and offspring. Although, in my garden I have already witnessed some eager early starters!

The nesting season runs from March till September with some birds having more than one brood. Professionally we advise and are keen to stop all hedge cutting by this date and commence again in the autumn.

Nest sites may be difficult to find in our neat and tidy gardens. Understandably not many of us will tolerate decaying trees in our gardens, and so the answer may well be to introduce artificial habitats for the wildlife to shelter in.

CAR Gardens are selling these boxes for £7.50. We can also offer advice and locate them successfully for you.

And why should we help the wildlife? Well if you enjoy the buzz of nature in the garden you will already have a reason, but there is also a much more practical reason that we advocate for a healthy and well balanced garden.
Wild birds are constantly after food. This will comprise of insects including aphids, midges and ground level bugs such as slugs, snails and ants. In an organic garden this natural pest control is vital for success.

So as part of CAR Gardens commitment to organic gardening and environmentally friendly landscaping we are incorporating wildlife habitats into our garden designs.
We would also love to see each of our regular maintenance projects to home these habitats, and so we have asked Haylands Farm - a local MENCAP project- to start making bird, bat and bug boxes for us. The timber used is Island wood and untreated (so as not to harm any occupants with fumes and leaching of chemicals). A generous percentage of any profits from these sales goes directly to the sustainability of the farm.

These bird boxes have been designed so that the lids are easily removed for annual cleaning and the front panel unscrews to give the option of a open nest box, depending upon which birds you would like to attract.

Grow Your Own

Saturday was spent with the vegetables!
Managing to grab an hour in the garden with my young son was, as always a great pleasure. He's only two and a half but together we managed to sow some beetroot, turnips and radish seeds.
A trip to the bottom of the garden has become a weekly focus; feeding the wild birds and the worms in the composting wormery.
The evening meal was helped along with the harvesting and cooking of some Celeriac and Leeks: very tasty!

And then the day was finished off with viewing a film called 'Grow Your Own'. A lovely British film about an allotment, growth and the relationships forged whilst gardening. Look at the website for more information, www.growyourownthemovie.co.uk.

Simple pleasures for a simple gardener!

Our latest landscaping project completes

Since October 2007 we have been busy landscaping in Totland. Our new customers have the good of their garden wildlife very much in mind, which gave us an added interest in the project.
Firstly, a run of 12 mature Leylandii trees were felled and uprooted, revealing a magnificent view to the Downs. In their place a native hedgerow is planned. The largest timbers were reused in the garden to create two wood stacks, which will offer habitats for various sized organisms.
The greenhouse was painstakingly moved up the garden to a more user friendly area, and we look forward to hearing about what is grown in it later! Its reposition opened up an area next to the house ideal for a quiet terrace. Slabs were chosen in keeping with the house , a retaining wall and steps constructed and an all important shingle drainage area incorporated to catch the rainfall run off.
Shelter from the strong south westerly winds and summer sun was created with a creative Hazel weave fence and bespoke Cedar pergola. Erik Phipps wove his magic here for us again, responding to the challenge of the slope and incorporating the Pittosporum shrub within the weave. An insect habitat and bird box were added to the scene to help tempt more wildlife to stay in the garden.
All this with the existing pond, hedgerow, long grass and planned vegetable beds should really achieve a healthy, balanced place to be, work and above all relax in.

Order your seeds

If you are finding these wet and dank days of late winter a frustration to your desire to garden, then perhaps flicking through the books, magazines and catalogues will help in planning what you can do when the weather improves. If like me you have very little time to amuse yourself in this manner then I would recommend diving straight into the one stop Organic mail order and on line shop run by Chase Organics and Garden Organic.

It has something for everyone, loads of seeds for flowers and vegetables, lots organically sourced, and a huge array of gardening tools, books, fertilisers, and all things organic for the garden.

You can do it all on line, but I enjoy the quick browse of their catalogue and let my planning mind wander.... what veg. are we going to be eating this year?...

www.organiccatalogue.com

Rose Arch and Pergola

A smaller but great project for us this January. Since moving to the Island we have been asked to create bespoke gardens and features, but on this occasion our customers asked us to replace an arch and pergola in their garden. The old versions had fallen away with age and the battering winds of the West Wight.

Our greatest success here was not only reinstating the features but also doing our best to restore and save the existing roses.

Each plant was removed, roots pruned, and a third of the older wood cut out. Once the new machined timber was installed, the roses were replanted incorporating some well rotted manure to the planting holes, and then mulched. The roses were tied back into the frame work.


In a month or so the soil will need a general purpose feed such as blood, fish and bone, and not allowed to dry out over the next two seasons whilst they re establish and send out new fresh growth.

It will not be long before this new pergola blends back into the garden, and the roses flowering freely again.

The use of arches and pergolas can add a sense of direction and intrigue to a garden space, here they tempt you on to the summer house and a well positioned bench. The striking flowers of the acacia tree and the scent of the roses and honeysuckles feed the senses as you are drawn through the walk ways.

Seasonal Sunflowers

In our own garden we have really enjoyed growing these giants. They were grown from organic seeds, called Russian Mammoths.

Sown directly last May in our flower bed that was planned to give us cut flowers and to attract pollinating and predatory insects. They were very successful (admittedly with little care), reaching between 12 - 15 foot, towering over the vegetable patch.

We have decided to leave them in the ground over the winter as you can see here silhouetted against the dank January sky.




As they finished flowering in October the pollinated plants put their energies into producing seeds, and have continued to provide hundreds of tasty (and organic) mouth fulls for the garden birds. It has been lovely to watch as the tits nip in and out for a peck. The tall stems are still strong enough to support perching rooks as they greedily look down on the bird table below. The pithy stems have also offered winter shelter for hibernating insects, which we welcome in our organically grown vegetable garden.

So roll on brighter, warmer days when we can admire these lovely flowers gravitating towards the sun!

And A Peaceful New Year.

Just to wish all our readers and customers a very peaceful New Year.

Do you have new year resolutions? I have already broken one of mine!

However, as a business we will continue to be resolute in 2008 towards becoming more sustainable and focusing on what is really important in life.

Obviously this varies from individual to individual, but if we can enjoy peace in what we do we will trust we are on the right course.

So how was your Christmas? Lovely we hope. Ours was a great family time, and having some time off from work allowed a little reflection for the coming year. We will keep you posted with our new ideas and projects, as they take shape.

Running an organic enterprise helps focus our attention on recycling, reducing and reusing, and with these principles in mind we ran a little analysis on our received Christmas cards.

Out of 100 cards only 3% were made from recycled paper. A further 5% had a claim to being environmentally aware and our favorite handmade cards totaled 9%. An encouraging 50% mentioned charitable donations.

Now I know we risk being called Bar Hum Bug, but we will be sending more E cards next Christmas, in an attempt to cut through some of this waste. We will contribute to charities with the saved pounds, and pass on the same message of goodwill.

Now that all the cards and decorations are down, there are plenty of places to recycle and support a renewable life with charities such as the woodland trust. Visit them at www.woodland-trust.org.uk/cards/

Merry Christmas!

Craig and Warren would like to say a big thank you to all our loyal customers who have helped support and grow this little enterprise, that is CAR Gardens.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Peaceful New Year.

We are looking forward to a bright 2008. Look out for lots of new ideas from us that will have sustainability and good will at its heart.

Enjoy your outdoors this festive season!

We want to plug this one!

In the world of horticulture a plug is a small container grown plant. They may well be distributed in trays and installing them is usually most effective done en mass.

This garden in Freshwater had been partially revamped earlier this year with an unusual decked seating area and board walk. The builders did a fine job creating such an intricate shape.











But to really make the area sing out the soft landscaping was undertaken by us, and whilst we were at it we installed some decking steps to lead the users on through and onto a lower level of garden.

The customers wanted to utilise the area with new grass and incorporate wild plants, and bulbs. So we set to planting over 300 plugs of native plants, from daisys and primroses for the lawn to foxgloves and sweet peas for the banks. The aim was not only to naturally contrast with the formality of the hard deck, but also to be naturally self sustaining. Each plant will attract a huge array of wildlife, once established, allowed to flower and seed or fruit. In time the area will literally buzz with life. And maintaining this area should be less labour intensive than a well manicured lawn, as it will be allowed to grow slightly longer, and will not need feeding, and be less thirsty.

Spring flowering bulbs such as Narcissus, Muscari, Frittilaria and Crocus will give the lawn and hedgerow a wonderful burst into life. The green specifications of this job include: untreated hard wood decking, local quarried gravel, local horse manure, local turf, English grown plants in a peat substitute, organically grown bulbs from Holland, and some of the green waste was recycled in the garden as a wood stack and to compost. We even found a use for the plastic plant trays.

The crowning glory to this area of the garden is a majestic Tillia tree. We know that the birds love to hop around the branches and so we tempted them down to eye level by installing a found bird feeder.


The view from the cottage windows really will be a picture!

A very friendly garden

Being respectful of our environment is paramount to the force behind CAR Gardens. Being friendly to wildlife in our designs, planting and construction are all important. But what is the reality of it all?

We were challenged recently by a customer who asked us to put a little order into her 'natural garden'. So we used reclaimed bricks. Good for recycling. We created a pond. Great for wildlife. We planted British native wild plants. Great for our environment. We refrained from pruning the Buddleja, so as not to disturb a wasps nest, (and we didn't feel like getting stung that day)!
We helped set up water butts to harvest rain water, and transplanted the existing plants. Organic waste was composted. Well done. We gave ourselves a pat on the back!

But what about the wildlife that we couldn't see? The micro organisms and smaller normally unseen insects? When we were stopped to think about it we realised we have a massive effect on the immediate environment with every step taken on the soil, with every stone upturned.

Our customers soil had not been disturbed for 40 years in places. That's a lot of lovely healthy leaf mould and natural decomposition. A 'white mushroomy smelling thing' was found in the soil. At first we were cautious, but on reflection it was most probably an extremely healthy mycorrhizae fungus that naturally occurs in active soils. (We have even bought it in at great expense on other poor soils to increase the fertility).

Plenty for us to reflect on here, as wildlife friendly gardeners!

Decking Out

A small court yard garden needed our attention recently. The property is part of a lovingly restored farm, and yet the combination of a contemporary design is softened and blended successfully by restoring the existing rustic timber.
Gardens not only have to look good but also have to combine with useful function.
Here the new deck area offers a level surface for seating and dining, whilst discreetly having a neat tool tidy and camouflaged washing line.

The steep gradient from the cottage to deck needed an additional hand rail, which was crafted from a matching local timber.

Planting, as always, will make a good design shine out. The first stage here includes ornamental grasses and a fern within the shingle, the deep purple of Heuchera combined with the Erigeron (that will happily self seed in between the timbers) and perennial Geraniums. The existing white climbing roses draw the eye and adds subtle scent.

In our endevour to keep sustainability in the heart of our business timber was sourced from local supplies where ever possible, the hard wood decking does not require any chemical treatments, the shingle is mined a few miles away and as much waste as was viable was recycled or reused. Other unwanted plants were safely transplanted to the adjacent gardens.
All in all a good job done!

A driveway with a difference

Since earlier this year we have been enjoying maintaining and improving the gardens of these converted farm
buildings in Freshwater, west wight.

Our customers commissioned us to design and implement the new borders of this gravel driveway.

Warren spent time researching a dry river bed brief, and carefully choose combinations of plants to not only look great but also perform functions.

72 box hedging plants were deployed to form a formal edge to the driveway and act as a visual guide to traffic. Gaps left in the hedge keep the design fresh and innovative.

A combination of appropriate plants, beach rocks, cobbles and pebbles has successfully linked the renovated buildings to the local area and shore. A change in aggregate size and colour emphasizes the route to the bedroom door.

The photographs here show a happy combination of plants, offering some privacy with the black stem Bamboo and Pennisetum with its bearded bristles; disguising necessary down pipes with Hebe watsons pink, Artemsia indoviciana with its aromatic silvery leaves, and Nepeta and Myosotis to scrawl across the stones.

In order to create a low maintenance project we spent time feeding and digging in moisture retentive local horse manure, covered the ground in a weed suppressing membrane, installing a leaky hose timed watering system, and mulched the area with pebbles.

'Blackle ' an energy saving idea!

www.blackle.com

We have made this our home page in the office at CAR Gardens. The idea is that a bright monitor screen uses more energy per pixel than darker ones. Seems to make sense.

It may be that the amount of energy saved is slight, but if we all dropped the usual white Google page it would amount to a lot more saved; wouldn't it?

And each time we need to do a search in black we will be reminded of the importance of little steps.

If you like the idea, why not spread the Blackle word.

IW County Press Autumn Gardening Guide

A big thank you to our generous and supportive customers, and to Sue Lupton at the IW County Press for this latest article, in the Islands newspaper gardening supplement.

We look forward to our future on the Isle of Wight, and to continue offering a great service for our new customers.

By clicking on 'Labels' you can view our previous related blogs.

Van tastic!

Here's our latest tool! CAR Gardens has invested in a second van, to assist in our pledge to offer a reliable Island wide service. All it needs are those infamous spiral graphs... watch this space!

We have also invested in a new range of smaller tools, horticultural products, treatments, lawn care, and even a flame gun for an environmentally friendly weed control. All purchases have been made to provide a stronger organic gardening service for our customers.

We are looking to expand our garden care and are now looking to recruit and train another great gardener. Drop us an email at acorns@cargardens.co.uk if you think you may be able to strengthen our team.

Purple Haze!

Apologies for the break in uploading our latest blog. It has been difficult to know when the best time is too reveal more details of this wonderful project.
On reflection I don't think there is.
Each month the ellipse bed gracefully grows, and indeed will soon fade in to the Autumn. I will post more photos to reveal how beautiful and useful herbaceous plants can be through out the seasons, even including as they die back.

Our customer here originally employed us to create a drought tolerant planting bed, within her tired lawn. Well this summer has been far from dry, but the plants has proved to withstand some other climate extremes.
Warren's planting plan, and re designing of the functional yet dull path has added a totally new dimension to the structure of the garden, and in turn has attracted a huge array of sheltering and visiting wildlife.
Planting lavender along the crazy paving has also enriched the sensation of smell as you brush past.
Focusing on pinks and purples has linked the garden with the existed Lavatera and Clematis montana rubens.
Structurally impressive grasses have been employed to move and rustle in the breeze, and in time a Olive tree will grow and arch above the bed.

The close up photos here are Echinacea, Verbena, Sea holly, and Aster.

CAR Gardens has the pleasure of maintaining the garden on a fortnightly basis, utilising only organic principles, ensuring that not only does the garden look great but is also naturally sustainable.

Carisbrooke Meadows Garden Project

These photos document our latest garden make over. All hard landscaping and planting have been installed by CAR Gardens.

Rustic sustainable Archways

CAR Gardens has installed these two archways to help separate a large garden, into areas with different uses. Beyond one arch there is the Orchard and children's play area, and through the other the utility shed and compost bays.

Despite only being recently installed, existing climbers were pruned and peeled back from the old frames and re tied in the their new supports. This has given the impression that they have been sitting comfortably in their surroundings for some time. The vigorous climber Clematis montana rubens has quickly established itself, and once again flowered profusely across one arch. Growing up through the other are lovely rambling roses, that will soon dominant the space, with colour and scent. Rosa rambling rector links the two together.


The timber used in construction is locally felled Western Red Cedar, that is left untreated, to weather naturally and so as to not leach any chemicals. We commissioned Erik Phipps once again to create the beautiful gate. It is equally sustainable, utilising locally coppiced hazel.






The purple haze flower beds in front of the arches were also created by CAR Gardens, but more of that later.......

Highgrove gardens

An Illustrated talk, by Prince Charles' head gardener David Howard.

The 25th of May was a busy day. Having enjoyed an inspiring morning at Chelsea flower show, I left the big smoke to return to the Island and enjoy an evening with David Howard. That is David plus 100 other avid listeners.

If you follow these blogs, you'll remember that David's last visit to the Island was marred by a lack of illustrations, albeit no fault of his own.

This time we had success, although there were was a rumbling in the stalls as the projector and slides needed final adjustments. David is clearly well experienced in these talks, and I suspect they may all follow a similar pattern, but never the less his insight and professional slides made for an interesting evening.




















Practicing an organic garden service professionally, I was particularly interested with any comments, and advice he may have within this realm. Planting native wildflowers, utilising grazing livestock, replacing mono cultures with diversity, using sustainable furniture, harvesting tannic acid from spent T-bags, allowing chickens to grub around for pests, recycling materials in structures, and the list goes on, all sit comfortably within this organic criteria.

And as all of this was of interest, sometimes educational, it was something else that graped my attention. His and (Charles') humour and pleasure.

It is sometimes easy to forget how we enjoy the garden, and David helped remind me that it is a pleasure, it can be humorous. It is all to easy to get caught up with the 'rights and wrongs' of how to be a good gardener, to the exclusion of our enjoyment.


And my favourite slide?.... well I love the stumpery with its native ferns, hostas and huge gunnera, but it was the combined sweet peas and runner beans archway that got me re thinking my vegetable plot at home!

Our first crops at home

Having lived for many years in poky flats with out any outdoor space, it goes without saying how enjoyable it has been for me, Jem and Louie to share in new gardening experiences that are our own, now that we have a lovely south facing garden.

Radish was recommended for an easy, quick first crop, and I agree. Having sown a few seeds a few weeks ago in our new raised beds, we are already the proud nibblers of peppery radish, rocket leaves, and nasturtium flowers.

And to add a gorgeous scent to the table we are picking on an almost daily basis sweet pea flowers. The description 'cut and come again', really is accurate.

We, as a family are looking forward to a summer of more delicious fresh home grown crops that look and smell wonderful too.

London under turf

Barefoot in the square

On my recent visit to the city I was pleasantly surprised to be able to feel the cool grass underfoot, whist admiring the sand blasted Nelsons' column.

Apparently it was laid as a celebration of London's village culture. Hmmm... well, I'm not sure about the credentials but I do know it did look and feel wonderful.

How about giving St Paul's cathedral a green roof, next time?

Chelsea Garden Show 2007

An inspiring trip?

I tried a slightly different approach to the show this year. Prior and during my visit I did not concern myself with the medals, reviews or the television coverage. With a uncluttered head, (albeit a little fuzzy from a beer or two the night before) I enjoyed a clear view of the show, at least until the crowds appeared! I have tried to control my snaps this year; here are some of my favourite gardens. You can click on the images to view them enlarged.

Planting combinations and colours were of particular interest, and any reference to growing your own definitely graped my attention! There were some lovely uses of trees, adding a further dimension to the small spaces.

Keeping with the current fashions, there was a noticeable increase in the use of the word 'sustainability'. All in all a good progressive show, which left me inspired and with a buzz that has sailed back with me to the Island.

I don't think one needs to get too tied up in the lust for originality, or in deed too conscious of horticultural 'rules'. The gardens that were most successful for me were also the most fun, and the most beautiful.













For more details about this years show you could click on the bbc web pages.

Green Motoring?

The Environmental Transport Association (ETA) provides a vechile break down service, whilst campaigning for a sustainable transport system. They aim to promote sensible and responsible motoring with a view to ''improving our world''.

The term 'Climate Change' is aquiring increasing authority, and concerns all. ETA believe in offsetting CO2 emmisions, and offer a 'Climate Neutral service'.

You can find out more at their web site: www.eta.co.uk.

Driving and relying on our Ford Transit Diesel van clearly has an effect on our environment. By joining the ETAs break down cover I am happy that I will receive a relaible service to keep us in business, whilst helping to fund ETAs campaigns and lobbying activities towards environmental transport.

Until there is a green version of the white van (!) we shall continue to research and operate a more responsible and sustainable business.

The National Garden scheme

The national garden scheme is a charity that helps raise funds through the opening of gardens in England and Wales.


The 'yellow book' and leaflets give details of these gardens and events.

You can look out for them in local garden centres or on line at www.ngs.org.uk.

This friendly website has a great post code function to search for gardens near to you.

We are looking forward to the 15 that are kindly opening their doors to the Island's public this summer, whilst raising money for local nursing and caring charities.

'The County Press' spring gardening supplement.

CAR Gardens latest project on the Island gains editorial in the local newspaper.

An un-illustrated Blog

An un-illustrated talk by Highgrove head gardener, David Howard

16th March, 2007

This was CAR Gardens' first, eagerly anticipated, opportunity to see what was going on behind the scenes at HRH.Prince Charles 'organic' country estate in Gloucestershire. It was also an ideal opportunity to introduce ourselves to the Island's Botanic Garden society.

Arriving at the Riverside centre, all the seats had been filled and anticipation filled the air...

However, after about 10 minutes it soon became clear that all was not well as an announcement was made. I'm paraphrasing but "wires were crossed", and the search was on for a working slide projector. It became clear that the 'illustrated talk' was soon to become just a 'talk.' The slides sat lonely and redundant at the back of the hall. I think at this point the relaxed psyche of the gardener shone through in the audience but perhaps most importantly by the manner in which Mr Howard calmly took to the stage 'unplugged' as they say on 'MTV'.

Without slides of Highgrove, Mr Howard gave an extended talk about his history and the pathways that eventually led him to, what was at the time considered by the press, the wacky world of Prince Charles' horticultural aspirations. Little did they know!

From this potted history (no pun intended) we could ascertain that perhaps the saviour of all organic principles could be traced back to two old ladies in Scotland who interviewed the young master Howard. They rolled their eyes when he explained he had no references with him but was his time working for the Queen reference enough?

The talk then got down to the details of Howard's organic methods, particularly dealing with organic material (OM). OM was separated into three compartments - Wood chip, leaf litter and compost. Wood chip is used as a good mulch and weed suppressant. Leaf litter eventually gets used as an excellent soil conditioner/ peat substitute whilst the compost broke down to be a feed for the plants. It is was interesting to note that the compost was bagged up and placed undercover so that rain would not leach all the valuable nutrients away.

What did impress me was the strict adherence to organic principles. Nothing was overlooked, from the hemp plant ties down to the pots made of feather ensuring everything would decompose into the earth.

At the end of the talk, in true Gardener's Question Time style the audience were invited to ask questions. This ranged between how to treat two problem soil types (heavy chalk and heavy clay) through to the problem of moving prized asparagus 10ft without reducing next years crop.

A particularly pertinent question, given the flack that Highgrove has had over it's first 25 years or so of inception, was whether the principles of permaculture were being used.

Mr Howard wryly replied that such plans were 'under wraps' at present and that it's only recently that 'organic' has been excepted as a worthwhile and perfectly rational venture.

On reflection, despite the disappointing omission (an illustrated talk), a charming and positive evening was had by all. Mutual methods were agreed upon and new ideas were learnt.

I'm proud to say that CAR Gardens' is soon to be a member of Ventnor Botanic Garden Friends' Society and we are looking forward to future events.

Warren Oldershaw ( A Woz Blog).

Planting a hedge

We have been busy planting 'whips' to form an informal hedge for a customer who has needed a natural barrier from the road.

Having installed a coppiced Hazel wattle fence, it seemed appropriate to use new Hazel plants in front. They will grow tall, and offer catkins and nuts as they mature. The local area is testament to these native plants growing well.

Field Maple has been planted in front of these, in a staggered row. They will be clipped as the plants mature to encourage a dense attractive hedge. The leaves will change colour through the seasons.

Although, we actively encourage the care of wildlife in the garden, we have needed to protect these young and delicious 'whips' from the local 'pesky wabbits'!

Hedgelaying

The Island's annual hedgelaying competition was held today at 'Blackwater Hollow'.

Having recently relocated from central London to the Isle of Wight; urban to rural, I was very interested to learn how the hedgerows are traditionally managed.

It aims to recreate the straggly plants into a neater, denser barrier. The stems are cut nearly completely through in places to allow them to be layered, without damaging them. This style is strengthened with vertical stakes and horizontal binders.
The management of our country's hedges is clearly very different from the clipping of formal boundaries found in some of our gardens, but they are both equally important for a safe haven for wildlife, and offer sheltered corridors to pass along.

I found the U.K. national hedgelaying web site www.hedgelaying.org.uk of further interest and highlights the importance of our hedgerows and rural skills.

Recycling leaves

Fallen leaves can be composted in with your normal heap, but are slow to decay. Large quantities can be recycled seperately to form leafmould.

Leafmould can be used anywhere in the garden, as a compost or mulch, at any time of the year.
A leafmould container simply stops the leaves from blowing away, and neatly stores them to slowly decompose. Here you can see we have constructed such a container using two layers of stock fencing wire to form a cylinder secured around three Cedar posts.

Not only is it practical, but is also an attractive addition to any composting station.

All timber in this photograph is locally felled and coppiced and is untreated in its natural state.

Grow your own at home!

Our first harvest of button cup mushrooms. Organically grown, and harvested in the kitchen what could be a nicer fresher way to make mushroom risotto?!
Even if you haven't the space outside for growing your own vegtables this method for growing mushrooms is quick, clean, easy and occupies very little space indoors.
Yum.

Wattle fencing on the Island

At CAR Gardens' current Landscaping project we are proudly working with local wooden sculptor, Erik Phipps.
Pictured here, he is using traditional wattle crafts to construct bespoke fencing.
Erik coppices local Hazel and either weaves on site, or constructs various sized panels. This fencing is not only naturally beautiful, but also a practical solution for the wind swept Island!
Erik skillfully cleaves some of the older stems with a billhook, and artistically weaves them in bands for decoration.
For further details please call Erik at 'Dragon Crafts' on 01983 872467, or at CAR Gardens on 01983 613907.
To view more examples of Erik's work please click here, to be directed to his portfolio.

Maintaining Gardens on the Isle of Wight

Recyling organic waste is paramount to sustainable organic gardening. It reduces the need for artificial fertilisers, and helps to create strong, more pest resistant plants. It also cuts down on environmental pollution that burning and dumping creates.

Creating seperate bays for different materials offers a neat and attractive way to manage garden waste, and offers shelter to the local wildlife.


Rather than sending rubbish away to the civic tips, we are actively encouraging our customers to compost their organic waste.

We are constructing these handsome and generous compost bays to hold the waste safely and neatly. With a litle effort the waste will in time break down to a compost which we will later return to their soils.

The bays are carefully constructed from locally felled Western Red Cedar, which does not need treating with chemicals, and thus have no leaching affect on the surrounding soils and composts. This helps to keep the micro organisms found within the heaps healthy and hard working.

If you would like advice and help with your organic waste mangement, please feel free to contact us.

Planning an ellipse planting bed

This latest design is in a lovely garden in Havenstreet. Fed up with the effects of such a hot and dry summer our customer approached us to redesign a section of her struggling lawn. Warren Oldershaw, the latest gardener to join our forces, has created this brilliant out line plan, elevation drawing and planting list.


The central ellipse planting bed is crucial to creating a sense of movement in the avaliable space. The planting list is thoughtfully considered and includes beautiful plant combinations, whilst being suitable for a hot and dry summer bed.











The thread of colours through the bed will pick up on the customers wishes for pinks, blues and silvers. The taller grasses and Verbena will add a sense of movement and sound in the breeze. Warren explains his interest in stimulating our senses in the garden a little further; "...the low lavender hedging will be brushed past as you walk along the path, releasing the aroma of these wonderful plants".

May be you have a difficult area in your garden that you need some inspiration with. Please feel free to contact us and a member of the team will be pleased to discuss your thoughts with you.

a wildlife friendly garden

This was our last main project for the hot summer of 2006. We were thrilled to be comissioned to create a garden that was great to look at and smell, to sit and relax in, to share with friends, to be straight forward to look after, and to be alive with the local wildlife.

Being situated in a conservation area we knew that fauna could not be far away, but we needed to encourage it to stop and take notice of what was on offer.

By intoducing fragrant flowers through out the seasons we were instantly on to a winner. With the plants still in their pots the air around the garden began to buzz.

With the soft landscaping on its way, various hard elements were used, but chosen carefully. The wattle hurdles are totally sustainable, do not need to be treated with harmful chemicals, and look great. The oak barrels are reclaimed, and the Sycamore tree that was felled during the works was reused in the garden to create a shelter for small mammals, amphipians, insects and micro organisms. A native silver birch was planted else where in the garden, to offer some vertical insect and bird habitats.
Water was introduced in a good looking cream metal water butt and matching watering can. It was positioned to catch the rain water from the shed. The open top of the butt attracted a frog in it's first day.

Low maintenance? We believe that gardens are to be relaxed in, so encourage the wild life in to help you take care of your precious piece of nature. It can look and smell beautiful, be tidy and cared for and still be wonderfully 'wild'.

We are featured in the Isle of Wight County Press!

Marion's Organic Garden

Marion was keen to have her garden brought back to life.

It has been created with the health of the environment in mind, as seen in these photos. (clicking on them to enlarge may help).Pesticides are avoided, and green waste recycled and reused to help enrich the soil.










The myriad of creatures that make up the natural world in her garden have been considered, with 2 compost heaps, a pond with a bog area, insect shelters, and bird feeders. Even energy has been cosidered with solar panel accent lighting.










The developing garden is succesful visually and practically, with raised vegetable beds for ease of working, and the fences assisting cordon trained apple and pear trees.










Organic gardens may be neat or wild, small or large, formal or relaxed,full of crops or ornamental; but they will all endeveour to be fit and healthy the natural way, with out resorting to synthetic materials.

We've moved!

We've upped sticks from Willesden Green to Ryde, on the fantastic 'gardening Isle' of Wight.

A huge thank goes out to all our London customers; it has been a priviledge to meet you and care for your precious gardens. Your generous references are totally appreciated.
We wish you all the best with your new gardeners.

We are busy settling in to our new environment, and we will be offering the same proffesional and reliable services to our new customers on the Isle of Wight as from September. We aim to continue our research into organic and natural gardening principles and implement them where ever viable.

Watch out for the latest ideas and projects from CAR Gardens in subsequent blogs. Our web pages at cargardens.co.uk have been revamped, thanks to Dunk, and we will be including new and (we hope) interesting pages soon!

A hot and dry flower bed

These new flower beds, created and planted by CAR Gardens have to work in a very hot and dry site. As an entrance to a property, and viewed by many neighbours it was important to look and smell great too!

The large grass was chosen for its abundant oat like seeds that nod in the breeze. The tobacco plant, has an intoxicating scent, attracting benefical insects at dusk, and filling the evening air with perfume. The deep red crocosmia is dazzling above the leaves, and is great for cuttings, and the english lavender will not only be fragrant when pushed past but can be cut and used for 'pot porri' indoors. It's spikes of fragrant purple flowers are really useful in a wildlife garden.

Buzzing for our attention

Gardening can have a real impact on our wildlife.


www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk has more information about the problems and the future of bumblebees, planting solutions to help attract these beneficial insects and some great photos.

CAR Gardens can advise on organic garden solutions that will have the minimum impact on our environment.

Shelter for the wildlife

Encourage wildlife into your garden and tempt them to stay with food, drink and shelter.
A small pile of logs and sticks will attract insects, frogs, toads and small mammals. Just stack the wood up in a shady area, let them begin to rot against the soil and leave undisturbed. Before long a natural habitat will emerge, offering homes for benefical creatures and enriching the boidiversity in your garden. What could be a better defense against slugs and snails?










Insect predators such as ladybirds and lacewings and their aphids are welcome residents to any garden. They will help to control pests naturally with out the need of resorting to harmful chemicals. By drilling into the wood stack, or by installing an insect home as shown here you will be offering a place to shelter over winter, at night and during poor weather.

A wildlife friendly garden will provide extra year round entertainment for all ages, and will assist with the broader efforts of nature conservation nation wide. For more information about your local wild life have a look at the wildlife trusts websites for your area.

Plant of the week

Dicentra 'spectalis', and 'alba'.
Commonly known as bleeding heart, this is an elegant perennial, flowering from late spring until early summer.

It thrives in damp shady positions, and works its magic to great effect in the woodland garden.

Enriching the soil with organic matter during planting and thereafter annually as a surface mulch will help to ensure a healthy specimen.

Click on these images to enlarge, revealing in more detail the heart shaped flowers along the arching stems, and deeply cut green leaves.

It's compost awareness week, 7th - 13th May.

You can make compost simply by making a heap of organic materials in your garden and letting it rot down.
By covering it you will speed the process up by keeping the heat in, and the rain out. And by using a container and a lid it will be easier to manage and neater too!
This photograph taken in Marion's organic garden shows 2 simple wooden boxes with liftable lids and sliding front panels. This allows for quick and succesful 'turning' of the decaying heap.
We found a medley of wildlife here, happily making the compost their own, and salvaged a good quantity of lovely dark and crumbly fertiliser at the bottom. Just right for a surface mulch around the flower beds!

For more information about why compost is good for our gardens, and for further advice you can visit www.recyclenow.com and click on 'in the garden'.

Arboricultural Services

Trees in our gardens also need attention and maintenance from time to time. We recommend employing fully insured and experienced arboriculturalists for consultations, reducing and shaping.

The decision to fell this Leyland Cypress was taken due to it's sheer size in relation to the domestic garden that it dominated. Leylandii grows extremely rapidly and should be kept in check with 2 - 3 clips a year.

Before any major tree work is carried out the local planning office should be consulted for advice on 'tree preservation orders'.

Bursting with new life

These beautiful blooms have been photographed this week on our garden maintenance round. A cold but sunny week.
You can see more details of what services we can offer at www.cargardens.co.uk

Thinking of the birds

for more information on helping the birds in your garden why not visit the rspb website

If you are worried about 'bird flu' then why not follow the links to discover more... and put your mind at ease.

Recycling rain water in the garden

Using a down pipe and diverter, rain water can be easily stored for future use.
Not only is rain water sustainable, it is softer on your plants than the tap.
This water butt is made of 70% recycled plastics.

For more ideas on how to conserve water and the current news on hose pipe bans contact your local supplier.
For London go to 'thames water'
For the South East and I.O.W go to 'southern water'

Or you could learn more from www.beatthedrought.com

Galvanised planters made to measure

Brighten up those grey days and dull corners with metallic containers and generous planting.


The Strawberry Tree here has been underplanted with Lily of the Valley, Tulips, and Daffodils.

Or do you need some space for vegtables and herbs?

Then why not use your pots as easy to manage raised beds?

recycling garden waste in action

Craig learns about composting on a large scale!

spring approaches

the droppy flowers of helleborus and snowdrop, naturalise well in damp shade.

here's whats been of interest to us recently...

www.simplyswitch.com

www.treeforall.org.uk

www.nhm.ac.uk

www.greenfuel.org.uk

www.greenchoices.org

now

Car gardens new web site is now on line

preparing for spring

Winter bedding,
Wisteria pruning,
Fruit tree reduction,
Rose clippings,
Dead heading,
and feeling the chill