An Artificial Lawn

Artificial grass was, up until recently, mainly used on market stalls and sports pitches however lately there has been a lot of developments in this market and it was even seen at this years RHS Chelsea Flower Show in one of the main show gardens. So is it a gardeners faux pas or is it now acceptable to use artificial lawns in todays modern garden?

We recently designed a garden for a couple in Nottinghamshire who were unable to maintain a lawn due to health reasons. Whilst in the initial consultation the client asked "so Neil, what do you think to the idea of an artificial lawn?" My instant reaction was perhaps to skirt around the idea but after much deliberation we decided that in order to keep the garden as maintenance free as possible, whilst keeping an area of 'grass' for the grandchildren to play on, this would be the best way forward.

And so the research started.

I looked around for companies that specialised in these lawns and after a bit of time found a couple that seemed to offer the best value for money whilst keeping the lawn realistic. We had seen 'Lazy Lawn' at the 2009 Chelsea flower show and so they seemed to be the logical first point of contact, they offered a number of options at fairly good prices however in the end we decided to use a company called 'NoMow' who offered a full lawn kit including geotextile, turf, glue and pegs for less that £20 per sq metre.

The lawn arrived in a van and the turf looked like a roll of carpet and after a few jokes from the neighbours about saving the off cuts for their hallway we got to work.

After preparing the ground it took us around a day to install just under 60 sq metres and the process was fairly straight forward, the most important tip is definitely to get the ground as perfect and level as possible before hand and make sure there are a few of you to unroll the carpet/turf as its pretty heavy stuff.

The client was delighted with the end result and to be fair I was pretty impressed as looking from a few metres away you couldn't tell it was artificial. The only obvious sign that it isn't real turf is that its nearly impossible to get a lawn looking as healthly as this one did!

I'm still a fan of a real lawn and there are clearly far more ecological and aesthetic benefits from real grass however clearly in the right place an artificial lawn is a good option, its ideal for gardens with dogs where yellow patches blight the view, roof terraces or areas where real turf just isnt practical and small gardens with no where to store a lawnmower.

For more on this garden visit our website @ www.creativerootslandscaping.co.uk

Slippery Decking

We were recently asked to create a decked garden just outside Melton Mowbray, not an uncommon request however depending on the aspect this can often raise concerns for the future. Decking is one of those products that can look great if used in the right context however has been massively overdone in the past 10 years due to its lower cost and ease of installation; unlike paving it can often be considered a DIY product and gives instant impact and covers up all sorts of difficult sites.

However one of the biggest drawbacks of wooden decking is it can often be a bit of a slip hazard, especially if it doesnt get enough sun. I once went to a basement garden which had decking as its main flooring and rather than a pine or dark wood colour this was green (and I dont mean tanalised!). Water had clearly been sitting on the surface with no direct sunlight to dry it out and over a very short time the modern outdoor terrace had become a private ice rink.

Now there are many ways to try and avoid this happening, firstly I would only ever recommend decking used where it will get at least a few hours sun every day, clearly a north facing garden is asking for trouble. Most professional landscapers will recommend a slight slope as with most hard surfaces to encourage water run off however blocking the exit of the grooves with an end board often counteracts this so it is imperative to ensure the water not only runs off but has a way of leaving the deck at the end. Regular maintenance is always important and a quick pressure wash every spring removes most plant matter which may have accumulated over the winter. But even with all of these steps, when wet, decking can still cause a problem.

When we were asked to create this terrace the owner already had a bad experience with decking and although the garden was south facing she was keen for us to do everything we could to help avoid this in the future. After looking & asking around we decided a non-slip decking paint was probably the best solution. There werent many on the market, quite a few designed for boats and a lot of treatments to avoid surfaces from rotting but in the end the obvious option seemed to be Blackfriars Anti-slip decking paint which we bought for just under £30 for 2.5 ltrs and the tin advised this should cover up to 30 sq mtrs.

We put this on after giving the deck a good clean and it was fairly easily applied with a gloss roller, transparent and only darkening the colour of the wood slightly; we had to look closely to see where we had treated and where we hadn't. It dried within around 24 hrs however we left it 48 as it was Friday. When we returned on Monday the finish was much the same and underfoot we couldnt really tell the difference however when wet it showed a water repellant finish that felt firm when walked on.

We advised the client to still be cautious when wet all the same but so far we've had no complaints (or slippages!) and if this changes I'll be sure to let you know but I would suggest this is just one part of the solution and probably works best when used in conjunction with the usual precautions.

For more photos of this job visit our website at www.creativerootslandscaping.co.uk

3d Garden designs

When we set up Creative Roots Landscaping we spent a long time researching the garden design industry and found a common response from customers who had used other landscape designers was "we love the end result but it was very different to what we expected!"

The traditional approach when designing a garden is to produce a 2 dimensional 'birds eye view' outlining the features and areas and sometimes annotating with explanations of hidden detail. This would often be presented and explained with the use of a mood board (a selection of relevant images). The client would then be expected to make a decision to go ahead (or not) on how they interpreted the new garden. Occasionally I have heard of some designers drawing out the design on the actual garden with a spray can or walking it through with the owners and whilst these methods work, to a point, it is still often up to the client to have a degree of vision.

An architect will often use the same method of planning when designing a building but will sometimes create a computer generated image (CGI) showing what the property will look like when built. This can help give the client a clear view of what the end product will potentially look like and is able to view from any angle.

We decided this would be a valuable tool when it came to gardens and whilst a little time consuming would hopefully take out some of the guesswork from the customers perspective. After researching the marketplace for CAD (computer aided design) programs we found a few options including Vectorworks Landmark, various private garden design programs, the BBC's online virtual design tool and Google Sketchup.

Prices ranged from 'free' to over £1,000 and have very different capabilities and restrictions but in the end we opted for Google's Sketchup program. Whilst the fact it is free is an instant advantage we were also recommended this by an architect student and after seeing various examples we decided this was the one for us.

The program is relatively easy to use if you are confident on the computer and tutorials are available on YouTube if you get stuck. There are also a number of companies offering ready made models to use within your designs for a subscription fee which speeds the process no end.

Although this is a bit of a learning curve and at the beginning takes a lot of time I do feel it is worth it as the end product looks great and really helps get the concept over to the client before you start building.

For examples you can check out Sketchup itself or alternatively see the Creative Roots Facebook page

Gardening in April

Article submitted for Aprils Stamford and Rutland Scene Magazine 2010

April is a month commonly known for its showers, not that we don't get them in most other months of the year! However this trend helps us to remember to work on ensuring the garden is ready to face those (hopefully) drier and sunnier months. Covering flower beds with a good bark mulch not only helps to keep the need for weeding down a little, but it also helps the soil retain its moisture ready for this great growth spurt that the longer and warmer days bring. It doesn't have to be bark, gravel is another great option and can, in the right garden, really look the part as well, although you might want to think twice if the neighbours are cat lovers!

With February and March's spring bulbs dying back it's vital that we only remove the spent heads of the likes of daffodils and leave the foliage for at least 6 weeks. This allows the bulbs to regenerate and ensures they can bloom all over again next year.

Hopefully by now your garden will be starting to fill out again with perennials but I think its important to say that if it hasn't, wait a little while before adding bedding plants, unless you can cover these up at night as the odd frost is still likely. One of my favourite perennials is the Lupin, however this also happens to be one that the slugs like too and so protecting these new shoots with some copper bands, slug traps or garlic granules is vital to allow them the time to get re established and stand a chance of surviving the spring breakfast. I would however suggest you try and avoid slug pellets as, whilst you will be keeping your slug population low, you will also potentially harm the humble hedgehog and local frogs who are only trying to help.

Last month we talked about our lawns a little. Whilst a good lawn is sometimes a little tricky, you can help by giving it a good rake over with a tin rake to remove some of the dead grass and revealing any bare patches filling these up or re-sowing before the weeds get in there and take over, simply dressing the lawn with a little lawn sand and peat free multi purpose compost can also give those grass seeds the best possible start.

As for the kitchen garden you can start earthing up early potatoes, repotting tomato plants as they mature in the greenhouse and feeding fruit trees and bushes to ensure a healthy and full crop. As with the rest of the garden wage war on weeds, removing them as soon as you spot them to help keep on top of the job a little easier.

I could go on and on as April is such a busy month, but I also feel the key is to get out there and look around, there's something new to look at almost every day. Enjoy your garden and the nature thats waking up with it

Slate Patio treatments

Slate is such a wonderful natural material and can make a great patio, it can look contemporary and modern in the right setting and yet work well in a rustic woodland garden or country courtyard. However as with any natural stone product there is always the risk of staining and after just a year the sun can start to bleach it to a shade of silver if left untreated.

We recently installed a patio in a modern city garden, which you can see by looking at our gallery page (click here), and in order to avoid these issues we spent a long time looking for a product that would both protect the slate from staining and also keep its colour whilst not putting a visible coating or shine on the surface. In the end we found a product called 'Lithofin Stain stop plus' by a company called Extensive - www.extensive.co.uk

So far this has worked well, we used slightly less than was recommended and after a year the colour seems to still be there and although it hasn't had the red wine test just yet I gather plenty of sausages have escaped the BBQ without causing any issues.

As with most product we expect re-application to be needed but so far the results are promising and we will be using it again on future products.

Launch of Creative Roots Landscaping

Creative Roots Landscaping is a new, family run, garden design company based in West Bridgford.

Our services include a full garden design and build service, creative planting and all aspects of soft landscaping, stonemasonry to contemporary decking and a focus on fresh and innovative yet practical solutions.

Comfortable with projects from small city courtyard to large country retreat, we have a wealth of over 30 years building experience. We offer a full design to completion service for the East Midlands and guarantee all work. Six months after completing a project we will revisit you, free of charge, to ensure everything still looks as good as when we left, as well as giving you an opportunity to ask any questions that may have come up.

For a no obligation quotation or an informal visit contact me on 0115 981 2282 or 0780 973 1234 or visit our website at www.creativerootslandscaping.co.uk