Why we build gardens in Autumn…
There’s a very good reason many new gardens fail, and it might surprise you.
A warm patio in a Kentish garden is a blissful place to be on a summer day, but many homeowners only spend a few months outside, ready to shut the doors and forget the garden exists until the following June. What if your garden was tailor-made for all-year enjoyment? Somewhere you can sunbathe, barbecue, huddle around a cosy Guy Fawkes- themed firepit soiree or even watch a Christmas movie? Such a garden takes planning and expertise. That’s where garden design comes in.
When gardens aren’t built to good plans, details can be missed. Finishes can niggle at you. Plants die! So many people blame themselves or their landscapers, but most often, it’s just a case of mistimed building, or a lack of design.
My name is Melissa Woods Dip GD and as the new Garden Design Manager at GI Landscapes, I’m going to give you a timeline for a perfect garden build. The good news is that you haven’t missed it!
September to October: The Design
Even if you aren’t sure about whether you want to redesign your garden, now is the ideal time to at least give it some thought. If you have had good moments or less enjoyable moments in your existing garden, they will be fresh in your mind. So now is the perfect time for a chat, and, if you decide to take the plunge, we have time to design the garden of your dreams.
October to December: The Build
Whilst it will be wetter and a bit colder, climate change means that these days, the soil is warmer and construction can go ahead. In most cases this is also the very best time for planting to be done. For a start, you have hardly any watering to do, and if the garden isn’t appealing to you much yet, the plants can get on with the important job of putting down roots, before the magical moment you first look out of the window in spring, to see the new garden coming to life!
Now the landscaping team might not thank me for putting them out in the rain, but if you want a beautiful garden by next summer, that is your timeline for success. However, all is not lost! I certainly don’t want to deprive Adam and the boys of some days in the sun. Once your design is finished you can still choose to build the structural parts of your design at any time of year. Planting, however, is mostly done in autumn, so if your paving and structures are built in July, you won’t have plants until September onwards. The main thing is to take the first step. Book your autumn design consultation now, and we can build the perfect garden at exactly the right time for you.
Til next time!
Mel