Garden Machinery
Garden Leisure
- Greenhouse Heaters
- Loungers
- Midgeaters
- Gas Barbecues
- Charcoal Barbecues
- Masonry Barbecues
- Furniture Sets
- Benches
- Greenhouses
- Water and Light
- Garden Sheds
- Gazebos
- Firepits
- Wildlife Boxes
- Rock and Stone
- Weather Vanes
- Rabbit Hutches
- Urns & Planters
- Sundials
- Birdbaths
- Garden Swings
- Climbing Frames
- Croquet Sets
- Wildlife Cameras
- Bird Feed
Garden Design Tips.
It is great fun to plan out your own designer garden. You can design the perfect garden to meet your needs! People will take great effort to personlise and create a unique look to their home, but often the garden is left to follow a standard design plan.
The following brief guides will hopefully provide you with some useful starting points for designing your own garden.
Planting an Ivy Fence:
Ivy makes an excellent wall or fence covering. This can be a great way to mask and soften the boundaries of a garden. Ivy will grow quickly and will require regular cutting back, and maintenance, but the results are well worth the effort.
Quick guide.
1 Prepare a bed close to a fence or wall by digging over the soil to remove weeds and large stones. Dig deep to break up heavy soil, and then fork in well-rotted manure to improve drainage. This also helps the soil hold more moisture. Rake the surface level.
2 Once purchased, carefully untie all the stems of the ivy and remove the cane they came supplied with. Unravel and separate the individual stems and lay them to one side.
3 A single ivy plant will easily cover a 1.8m (6ft) square fence panel, so plant it with this in mind, usually in the middle of the fence will be the best option. Dig a suitable hole for the plant to go into, and make sure the soil is broken up.
4 Place the rootball into the hole. Keep the surface of the compost level with that of the surrounding soil. Pour soil in around the rootball. Firm in by hand.
5 To ensure the widest area of the fence is covered with ivy in the quickest time, spread out the trailing stems along the base of the fence. Try to divide the shoots equally between the two sides, laying each stem directly on the soil so it makes contact.
6 To encourage each stem to root into the soil along its entire length, make some wire pegs to push down the stems at regular intervals. These will hold the stems firmly and prevent them blowing about in the wind. Cover sections of the stem with soil, keeping the leaves clear.
7 Water the plant thoroughly, and maintain regular watering in accordance with the growing instructions, or to suit your environment.
8 Side shoots will not grow immediately and take time. Once the stems have rooted into the soil they will send up shoots from virtually every leaf joint. Ivy is a self-clinging climber, but you can help by tying in stems with wire clips pushed into gaps in the panels.
9 Keep growth in check by trimming any unruly shoots. An occasional foliar liquid feed will ensure growth remains strong and healthy.
