In The Garden... With Joanne Kennedy The warmer summer evenings mean we can sit in our gardens later into the evening, so I thought I would chat about how lighting can enhance your garden. Avoid strong, bright lights which can be harsh and choose lights that are softer. By maintaining areas of shadow you give a theatrical effect to your garden and make the night-time garden more enchanting. Up-lighting is one way to highlight a focal point in your garden. This can be a sculpture, a tree or a plant. Down-lighting gives a lovely glow to a sitting area. Lighting brings another dimension to your water feature Paths, steps and decking can also be lit to help guide you in areas that you wouldn’t normally go when dark. These lights are gentle and without glare. Tiny LED lights thread through pergolas create a romantic ambience. Use long-life low energy bulbs in areas that are lit for extended periods, elsewhere use LED bulbs wherever possible. Unless you have solar lighting there are practical considerations as you will need an external power supply. This really should be fitted by a qualified electrician and any mains cabling in the garden must be armoured to prevent accidents. Most garden lighting runs on low voltage which requires a transformer in a waterproof casing. When plugged into your mains power supply it reduces the voltage which makes them safe to use. Have a look at www.lightingforgardens.com or www.lightideas.co.uk or www.lumenalights.com for more ideas. If you need any help give me a call!
Things to do this month: • Regular summer jobs include, hoeing the borders to keep down weeds, cutting lawns (weekly) and watering your containers and hanging baskets • Keep your greenhouse well ventilated, open the doors and windows – you can get an automatic vent for your windows as this saves time and effort • Give your plants a boost with a weekly liquid feed • Tie your climbers onto their frames as they grow • Dead-head roses, perennial flowers and cut back early flowering perennials such as delphiniums, lupins and geraniums – they may give you a second flush of flowers • Cover your fruit and vegetables with netting to stop birds from stealing the fruits • Top-up ponds as necessary - they can evaporate quickly in sunny weather
Plants that are looking their best this month are Achilleas, Campanulas, Eryngiums, Lavender, Hydrangeas, Cistus and Hypericum. If you need any help with planting or designing your garden please contact me on 07739 153516 or
www.gardenblueprints.net
Joanne Kennedy established Garden Blueprints in 2006 having qualified via Pershore College. Since then she has helped hundreds of clients with their design, redesign and planting requirements.
24
www.thebradgatemagazine.co.uk