MAHONIA

Although this shrub can be seen in many gardens, because it has all year round interest, there is a good case for adding it to yours.

The leaves are formed in large dark green glossy heads and are very similar to holly leaves. Fragrant yellow, long spikes of flowers are evident from November through to March and are then followed by a show of attractive deep purple berries. A good shrub to consider if you are in the process of newly landscaping your garden.

Mahonia likes to be in full or partial shade (even under trees) in a humous rich, well drained area. Fairly fast growing it can grow from 1 to 5 metres high and spread up to 4 metres wide depending on the variety you choose. Prune if necessary in Spring when flowering has finished, cut back to a healthy side shoot. Mulch around the base with either manure or compost to a depth of 5-7cm (2-3")

My Garden

Two years ago I bought an end of terrace house with a small garden. The garden was in a dreadful state, had not been cared for for years, was overgrown and had no structure to it. It had a large concrete base at the end with a concrete path down the middle. The whole garden either side of the path had been raised up using big concrete edgings and to my surprise the raised areas also contained a concrete base underneath.

There was nothing existing that I could of worked with so it was back to basics for me and I decided to clear the whole garden and start again. It took 2 x 8 yard skips to clear the garden, and thankfully I had a path that ran down the side of the house to remove all of the rubble – and I found plenty of it!

I wanted to get the garden back to one level. Having worked with gardens for many years now I understand how in important it is to create a strong design. If I had worked with straight paths and straight borders this would have made my garden feel a lot smaller than it feels now. To create a feel of a longer wider garden you should add curves or diagonal shapes so this is what I did.

I measured the whole garden and set to work with scraps of paper before I felt happy that my design was going to fit and work to give the best possible look it could achieve. I researched through many images on the internet and in books to give me ideas. I listed the important things I wanted from my garden:

a) An area to entertain and chill
b) An area for sunbathing!
c) An area to put my washing line in
d) An area for a small shed
e) And for me most importantly lots of areas for planting as I love my plants

With the help of family we cleared the garden during the summer of 2008. We put a rotavator through it and I added some decent soil conditioner for helping my plants have the best possible start in life. We built the patio and the paths using slabs and chippings. For the horseshoe path and for the grass area I invested in metal edging which helps to create a sharp edge, contain the chippings and stops the grass from growing into my borders. Once this was complete I then painted the walls and added some wrought iron trellis to the walls as I did not want wooden trellis. The garden was ready for planting late Autumn and this was the bit I was really looking forward to!

Most importantly I wanted structure from the planting during the winter, so I chose my plants carefully and set them out to create a strong look throughout the garden area. Evergreen shrubs and conifers with different shapes, heights and varieties of foliage. Because it is a small garden I chose plants that I knew would be happy being pruned hard, or kept a very narrow shape so that they did not take over the garden itself.

I then did the rest of the planting during the spring and the summer. This way I could chose plants from the garden centre that would help create colour and interest throughout the seasons.
My garden is now in its second year and is doing so well. I still have space to plant some extra plants as and when I see something I like. Occasionally plants don’t do what you really want them to do so I am not worried about taking the odd one out and planting it with something more suitable.

For some people they may just find this all too much. Not everyone is able to design and construct gardens but this is where our team can help with the years of knowledge and the foresight of what a garden could look like. If you wish to speak to us about helping you then call Stewarts Landscaping on 01202 882463. If you are keen to have a garden that you can enjoy for next summer then act now as we always have a queue.
Rebecca Moy - General Manager