Wealden Times | WT170 | April 2016 | Garden supplement inside

What’s hot
this season
Must-have garden features if you want to keep
up with the Jones’s – so say our garden experts
Chrissie McKinnon
Cat & Mouse Landscapes Director and Designer
What key garden trends have you seen/ worked on
in recent months?
Over the last few months paving and paths have been on
everyone’s list of ‘must haves’ in their gardens, to combat the
wet soggy ground everyone has after this long winter of nonstop
rain. What is needed to make a garden practical is stable
access with good drainage.
There has been a rising trend for home-grown produce, as
people become increasingly mindful of achieving a healthy
lifestyle. Consequently we have been asked to build and
prepare raised vegetable beds by a number of clients. Raised
beds not only give a great place for the veg and fruit to grow,
but also make it easier to work on, particularly if a gardener
has something like arthritis.
Children’s play areas have been another popular feature,
with special areas of larger gardens being given over just for
fun. Bespoke play houses, swings and zip wires are all popular,
with children having their very own veg or flowers beds to
tend too. This all encourages children to get outside and off
their computers and gaming machines, getting them active
and healthier and learning about nature.
Larger planting plans with specimen trees and shrubs which
give form and definition to different areas of the garden,
mean that outside rooms can be created and ugly features
such as oil tanks can be camouflaged.
What garden feature or style do you predict will be
popular this year?
Although this may sound odd, given the amount of rain
that has fallen during the winter months, it doesn’t take
long for beds to dry out in the summer and plants to then
perish. With a watering system, rain can be harvested from
garden building roofs, including the summerhouse, while the
summerhouse itself can be used to retreat from both the heat
and the rain.
Can anyone have this feature or an element of this
feature in their garden?
These watering systems can be set up in any size garden, from
courtyard gardens with planters and pots, to large plots with
separate kitchen gardens. They can be as simple or complex as
necessary, but take the work out of daily watering and direct
the water to exactly where it is needed, meaning happy plants
and less water wastage.
Cat & Mouse Landscapes The Lodge, Danns Farm, Stunts
Green, Herstmonceux, East Sussex BN27 4PR
01323 833600 info@catandmouselandscapes.com
www.catandmouselandscapes.com
15 www.wealdentimes.co.uk
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