Local Life - Wigan - March 2019

Gardening
81
Project garden
Award Winner
by Angie Barker
I love this time of year. Perennial plants are pushing
up through the borders, spring flowering shrubs are
swelling with buds and the birds are singing again.
Our interest in the garden, which lets face it has
waned over the winter months, starts to re-ignite.
And what better way to fuel your interest than a
garden project. A garden does not need a complete
makeover to breathe new life into it but something
which just revives your enthusiasm. Here are some
suggestions:
• Change the shape of your lawn to create new
borders – this is an instant transformation and you
will feel like you have a new garden
• Create a herb garden – be aware that some
tender herbs like Basil won’t thrive outside until
the summer months but you can buy a variety of
hardy types at this time of year such as Thyme and
Rosemary
• Take out say a dozen of your existing plants
(depending on the size of your garden) and buy
new ones – with different colours and texture
• Revive your seating area with new rattan furniture
which you can leave out all year round. Add stylish
pots and plant Phormiums and Bamboo for a
contemporary, lush look
• Grow some early potatoes, they are so easy to
grow in pots or bags and the first time you taste
your home grown new potatoes is amazing. You
need to buy seed potatoes - don’t try planting
ones you get from a supermarket. Tried and tested
varieties include ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Casablanca’
• Create a haven for wildlife. Log piles, nest boxes
and bird tables are easy to place in the garden and
children love being involved
• Screen the ugly shed in the corner and the
wheelie bins and erect some trellis with some
pretty climbers to scramble over it
• Create a focal point. Place a large urn or bird bath
in gaps in planting or at the end of a path
As for Hubby and me, yes we may have been together
for a long time now but is our interest waning …. do
we need a project ... do we heck as like!
Angie is a qualified
award-winning garden
designer who will
plan your garden to
your needs from start
to finish, supplying
reputable contractors
and the ideal plants.
Call Angie now for your free consultation!
Angie Barker Dip GD
(Inst GD) BA (Hons)
Garden Design For All Seasons
Tel: 01942 522 405
Mob: 07857 008 383
Award Winner
www.angiebarker.co.uk