Gardening Advice Sessions
- Prune shrubs effectively
- Tackle overgrown borders
- Lift and divide plants
- Sow seeds and grow your own veg
- Tidy the garden for winter
- Garden for wildlife
Most of the gardens we design and create are traditional family gardens at heart. A family garden usually features a lawn, mixed shrub and herbaceous borders, sheds, greenhouses, play areas and a patio to dine and cook. Basically, it’s a garden for family life! A traditional garden can still have a contemporary finish using modern materials, but it’s worth remembering that what’s trendy today will become outdated in the future. We plan gardens for the long term. So, how you describe your garden is less important; the main objective will be to ensure that it works for you and your home – your outdoor space should be an investment for many years to come.
Are you concerned about climate change and the world our children will inherit? Would you like to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle? Do you want to encourage more wildlife into your garden? Would you like to grow your own fruit and veg? Do you like your garden a little on the wilder side?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, an Eco-garden might be the approach for you. Some of the most beautiful gardens are ones where nature takes centre stage. Even a small garden can be a haven for birds and bees, as well as becoming your sanctuary away from the stresses of daily life.
So, why not let us transform your garden into eco-heaven? There will be less emphasis on hard landscaping and concrete, which not only reduces your carbon footprint but also reduces your costs. Instead, together we will aim to create a garden that feels more wholesome and good for the soul. Your Eco-garden doesn’t need to be chaotic or disorderly; it can still have a strong design element. It will just be softer and more engaging; everything a garden should really be. Your garden will be created using organic and permaculture principles. Habitat creation will be a crucial feature with water, pollinating plants and nesting sites aplenty. If possible, we rely less on petrol-powered machinery for creation and maintenance, and instead look to what can be achieved with hand tools. We can employ simple technologies for harvesting rainwater and composting. You can develop a garden where you and your family can come together and connect with the living world, to grow, cook or simply find stillness and calm.
Cooper-Hayes Garden Design has designed a number of contemporary gardens for clients looking for a stylish low-maintenance garden that reflects the style of their property. Many of our clients often seek contemporary garden designs suitable for new build houses with very limited outdoor space. View our Portfolio page for recent projects.
What is ‘Contemporary Garden Design’?
Simply put, a ‘contemporary’ garden uses materials that reflect more modern trends. This could include using smooth sawn paving materials, such as porcelain, or chrome and glass features. Or, it may be that the planting has a calmer and more textural feel. There are no real hard and fast rules to a contemporary garden, but they generally have an open, clean feel with a limited palette of colour. It is still important to get the balance right when it comes to planting, including plenty of greenery, but the varieties of plants used are carefully selected for their architectural value and fewer in number.
It is now a well-documented fact that green spaces are important for our physical and mental health. Therefore, creating a green space within the workplace is becoming more and more popular. Offering your staff places to sit amongst plants and greenery, or even to be able to spend some of their working day tending and nurturing a garden, is a great way of improving employee health and workplace morale. And, it’s environmentally beneficial too, especially if your business is in a built-up area, as green spaces could provide additional habitat and food sources, too. Speak to Chris today about transforming your premises into a green oasis.