The Garden Design process Garden Care Contracting is, in many ways, unique in being a complete horticultural company; serving its clients in South West London and Surrey for over 56 years. Incorporating design, landscape, tree surgery and garden maintenance departments; we are able to offer a complete garden service. Photo of...

Plant of the month - 'Nerine Bowdenii' This month’s plant of the month is Nerine Bowdenii, alternatively known as the Guernsey Lily.It is an herbaceous bulb and grows up to around 450mm tall. The green leaves have beautiful large pink or white lily-like flowers in the late summer and autumn. Hardy nerine are...

Plant of the month - 'Prunus sargentii' Plant of the month - 'Prunus sargentii'This month’s plant of the month is a small, deciduous cherry tree with fine autumn colour. The oval leaves are bronze when young, which then turns bright orange and red in autumn.I like this Prunus as it...

Plant of the month - 'Little Goldstar' Rudbeckia fulgida 'Little Goldstar'With a max height of 50cm and spread of 40cm. This deciduous perennial Rudbeckia fulgida is a compact, floriferous Rudbeckia which bears bright yellow, black-eyed blooms from midsummer until Autumn.The ideal planting site for this Rudbeckia is in a moist...

Plant of the month - Luft 'Buddleja globosa' This Buddelja is a large semi-evergreen / deciduous shrub with dark green leaves and dense globose heads. Sweet-scented bright orange-yellow flowers form in loose clusters at branch tips in the early summer, measuring 2cm across. I’m fond of this plant as it’s relatively...

Plant of the month Prunus ‘Amanogawa’This Prunus is a very slender flowering cherry tree ideal for small gardens.It is a compact, usually multi-stemmed cherry tree, it has large clusters of fragrant, semi double pale pink blossoms which smother the branches in late spring. This prunus will thrive in any soil,...

Plant of the month Pieris 'Flamingo’ This Pieris is large but rounded, a compact evergreen shrub for acidic soil. In late winter and spring, this Pieris bears hanging clusters of urn-shaped, dark flamingo pink flowers that open to form dark-red beds. However, all year round the glossy green leaves are...

What a waste! Edible fruit growing in our gardens and trends of ignorance towards utilising this commodityOn my travels as a commercial horticulturalist, I visit many clients’ gardens; it is not uncommon to see fruit trees, such as Cherry’s, Pear and Apples that are sometimes neglected, but nearly always bearing...