Transform your garden with an instant makeover. These quick, simple ideas will achieve fresh new looks in key areas and create beautiful focal points in no time at all.


Add a Structural Focal Point

For a fabulous focal point with a hint of romance, it's hard to beat an arbour. It draws the eye and gives the garden a reason for 'being' - so that you can sit in it's midst and enjoy the scents, colours and sounds. An arbour can also act as a decorative screen, hiding something unsightly like a compost heap or an area at the end of the garden which is difficult to cultivate because of dry shade or poor drainage. It can also be used to create some mystery by hiding what lies beyond. This partition can provide space for a separately themed area with a completely different look to that of the main garden - maybe a jungle paradise or a vegetable plot.

There are many different options available and a great selection of products on our website from Forest Garden and Plum Products. The two main questions you need to ask yourself are what effect are you trying to create and how much space have you got? If you want to create a focal point to make people stop and look at the garden then you need to work out whether you only have room for a bench or whether you have space for an arbour or gazebo. If you want to create a sense of movement and flow which will draw people through to the next bit of the garden then you want to think about using an archway or pergola, possibly with some fencing or screening either side.


Whichever structure you decide upon you need to then consider its design. Look at what is available and which materials would look good in your garden and are in keeping with your house. A modern house with a patio or decking would probably suit the clean lines of a simple arbour like the one shown. However, the elegant simplicity of this wooden design would make an attractive addition to any garden and can be stained or painted to complement its surroundings. If you want to entice people to sit down, enhance your new seating area even further by providing cushions and planting up a variety of interesting terracotta pots with scented plants.

If you are creating a boundary to another area you have to decide how much or little you want visible as people get closer. You can use traditional willow hurdles for a complete screen or an open fence of rustic poles to allow a view of what lies beyond! Whichever you choose they will provide robust support for climbing plants. A pergola or arch part way along this fence would also make a great focal point and could be used to frame the view or a particular feature.

Add a Garden Feature

You could consider adding something static such as a large ceramic pot, a statue or a bird bath. Or how about introducing motion with the gentle murmur of a water feature, this will not only transform your garden but provide an enduring talking point too. You will need to connect it to a waterproof electrical supply but any self-contained water feature uses its own water supply held in a container below. You just need to keep it topped up as water evaporates and if you use Algon Organic cleaner your water feature will be kept clear of unwanted algae. As Algon is organic it is chemical free, harmless to pets and long-lasting.


We have a number of self-contained water features from Kelkay on our website. Their range is varied to suit individual taste and different garden designs from traditional to modern and also includes a number with lights so you can enjoy them whilst sitting out on warm summer evenings. They have a range of naturalistic water features like the Hollow Log Stream Fountain shown, which would look ideal nestled among your plants providing a mesmerising cascade.

Create instant impact

If you want to smarten your garden up, one of the easiest ways to give the whole garden a neat, professional finish is to add definition with edging and borders. Once again the materials you choose need to be in keeping with the rest of the garden, house and patio. You can put a neat edge around your lawn with plastic edging strips which will still allow you to mow but prevent weeds creeping into your border. Alternatively, you can put in taller edging to give you a raised bed which, if bordering a lawn, will need strimming to keep neat. There are several options such as landscaping sleepers, mini sleepers , border log rolls and horizontal border edging. These can be especially useful if you want a planted border at the edge of your patio because they give a neat edge which contains the soil whilst providing extra soil depth in what is usually a difficult area to plant.

Wall Space


Last if not least, don't forget your walls. Wall space offers a wonderful opportunity to add features to provide increased interest in your garden. Attach decorative trellis and grow scented climbers, The Venice Planter comes complete with trellis so you can have them on the patio too. You can also attach decorative metalwork pot holders to the wall and you have got a great place to grow herbs, tumbling tomatoes or strawberries. There is also a huge choice in wall art around at the moment too. You can try coating with exterior varnish to slow down the rusting process or let it age naturally and blend in.

With a bit of imagination, planning and a trip to the garden centre, you can freshen up your garden with a new look this summer and impress all your friends!

Which plant group is the backbone of the summer garden, delivering colour, fragrance and attracting the attention of beneficial wildlife and humans alike? The answer is perennials, that wonderful family of herbaceous plants that launch into life every spring.

Think of the stars of borders in gardens big and small and the chances are they will be perennials. Colour is key with perennials - there is such a varied palette to choose from.  It's up to you to decide the mood you want as the garden backdrop to your life - the excitement or vibrancy of red, the romance of pink or the calm of blue and for a plant family that offers all of these and more, look no further than perennial Salvia. This is a large and varied genus which includes the herb sage as well as more tender exotic varieties.

Offering true perennial perfection, these are a wonderful choice for gardeners looking to bring stunning colour and style to their borders. There is an amazing range to select from, many of them Award of Garden Merit holders, so you can be sure of getting top performance. If you are a keen gardener you may have followed the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year where the Best in Show was awarded to Andy Sturgeon's garden sponsored by The Daily Telegraph. Stephen Lacey said that the "purples of the Salvia's (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna') and Aquilegia's are the perfect companion to the coppers and bronzes".

Some Salvias are great for attracting beneficial wildlife, including butterflies and bees.  This will give a boost to the overall health of both your garden and the surrounding environment - so what are you waiting for? Like most perennials, Salvias are easy to look after. Some are fully hardy across the UK, but others are less so and in certain areas may be better looked on as annuals. Now is a great time to plant container grown plants and many salvias are drought tolerant, once established. This makes them a fantastic asset if you are gardening in a drier area. Your local garden centre will be delighted to help with advice.

Here are some suggestions:

• Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna' - a wonderful compact, clum-forming perennial reaching about 75cm in height, bearing violet to purple flowers with striking black stems, fully hardy.
• Salvia officinalis - a foliage plant with culinary uses, evergreen and hardy, up to 80cm high.
• Salvia coccinea ‘Lady in Red' - great for a summer show of red flowers (tender). The closely related ‘Lady in White' bears white flowers.
• Salvia patens ‘Cambridge Blue' is frost hardy (safe down to -5 degrees C) and produces very elegant, pale blue flowers.
• Salvia pratensis is a clump-forming perennial with a woody base. Up to 90cm in height and bearing flowers of violet, though in some case may be pink or white.
• Salvia nemorosa Ostfriesland ("East Friesland") stands out in the border because it has ultramarine flowers backed by claret bracts. It grows to approximately 2ft and needs to be cut back hard when the flowers fade to encourage repeat flowering.
• Salvia guaranitica ‘Blue Enigma' has Royal blue flowers on stems reaching 3ft - 3ft 6in tall. The leaves are crinkled and have an aniseed scent and it flowers best in a fairly rich soil. It is fully hardy, although it dies back to its underground tubers in winter.

Salvias are a sun-loving plant, so grow in either full sun or dappled shade to get flowers from summer through to early autumn. Soils need to be well-drained and moderately fertile. Remove flowers once they have ‘gone over' (dead heading) and trim any shoots that spoil symmetry in late spring.

Make space for your favourite fruit crops and you will soon be reaping the mouth-watering rewards of unbeatable freshness and fantastic flavour.


What could be more magical than wandering out into the garden on a summer's day and picking your own fresh fruit straight from the bush or tree? Luscious strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants can all be at your fingertips, and they are much easier to grow than you might think. Even if you have a small plot there is room to squeeze in some of these delicious healthy treats. You can even grow your own juicy peaches on your patio and find room for a miniature apple tree. We have rounded up eight irresistible varieties to look out for in our garden centre.

Apple ‘Scrumptious'

‘Scrumptious' by name and scrumptious by nature, this is a rosy red, mid-season dessert apple with deliciously crisp, white flesh that is sweet but not too sweet. Its small-ish size gives it instant snack appeal so it's popular with children. It's bred for high yield and disease-resistance too. Where space is limited, choose a minarette (a slender, columnar tree) and grow it in a pot.

Peach ‘Garden Lady'

The beautiful pink flowers of ‘Garden Lady' are followed by sweet and juicy fruits with yellow flesh. Bred as a dwarf variety, it is ideal for growing in a free-draining pot on a sunny patio, and as it is self-fertile it doesn't need to be grown with another variety for cross-pollination. Give it winter protection in an unheated greenhouse and bring it out in late May for a tasty crop in July.

Blackcurrant ‘Ben Connan'

A small bush variety, ‘Ben Connan' is a good choice for small gardens as it's early to ripen and produces lots of large glossy berries on short trusses, which are ready to harvest from mid-July onwards. Choose a sunny spot, keep it well watered and you will have plenty of tasty fruit for pies and jams to use straight away or freeze for later.

Gooseberry ‘Invicta'

The RHS have awarded ‘Invicta' their coveted Award of Garden Merit for its excellent cropping and mildew resistance. It produces large, pale green fruits that are perfect for pies, fools, jams and freezing. When they are fully ripe they are even sweet enough to eat fresh from the bush. ‘Invicta' is self-fertile so it's fine if you only have room for the one.


Apple ‘Coronet Family'

With a ‘Coronet Family' tree you get two apple varieties for the price of one: for example, the bright red ‘Elstar' and the tangy, soft textured ‘James Grieve' both on the same tree. Bred as a miniature (it stands just 2m tall) it can be grown in the smallest of gardens. Plant it in well-fertilised compost in a nice big pot and you will harvest delicious apples every year. Other varieties include Cox's Orange pippin and Katy.

Blackberries and Blueberries

Blackberries and blueberries pack a powerful punch on the health front. Along with blackcurrants, raspberries and apples, they are counted as ‘superfoods', as they are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants, which are said to help prevent premature ageing and give your immune system a boost. If you grow your own, you can be sure of getting the maximum benefit from eating them fresh because commercially grown fruit has to be transported and stored, giving the vitamin C a chance to deteriorate.

Blueberry ‘Patriot'

With pretty white flowers in spring, delicious fruit in summer and fantastic autumn colour, blueberries have it all. Acid soil is essential so if you don't have that, grow them in a pot filled with ericaceous compost (as used for rhododendrons); water well and feed once a week. ‘Patriot' is partially self-fertile so it will crop on its own, but for better results, grow a second variety too, such as ‘Bluecrop' so they will cross pollinate.


Blackberry ‘Loch Maree'

Thornless ‘Loch Maree' is both pretty and fruitful - a great combination. It's unusual in that is has double, pink flowers, which are followed by a generous crop of super-sweet, tasty berries in August and September. It's an easy-growing variety, and you can even grow it in a pot on your patio. For best results, add some well-rotted organic matter to make the soil more moisture-retentive.

Blackberry ‘Black Butte' - New for 2010

The blackberry ‘Black Butte' is a fairly recent introduction from America, and it's a whopper! The conical berries are nearly twice the size of other blackberry varieties and can measure up to 5cm (2in) in length and weigh up to 12g each. Give it a sunny spot and some well-drained soil and it will romp away, giving you a heavy crop about a month earlier than most other varieties. The flavour is sweet and delicious - perfect in fruit salads, pies and smoothies.

Breakfast in the garden, sharing a glass of wine on the patio, a barbecue for family and friends - it's all possible at this time of year. It is almost a waste to go on holiday! If you are going away, don't forget to ask a good neighbour or friend to look after your pots and containers - they will need regular watering. The pond also needs to be topped up regularly: in warm weather the water evaporates quite quickly. This causes the water level to drop, and pond plants can end up dry.

Don't you just love that flowering lavender? You can continue to enjoy it once it has finished flowering! Here's how:

• Harvest the flowers and hang them up to dry in an airy, cool spot.
• Once dry you can distribute the lavender between a couple of cotton or linen bags and place them amongst clothing or under your pillow.
• You'll be able to enjoy the delicious, restful lavender scent for days to come.

Have you sown herbs in your garden? If you harvest them now, you will be able add a little something extra to your meals. Pick sage and bay leaves and dry them. If you store them in an air-tight container or glass pot, they will remain useable for a long time.

• Iris germanica flower profusely in June and then die off above ground. If they have been in the same place for about five years, they need to be dug up and the rhizomes need to be divided and planted anew if you want to see profuse flowering next year.
• These irises like a dry and sunny spot.
• Mix some extra lime into the soil.
• The tops of the rhizome should protrude slightly above the soil.
• Plant them in a north-south direction.

• July is also the perfect month for sowing biennial plants such as pansies and forget-me-nots. Keep the seeds nice and damp for the best results.
• Buy and plant autumn flowering bulbs such as Colchicum for late colour. This late flowering bulb resembles a crocus and prefers well drained soil. It can be naturalised under trees in bold drifts - plant with the base of the bulb at about 13cm (5") below the soil surface.
• Sow salads and spinach and container sown leeks and brassicas for winter and early spring crops - see our ‘grow your own' article.

• The floating and underwater plants will grow vigorously. There may be a need to thin them regularly.
• To keep the pond healthy it is essential to maintain open water.
• Leave plants that you remove from the pond lying on the side for a while so that any small creatures in them can make their back to the water.
• The same applies to filament algae that you remove from the pond (which may also be necessary regularly).
• If there is enough oxygen in the pond water, it will not become acidic. The best thing to do is to ensure that there are enough oxygenators (underwater plants) in the pond. By keeping the water healthy in this way your pond plants will grow better and fish will remain healthier.
• If the water lilies develop too many leaves and hardly flower, it is time to divide their rhizomes and plant them anew.
• In warm weather you need to top up your pond regularly, since the water evaporates quickly and the water level will drop even more rapidly if there are a lot of marginal plants in the pond water.
• If possible, use mains water for this. Ensure that the water jet never hits the pond directly and hard if there are fish in the pond.