Hello Everyone and Happy Gardening Year.

I am taking a lead from spring's early arrival and up-dating the website early.

This winter has been very mild, hasn't it, with just a couple of weeks before Christmas being pretty cold (when we had to drain down the outside pipe-work and shut off the water). It must have been very cold then because I had to put on my electric blanket at night!

As I write these notes the sun is shining, the grass is white over the frost, there's a mist over the fields and garden and daffodils and crocuses are already in flower, I could stand here all morning. However, even though it looks like winter is over we cannot get too complacent at this time of year - it will only take a shift in wind direction and winter can come back with vengeance, but for now we can look forward to getting out into the garden and getting on with all the jobs we've only wanted to think about when its been wet and miserable.

We have begun lawn renovation work in earnest now. Moss control on the domestic lawns at this time of year and grass verges for our commercial customers (why do people always park on grass verges - even as we are working on them!).
We are also laying turf in our landscape schemes and why, oh why, is it, that just as the soil is prepared and we have 5000m² on site, the heavens open and we end up working in what seems like a paddy field and the turf gets squelched into position. Fortunately, as we will have done good preparation work, the ground drains quickly and the turf is soon growing well.

While we talking about landscaping, there has been a noticeable increase in requests to include vegetable gardens in schemes of work. The owners of small gardens tend to put in raised beds, whereas the owner of larger gardens like an area at the bottom of the garden set aside for vegetables which can be screened off with trellis or a hedge; a vegetable patch is difficult to keep tidy all the time. Also hidden behind these trellises or hedges will be the compost heap or bin - essential for all the leafy waste generated by a vegetable patch. And all the lovely compost will help improve the soil for the next year's crops.

Still on the recycling theme, why not install water butts, or better still and underground tank to collect all the rainwater from the gutters. A tap can be fitted onto the butt which will take a hosepipe, or an electric pump can be fitted onto an underground tank leading to an standard outside tap, which again, will take your hosepipe.

We laid our largest area of artificial lawn last summer and, even if I say so myself, I think it looks stunning. (Take a look at the photographs below and see what you think). The artificial turf used was "Play lawn", laid on an impact safety underlay: a rubber-crumb infill was used on the surface to keep the blades upright and to add another safety dimension. It now provides an all-weather surface for the young footballers of the household! And an added bonus for the grown-ups is NO maintenance!

Our price lists have been up-dated at this time and there have been some un-avoidable increases this year I'm afraid.

Enjoy your gardens and gardening in 2008 and if we can help in any way, please, do not hesitate to telephone or email us.

Colin.

	Play Lawn Follow the pictures below to see the garden in progress. Double click on images to enlarge