Think about the Bees

Since the last post on this blog, we've been working hard on running things here. Still lots of planning and ideas flying around, arranging advertising, social networking, sourcing someone to sign write our van and making improvements to our blog!

I hope you like the changes, let me know what you think. Hopefully, the style will fit better to link in with our website. That's the idea anyway!

Luckily, we've had some great quotes to do this month. Which is different to this time last year since we had so much snow back then, work was very slow for us. But 2014 is looking up! Rich has started a job recently which will take a few weeks. It consists of removing hedging, replacing it all with a close board fence and building a deck. Be sure to follow us to see the results. I love to see the before and after photos! Other work we have on includes a few small fences, gates, decking and of course our garden maintenance. 

It seems spring is in the air. I was reading an article in the guardian on how our mild winter has brought on signs of spring. Apparently spring has moved forward by up to 12 days in the last quarter of a century. This may sound good at first but if we do get snow later, this could be bad news for plants that have started to flower early. 

Either way, you can do your bit for nature. You can feed the birds, have nest boxes for both birds and bugs and of course get into gardening. I found a great little product called 'Seedball', wildflower seeds in a tiny compact mini ecosystem ball - easy to do. You can read more about this on their website: www.seedball.co.uk I'm going to be ordering mine and we'll see what our customers think too. A garden full of flowers is not only pretty and relaxing, it provides food for our bees. 

If you want to find out more about gardening for bees follow this link to Bumblebee conservation: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/get-involved/gardening-for-bees/

That's it from me today! I'm off now to play with my little girl. The latest game consists of having a Doctors check up. Then she tells me i have talking marshmallows in my ears which need removing! Oh and the diagnosis is 'Battystingyflowerisis'! Whatever will she come up with next? I should write a book about her funny little saying.

Have a great week and thanks for reading x

It’s a heat wave!

Wow, summer heat wave! I love a long day outside, when your skin gets a chance to soak up all that sunshine; I hope you are all enjoying it as much as we are. Get a good dose of vitamin D whilst you have the chance I say!

As far as business is concerned, it seems we can add plant sitting to our list of services. It is for the parents, but it still counts right? We must have about twenty pots to look after, including a range of herbs, strawberries, acers and a load of roses. They’ve all moved in for a few weeks. We’ve had to shuffle things around a bit as it’s a bit crowded! But all the watering and feeding is paying off, with plenty of strawberries to pick each morning. I’m lucky if I get one though as Summer seems to find all the nice red ones and has a constant strawberry moustache on her face! In a couple of week’s time, we’ll transport everything to the new house and sort out planting some of it in the ground.

This week has been a good week for garden maintenance and Richard has done a fair bit of hedge cutting, which I think he really loves. And it gives the arms and upper body a good workout too! His tips are; practice and keep your blades sharp. I’m sure there must be more to it than that, but he’s keeping his secrets to himself, charming!

We’ve dug up a good batch of potatoes today. Our three year old was very excited, digging around in the earth as if she was looking for hidden treasure. Growing potatoes is easy, why not give it a go. You don’t need a lot of space as you can always use pots or a grow bag. You still have time to grow some potatoes this year, get stuck in and they’ll be ready by the end of September for you. Just earth them up and give them plenty of water and sunlight.

The tip for this week is to remember to water your lawn during dry weather. Once the sun has gone, whilst watering any plants you may have, bear a thought for the grass. It will appreciate a drink and will remain green for you. At this time of year it’s good to throw down some seed to thicken things up. Especially if you have a fair bit of traffic, or pets on your lawn. We use a patch repair kit with a neutraliser as we have a bunch of dogs, so our lawn needs all the help it can get!

Finally, my favourite that has come into flower this week in my garden is the mock orange, a sweet scented double bloom, I love it. Thanks for reading, have a great week and don’t forget you can also follow us on Facebook and twitter.

June Sunshine and BBQ's

Well June is here already and we are finally enjoying a bit of sunshine. It's amazing how the sun can alter your mood and make you feel great, it must be that vitamin D that we are all slightly deprived of in this beautiful country, Wales!

If you're in the landscaping or building industry you'll know how those sun rays get the phone a ringing and everything can go a bit crazy in a short space of time. But us gardeners thrive on a bit of crazy time! There's nothing better than having a hard days work out in the sun, weeding, trimming, mowing, blowing, strimming, digging, lugging and hauling... knowing you've done a top job, customers are happy and when you get home? Get the BBQ going!

Oh yeah... Sausages from the local butcher a bit of salad and potatoes (home grown) and there you have it the perfect end to a great day. So here i have to plug! Where do you keep your BBQ? Yup, you need a patio or decking, that's where we come in :) As shown in this picture we have a simple decking base level leading from the french doors.

We can make it as simple or as complicated as you like with different levels and balustrade etc and it makes great use of space that may have been ignored or inaccessible in the past.

Decking is also great for making safe play areas for small children, quite a lot of local child minders opt for this with gates strategically placed!

So there you have it, my first blog and one of my not so secret secrets to keeping young and enjoying life! So, make some time, get the family round and start up the coals, flame grilled is always best with added vitamin D.