Winter Pruning Service

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Get some professional help in the garden and let us do your winter pruning. Your evergreen shrubs and herbaceous perennials are ready for cutting back, so why not put your garden to bed, we can also clear up the leaves. Most of your evergreen shrubs will probably need pruning, there are some exceptions such as Viburnum tinus which will be flowering shortly (if not already) and these will need to done after flowering is complete.

Herbaceous plants will now be looking very untidy and while we recommend grasses are left over winter, it is a good idea to clear off the dead stems of most perennials now so that any new growth in Spring is not damaged when cutting back at that time. It also removes any potential winter homes for slugs and snails.
If you have shrubs that have grown completely out of hand, they can be cut back quite hard in many cases and our team will know if this is the case or recommend a staged approach to cutting back over two or three seasons. They can then grow back into a manageable sized plant.

All the waste arising from the pruning is removed from your garden and taken to our shredding site, where the waste is composted and reused.

Contact Pat on 0114 221 5066 for details on prices.

winter pruning

Regular pruning keeps plants looking their best

A Large Formal Garden

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Gardens this size are not common but it is nice when the chance to totally remodel the whole garden comes along. The clients wanted a simple layout, not too much fuss, but quality materials and lots of colourful planting.

 

A large formal lawn is framed by a York stone slab path which leads to a sunken garden around an old Cherry tree. A circular Teak bench is installed around the trunk of the tree. Mixed borders line each side of the lawn and provide lots of colour from April through to October. The existing terrace was remodelled to allow a larger paved area which was centralised relative to the new patio doors on the house. This leads onto broad steps that pass through a rose garden edged with Lavender.

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A children’s garden was created in another area, with a climbing frame set among a series of mown paths flowing through a wildflower meadow.

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The front garden was changed to allow more parking with a large central border that wrapped around the boundary, resin bound gravel drive edged with Yorkstone kerb and Yorkstone tumbled setts forming focal panels of paving in front of the house and at the head of the drive. Subtle lighting spotlights feature planting at the front to make the house more welcoming.

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What to do in your garden in Setpember

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September is generally a cooler month than August, however it is starting off very warm and the forecast suggests it might be drier than August was. If you have been growing fruit or vegetables this year you’ll be kept busy harvest the fruits of your labour. Now is also the time to start planting spring-flowering bulbs for next year. Make sure you make the most of and sunny days and the remaining warmth while you can this month!

General

  • Divide herbaceous perennials
  • Harvest autumn crops
  • Collect seed from perennials and hardy annuals
  • Cover ponds with netting before the leaves start falling from trees
  • Reduce the frequency of houseplant watering
  • Clean out cold frames and greenhouses in preparation for autumn planting
  • Plant spring flowering bulbs
  • September can often be warm so remember to keep watering
  • Keep weeding as most perennial weeds are susceptible to weedkiller this month

Fruit & Veg

  • Harvest fruit and vegetables as they are ready
  • Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
  • Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof netting

Greenhouse
This is the time of year to give your greenhouse and coldframes a good clean out. Once your tomatoes and other crops have finished, thoroughly cleaning your greenhouse helps prevent pests from making a home over winter. It also prepares the space ready for autumn planting.

Lawns

  • Reduce the frequency of mowing
  • Now is a good time to lay turf or plant seeds
  • Aerate and apply a top dressing

    • Trees, shrubs & Climbers

  • Clip hedges before mid September – leylandi, lonicera, privet, hawthorn, beech and yew
  • Prune climbing roses and keep deadheading those still flowering
  • Trim lavender bushes lightly with hedging shears. Don’t be too aggressive, if you need to get drastic, leave it until spring
  • Now is the time to plant or move conifers and evergreens

    • Bulbs & Flowers

  • Now is the prime time for planting spring bulbs
  • If you want indoor bulbs for Christmas plant before mis September
  • Bring tender perennials into shelter
  • Deadhead spent flowers to keep the garden looking tidy
  • Support tall flowers now before the autumn storms arrive

    • Summer Symmetry

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    Take a look at this month’s planting design, a great design to smarten up your garden.

    Download a full size PDF here

    August – Rhodochiton Purple Bells

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    Fantastic annual climber usually available from July, will flower until first major frosts can be overwintered in a greenhouse.

    Extremely beautiful rapid growing climber that starts flowering in June and continues until killed by frost. Delightful parasol-shaped fuchsia pink calyx with black/purple to crimson 2½in flowers within. Sunny pergolas, porches, walls. Flowers mid summer to autumn.

    Likes full sun.

    How to choose professional landscape gardeners

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    How to choose your landscape gardeners for landscaping, garden design and build projects

    When you employ a professional landscape gardener to design and build your garden you get real peace of mind knowing that the elements of your garden will grow and develop where they need to. They will last and age with grace where they should.

    1. Experience – Every garden is unique so it is very important to choose a landscaper who has the confidence and experience to deal with whatever they might find in your garden. Your landscaping team need to be able to interpret your ideas and turn them into reality in your garden.
    2. Communication – For this to work effectively communication is absolutely key, so make sure you get involved with the team right from the start. Let them know how you feel about what they are proposing.
    3. Specialist or general – Some landscape gardeners cover a variety of services including turf laying, fencing, decking, patio laying and planting. Others however only specialise in one area.
    4. Case studies – ask to see examples of their work. Landscape gardeners are proud of their work and they will probably have loads of photos or even a video for you to look at. You can check the quality of their work and see if you like what it is they do.
    5. Testimonials – unless they’ve been recommended to you ask them for testimonials from some of their past customers.
    6. Quote – Make sure the garden landscaper puts their quote in writing on official headed paper showing a postal address and full contact details.

    The time and effort spent choosing the right garden landscaping company will ensure your garden project runs to plan, is on schedule, not overpriced and the end result is the garden you’ve always wanted.

    Garden Style are a landscaping company that have a wealth of experience and offer a comprehensive range of landscape gardening throughout Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire. They are based at Rhinegold Garden Centre in Loxley just outside Sheffield, where you will also find a huge stock of plants and garden accessories. If you are interested in a full on landscaping project or just a modest garden makeover we’d be happy to talk about your ideas. Tell us how much you want to spend and we will provide you with the best possible solution.

    Call us on 0114 221 5066 or email us [email protected]

    Garden Style Landscape Gardeners
    Rhinegold Garden Centre

    What to do in your garden in October

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    Summer has been amazing and the mild weather continues into the Autumn this year.  Now is a great time to get your garden ready for the winter months ahead. Check out our tips on what you should be doing this month. As always, if you have any questions then feel free to post them on our Facebook page

    General

    • Conduct a thorough weeding at the start of the month to reduce work during the wet months to come
    • Plant herbaceous perennials
    • Remove any remaining annuals and plant out biennials and hardy perennials raised from seed
    • Thin out any dense patches of water plants in your pond and clean up any litter and leaves from the surface and bottom. Thin out oxygenating plants. Don’t forget to place a net over the pool to protect from falling leaves.
    • Spray cherries, peaches and nectarines
    • Plant out winter and hardy spring vegetables
    • Remove dead leaves, and remove any remaining annuals and summer bedding plants
    • Dress borders with bone-meal
    • Continue to weed and turn beds

    Lawns

    Autumn is a critical time in the lawn care calendar. Help to prepare the lawn to make it through the difficult winter months and ensure that your lawn looks its best come the Spring.

    • Repair damaged or worn areas of the lawn.
    • Autumn is a very good time to sow a new lawn from seed.
    • Treat mossy  lawns with an Autumn lawn feed and mss killer. Wait until the moss has turned black, (about 2 weeks) and remove the dead moss with a spring tine rake.
    • Adjust the cutting height on your lawnmower so that it cuts the grass higher.
    • Mow about once a fortnight until about mid October, depending on the weather conditions.
    • Recut the lawn edges with a half moon edging iron to create a neat finish.

    Greenhouse

    • Bring tender succulents under cover for winter
    • Empty begonia tubers from pots
    • Water plants more sparingly
    • Sow sweet peas for early flowers next summer
    • Line the inside of your greenhouse with bubble polythene
    • Check heaters are working

    Flowers

    • Plant crocuses, fritillaries and dwarf narcissus in lawns
    • Plant up patio pots for autumn interest
    • Lift gladioli, clean the corms and store them
    • Prune rambling and climbing roses, and shorten long shoots on standard roses
    • Move shrubs that are growing in the wrong places

    Fruit and Veg

    • Make a cross-cut in cabbage stems when harvesting
    • Sow broad beans for early crops next May and June
    • Put cloches over tender herbs like basil and coriander
    • Plant garlic and autumn onion sets
    • Pick apples and pears before the wind blows them down
    • Finish pruning blackberries and autumn-fruiting raspberries

    Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook page or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.

    A Stainless Century show garden

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    A different format this month as we look back at the planting in the RHS Gold Medal winning ‘A Stainless Century’ show garden. The planting design is by Phil Hirst who of course designed the garden. We look at one part that you could take away and use together in a free draining border or raised bed.

    Download this as a PDF

    Wood Henge – A Landscape Garden Design Project

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    A retired couple were downsizing and asked us to redesign their rear garden, which was very overgrown and totally unsuitable. They wanted to retain the mature planting on the boundary to maintain privacy and required comfortable paved areas that could be used to make the most of the sun at different times of day and for entertaining family and friends. A raised paved area had already been installed with the conservatory.

    Here are a few photos taken before we started work.
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    We created a series of overlapping circles that linked the different areas of the awkwardly shaped garden and used tumbled Indian sandstone slabs and setts for the paths and the two patios. The setts were also used to edge the gravel areas.

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    A small, curving lawn helped to lead the eye down the garden with narrow, but lush planting areas around the garden allowing the clients to enjoy some of their favourite plants.

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    Oak pillars edge one patio and lead to the arch in front of the shed. An Oak and stone bench curves around part of the main patio which in turn is framed by a Hornbeam hedge that helps screen the garage.

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    The oak pillars have prompted the clients to call their garden ‘Woodhenge’.

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