by GillianPolley | Dec 18, 2015 | 2015, advent season, back gardens, bulbs, Carex comans bronze, Carex oshimensis 'Evergold', Christmas, colour in the garden, containers, cyclamen, December, Design, Edinburgh, evergreen plants, Festive plant container, focal points in the garden, front garden, garden inspiration, Grasses, herbaceous perennials, Heuchera 'Plum Pudding', livingreendesign, long flowering period, low maintenance plants, Plants, Polley Garden Design, Sarcococca Purple Stem, scent, shrubs, Skimmia japonica, winter colour, winter scent in the garden
Christmas is here, and people are busy decorating their christmas trees and decking their halls, but don’t forget your garden. A festive styled plant container in a position near a door or viewed from a window really cheers up a garden. At plant nurseries and...
by GillianPolley | Aug 11, 2015 | 2015, Acer, Acers, Architectural Plants, Buxus, Design, evergreen plants, front garden, garden inspiration, garden transformation, Japanese gardens, O-Karikomi, O-Karikomi gardening technique, Plants, Polley Garden Design, shrubs, trees, winter structure
Design ideas come from everywhere and everything, sometimes you immerse yourself in an idea, work at it and develop it, then it sits in the back of your mind and simmers slowly. I find the ‘simmering time’ vital as you take the idea, push and pull it...
by GillianPolley | Jun 12, 2015 | 2015, August, back gardens, bees, bees and insects, Chelsea Flower Show, Colour, colour in the garden, Design, early summer, Edinburgh, evergreen plants, front garden, Geum 'Cosmopolitan', Geum 'Lemon Drops', Geum 'Prinses Juliana', Geum 'Totally Tangerine', Geums, Geums - stalwarts of the flower border, herbaceous perennials, long flowering period, low maintenance plants, Plants, Polley Garden Design, stalwart garden plants, summer, summer flowering plants
Geums have been one of the talked about plants at Chelsea in the last few years – the orange coloured ‘Prinses Juliana’ (height 60cm, spread 50cm), flowers May – July, and ‘Totally Tangerine’ (height 75cm, spread 50cm) flowers April...
by GillianPolley | Jan 2, 2015 | 2015, annual plants, apples, back gardens, Bailey, bare root fruit trees, bats, bees, bees and insects, Birds, Colour, colour in the garden, community gardens, conifers, containers, Design, dogs, Edinburgh, evergreen plants, front garden, fruit trees, garden inspiration, Garden trends 2015, habitat for wildlife, herbaceous perennials, insect habitat, insect hotels, insects, January, outdoor pools and spas, pears, Plants, plums, Polley Garden Design, Raised wooden beds, rural country gardens, shapes, shrubs, Spring, Stepover fruit trees, Top garden trends for 2015, trained fruit trees on walls, trees, Tweed Valley Fruit Trees, urban green spaces, Vegetable growing, wildlife habitats
In the world of fashion for Spring 2015, navy is the ‘new black’, the pattern is gingham and the style of jacket is ‘kimono cool’. A couple of months ago I brought a kimono style jacket for a change and I am delighted to be ‘kimono...
by GillianPolley | Jul 23, 2014 | A Day Out, A Linear Focus, Architectural Plants, art in the garden, Colour, colour in the garden, Design, Edinburgh, evergreen plants, focal points in the garden, garden inspiration, Hedges, herbaceous border, herbaceous perennials, Houghton Hall Walled Garden, July, June, Lawns, Norfolk, Plants, Polley Garden Design, scent, sculpture in the garden, soft landscaping, summer
People ask me, “Do you enjoy visiting gardens when you are on holiday?” The answer is definitely “yes”. I can enjoy them as a visitor without the worry of designing them, or worrying how the planting is doing and in this hot weather, are the...
by GillianPolley | Jun 19, 2014 | a woodland garden and driveway, drainage, driveway, Ecogrid, evergreen plants, Foliage Planting Design, garden transformation, Hedges, landscaping works, Lawns, linear drain, machinery, Plants, Polley Garden Design, resin bound stone, sandstone paving, shrubs, sloped driveway, soft landscaping, SUDS, SUDS compliant, trees
The final phase of landscaping is the installation of a paved circle for a sitting area, lawn and plant bed preparation. Soil preparation is the key to good strong plant growth. The plant bed area is cleared of unwanted vegetation and bricks, concrete, stones etc...