flowerpotman the Landscape gardener
We are landscape gardeners, covering Weston-super-mare, Bristol and North Somerset. You'll find information for our hard landscaping services, block paving, leveling slopes, laying patios, lawn drainage, wildlfe ponds, laying lawn turf, children's out door play areas.
We also construct ramps, paths and raised beds, making access, mobility and gardening easier for the elderly and people with restricted movement.
Somerset, North Somerset, Bristol, Clevedon, Portishead, Nailsea, Weston-super-mare, Yatton
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Landscape gardening
Tips for Spring
Lawn drainage.
How to lay a simple and effective drainage system, essential before landscaping your garden, It is relevant for areas that slope (The bubble on your spirit level touching the line will do fine) and is waterlogged. more
Where have all the butterflies gone dad ?
They have gone hunting for food and homes son.
Why, was it the bankers ?
No son, worse than that. The meadows that were their homes, and the wildflower nectar that was their food have all gone.
What can Mr Cameron do ?
Nothing son,
What can we do?
Nothing son.
Can we grow a wildflower meadow in our lawn, please dad?
Landscape gardening for elderly and people with restricted movement. Tips on the Disabled gardening page.
How to sow seeds
Once the landscaping is competed, follow these simple seed sowing guidelines and watch your seeds germinate and grow into healthy plants. sowing seeds
Cottage style tips
Ask your landscape gardener not to include modern hybrids and double flowers they are not traditional cottage plants and offer wildlife nothing at all, cottage gardener
Leveling a slope and landscaping makes gardening easier and creates outdoor dining and play areas, terracing can make a slidy slope useable again. more on my leveling page
Simple, interesting and practical small project design.
The best ideas and design for landscaping a small area, are usually the simple, interesting and practical ones. You can have to much packed in. More about small gardens
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| Bill and Ben the flowerpot men |
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Planning successful landscaping projects.Have a plan in mind. Sometimes a few slabs are laid and the rest just follow. If you are starting from scratch, have a design and stick to it, even if you are having the hard-landscaping carried out in stages. I will formulate a plan with you or you could hire our designer.
What will well designed and properly constructed patios, walls and terracing do for you and your home? A good design can improve property value, add extra space, increase privacy and complement your home.
Probably the most important factor will be improving the usability.
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Converting unworkable slopes into accessible terraces.
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Turning an overgrown jungle into something attractive and low maintenance.
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Draining a waterlogged area, to grow fruit, vegetable and flowers.
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Or simply breaking up cracking 60s concrete and creating paved areas and borders.
Hiring a landscape-gardener is a big investment so I have listed some of the things you might want to consider.
What do you need to do? Think about the changes you would like to make and why. Paved areas, when properly constructed are low maintenance and great for entertaining, lawns and flower borders need a bit of looking after but are nature friendly. think about soft play areas for children. Most of all, If you are getting on a bit, pathways and raised beds for accessibility.
What's the budget, How much does landscaping cost? Its worth spending a little time visiting local landscaping supply companies, to see the many different natural stone and concrete slabs and other materials available and to check out the cost.
There really are to many to bring out as samples and they never look the quite same in a catalogue. Other factors affecting the price are access, clearance, surface, leveling, drainage and groundwork.
Questions to ask Has the contractor had experience of the work you want done? Will the person who calls to discuss the quote, also work on the job? Can they give an estimated time scale for the work?
The answer to all these questions should be yes. If they haven't had experience of the type of work you want carried out, can they recommend a company who has. Finally, will advance payments for materials and possibly labour be required.
Drainage. Often forgotten until it rains, drainage is so important unless you want your expensive patio to disappear every time it rains. I have forgotten how many times I have been called out to sort out drainage problems the designers had not recognized and taken into account. Checkout my garden drainage page.
Practicalities. A multi level patio or decking platform might look good but is useless if the surface area is to small for family or guests to pull back there chairs, spread out a little without falling of the edge. Its not the wine its the design. A practical design is even more important if it is being designed for a person who because of disability finds it difficult to get around or uses a wheelchair. Check out my disabled gardening page. .
Who to choose? The team you choose, will depend on how they have answered your questions, competitive quotes are also important but if you go for the cheapest it may cost a lot more in the long run. Do the designer and landscape gardener both share your ideas and are people you can trust working around your home for a few days or weeks.
Finally, I never ask for up front payment. For large projects scheduled to take longer than two weeks, I agree stage payments, paid in arrears.
flowerpotman's
landscape-gardening quotes
are free in and around
North Somerset, Somerset, Bristol, Weston-super-mare, Portishead, Clevedon, Nailsea, Yatton.
We travel further afield for drainage
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Patios and block paving can be laid by our landscape gardener all year round, Lighter coloured paving slabs are very effective in brightening up small shady areas and courtyards and mixed and darker flagstones make great paved patios for larger landscape projects.
Childrens Soft play area include one in your landscaping children's play area
Sensory area. Its simpler than it sounds, encouraging our kids to touch and feel plants and is easily included in a landscape gardening project sensory .
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