Friday 28 March 2014

Top Tips for the Perfect Garden

Everybody wants to have a garden that looks great, that is practical and that is somewhere where you can spend time relaxing whenever the weather lets us!

Of course everybody looks for something different in their garden, some people want lots of lawn, some people want lots of plants and flowers, some want to grow vegetables and some want an area where they can sit and eat or drink with family and friends.

The size of your garden will of course influence what you are able to do with your garden, for example a very small garden will not allow you to grow vegetables as well as have a space for table and chairs.

So maybe you haven’t got a clue what to do with your garden, or maybe you just need a little help, well here are a few suggestions that we hope will help you get your perfect garden:

Making a plan is very important if you want to make the most of your garden space, by designing a simple plan you know exactly what can fit where, decide what will look best where and overall make the whole process easier.

Deciding exactly what you want to do in your garden is important, do you want space for children to play in? 
Do you want a space where you can eat and drink outside? Do you want a haven of flowers and plants?

Having a large open space can sometimes look plain, the trick is to break up these open spaces using colourful flowerbeds, this will make your garden interesting and attractive.

Planting a variety of plants and flowers will make things interesting; if you have all of the same colour or all of the same texture it can get boring, so don’t be afraid to mix it up!

Little touches of garden art will make your garden unique and unusual, whether you choose a decorative bird house, a sculpture or any other decorative pieces; this is a great way of making your garden different.

Garden lights can make your garden a picturesque place both day and night, they not only do that but also mean that you are able to spend time there no matter whether it’s day or night. There are so many different style of garden lighting that these can also act as decorative feature.

Picking plants that suit your climate will make your job easier and require less work, we don’t mean you need to pick all your plants like this, but some would helpful!


Finally, we say don’t overdo it on any one thing, if there are too many plants there will be no where to sit, if the seating area is too large there won’t be enough plants; it’s all about getting the right balance! 

Monday 10 March 2014

What Vegetables Can You Grown When?

Many people put a lot of effort into their gardens, some prefer a simple garden with room to sit in, some like a garden to be filled with flowers and colours, and some want their garden to consist of home grown fruit and vegetables.

Of course many people are keen gardeners and have lots of space where they can grow their own produce, however some people just have a small space and fancy growing a few things, so here at The Garden Lighting Shop we have decided to try and help you get started by putting together a little list of what vegetables you can plant at what time of year, as well as when they can be harvested.

Asparagus – This is a tricky one to grow as it takes a lot of time and care, but its best to start the process in autumn and most plants are ready for picking two years after being planted. If you don’t want to wait that long you will be glad to know that there are many modern varieties available that have been bred for earlier cropping.

Beans – For runner beans, climbing French beans and dwarf beans seeds can be sown from April onwards and will be ready for harvesting throughout summer.

Beetroot – These seeds are sown directly into the soil between April and July and are usually ready for harvesting about 90 days afterwards.

Broad Beans – These seeds can be sown from autumn (October) onwards, so long as there is not frost on the ground. Frost can damage your broad beans so make sure you are aware of what to do if the temperate drops too low.

Carrots – Carrots can be sown from March/April onwards and need to be planted on a dry, sunny day. From June/July onwards you can harvest them as soon as they are big enough to eat

Celery – The best thing to do with celery is to plant ready-grown seedlings in spring, this way the plants will be ready for harvesting from summer into autumn.

Courgettes – With courgettes you have two choices, you can plant your seeds into pots from March until mid-May, or you can plant your seeds directly into soil from late-May through to early summer. During the height of the season you can harvest your courgettes several times a week; this will keep the plants productive.

Cucumbers – If you are growing these in a heated greenhouse you can sow these in early spring, if you are growing them in a non-heated greenhouse or outdoors then sowing should be done in mid-spring. If planted outdoors cucumbers can be harvested until mid-September, if planted indoors harvesting can go on into mid-October.

Leeks – You can sow leek seeds between March and April, which can then be harvested from mid-summer right through until the following spring.

Onions and Garlic – Sowing for onion and garlic seeds can be done around January or February and as soon as the leaves start to yellow and die back they are ready for harvesting.

Peas – These can be grown in two ways; they can be sown in a cold frame in autumn or straight into the ground in spring and both will be ready throughout summer.

Potatoes – When growing potatoes you first of all chit them, chitting is basically the process of speeding up the ageing process of the seeds by exposing them to light and a bit of warmth. You need to start chitting in late-January, early-February and then plant them in mid-March, early-April. The potatoes will be ready for harvesting between June and September, depending on the variety of potato and the growing conditions.

Sweetcorn – This can be planted in the spring and will be ready for harvesting by late-summer.

Tomatoes – Tomatoes should be sown in late February and will be ready for harvesting in summer.


Of course there are many more vegetables that you can grow but these are the most common; we hope that this is of some help to you and wish you luck with your garden!