Well I think this week we’ll all agree that this is possibly the wettest drought in history! I’m not going to mention the weather again this week as I think we’ve all heard enough about it.
Last week I spent some time out and about looking round other garden centres and nurseries for inspiration. One thing I brought back with me – as well as a few new plant varieties – was the use of colour. In retail we are taught to merchandise using blocks of colour to attract the eye and the best displays I came across were indeed big blocks of contrasting colours. This display technique should be standard practice in a garden centre but you can also use this principle in your garden to create impact. Next time you plant if you have space try planting in blocks of the same thing rather than lots of different things and see what a difference it makes to your outside ‘look’. A good way to experiment with this is to use packs of bedding plants which are great value for money and colour. Then if this season’s colour choice doesn’t work for you you can change it next season with the plants.
I visit our garden centres at least once a week to see what’s happening out there. It was especially nice to see our Landford centre whose recent outdoor refit is now complete. Landford has always been a favourite but the new fixtures and fittings have taken a pretty plant area and made it stunning...
