OTHER GARDENING SERVICES

The ENGLISH GARDEN Company's core business is garden maintenance, landscaping and tree works. Because these disciplines require numerous additional skills in their professional performance, we have added some of these skills to our specific works menu to offer to our customers on a stand-alone basis.

(click on any topic to see further information)
Artificial Lawns Bedding Schemes Decking Environmental Planting Garden Furniture Renovation Green Screens Hedge Trimming / Layering Horticultural Contracting Irrigation and Drainage		Organic Gardening Planting Schemes Pressure Washing Pruning Slow Water Specimen Planting Stonework Water Features

Yes, they can look authentic. The days when a non-natural lawn replicated the veg carpets at the greengrocer's are long gone. Even with today's technology, there are, and always will be, areas where synthetic grass really is the only sensible option. In regard to slow water issues, the material is as porous as natural turf, avoiding any run-off issues. The main enemies of the natural lawn are shade, heavy traffic, water logging and accumulated debris. If you identify with one of these issues, then please allow us to quote you on installing one of the many varieties of hardwearing, long life, non-natural lawns we can offer.

Designing bedding schemes for customers is a speciality and one we love to carry out.

The varieties we use are the latest from the commercial seed houses mixed with some of our trusty old favourites. Any number of pallets and styles are achievable, leaving a vibrant seasonal display lasting some 6 months.

The ENGLISH GARDEN Company's service includes full preparation of the ground including removal of any previous planting, adding professional compost and slow release granular feed, sufficient for 6 months requirements. In addition, and only for the summer season, we fork into the rootzone a professional water retentive gel, encouraging storage of water at root level during hot, dry periods.

Bedding schemes are quoted on an individual basis. Please contact our offices for a quotation.

All our decking timber is from sustainable sources: balau, iroke, eke, to name three varieties.

In addition we are able to provide a composite alternative produced from recycled plastics, although we feel the subsequent appearance leaves a little to be desired. This is not a naturally occurring product and therefore plays no part in an organic themed garden.

The use is varied - patios, pathways, steps, utility areas, balconies and play surfaces.

The two main colours of choice are a green or a brown finish that can be treated regularly to ensure the original colour remains evident. If the timber is left untreated it will slowly change to a lovely natural silver colour.

The above options will give a modern feel to the area of decking. If an older, more sympathetic option is required, we stock both new and old railway sleeper timber, which gives a mature and weathered finish.

LED spot or floodlights can be sunk into the timber allowing use at night and makes a lovely feature looking from the house.

All The ENGLISH GARDEN Company decking, regardless of composition or treatment, comes with a lifetime guarantee, giving you a trouble free and useful addition to your property.

Mass planting of indigenous species is very often specified in planning permissions to soften the impact of new structures and roads. The ENGLISH GARDEN Company has trading accounts with some of the biggest growers in the country, enabling our pricing to be keenly competitive. In addition, we are now able to offer a contract growing service to ensure non-standard specifications can be reliably met and supplied on a set date, stipulated by you in advance.

Whether your outdoor furniture is 1 year or 10 years old, our process of renovation will have you wondering whether it really is your old furniture that is delivered back to you. The transformation is outstanding. Tables, chairs and benches are collected by appointment and taken back to our workshops. They are stripped down, pressure washed to remove algae / staining / debris, sanded to leave the surface smooth, then treated with two coats of professional preserving stain. Such is the comprehensive revitalising care The ENGLISH GARDEN Company lavishes on your furniture that we recommend only 3 years rather than 1 year between treatments. This not only enhances the lifespan, but also provides a considerable saving.

With the UK's ever-increasing infill building strategy, there will always be a need for instant screening to hide eyesores and improve privacy. Any number of species can be used, and the initial planting height is only governed by your budget. In addition, no planning permission is needed for green screens, whereas even timber fencing needs permission if erected over 2m on a boundary line.

The ENGLISH GARDEN Company is able to install dense evergreen screens from 1m up to 7m without any need for support, and even in areas without access to the earth. This should screen most structures adjacent to a domestic residence.

Our plantsman will advise you on species suitability, options and cost, and all our planting comes with an automatic no-quibble guarantee of 1 year.

Regardless of height, vigour, access and frequency, we can accommodate a one-off trim or, on an agreed frequency, keep your hedges and topiary in pristine condition. You can specify whether you require mechanical trimming with power shears or by secatuer, with disposal off site of all cuttings, leaving the working area in a clean and tidy condition.

Certain species such as Hawthorn or Hazel can be layed to increase security, density and longevity. This is an age-old and extremely skilled art and should only be practised by specialists, such as The ENGLISH GARDEN Company.

We have built up a substantial stock of machinery and kit to accommodate most horticultural and arboricultural tasks. Rather than let our investment lie idle when not in use, we contract out all our machinery with an operator on a day rate basis or price per job. Specific substantial tasks may be placed on a regular basis with The ENGLISH GARDEN Company, releasing your or your staff's time and negating the need to hire in expensive equipment, even when you have the knowledge to safely operate it. Our office will be able to discuss your requirements and provide costings.

Water is a vital component for all life. When most of us barely have time to keep ourselves properly hydrated, how do you ensure giving your plants all the water they need to thrive?

If it were possible to have two identical gardens side by side, one with and one without a professionally installed irrigation system, you would see the substantial difference, and especially the performance of the plants. After some 30 years of installation experience, even we are astounded at the exceptional long-term results. In short, The ENGLISH GARDEN Company can guarantee clients a lush, healthy-looking oasis of green, no matter how hot and dry the season.

There are many other advantages worth detailing, not least economy. You will use a fraction of the water you would use with a standard hosepipe or sprinkler - with water costs rising to absurd levels, this will reduce your utility charges substantially, and also conserve water generally for the good of all.

Aftercare is also where we excel. An annual agreement will cover the Spring commissioning and the Autumn de-commissioning, along with damage rectification service calls during the season to identify any failures.

All our schemes are fully automated, so once set up you have no worries; the system needs only 10 minutes to de-commission when the frosts begin. Any area in the garden can be irrigated; pots, hanging baskets, lawns, borders and beds - even hedges.

With an irrigation system, there is no run-off and wastage because the watering is far more sympathetic to the plants. All the water reaches the actual rootzone.

No longer will you have to arrange cover when you go on holidays, wondering whether you will return to find your plants dead, or compromised by insufficient watering.

No longer will you have to think 'nobody waters my garden like me' as our system will out-perform even you.

The water companies are currently considering removing automated irrigation systems from hosepipe bans, solely because it is such an economical method of watering, and uses less than manual watering with cans.

We are able to install in any garden and have several schemes available, starting from a simple porous hose set-up, to fully tanked and computerised mini-spray / drip / pop up systems, controlled by moisture sensors set in the ground. In addition, we can re-route all your waste water pipes into the irrigation storage tank, regardless of system size: you cannot get more environmentally conscious than that.

Let us call, survey and quote a scheme to fit your garden's requirements and your pocket.

Drainage in any domestic garden is important, both for the plants and for use of the garden. We have several methods for draining waterlogged ground depending on the severity of the problem, from a simple French drain to an automated sump pumped into your drains or water reservoir. The ENGLISH GARDEN Company has been very successful in providing schemes that work even in the wettest of summers.

Horticulture and agriculture form the basis of the increasingly popular organic movement. Virtually any task that requires material and plant input in your garden can be carried out organically. Mankind has propagated plants and landscapes for thousands of years quite adequately without chemicals and synthetic materials, the latter only providing a quick fix replacement for organics, rather than a necessary alternative.

Working with nature makes us only too aware of the damage being done to the environment, and with all our extensive planting over the years, The ENGLISH GARDEN Company's carbon footprint is extensively in credit. Our core business is heavily organic but occasionally this has to be compromised for commercial reasons. So if you wish our work to be entirely organic, please specify at your first meeting with our representative. The additional cost will, on average, only add some 5% to the project cost.

These form the main structure of any garden, providing foliage interest, colour, screening, fragrance, focal points and shape. Many different plants can complement each other, forming a balanced and harmonious garden in any number of colour pallets. We have chosen growers who are able to deliver garden centre quality plants and who include the latest modern varieties in their availability lists, ensuring The ENGLISH GARDEN Company's planting schemes lead the field in providing a different and arresting answer to any planting scheme.

All areas to receive our planting are thoroughly and professionally prepared, incorporating organic composts, organic fertilizers and water retentive gels to keep the ground moist during hot, dry periods.

Once our plantsman has visited your project and assessed your requirements and budget, he will prepare a detailed planting schedule, with scaled drawings for your approval. Once agreed, this will be quoted if a budget has not been established prior to this stage.

Every single plant is fully guaranteed for a twelve-month period for free replacement on a no-quibble basis.

Many would be surprised at how a commercial grade, rotating 2500 psi pressure washer and algaecide can transform a tired and stained old patio, into one that looks fresh and recently laid. Tired old brickwork is left with a new veneer, the original colour of the brick. Before you consider replacing your stonework, if structurally sound, consider instead having The ENGLISH GARDEN Company renovate your stone to near new in appearance.

It would be refreshing for the squillions of gardeners out there, both domestic and commercial, who associate pruning with a hedge trimmer or shears and leave lollipops blighting our landscape, if they understood the damage they are causing to both the plant and the eye. It is fine to use this method for shaping topiary, but not for formative pruning, which is the norm.

Ill-educated pruning of trees and shrubs may leave them superficially tidy, but the resultant regrowth requires a far more frequent return to the task. Properly pruned trees and shrubs require less attention, less frequently, and with less backache. They will be more open, allowing more airflow with less disease and pest problems. A natural appearance is a bonus allowing the plants to fully develop and flower more profusely. Access around the base for feeding and weeding is another bonus - all in all, adding up to a far better way to maintain your tree and plant stock.

Contact The ENGLISH GARDEN Company to arrange a convenient appointment for a free appraisal and quotation to carry out formative pruning of your trees or garden, either on a one-off basis or periodically.

Slow water is becoming more of an issue after the floods and damage of the last few years. Nature's eco-system is constantly being covered with non-porous concrete and tarmac. This forces rainwater to run off, usually into storm drains, thus preventing the water from being recycled. With water shortages now the norm, and the UK's population forever expanding and requiring further housing, it is imperative homeowners concentrate their efforts in the harvesting of rainwater for garden use.

The ENGLISH GARDEN Company has some 34+ years experience in the retaining and retention of water. Let our expert visit and detail the ways you can prevent loss, and effectively harvest what you do have for irrigating your garden.

Today we are able to supply any size/age of most trees and shrubs. Semi and mature plants have a variety of uses, from an immediate and green screen at reasonable cost, to establishing an instant, mature garden. Climbers of some 7 metres in height can be used to hide building scars, giant 8m evergreen Bamboo can immediately hide a neighbour's new extension, and a dense planting of 2 metre 'Berberis Julianae' will provide a vicious security screen even a hippopotamus would think twice about tackling. More and more of our clients are using mature planting for a variety of reasons. Let The ENGLISH GARDEN Company provide you with a costed specimen-planting scheme perfectly suited to your needs.

Never before has there been such a wide variety of materials available to the serious landscaper, as this enables The ENGLISH GARDEN Company to provide its clients with a comprehensive range from which to choose. It is imperative that materials chosen are in harmony with the garden, house and local landscape, which is the fundamental deciding factor when recommending products to its clients.

Patios, balustrades, brickwork, BBQs and steps are laid to British Standards specifications and will last a lifetime, even with robust use. Let the EGC show you what is on offer in stonework, and subsequently supply you with a firm and accurate quotation.

Water in the garden dramatically aids relaxation and enhances tranquillity, from the sound of water trickling from a spout, to a fast running stream or cascade, to the serenity found in a lake. It encourages wild and aquatic life, requires little maintenance, and is reasonably economic to install. The ENGLISH GARDEN Company lays all types of ponds, headers, cascades, fountains, lakes, streams, stone basins and barrels to add considerable interest to your garden. There are also many materials now available to line watercourses. Clients are invited to dictate their budget from the onset in order that we may cost the appropriate material for the project.

Aquatic planting is a must for ponds, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for water clarity. There is little point stocking a pond with fish if they cannot be seen. Different plants are needed for different depths, nourishment, light levels, and most importantly, oxygen. Aquatic, marginal and bog plants are now widely available, and our partnership with a large local, award-winning aquatic plant grower ensures we acquire the best on offer.

Positioning is all-important when siting a water feature. It is imperative that it looks 100% natural, and in scale with the surrounding garden. All this takes considerable knowledge, and an experience in this line of work of some 34 + years.

Telephone: 0800 7836117

email office@englishgc.co.uk

The English Garden Company and The English Tree Company are trading names of The English Garden Company Limited Registered in England & Wales - Reg No: 5481756 - VAT Reg No: 728 5441 21