Garden Design London | Emma Pulman Garden Design Blog

Emma Pulman Garden Design is a full-service garden design company offering bespoke garden design services in Essex and the surrounding area. We create beautiful, unique gardens to be enjoyed for years to come. No project is too big or too small for our Essex garden design team.

We’re known for creating beautiful, functional gardens and using high-quality materials, while at very competitive prices. We employ our attention to detail and eye for design to ensure you get the garden of your dreams. Similarly, working with high-quality materials and the best landscapers ensures the build phase runs smoothly ensuring your new haven will last.

Garden Design Essex – How does it work?

We visit you at home for a complimentary initial consultation. Here we asses your garden and gain an understanding of what your wishes for your garden. We’ll ask lots of questions to make sure we understand your requirements, so that once we’re well-prepared to come back to you with a full proposal.

No two gardens are the same and we reflect this in our bespoke garden designs and services. We’ll consider the specific aspect, soil conditions and areas requiring attention, and make sure we create a very special garden for you to enjoy. We work across a wide range of landscapes from balconies and roof-top gardens to grand estates.

We’d love to find out more about your garden.

Please get in touch to tell us more using the contact form below.

emma@emmapulmangardendesign.com or call/text 07889 365 003.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Garden Maintenance Essex

We also offer a full garden maintenance service. If you’d like us to maintain your garden for you, we arrange regular visits, thereby ensuring your garden stays in tip-top condition.

All gardens need some level of maintenance. However, how much you’d like to do yourself is up to you. If you’d like to maintain your garden yourself we can simply create a maintenance guide for you. This lists all your garden’s plants and features and informs you exactly how you to care for them.

However, we understand that not everyone is able to tend to their garden due to time or circumstances. Therefore, we can also take your maintenance levels into account when designing your garden. For example, we can select certain trees, shrubs and plants to keep maintenance levels low. This also applies to any hard landscaping we implement.

If you’d like us to carry out maintenance on your garden in Essex. Please get in touch:

emma@emmapulmangardendesign.com

07889 365 003

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Why we love Essex

We love visiting the many gardens Essex has to offer. We’ve picked three of our favourites to share with you:

1. The Beth Chatto garden – Firstly, this beautiful garden near Colchester. While it’s built on a site with very challenging conditions, it demonstrates what you can achieve if you work with nature, not against it. There are 5 main areas: Gravel Garden, Water Garden, Woodland Garden, Reservoir Garden and Scree Garden. There’s so much to see and enjoy!

2. Green Island Gardens – Secondly, described as “A Plantsman’s Paradise” you will see some amazing plants throughout the year. Fiona Edmond took over the garden in 1997 and now, as a result of her vision, it features Woodland gardens, a Japanese garden, a Water garden and much more.

3. Marks Hall Gardens and Arboretum – Finally, If you love trees, this is the garden for you due to its tree collection from all the temperate areas of the world. Furthermore, there are 200 acres of historic landscape and gardens for you to enjoy.

Low maintenance garden design

September 30, 2019November 15, 2019 emmapulmangardendesign

Low Maintenance Garden

Low maintenance garden design

A low maintenance garden doesn’t have to be dull, unattractive or simple. In fact, it’s easy to create a low maintenance garden that’s both beautiful and enjoyable. At Emma Pulman Garden Design we understand it’s not always easy to find the time to nurture your garden, which is why we can design and build a low maintenance garden for you. Making it easy for you to enjoy your valuable outdoor space without the added maintenance.

How to create a low maintenance garden

To help you get a better understanding of how a low maintenance garden can be created, here are our top tips and tricks.

Don’t overdo the features: The more you add to your garden the more complex the care regime becomes. Before you start it’s important to work out what’s most important to you. Is it entertaining guests? A veg patch? A place to do morning yoga? Once you’ve worked this out, you can make it the focus of your garden. Try to not get distracted. It can be easy to want everything at once, but the key to low maintenance is doing one or two things well. Another tip is to have your most important feature nearest the house. This way it’s easily accessible and visible from your home. Making it easier and more convenient for you to enjoy it.
Make the design straight, simple and wide: The more utilitarian the design the easier it will be to maintain. For example, by making paths wide, it will be easier to move wheelbarrows, mowers etc. By keeping the lawn straight and wide it will make it easier to cut. Try to avoid having a small fiddly area of lawn that makes it more difficult to cut. There are more tips on caring for your lawn below.
Add mulch to your borders: Add mulch, bark or gravel to your borders to stop weeds from growing. The less time spent weeding the better.

Choose plants carefully

Use trees, shrubs and bulbs: Hardy, evergreen trees and shrubs will help to keep your garden low maintenance. Low maintenance shrubs and trees include Euonymus, Lavender, Hebe and Magnolia. Bulbs can also be used to bring colour each year. They’re quick and easy to add to borders and will look after themselves. Grasses such as Carex or Miscanthus only need to be cut back once a year, making them a good low maintenance choice. Choose hardy plants which can withstand winter temperatures. Otherwise, they’ll need to be wrapped or brought indoors during Winter.
Pick plants for your conditions: We’ve all been there… Scrolling through Pinterest admiring all the beautiful plants we’d love to have. But, it’s important to remember not all the plants you see will suit the conditions of your garden. It can end up becoming very hard work if you pick a plant suited for dry sandy soil and put it in a garden with natural clay wet conditions.
Avoid Containers: Containers are great for smaller city gardens where space is limited. Or, they can be used to liven up a patio or a doorway. However, they are very high maintenance because they need to be watered daily in the Summer months. Container plants also need to be fed often and repotted every few years to make sure the soil has enough nutrients. If you do need to use containers try and use large ones which will allow the soil to stay moist for longer.
Invest in an automated irrigation system: You can set the timer to water your plants daily which means holidays are easy. It also takes the pressure off watering daily and can make owning container plants a lot easier.

Lawns and Lawn alternatives

Low Maintenance Garden

Don’t collect your clippings: By letting the clippings land on the lawn you are putting nitrogen back in the soil which means the grass can be fed less often. It may be worth investing in a ‘recycling’ or ‘mulching’ mower which will break the grass down into smaller pieces.
Use Everedge to border your lawn so you don’t have to edge it by hand.
Lawn grasses prefer open conditions avoid having them in areas under trees or where they’ll receive a lot of shade.
Consider professional maintenance: This may not be an option for everyone but if you want to guarantee having a well-kept lawn it may be time to bring in the professionals.
Robot mowers: Although they can be very pricey, robot mowers do a great job of keeping your lawn in check.
Artificial Lawns: Could be the best option for you. Artificial lawns cause a big debate in the world of landscaping and garden design! Advances in technology mean they look a lot more realistic however they don’t have the same positive environmental and habitat advantages as real grass.

If you’d like to have a low maintenance garden designed for your home or if you’d like to find out more about our garden maintenance services please fill out the contact form below or contact emma@emmapulmangardendesign.com / 07889356003

Garden Design Locations

Garden Design Hertfordshire

August 16, 2019November 15, 2019 emmapulmangardendesign

Garden Design Hertfordshire

Emma Pulman garden design is a full-service garden design company offering both garden design and maintenance services across Hertfordshire. We specialise in creating bespoke, design-led, beautiful gardens for individuals and families across Hertfordshire.

We pride ourselves in creating exquisite garden designs, using high-quality materials, which will last. All of our gardens are bespoke and tailored to fit the needs of our clients. We work closely with our clients to make the entire process as seamless as possible. From the initial consultation to finishing the garden build – we’re with you every step of the way.

Garden design in Hertfordshire – How does it work?

It all starts with an initial consultation. We will visit your home to get a better understanding of what you’re looking for. Our initial consultation is always complimentary. It gives us the chance to see your garden and understand what you’re looking to achieve. We’ll ask lots of questions and then come back to you with a proposal. Our service is always bespoke as we understand not all of our clients have the same needs. You may just be looking for help with a planting plan or a specific problem area. Or, a new garden design and build could be on the cards – in either case, we’re here to help!

If you’d like to find out more about our garden design services in Hertfordshire please fill in the contact form below:

Garden design and maintenance in Hertfordshire

It’s important to take care of your new beautiful garden once the works are complete. Biweekly visits from our professional maintenance team can make a world of difference, in keeping your garden looking fresh.

However, some of our clients prefer to maintain their gardens themselves and we’re right behind you! We can design your garden to make it as high or low maintenance as you like. We’ll also prepare a garden maintenance schedule so you are empowered to look after it yourself.

Why we love Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a wonderful county. There’s plenty to see and do. From music festivals to glorious gardens, you won’t be disappointed. When we’re not designing gardens, we love visiting the many spectacular gardens Hertfordshire has to offer!

1. Hertfordshire Gardens

Knebworth house is one of our favourites. It’s a great place to visit with the family. You can play in the maze, admire the kitchen garden or search for the 72 life-sized dinosaurs. Make sure you get a map of the gardens when you arrive. There are 28 acres of formal gardens to enjoy, so make sure you plan your route so you don’t miss out. Knebworth House and gardens also run a ‘meet the gardener’ session, so you can ask any questions you may have.

Another great garden to visit in Hertfordshire is Hatfield House and Gardens. Here you can enjoy the 40 acres of magnificent gardens. The gardens date back to the 17th century when John Tradescant was employed by Robert Cecil to collect plant species from Europe which had never been seen before in England. This led to the creation of the exquisite gardens you can still enjoy today.

2. Hertfordshire bluebell spotting

If you have the opportunity to visit Herts in April make sure you visit one of the woodland areas to enjoy the bluebells. Every year with the arrival of Spring, a bluebell bonanza blooms and it’s really a delight to see. You’ll be able to see the bluebells at Ashridge Estate, Tewin Orchard Nature Reserve, Hatfield House and Gardens and Whippendell Wood.

3. Outdoor Activities in Hertfordshire

There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors in Hertfordshire. One of our favourite places to visit is the Abbey View Golf Course & Track. In particular the footgolf/golf course. It’s a great way to spend time outdoors as a family, in a beautiful setting. We can’t recommend it enough.

If you’d like to find out more about our garden design services in Hertfordshire please call 07889 356 003. Or email emma@emmapulmangardendesign.com

We look forward to hearing from you.

Garden Design

Family Garden Design Ideas

August 9, 2019November 15, 2019 emmapulmangardendesign

Family Garden Design Ideas

A family garden can be a wonderful place. Whether you have a large garden or a small balcony your outdoor area can be utilised to make extra room for your family to come together. All families are unique and this should be reflected in your garden’s design. Adults, children and pets all have different needs and requirements when it comes to spending time outdoors. Here are some of our favourite family garden design ideas:

Family Garden – Safety first

Keep it safe – It goes without saying that it’s important for everyone to be safe. Think about what you’re comfortable with? After all, the garden is a place for you all to relax. Think about your children’s ages and what is safe for them now and in the future.
Water features – best avoided if you have young ones. It’s really not worth the risk with small children. It will make supervision more difficult and put the adults on edge. Once the children are older ponds and water features are great! It’s fun to find newts, frogs and other wildlife enjoying the pond. You can also use a purpose-made safety grid to prevent anyone from getting an unwanted dunk. A natural swimming pond can also be a very welcome addition as the family gets older.
Maintain or create strong garden borders – It’s important to have clear borders around the periphery of your garden to make sure everyone is safe. Good fencing and screening plants can ensure you have privacy and stop any unwanted escapes by the family dog.
Create Zones – As a general rule when designing a garden you put the most visually appealing or most used feature closest to the house. For a family garden, you may want to create a play area close to the house. This will help you keep a close watch on your children and pets. Perhaps if you have older children they could have their own zone further away from the house. Football areas, tree houses or rope swings are sure to be a hit.
Soft-Landscaping – If you have small children you may consider softer landscaping. Grass, wood chippings or rubber mats will prevent scraped knees. It could also be worth avoiding gravel. Gravel is hard to ride bikes over and can be painful to fall on.
Toxic plants – Not all plants are safe for children and pets. Here’s a list of the potentially harmful plants from the RHS.

Make it look good and still be fun

Play areas – let’s face it, play areas aren’t always visually appealing. The bold, bright colours of toys and climbing frames can be visually jarring. Screening can be used to hide any colourful or bold toys or climbing frames. You can also use natural materials to create your play areas. Try wooden climbing frames, wood and metal chain swings, or even rope swings for a more natural look. Don’t forget to include seating nearby for adults so they can be part of the fun.
Keep mature trees – Mature trees not only look good, but they can be climbed or used to create swings. They also provide shade in the summer or even shelter from the rain.
Think about sports and hobbies – What’s everyone’s favourite sport or hobby? Can this be incorporated into the design? In-ground trampolines can bring a lot of enjoyment and also look good. Can you create a space you can use in the winter months? Think about pergolas and fire pits. Roasted marshmallows all year round!
Birdbaths and bird feeders – Birds are welcome additions to any garden. For one they help to keep the pesky slugs at bay. It can be very enjoyable for children to feed the birds and watch and identify them in the garden.
Veg patch or cut flower patch – Yes, having a veg patch requires a lot of maintenance. However, if you have space and can spare the time, it can be extremely rewarding. The children will love watering the veg patch, picking the fruit and enjoy eating fresh produce from the garden.

We hope this has given you some ideas to create your own family garden. If you’d like Emma to design a beautiful and functional garden for your family please fill in the contact form below. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Find out more about our garden design services here.

Garden Design Locations

Garden Design Hampstead

July 17, 2019November 15, 2019 emmapulmangardendesign

Garden Design Hampstead

Emma Pulman Garden design is a full-services garden design company offering expert design and maintenance services across Hampstead. We design and build bespoke, beautiful gardens for families and individuals across Hampstead and the surrounding areas.

We pride ourselves in creating high-quality, bespoke and sustainable gardens.

Garden Design Hampstead – how does it work?

Our garden design services in Hampstead always begin with an initial (complimentary) consultation. Here we take the opportunity to visit you at home, view your garden and get a good understanding of what you’re looking for. All of our clients have different ideas and visions when it comes to their garden. We’re happy to work with you to ensure you get the garden you’ve always dreamed of. Once we’ve completed the initial consultation we will send over a proposal based on your needs and requirements. You can find out more about our garden design services here.

Garden Design for all types of garden

We are happy to design gardens of all shapes and sizes. No project is too big or too small for Emma Pulman Garden Design. We can design and build large gardens, courtyard gardens, small city gardens, narrow gardens, terrace or roof gardens, low-maintenance gardens or large family gardens. If you’d like to discuss your garden we’d be more than happy to arrange a free complimentary consultation. Please fill in the contact form below to get in touch with our team.

Garden Maintenance Hampstead

Once you have the garden you’ve always dreamed of it’s time to start thinking about garden maintenance. Some of our clients ask us to create a low maintenance garden for them. Which we are of course more than happy to do. However, if you prefer to leave it to the professionals, we also offer a Hampstead garden maintenance service. We can arrange for our team of experts to visit your garden and make sure it’s kept to the highest standard and remains beautiful for you to enjoy.

We’d love to design and or maintain a beautiful garden for you in Hampstead. To book your complimentary initial consultation:

Call: 07889 365 003
Email emma@emmapulmangardendesign.com

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Why we love Hampstead

Emma Pulman Garden Design is based in West Hampstead just down the hill from Hampstead. Hampstead has always been one of our favourite places to visit in London. There’s so much to see and enjoy. From the Everyman cinema to the Spaniards Inn pub. There really is something for everyone. Have you tried a crepe from La Creperie de Hampstead? Trust us, it’s worth the queue!

If you love nature, Hampstead is the place to be. Hampstead Heath offers a woodland paradise for those looking to escape the city. There are plenty of walking trails to enjoy, and freshwater ponds to take a dip in. There is a great documentary which shares the lives and stories of the Hampstead Pond regulars, you can find out more about it here. It really captures the beauty of the Heath Ponds and inspires you to take a cold water dip.

Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola

If you’re already familiar with the Hampstead Heath bathing ponds, or the spectacular views from Parliament Hill, there’s still plenty more to see. If you’d like to explore a more formal garden setting, you may enjoy visiting the Hill Garden Pergola.

This incredible pergola is set in around 4.8 acres of gardens. It’s a lesser know beautiful part of Hampstead Heath. Emma volunteers with Heath Hands who help to maintain the Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola. Heath Hands are a fantastic organisation who conserve Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Kenwood Estate which Emma is very proud to be part of.

The World Peace Garden

If you’re heading back to the Hampstead Heath Overground station, you may enjoy a quick visit to the World Peace Garden. It’s a lovely, calming garden that asks visitors to reflect on “What would contribute to world peace?”. Situated just outside the Hampstead Heath Overground station, it’s easy to find and well worth a visit.

Get in touch to find out more about our garden design and maintenance services in Hampstead.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Follow Emma Pulman Garden Design on Instagram to see our latest adventures in Hampstead.

Monthly Garden Maintenance

Garden Maintenance In February – 10 Top Tips

February 26, 2019February 26, 2019 emmapulmangardendesign

garden maintenance February

This month we’re focusing on February Garden Maintenance! Each month we’re giving you our top tips for maintaining your garden throughout the year. As the seasons change we’ll continue to give you our best advice for caring for your garden and let you know where we think you should be focusing your attention.

You can also contact us now if you’d like us to care for your garden by taking advantage of our professional garden maintenance services. With our London garden design services, we can also create a beautiful low-maintenance garden for you. Get in touch today!

February Weather Watch

February and January are quite similar, with February temperatures being just slightly lower than January. Land temperatures are largely determined by sea temperatures which are at their lowest in February. Hard frosts are still common in February so make sure you are still protecting your most vulnerable plants from the cold weather.

Sunshine

The good news is we get more sunshine in February than in January with Southern areas of the country getting 7.6 days of bright sunshine and Northern areas getting 5.2 days of bright sunshine. Which is why it can be very enjoyable to get out into your garden in February and get on top of your garden maintenance. You really notice the change in February as the days start to get longer and the sun seems to be back out again even if it is just for brief visits. It doesn’t mean the harsh Winter weather has gone away just yet, but you do start to notice the difference. Especially as you set foot in the garden and notice the bulbs are beginning to swell, you get a real sense that the summer is on its way.

Feed The Birds

February is a great time to encourage birds to visit your garden. There are numerous benefits of having birds in your garden. For one, they will act as pest controllers for everything from snails to aphids. They can also help with weed control as the sparrows and finches will eat weed seeds saving you time and energy in the Summer months. To encourage the birds into your garden make sure your bird feeders are well stocked and provide water for them to drink and bathe in. It’s also a good time to buy or make nesting boxes in preparation for Spring when birds will be looking for homes for their new families.

February Garden Maintenance To-Do List

February is an exciting month in the garden. When those sunny days hit, make the most of them by getting ahead with your garden maintenance. Or if you’d like help along the way, get in touch today.

Here’s our February to-do list to help you get ready for Spring:

Get fertilizing – Towards the end of the month, you should start to apply organic-based fertilisers. Organic-based fertilisers release their nutrients slowly allowing plants to grow more steadily over time. It’s best to apply organic-based fertilizers 2 or 3 weeks in advance of sowing or planting to ensure they are available to plants straight away.
Plant – bare-root trees, shrubs, fruit trees, and bushes.
Feed the birds – you’ll be pleased you did in Spring as they help to keep pests under control and prevent the spread of weeds.
Top-dress or repot shrubs in containers – Top-dress plants by removing the top two or three centimetres of soil and add in new slow-release fertiliser along with new soil, then give them water. This will give them a new lease of life in the Summer.
Remove – the old stems of herbaceous perennials.
Cut back – any shrubs or hedges which are overgrown before birds begin to make their nests.
Prepare – seedbed for vegetable sowing outdoors.
Prune – roses.
Prepare – the ground if you plan on sowing a new lawn or laying turf.
Sow – you can start to sow annuals undercover.

Give our top 10 garden maintenance tips for February a go to keep your garden ticking over as we head towards Spring and Summer.

Also look out for the 5 plants listed below, as they’ll be brightening up gardens in February. Keep them in the front of your mind when thinking about future planting plans to ensure your garden has year-round interest:

Helleborus orientalis
Narcissus cyclamineus
Camellia x wiliamsii ‘Anticipation’
Crocus tommasinianus
Viburnum tinus

At Emma Pulman Garden design we offer a design-led, bespoke service enabling the creation of beautiful gardens across London and the surrounding area. For more on what we do, please contact us via the form below.

Monthly Garden Maintenance

Garden Maintenance In January – 10 Top Tips

December 29, 2018December 29, 2018 emmapulmangardendesign

Winter Garden Design London

In this series of blog posts, we take a month-by-month look at garden maintenance. We’ll give you our top tips for maintaining your garden and advise you what will be in bloom and where your focus should be each month.

If you would like professional garden maintenance please contact us now to discuss our garden maintenance services. We can also create you a beautifully designed low-maintenance London garden design.

January Weather Watch

January is the coldest month in London. Throughout the month, the average temperature remains at 5-6°C, with little variation. January is a month of windy weather, sunshine in places, rainfall here and there and snow on the hills. In London snow is rare but occasionally seen in January. Although a light layer of snow can be good for your garden, as it helps kill unwanted pests, and protects plants from severe frost, it’s important to keep an eye on the weather forecasts for heavy snowfall or sharp frosts as some plants need protection from the harsher winter weather. Conifers, for example, are prone to damage by heavy snowfall as the weight of the snow pushes their branches down.

January Garden Maintenance To Do List

Although temperatures drop in January, there are still plenty of opportunities to spend time in the garden and start getting ready for spring. So make the most of those crisp sunny days by wrapping up warm and getting started with your January garden to-do- list:

Get to know your soil – January is a great time to test your soil’s PH levels and determine whether your soil is clay, sand or loam. Take a handful of soil and squeeze it tight in your palm. Clay soil clumps together, sandy soil feels dry/crumbly.
Order new seeds, summer flowering bulbs and herbaceous perennials – Once you have a better understanding of your soil you can order flowers and plants for the year ahead. This is a very enjoyable job as you plan the garden’s colours, themes and patterns.
Protect vulnerable plants – Pot-grown shrubs are more vulnerable to heavy frosts as their roots in the pots are above the ground. You can protect them by wrapping the pots with bubble wrap or hessian sacks for added insulation. You can also move pots closer together for added protection or if you have space bringing them indoors.
Water container plants – Sometimes, plants growing at the base of house walls can miss out on vital rainfall, so it’s good to make sure they are getting plenty of moisture through the winter.
Collect Decaying Leaves – It is best to compost decaying leaves rather than burn them as they can then contribute to the goodness of soil. Watch out for hedgehogs as you’re collecting the leaves as they could be hibernating in the leaves. It’s often better to trade in your rake for garden grippers to help protect our spiky friends.
Spread organic matter – A great job to do even on the coldest of days. With frozen ground, you can easily manoeuvre the barrow to spread the matter on your soil. However, don’t walk or push the barrow over frozen grass or you’ll be left with yellow marks when the grass thaws out.
Clean all your pots and seed trays for Spring sowing. – You’ll be thankful you did when Spring is here!
Prune – Wisteria and other vigorous climbers.
Hoe – any germinating weeds, again you’ll be glad you did by the time the spring and summer arrives.
Finally, send the lawnmower off for servicing – so it’s ready for action for the year ahead.