Theresa May's Prime Minister bid, Mr Tumble's Christmas show and missing council tax

If you haven't managed to find the time to read the whole of getreading today, here's a potted version of what's been going on

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/theresa-mays-prime-minister-bid-11550862

Pride of Reading: Businesswoman lands two nominations for her 'incredible charity work'

Businesswoman Helen Waring has been nominated as Community Champion and her company Cream Design is up for a Business in Action gong at this year's Pride of Reading Awards

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/pride-reading-businesswoman-lands-two-11550155

Watch LIVE: Theresa May announces her bid to become Prime Minister

The Home Secretary will launch her campaign to become Prime Minister and announce her intentions to unite the country

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/theresa-may-prime-minister-bid-11545980

Music in Reading: What's coming up in July?

Take a look at what's coming up in July on the music scene in Reading

from getreading - Music & Nightlife http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/music-reading-whats-coming-up-11542432

Nine best shows to see at theatres in Berkshire this July

If you want to know what shows are coming up this month at theatres in Berkshire, take a look at our show round up

from getreading - Theatre http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/nine-best-shows-see-theatres-11542343

Thames Valley Police praised by the public in national crime survey

A national survey puts Thames Valley Police ahead of the pack with public satisfaction high regarding anti-social behaviour crime

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/thames-valley-police-praised-public-11538806

Top 11 Reading restaurants, cafés and pubs with a certificate of excellence

We've selected a list from the top 20 in the Reading area with a certificate of excellence

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/top-11-reading-restaurants-cafs-10670656

Berkshire must keep foreign investment following Brexit says LEP

Business centres in Berkshire are calling for government investment in the area and a decision on Heathrow in the wake of Brexit

from getreading - Business http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/business/berkshire-must-keep-foreign-investment-11537148

Theresa May is bookies favourite for Tory leader

Maidenhead MP and Home Secretary Theresa May is front-runner in the betting on the Tory leadership stakes

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/theresa-bookies-favourite-tory-leader-11537970

In pictures: Family fun at Hurst Show and Country Fayre 2016

There were smiles all round as families gathered for a weekend of fun at the event - take a look at the pictures

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/pictures-family-fun-hurst-show-11529016

Wimbledon wildcard from Berkshire and four more stories you may have missed

Catch up on today's news, sport and entertainment stories from gereading

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/wimbledon-wildcard-berkshire-four-more-11533985

The Gruffalo comes to Woodley bookshop for special storytime

The lovable children's book character was in town to visit Chapter One Bookshop at the weekend

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/gruffalo-comes-woodley-bookshop-special-11529264

Two vehicle crash on M4 causes delays towards London

The crash happened at around 2.38pm on Monday, June 27 between junctions 8 and 7

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/two-vehicle-crash-m4-causes-11532789

Remain campaigners in Berkshire disappointed but proud

Berkshire Stronger in Europe campaigners won the battle but not the war

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/remain-campaigners-berkshire-disappointed-proud-11530680

Things to do in Reading this weekend: Robot Wars and foodie feast

Take a look at some of the great events happening from Friday, July 1 and Sunday, July 3

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/things-reading-weekend-robot-wars-11521833

Brexit could impact Bracknell habitats say wildlife campaigners

Leave politicians must now keep their Brexit promises about wildlife protection says Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/brexit-could-impact-bracknell-habitats-11524924

Come Dine With Me seeks Reading cooks for new series

Here's all you need to know about applying for the show and how you could walk away with the £1,000 prize

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/come-dine-seeks-reading-cooks-11523243

Making a splash at a giant water park and auctioning off evidence - what you've been reading this week

It's been a busy week, catch up on what's been going on here

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/making-splash-giant-water-park-11526908

Thames Valley Police Open Day offers the chance to join CSI team and climb aboard the force chopper

Families will have the chance to see police puppies, look around the police boat, helicopter and cars, solve a crime scene as well as other interesting activities

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/thames-valley-police-open-day-11521022

The best gardening supplies – what you really need now

‘Gardening supplies’ is a funny term.

It covers a whole category of extremely useful things that make gardening much easier. In the past, I used to muddle along with anything that came to hand.

Then I discovered gardening supplies…

… proper weeding tools, tomato supports, gardening gloves that I love wearing…

The weeds grow twelve inches a night at the moment. So I thought it was time to share my views on the miscellaneous things I’ve bought or been sent for review. Here are the ones that have really made a difference to my gardening.

There are affiliate links here, which means you can buy if you click on the photo or title. If you do, I may get a small fee but it won’t add to your cost. And it does make it easy!

And if all you want is a basic essential garden tool kit, see this post here.

Otherwise, in no particular order, I can recommend the following:

The post The best gardening supplies – what you really need now appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/the-best-gardening-supplies-what-you-really-need-now/

Should there be a second EU referendum? 16,000 people from Berkshire say yes

More than 16,000 people from Berkshire have signed an online petition calling for a second referendum on whether Britain should leave the EU by implementing a new rule

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/should-second-eu-referendum-16000-11524744

Forget the EU Referendum, watch police join a street rave at Royal Ascot

A fellow police officer posted this on Twitter to show the lighter side of "public order tactics"

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/forget-eu-referendum-watch-police-11522416

Roald Dahl celebrated in West Berkshire libraries challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge in West Berkshire libraries celebrates the work of Roald Dahl

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/roald-dahl-celebrated-west-berkshire-11516049

Brexit: stories you may have missed on this momentous day

Some stories not about the EU Referendum you may have missed from Friday, June 24

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/brexit-stories-you-missed-momentous-11524061

Pick of the Past: Sonning Festival 1976

Have a look at our photos from the festival in the High Street 40 years ago

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/pick-past-sonning-festival-1976-11520222

Reading campaign beat loan sharks

The first 50 people to join Berkshire Credit Union and make three monthly payments will get £25

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-campaign-beat-loan-sharks-11515533

Hurst Show and Country Fayre 2016 set for this weekend

The Hurst Show and Country Fayre will take place this weekend on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/hurst-show-country-fayre-2016-10598174

EU referendum: Are you happy with a Brexit?

We're gauging the feeling among getreading readers, asking if they are happy with the European Union result

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/eu-referendum-you-happy-brexit-11519213

Hundreds of dangerous dogs seized and destroyed by Thames Valley Police

Nearly 200 dogs were put down under the dangerous dogs act between 2011 and 2014

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/hundreds-dangerous-dogs-seized-destroyed-11511987

Nine places to get a cream tea in Berkshire

We've got an excuse to eat all the scones as National Cream Tea Day is on Friday, June 24

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/nine-places-cream-tea-berkshire-11504178

Hundreds of dangerous dogs seize and destroyed by Thames Valley Police

Nearly 200 dogs were put down under the dangerous dogs act between 2011 and 2014

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/hundreds-dangerous-dogs-seize-destroyed-11511987

Pride of Reading: Hospice which helped Amelia Saunders' family cope after her death nominated

Naomi House & Jacksplace has been nominated as Charity of the Year by Amelia Saunders' dad Richard in this year's Pride of Reading Awards

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/pride-reading-hospice-helped-amelia-11510542

Reading Buses and street lights on the agenda for older people

The Reading Older People's Working Group will be talking about bus routes, street lights and more this week

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-buses-street-lights-agenda-11504779

The best cafés in Reading to do some work in

Out of the office but don't fancy working at home? See these hot spots complete with Wi-Fi, plugs and peace and quiet

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/best-cafs-reading-work-11505922

Seven best cafés in Reading to do some work in

Out of the office but don't fancy working at home? See these hot spots complete with Wi-Fi, plugs and peace and quiet

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/seven-best-cafs-reading-work-11505922

GBBO's Nadiya, dismissed copper and four other stories you might have missed

Catch up on the stories you may have missed on Tuesday, June 21

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/gbbos-nadiya-dismissed-copper-four-11507095

Watership Down at The Watermill Theatre is a funny, thoughtful and creative masterpiece

Take a look at what we made of the latest production at the Newbury theatre

from getreading - Theatre http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/watership-down-watermill-theatre-funny-11503694

Dangerous wildlife and four more stories you may have missed today

Catch up on the stories you may have missed on Monday June 20

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/dangerous-wildlife-four-more-stories-11501034

New Berkshire Safe Sex website gives sexual health tips and advice to sex workers

Councils in Berkshire and health providers have collaborated on the comprehensive guide to sexual health

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/new-berkshire-safe-sex-website-11475482

Reading firefighters tackle thatched cottage fire

More than 50 firefighters were on the scene of a blaze in Great Haseley in South Oxfordshire on Sunday, June 19

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-firefighters-tackle-thatched-cottage-11495621

Gospel choir, Mark Haddon book signing and other things to do near Reading this weekend

Not sure what to do at the weekend? Take a look at our events round up for Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/gospel-choir-mark-haddon-book-11491249

Have you seen these caterpillar nests? Here's why you shouldn't touch

People in Berkshire are being warned not to touch the moth nests in oak trees which may be appearing in June

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/you-seen-caterpillar-nests-heres-11493826

The Gruffalo, Medieval battles and more things to do with the family near Reading this weekend

Looking for things to do with the little ones at the weekend? Take a look at our events round up for Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/gruffalo-medieval-battles-more-things-11491248

This week's most read stories on getreading

These are the stories you have been enjoying on getreading this week since Monday, June  13

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/weeks-most-read-stories-getreading-11493176

8 effective tips for narrow town garden success

If you live in a town or village, you probably have a long narrow town garden – shady, over-looked and lacking in space.

But whatever your gardening style – classic, wildlife, jungle or romantic – you can still achieve an amazing garden in spite of the restrictions.

Lush planting and a gravel path make up for the lack of space in Genevieve Ellis’s garden (Garden 5 in the Faversham Open Gardens).

Next weekend (26th June 10am-5pm) is the Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day. Thirty-six town gardens will be open, so I’ve picked out a few that make the most of the classic narrow rectangular urban garden shape. All gardens will be open on Sunday 26th June unless otherwise stated.

You don’t need a lawn

If your garden is long and thin, the path can be the main design anchor, the focal point and create the shape of the garden.

If you’ve been in a Victorian terraced house, you’ll be familiar with the ‘side return’ – the narrow strip of outside space that runs alongside the back extension. Many people now extend the back of the house from garden wall to garden wall, roofing over the ‘side return’, bringing it into the house and enlarging the room at the back.

Looking back towards Genevieve’s house from the garden gate at the end.

But the side return is almost the whole of Genevieve Ellis’s garden and she has made the most of it.

The space is only around 7ft wide, and is essentially a gravel and stone garden path which runs down the middle and widens out into a circle at regular intervals. There is charming planting on either side, and two places to sit.

2) The path is the key to a narrow town garden

Genevieve’s garden is made by her choice of path. If you have a sprawling country garden, paths are ways of getting from A to B in the most logical way. In a long, thin urban garden, your choice of path will make a big difference to how the space works and what the garden looks like.

This brick path starts on the right of Posy Gentles’ garden (Garden 3), giving her a big border to the left. It then bends to the left and gives her another big border on the right.

The offset path is one of the most successful strategies. The two paths above and below start on one side of the garden and either bend or turn. An offset path gives you the option for deeper beds and lush planting.

This garden was the smallest garden open for the Whitstable Open Gardens (so not open for Faversham Open Gardens). Probably only about 15ft wide and 60ft long, its winding path creates space for lavish planting, places to sit, and a greenhouse.

4) You can have large plants in a small garden

Mary Mackay’s garden has a tropical atmosphere. Her garden is probably around 25ft wide and 50ft long, but she has a giant cordyline, huge bamboos in pots, great silver-leafed cardoons, tetrapanax and more.

Mary Mackay’s garden (Garden 4) combines cordylines, bamboo and other large plants.

5) Many plants grow well in the shade

If you read a plant catalogue, you may think that full sun is essential for a beautiful garden. Most plants seem to have ‘full sun’ or ‘full sun or partial shade’ as their growing conditions.

‘I think it’s like labels on clothes saying ‘dry clean only’,’ says Posy. ‘Alot of plants do surprisingly well in shady spots.’

‘Right plant, right place’ is a gardening mantra – and it works. But the ‘right place’ doesn’t always have to mean full sun.

Because it is surrounded by walls and is so narrow, Genevieve’s garden is very shady and yet the list of plants growing well is long: choisya, sarcococca confusa, violets, Japanese anemones, a camellia that flowers for three months a year, an azalea in a pot, hydrangeas, cyclamen, hosta, hellebore, persicaria, clematis, foxgloves, crocosmia, several roses, daphne, fuschias, thyme, several different geraniums, oxalis, trachelospermum and many more.

Genevieve’s garden is very shady as it is bounded by walls and buildings and is very narrow, but the planting is abundant.

You may not realise how sunny your garden actually is. If your main time for sitting outside is in the evening, your garden may be mainly in shadow, but at midday, it may perhaps be almost wholly sunny. Many plants do reasonably well on about 4 hours of direct sunshine a day. A shady garden needs less watering.

Trial and error is the only way to find out if plants will be happy in a shady spot. Sun isn’t the only factor in how well a plant will grow.

6) You can have privacy even if you are overlooked

The tension between shade and privacy in long thin town gardens is a source of great friction between neighbours. One side wants its privacy and the other feels their garden is compromised by trees or vigorous climbers.

Mary Mackay has created a private area at the bottom of her garden, surrounded by bamboo trellis and reached by an arch.

The key is not to expect privacy in the whole garden – you do live in a town after all, but to establish where you would like to sit and to make a small area private, using trellis, a pergola or a single tree. And if your neighbour does the same, be tolerant and plant shade-loving plants (or use the shady area for storage).

The most private place in a narrow town garden is often close to the house, like in Genevieve’s garden.

A pergola offers privacy at John and Mary Cousins’ house (Garden 21). Pergolas, like sheds, can be up to up to 2.5 metres (8ft 2″) high if they are near or on your garden wall.

7) Blur the edges (or the end of the garden) with planting

Town gardens used to have a fairly standard format. They had a lawn or terrace in the middle and planting round the edges.

But that makes them look smaller, because it creates defined boundaries.

Planting in clumps – having beds across the garden rather than in thin beds down the sides – blurs the edges because your eye doesn’t quite know where the garden ends. Here are two examples where clumps make the garden seem bigger or more luxuriant.

A mixed – mainly evergreen – planting at the end of Julie Holbrook’s garden (Garden 13) means you don’t know exactly where the garden ends.

The main planting bed in front of Posy’s house has lots of verticals. You can see that there is garden beyond, but you can’t quite see how far it stretches.

8) In a small space you can experiment

Julie Holbrook has done most of the hard landscaping in her garden herself, laying the brick terrace, making a brick barbecue and also creating a water feature out of Kent peg tiles and roofing lead.

The Kent peg tiles are layered in a ‘waterfall’ around the cordyline. Water flows down from a concealed tap at the top.

Julie used old brick (her house dates back to the 17th century) and pebbles in her terrace.

And, because not all the gardens in the Faversham Open Gardens are long thin town gardens, I am going to end this with one that isn’t:

Liz and Tony Sharp’s garden (Garden 33) is, in fact, quite long and narrow in some ways, but, unlike most town gardens, it ends at the beautiful Stonebridge Ponds. The allotments you can just glimpse across the water are also open on June 26th.

And we are Garden 29 – do say hello.

Tickets for the Faversham Open Gardens & Garden Market Day on June 26th are £6 and £10 for 2, on sale from the Fleur-de-Lis, 13 Preston Street, Faversham, ME13 0NS or from the Market Place. There are also 30+ stalls selling plants, garden memorabilia, vintage and modern gardenware plus lots more. Do come! And please spread the word by sharing this using the buttons below, thank you!

The post 8 effective tips for narrow town garden success appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/6-easy-tips-narrow-town-garden-success/

Pride of Reading: Malmaison signs up as latest awards sponsor

Malmaison hotel in Reading town centre has joined the group of generous sponsors supporting the Pride of Reading Awards in 2016

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/pride-reading-malmaison-signs-up-11490787

Europe's largest water park Liquid Leisure opens in Berkshire this weekend

Liquid Leisure in Datchet opens this weekend on Saturday, June 18 from 11am

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/europes-largest-water-park-liquid-11486561

Pride of Reading: 'Roast Dinners Around Reading' blog is a quirky insight into the battle for a decent roast

'Roast Dinners Around Reading' blog has been nominated in the Local Hero category of the Pride of Reading Awards for its work promoting a decent roast

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/pride-reading-roast-dinners-around-11485342

Cash boost for reading charity that helps struggling schoolchildren in Reading primaries

Reading charity ABC to Read received the cash to pay for more volunteers for its award-winning programme

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/cash-boost-reading-charity-helps-11471080

One Direction's Niall Horan hits back at BBC Berkshire's comments at Royal Ascot

The X Factor star questioned the regional BBC site's "awkward interview" at Royal Ascot

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/one-directions-niall-horan-hits-11481211

Bracknell Forest Council's easy-to-use website is one of the best in the UK

Borough receives top marks for its online methods of paying council tax, reporting missing bins and renewing library books

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/bracknell-forest-councils-easy-use-11470172

Wonky road markings and One Direction spotting: stories you may have missed today

Catch up on the news from Reading and Berkshire on Wednesday, June 5

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/wonky-road-markings-one-direction-11479733

Pride of Reading: Leslie Macdonald's phenomenal commitment to the voluntary sector

Leslie Macdonald has been nominated as Community Champion in the Pride of Reading Awards

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/pride-reading-leslie-macdonalds-phenomenal-11472779

A33 bus lane work is good and bad news for traffic

The bus lane scheme is expected to speed bus journeys from South Reading but roadworks may cause disruption for three-months

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/a33-bus-lane-work-good-11476086

Berkshire businesses invited to customer service masterclass at University of Reading

The seminar will focus on improving customer service

from getreading - In Your Area http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-businesses-invited-customer-service-11457982

Not fussed about Reading FC? Five other stories you may have missed today

It's been a whirlwind of a day after it was finally announced Reading FC had signed a new manager, take a look at some of the other stories you may have missed

from getreading - In Your Area http://www.getreading.co.uk/in-your-area/not-fussed-reading-fc-five-11468740

Reading FC: Flying high in 2012, but where did it all go wrong?

Royals supporter Russell Kempson compares the fortunes of Reading FC, Southampton and West Ham since the trio went up to the Premier League in 2012

from getreading - Football News http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-fc-flying-high-2012-11450554

How to renovate a garden without losing its magic

Would you renovate a garden? Or would it better to just call in the diggers and start again from scratch?

Perhaps you’ve rented or bought a house with a neglected garden. Every now and then you glimpse something glorious – a rose or a peony – almost smothered by green mounds of weeds, seedlings and out-of-control shrubs.

Garden maker Posy Gentles was asked to restore the garden of architect Tom Croft. It had been created by his grandparents in the 1930s, then gardened by his parents up through the 1970s and 80s, but very little had been done to it since the late 1980s.

Architect Tom Croft’s barn in Kent. The garden is framed through the barn doors. I love the colour he has painted the woodwork – it looks black but is called Amsterdam Green from Papers & Paints.

It has stunning mature topiary. His mother also planted many hybrid tea roses and other shrubs, typical of mid twentieth century gardening.

Posy Gentles and her assistant, Salvatore, in the garden. The walls are crumbling because they were over-run with weeds.

Some plants had disappeared completely beneath brambles, nettles, self-seeded sycamores and sticky grass. Others had grown tall and leggy in search of the light.

But it has a magic about it that a brand new garden can never hope to achieve. There is weathered brick and stone, while moss and gnarled trees offer hiding places for wildlife.

This cotinus had grown tall and leggy over a mound of brambles. Clearing them away reveals a charming, see-through multi-stemmed effect – a contemporary treatment of a traditional shrub.

Posy and her assistant Salvatore, have coaxed it back to life by weeding, clearing and pruning. Some beds are being replanted, but in others the glorious reds, oranges, yellows and pinks of Tom’s mother’s roses now bloom again.

It’s remarkable how good some roses are at surviving decades of neglect – see here for another post on how a community garden in West London has restored an award-winning rose garden that disappeared completely under brambles. Twentieth century hybrid tea roses fell out of popularity because of their twiggy, awkward structure and the fact that their foliage often got diseased. But if you find one in your garden, give it a chance.

This rose was completely covered by the silvery grey Brachyglottis (senecio). Posy saw a tip poking out and cut the brachyglottis back.

Re-discovering plants from another age in your garden is a bit like having antiques or vintage furniture in your house. They create or add to a sense of history and place.

Some self-seeding plants can be encouraged to flourish – it saves replanting beds! Here the yellow pom-poms of phlomis and the creamy stalks of sisyrinchium make a lovely bed for a shady corner.

Renovate a garden – step one

Step one is ‘weed, weed, weed.’ If you take a small section of the garden at a time and clear it by hand, you will get to know your garden intimately.

Red valerian – very pretty but here it’s a weed. It covered the garden walls and its roots ate away at the cement. Posy is clearing the valerian away from the garden.

Posy advises weeding after it’s rained, because weeds will be easier to pull out. You will need a stout small fork, plus a full-size garden fork for stubborn roots such as brambles. Don’t compost the weeds, to be on the safe side.

Here are some weeding tips from my One Minute Gardening Tips series:

Renovate a garden – step two

Pruning is your next task. Consider every tree and shrub carefully. Do you really need to take it out? Mature trees give a garden texture. Could pruning give you the space and light you need? (there is more about how to prune mature trees and shrubs to allow light through here).

Renovate a garden – step three

Step three is to feed – where plants or trees need it. There is more about how and when to feed your garden with fertilisers here. (And a competition to win fertiliser here!)

The massive twentieth century yew topiary shapes are gradually being restored – doing it too quickly might kill them.

The stunning yew topiary in Tom’s garden is overgrown, but it would be unwise to chop it back into shape immediately. If you cut into the brown wood, then the yew won’t regrow. You either have to restore it gradually over several years or cut it right down so that it regrows from the trunk.

Posy and Salvatore are going to bring light into the middle of the yews by levelling them at the top and pulling out the ivy. They are also introducing a little more light by ‘lifting its skirt’ (cutting off some lower branches so that it stands a foot or so off the ground.

They are feeding the yew with fertiliser, and will cut it back gradually as new growth, stimulated by the light, greens up from inside the plant.

The bed to the right of these steps looks very pretty with cow parsley, but it will ultimately be planted up.

And once you’ve done these three steps – weed, prune and fertilise – you can look at the gaps and buy new plants! You’ll have fewer to buy, and a much smaller bill for re-stocking the garden. And the final effect will be something that could never have been achieved by digging out the lot.

The old farm pond sits in front of the barn – as farm ponds always did. It has not yet been restored, and is overgrown with bulrushes and trees.

Some friends of ours cleared their garden while they were having their house renovated, figuring that getting everything cleared away at once would save time and money in the long run.

Now they’ve realised that replacing the whole garden with semi-mature trees is going to cost much more, and that it will be years before their garden fully achieves the look they want. They wish they’d left some of the mature trees and shrubs in, to give the garden atmosphere.

For garden renovation, contact Posy Gentles here. For Thomas Croft Architecture, click here.

And do share this using the buttons below! Thank you.

The post How to renovate a garden without losing its magic appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/renovate-garden-without-losing-magic/

Nine best places to take Dad for Father's Day

Need some inspiration? Take a look at some of our recommendations for places to go this Father's Day

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/nine-best-places-take-dad-11428316

Birthday Honours: Jane Rintoul former nurse made a CBE

Jane Rintoul who now works for the Department of Health thought the exciting letter from the cabinet office was from her HR department

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/birthday-honours-jane-rintoul-former-11456390

Birthday Honours: Ian May of University of Reading honoured with BEM

Ian May said he was "very proud" to be recognised with the British Empire Medal for services to higher education

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/birthday-honours-ian-university-reading-11457180

Birthday Honours: Berkshire's great and good named on the Queen's list

A former nurse, a professor and Bracknell Forest Council's leader are among those from Berkshire named in the Queen's Birthday Honours List

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/birthday-honours-berkshires-great-good-11455766

Pick of the Past: Traffic on Caversham Bridge in 1967

Same traffic, different time period.

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/pick-past-traffic-caversham-bridge-11456888

Berkshire businesses invited to sales masterclass at University of Reading

The seminars will focus on developing and managing a successful sales team and improving customer service

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-businesses-invited-sales-masterclass-11457982

Pick of the Past: Traffic in Caversham in 1967

Same traffic, different time period.

from getreading - Berkshire History http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/pick-past-traffic-caversham-1967-11456888

Is this three-bed Berkshire's most expensive flat?

The mortgage payments for the flat in Sunningdale are more than £14,000 a month.

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/three-bed-berkshires-most-expensive-11450154

'The Truth': the story behind Reading's mystery billboard

The billboard recently appeared in Caversham Road claiming that 'it is illegal to have a legal name'

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/the-truth-story-behind-readings-11451122

Berkshire pupils put sporting skills to the test in Panathlon Challenge

Pupils from Addington School and Lambs Lane Primary took part in the competition

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-pupils-put-sporting-skills-11445511

Top nine things to do at Windsor DogFest this June

Here's all you need to know about the fun day especially for you and your pet pooch

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/top-nine-things-windsor-dogfest-11426577

Win a set of Baby Bio Outdoor liquid feed

I’m doing the Baby Bio Big Boost Challenge.

That means I’m comparing how two identical plants grow. They’re planted side by side. One is fed with Baby Bio Outdoor and the other isn’t fed.

The two courgettes five weeks ago. The Baby Bio plant is marked with a wooden spoon.

I’ve planted courgettes in the veg bed, two courgettes in pots, two wigwams of beans and two rows of mangetout peas. I also have two chillies in pots, plus some flowers in pots on the terrace.

One of each row, pot or plant is getting a fortnightly treatment of Baby Bio Outdoor Fruit & Vegetables and the other is not being fed.

Results so far – the ‘Baby Bio’ courgette in the bed is about 15% larger than the courgette that wasn’t fed.

Try the Big Boost challenge yourself  – we’re giving away three sets of Baby Bio Outdoor plant food, worth £11.98 each.

Each set consists of one 75ml bottle of Baby Bio Outdoor Flowers & Shrubs and one 75ml bottle of Baby Bio Outdoor Fruit & Vegetables.

Each bottle will give you 75 litres of plant food. Just add a 10ml capful of liquid feed to every litre of water in your watering can. (Standard watering cans take 10 litres of water).

Three sets of Baby Bio Outdoor (Flowers & Shrubs + Fruit & Vegetables) to be given away.

Find out more about Baby Bio Outdoor here.

For more about how fertilisers work in your garden, see here .

How to win a set of Baby Bio Outdoor liquid feed

Either leave a comment below, telling us what your main gardening challenge is.

Or click to tweet this: Tweet: I’d like to win a set of Baby Bio Outdoor liquid feed #BabyBioOutdoor

Competition closes on 20th June. No entries valid after this date.

Winners will be chosen at random on 21st June. They will be notified by Twitter or email on 22nd June.

Baby Bio Outdoor ‘Flowers & Shrubs’ (above) can give you up to 70% more flowers in the plants you feed, compared to not feeding your plants. It’s particularly useful for plants in outdoor pots, and will also help shrubs and roses flower for longer.

The post Win a set of Baby Bio Outdoor liquid feed appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/win-a-set-of-baby-bio-outdoor-liquid-plant-food/

Reading Green Fest takes over Reading town centre for an eco-friendly weekend

Here's all you need to know about the environmentally friendly festival - find out what green work is going on in Reading

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/reading-green-fest-takes-over-11426562

AWE could go on if Trident is scrapped, says Reading-based anti-nuke group

A Nuclear Information Service report - endorsed by the Astronomer Royal - says AWE would not close if the Trident programme ends

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/awe-could-go-trident-scrapped-11437151

The nine best pubs in Berkshire recommended by The Good Pub Guide

Real ales? Check. Pub garden with beautiful views? Check. Top quality wine? Check.

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/nine-best-pubs-berkshire-recommended-11410019

Royal Ascot 2016: How to get to the races

All you need to know about getting to the racecourse hassle free from Tuesday, June 14

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/royal-ascot-2016-how-races-11432848

In pictures: Three Counties Cycle Ride 2016

Spot and tag yourself at the Three Counties Cycle Ride which took place on Sunday, June 5

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/pictures-three-counties-cycle-ride-11432162

Deer safari, water festival and other things to do with the family this weekend

Take a look at our family and kids weekend round up

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/deer-safari-water-festival-things-11425928

EU referendum: Register to vote before the deadline on Tuesday

The deadline for register in time to vote in the EU referendum is Tuesday June 7

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/eu-referendum-register-vote-before-11421298

Shakespeare, arts trail and more things to do near Reading at the weekend

Take a look at what you could be getting up to next weekend

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/shakespeare-arts-trail-more-things-11425931

Victorian crime in Reading: Mother acquitted of horrific 1896 child killing

Jane Cox's baby suffered horrific injuries but she was acquitted of his murder.

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/victorian-crime-reading-mother-acquitted-11428362

First look: The Three Tuns pub in Reading opens after £300,000 refurbishment

Take a look inside the newly refurbished pub in Wokingham Road

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/first-look-three-tuns-pub-11420029

Garden trends 2016 – the best ideas for YOUR garden

Garden trends 2016. Which ones are going to last? What will add wow factor to your garden?

And having decided which new ideas you like – how do you actually achieve the effect you want?

Garden fashion kicks off every year at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. But long-term trends don’t necessarily emerge until the show is over. They take time to filter down.

I reviewed hours of Chelsea coverage on TV, online and in the press (it’s a tough job but someone has to do it) to see which ideas resonated with lots of different kinds of people.

The result was a mix of ‘headline’ trends, and new ideas ticking along quietly in the background.

I have also sourced where and how to get the trends into your own garden. There are some affiliate links, which means that if you click on the product links to buy, I may get a small fee.

Garden trend 1: Rocks

This is certainly a ‘headline trend’. The Daily Telegraph counted 84 massive rocks in this year’s Chelsea gardens. And there were many more smaller stones. Rocks were at the heart of many Gold medal winning gardens including Cleve West’s evocation of Exmoor in the M&G Garden and Andy Sturgeon’s Best in Show.

The M&G Garden. Designed by Cleve West. Sponsored by
M&G. Sponsored by: M&G. RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.

But are rocks right for your garden? And how would you find them?

Are you going to be balancing a huge rock on top of your pergola as one show garden did? Personally I have too nervous a disposition. And we have a walled town garden accessed by a very narrow (walled) Medieval alleyway, so rocks are not top of my own garden shopping list.

But I do think this is a trend with a future.

Rock gardens are long overdue for a comeback. (I dimly remember when even the tiniest gardens had rock gardens. In the 1950s and 60s, I think air raid shelters were often converted to rock gardens, which may have accounted for their popularity).

Garden consultant Matt Jackson master-minded the renovation of Doddington Place’s 1920s rock garden. He has also just used rocks to renovate a dingy corner at his home in Exmoor.

‘Rocks will work in your garden if they’re there for the right reason and are carefully considered,’ he says. ‘They really come into their own if you’ve got, for example, a tricky bank that needs underpinning.’

This was a sloping bank outside Matt’s holiday cottage Kelly Mill. By using rocks and a fireback, he has turned a muddy corner into a private terrace for Kelly Mill guests to sit out or barbecue.

The main issue with rocks is transporting them. ‘Rock isn’t expensive’ explains Matt. ‘But once you’ve costed in the hire of a digger and/or crane, the costs of transporting it from the quarry and the services of someone who can place it exactly where you want it, then you are looking at £300-£500 or more for a single large boulder.

If you want ten large boulders, it’ll probably cost a bit less per boulder. And you may want to use a professional landscaper to source it and make sure it’s done exactly right, which could double that cost or more.’

Cleve West’s M&G Garden’s inspired by the Exmoor landscape combined rough-hewn natural rock with precision-carved stone. There would be additional costs for precision carving.

Matt suggests you contact a local quarry or builder’s merchants to source large rocks. Many builders’ merchants have a deal with a local quarry and should be able to help you.

Visit the Kelly Mill website here.

Garden trend 2: the garden path

Garden paths used to be decided by your budget. At the top was York stone, then Indian sandstone, brick, concrete pavers or gravel according to your wallet. It is no longer that simple!

The Brewin Dolphin Garden – Forever Freefolk.
Designed by Rosy Hardy. Sponsored by: Brewin Dolphin.
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.

I don’t know if you’ve tried to buy a plain yoghurt recently. You can get 0% fat, low-fat, super-creamy or pro-biotic and every possible kind of fruit, crunch, oat or rice addition. Not ordinary plain yoghurt.

The simple choices in garden paths may be consigned to wherever plain yoghurts have gone.

At RHS Chelsea 2016, we saw coloured paths (like the one above), reflexology paths, paths that matched the fencing, jigsaw paths and even minimalist paths (in the Beauty of Mathematics garden, the whole garden was planted into gravel and the path was where the plants weren’t).

I think this is a fab trend for middle-sized gardens because we can often see our paths from the house. A good path can give a garden structure and focus. In the winter, the path will be even more important, so it’s worth spending time and money on making it special.

Matt Jackson agrees. ‘You can be hugely creative with paths – I’ve seen people use shells, tiles on edge and glass bottles with the bottoms up. I’ve recently seen a pebble path designed to look like a flowing river. And my favourite garden feature of all time is the brick path winding through the orchard at Great Dixter.’

If you decide you want a coloured path, then Matt advises that you google ‘bonded gravel’ (it’s similar to what tennis courts are made of).

There are hundreds of colours on the market, and many companies will give you lots of advice on installation. They often also have lists of customers who will let you see the paths in their gardens, to give you an idea of how it will look.’

When it comes to brick or pebbles, Matt thinks an amateur can make just as good a job of laying a path as a professional, because they’ll be less obsessed with perfection. ‘You need to research how to do it, but it isn’t difficult and often the slight imperfections of the amateur path are what makes it charming.’

Garden trend 3: copper, bronze, corten steel

Copper has been a major design direction in the home over the last two years, and now it’s big in the garden. That includes copper-hued metals such as bronze and corten steel too, giving that burnished copper/bronze/rusted effect.

Health Happiness &
Horticulture. RHS Hub. Bird feeders and wildlife. RHS Chelsea
Flower Show 2016.

If you want a quick garden update, then a couple of copper, bronze or corten steel planters would probably do it.

You could try a  few copper bucket planters, such as these Burnished Copper XL Bucket Garden Planters

Or go for a larger corten steel trough – you could use it as a water feature or planter:

90/30/80cm Andes Tall Slim Trough Corten Steel Planter/Tree Pot/Garden/Garden/Window Box

Or even go for the huge corten steel trough – which you can use as a planter or pond: 300/150cm Corten Steel Pond Water Feature/Garden/Patio Fish Pool

 

Garden trend 4: Loose airy pruning of trees

I am a huge fan of ‘transparent pruning’, so I was delighted to notice how many trees in show gardens at Chelsea had airy, graceful outlines, including the silver birches in Andy Sturgeon’s Best in Show, Cleve West’s M&G Garden, the trees in Jo Thompson’s Chelsea Barracks Garden and the hawthorns in Rosy Hardy’s Forever Freefolk Garden

A model poses in a dress of flowers and foliage designed by Cleve West in the M&G garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 in London, UK Monday May 23, 2016. RHS / Luke MacGregor

You really know you’re a gardener when you’re more interested in the pruning of the tree behind the model than you are in the dress…

Garden consultant Posy Gentles specialises in ‘transparent pruning’. She has just reduced a silver birch in our garden by about 30% in height. The tree is still a beautiful shape, but there is so much more light coming through.

Our silver birch the day after Posy pruned it. It looks completely natural and has retained its shape, but it is actually about 15-20ft lower.

Firstly, you need a really knowledgeable gardener or tree surgeon. Secondly, ask them to thin the tree out, cutting branches where they meet main branches.

If you get a man with a chain saw simply to cut straight across branches, you will lose the natural shape of the tree. And you will get thick, ugly regrowth which will make your tree look dense.

Garden trend 5: strong block colour

Strong blocks of colour – mainly orange or purple – were seen at RHS Chelsea 2016 from L’Occitane’s Provencal garden’s purple tablecloth, a bright orange shipping container converted to a garden shed, the purple benches and purple water feature in the Sensory Garden.

Papworth Trust – Together We Can.
Designed by Peter Eustance. Sponsored by:
Papworth Trust. RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016.

If you want a shipping container in your garden, by the way, there is a whole sub-culture dedicated to the purchase and re-use of them. Wiki-how has a good post on it here

Health Happiness &
Horticulture. RHS Hub. Roof top, vegetables, kitchen gardening. RHS Greening Grey Britain
garden. Designed by Anne Marie Powell.
Sponsored by: Outdoor Room. RHS Chelsea
Flower Show 2016.

Shipping containers are another thing that won’t fit down our narrow Medieval access path, but if you have easy access for cranes, they could be a stylish extra room in your garden. Most storage companies that rent shipping containers will also sell them, so google them in your area.

This photo also shows the direction garden colour is taken. Although strong brights, such as orange and purple, were big at Chelsea this year, you could also see pretty pastels too. A very strong direction and one that is easy to do.

You could paint furniture, pots or benches you already have. There are a wide range of outdoor paints – the ones below have orange or purple


Rust-Oleum AE0160019E8 400ml Gloss Universal Spray Paint – Sunset Orange

ORANGE)

And chalk paint can be used on any surface, indoors or outdoors. It can offer the soft pretty colours:

Duck Egg Blue Chalk Based Furniture Paint great for creating a shabby chic style. 250ml

Trend 6 (or is it?): planters dropped into table tops

The BBC presenters at RHS Chelsea 2016 did their links sitting in front of a low table with pots of erigeron dropped into it. With the erigeron frothing out of the top of the table (the pot was concealed below the table top) it looked like such a simple, delightful treatment.

But it is not.

I have asked Mr Middlesize, who is very handy, if he could cut some holes in our garden table. He has explained that it would be really difficult. You would probably need to make the table from scratch, cutting the holes in the top at an early stage.

And I have scoured the internet for ‘garden tables with holes cut in them.’ Don’t bother – unless you can think of a better search term.

I have, however, seen this idea out there, so if you’ve done it successfully let me know. Unless we can all do it in our own gardens without too much difficulty or expense, it won’t last as a trend. But somehow I do think we’ll be seeing a bit more of it. In the meantime, I am going to just have the erigeron in a pot. Lovely!

Meanwhile do join us every Sunday morning by signing up in the box (top right) and if you’ve found this interesting, do please share using the buttons below. Thank you!

The post Garden trends 2016 – the best ideas for YOUR garden appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/garden-trends-2016-best-ideas-garden/