Grasshopper Services Blog | Garden Design

Planting Plan for Large Garden in South Dublin

Posted by Colin on February 17th, 2012 | No Comments »

I have just completed a planting plan for a large garden in Rathmines, South Co. Dublin. Its good to get a change from the Commercial Landscaping Design and do some back to basic garden design and planting design.

The garden itself has a number of large borders a raised bed with stone wall and there are a number of existing mature trees in the garden. There are also some large Pleached Lime Trees along some of the boundaries.

Large parts of this garden are in shade or semi shade so it is important to choose shade tolerant plants for these areas. With a little creativity a shady garden can look as awesome as a sunny garden! There are some parts of the garden that will receive full sun and I have included some nice colourful herbaceous plants in these areas, taking some inspiration from my visit to Glenveagh Last year!

Have a look at the other mood boards below. Once planting is completed we will give our client a guide on how to maintain their plants (ie. pruning times, feeding etc) to keep them looking healthy into the future.

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Filed under Garden Design, Planting Design, planting | Tags: Garden Design, Garden plants, Planting Design, Shady Garden

Multi-Sensory Garden For South Dublin Hospital

Posted by Colin on February 10th, 2012 | No Comments »

We are currently working on garden design proposals for a multi-sensory garden for a south Dublin Hosptial. The existing garden site is sunken space adjacent to a new restaurant facility on the grounds. The project divides the line between Commercial Landscaping Design and Residential Garden Design, however our years of experience allows us to adapt our skills and come up with an aesthetically pleasing, functional design.

Our initial approach to the garden design is to brain-storm ideas and concepts for the garden and present them to our client. Our initial ideas can be seen on the Mood Board below. The overall concept is as follows:

“An Engaging Space with a vibrant planting palette, full of movement and texture to evoke the senses. Incorporating Sculptural elements such as mosaic pieces and references to wildlife. Curved seating, waterfeature and stimulating paving arrangements to give a holistic space to be enjoyed by staff, individuals and visitors”

Keep an eye out here for further developments on this garden design project.

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Filed under Commercial Landscaping, Garden Design, paving | Tags: Commercial Landscaping, Garden concepts, Garden Design, Planting Design, Sensory Garden

Commercial Landscaping with a Twist

Posted by Colin on February 7th, 2012 | No Comments »

We were recently awarded the grounds maintenance contract for a shopping centre in South Dublin. The premises is part of our ever growing Commercial Landscaping portfolio. Our client was dis-satisfied with the level of grounds maintenance and upkeep carried out by the previous contractor and their lack of vision and creativity when it came to the grounds maintenance.

What we have done for our client is come up with a set of planting design drawings and concepts for the complex. Our aim is to replace the existing tired and outdated planting areas with a more unified, modern arrangement of plants, providing focal points and visual interest within the car-park. While some people may be cutting their budgets when it comes to ground maintenance and upgrading of their commercial landscapes, our client has had the vision to improve the appearance of the landscape around their premises. This will give a sense of confidence and identity to the shopping centre and will in turn attract more customers for existing and new tenants.

See our outline proposals below:

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Filed under Commercial Landscaping, planting | Tags: Commercial Landscaping, grasses, Planting Design

Garden Design: 5 Top Tips

Posted by admin on January 31st, 2012 | No Comments »

There are many elements to be considered when completing garden plans. Essentially, a garden is a living entity that changes over through the seasons and over time and this makes planning even more important. In an effort to try and advise on where to start but by no means infer that this is a simplistic task, here are 5 top design tips for your garden.

Observation
This may not appeal to everyone, but ideally you should wait a year before attempting any change to the garden. By doing this you will become familiar with the type of garden you have. If there are any plants in it, what do they do in different seasons? What directin does the wind blow through the garden? Where is the perfect spot for a shed…a patio? By taking this time you will have a clearer idea how to design the garden for you. There have been cases where a person moves into a new home and completely removes all the trees in the rear garden as they believed they were blocking too much light. However, some of the trees were blocking views into neighbours homes! Don’t let this happen to you!

Aspect
The aspect of the garden is extremely important. This will dictate the amount of hours of sun your garden gets. This is turn will have an impact on the types of plants you choose, where you locate your patio and other elements in the garden. Of course usually everyone wants a South facing garden so they have sun all day but there are benefits in all aspects. By knowing the aspect and looking at how the sun moves through the garden you can decide where to place seating areas, shed, washing lines and compst bins. Also, the plants you put in the garden will have to suit the amount of light in the garden.

Soil Conditions
Knowing the type of soil in your garden is hugely important as this will support the type of plants you choose. At a basic level, it is important to know if the soil is acidic or alkaline that is the type and mix of minerals in the soil. Once the type of soil is defined, you can then go on to look at whether it is damp or dry, is it well drained or does the water take time to move through it. Remembeer though that no matter what type of soil you have in the garden, there are a selection of plants that will suit.

Screening
Look around the garden and figure out are there any areas that need to have some sort of screening there may be views into your house that you wish to disguise. Alternatively there could be views out from your garden that you wish to screen. Either way, it is necessary to take note of these views as this is where you will postion the higher planting elements in the garden.

Think Ahead
Thinking ahead is especially important when dealing with plants. In most cases, what you buy from the nursery will not stay the same in the coming years. Take note of the ultimate size and shape of the plants as it could be that you would place a plant with a spread of 5m in a space with a width of only 1m. This mistake would mean endless pruning of the plant to keep it in check and most probably ruin the shape of it too.

These tips are just to help you get started in designing your garden, We hope it helps!

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Garden design: Easy Evergreens

Posted by admin on January 24th, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Evergreen plants play an important job in a garden design. Without their presence in the garden, it could look quite bare and twiggy for a significant part of the year. Evergreen shrubs provide dependable structure to a garden and can play a role in holding it all together. It is important to include some evergreen plants in your garden plan as they form the skeleton or the backbone of the garden. As well as providing year round foliage, evergreens add volume and and structure during the winter season and then once growth starts once more in the spring, they provide effective foils for the more showy or colourful plants.

Here are three of Grasshopper Landscape Mainteance’s top three evergreen performers:

Pachysandra terminalis

Pachysandra

This plant is commonly know as Japanese spurge, Pacgysandra is an Evergreen dwarf shrub. it has been very popular for over a century for its ability to spread into a dense very green carpet beneath other, taller shrubs. They need some degree of shade and acidic soil. It will tolerate full sun if the ground is consistently moist but it is more valuable as a carpeting plant in dry shade, sheltered from cold winds. The royal Horticultural Society has given Pachysandra its Award of garden Merit.

Arbutus unedo

Arbutus

This is an extremely attractive small evergreen tree which can grow to a height and spread of 8m. However, it can be trimmed regularly to keep it compact. The common name of this plant is the Strawberry tree. It produces white flowers in late autumn . Since the red fruits it bears take 12 months to ripen, the tree bears both mature fruit and flowers at the same time, making it a real eye-catcher. This is a perfect tree for coastal gardens or a sheltered spot inland.

Buxus sempervirens

Box is a vigorous evergreen, busy upright shrub or tree. It has small, rounded to ovoid glossy dark green leaves. Its dense habit makes it ideal for hedging or screening and it can be closely clipped into different shapes. An excellent plant to make into topiary as it leaves a very smart outline after trimming.

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Garden Ideas at Glenveagh

Posted by Colin on January 23rd, 2012 | 1 Comment »

No matter what part of the country I find myself in I ‘m always looking for inspiration for my garden designs. While traveling around Donegal last year I visited Glenveagh Gardens in Glenveagh National Park. From sweeping manicured lawns to bulging herbaceous borders, there is no shortage of ideas for your garden.

The two main elements to the garden are the pleasure gardens and the walled garden which were both constructed in the 1880′s and the Victorian Garden Layout remains intact. The gardens are maintained to the highest standards and the herbaceous borders inter-planted with vegetables are a sight to behold and display spectacular summer colour.

Some of the plants on display include; Box hedging, Paeonia double white, Allium christophii, Anemone japonica to name just a few. I’m looking forward to designing my next herbaceous border where I’ll definable be drawing some inspiration from Glenveagh Gardens.

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Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: Garden concepts, Garden Design, Garden Visits, Planting Design

Grounds Maintenance: Mulching

Posted by admin on January 17th, 2012 | 1 Comment »

If there is one landscape maintenance job that should not be avoided this winter, it is mulching. It is something that done now, will reap benefits in Spring. There are several benefits to mulching:

Nutrtients
Depending on the mulch used, it will provide much needed nutrients to the soil

Garden Compost makes a terrific mulch

Water Conservation
A mulch will precerve moisture in the soil and so plants will not need to be watered as frequently in the summer. This will be handy when any water rates come it! However, a mulch will not preserve moisture if it is applied in late spring or early summer. At that stage the soil is drying out and putting on a mulch is actually locking in the dryness. To be successful, a mulch must be applied in late autumn or very early spring. This will ensure that plant roots are kept cool in the summer and will require less water.

Weed Control
Mulching will help keep down weeds to a certain extent. Many weeds are propagated from airborne seeds which fall on the surface of the soil and begin to grow. When the seeds fall onto a mulched surface, they will grow, but their rrots will be shallow and they are easier to remove. So in eassence a mulch will not really stop weed growth but it does make them easier to remove.

Types of Mulch

There are a number of different types of mulch available. They can be roughly divided into organic and inorganic.
Organic mulches provide nutrients, preserve moisture and reduces weeds. Types of organic mulch include garden compost, leaf mould, spent mushroom compost and fine bark mulch.
Inorganic mulches do not provide any nutrients to the soil but they do preserve moisture and control weeds. Types include gravel, recycled tyres and plastic.

Organic mulches don’t even need to be mixed into the soil as worms and other soil insects will complete this for you. All that need to be done is to lay a 5cm thick layer of the mulch on the surface of the soil. You will be pleased with the results in the new year!

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Small Garden Design In South Dublin

Posted by Colin on January 16th, 2012 | No Comments »

As with all garden designs the use of space is very important and in smaller gardens where space is at a premium, making use of every last inch is vital.

This four bedroom semi in Sandyford was undergoing an extension and overhaul to the interior which left the garden space even smaller. As a garden designer constraints like these should be turned into opportunities. Creating a courtyard effect within the garden transforms the space. Careful selection of plants, paving materials and finishes allow any space to come alive and can give you the feeling that you are in a sunny Mediterranean courtyard, sipping on a cappuccino!

The materials used in this garden are simple, the patio surface is grey limestone which contrasts very well with the monocouche rendered raised planting beds. A mixture of Bamboos, Phormiums and Fatsias soften the boundary walls while a beautiful tree fern creates a focal point in a stand alone planter, under-planted with Santolina. In the corner of the garden, a spherical granite water feature bubbles away creating a sense of calm in the garden.

I am particularly happy with the result of this design, I think the space is utilised well and with the raised planter walls this garden would work well as an entertainment space for family and guests. The garden plans and 3D designs gave my client a clear view of how the finished garden would look.

The garden itself was also featured on RTE’s About the House with Duncan Stewart.

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Filed under Garden Design, Garden Ideas, Patio, planting | Tags: courtyard garden, Garden concepts, Garden Design, patio, small garden

Garden ideas: Trees with Ornamental Bark

Posted by admin on January 11th, 2012 | No Comments »

During the winter season, the garden can look somewhat barren. This is to be expected as there has to be some season when the garden isn’t looking its best, we appreciate it more in the spring and summer. But there can be highlights in the winter garden, something to brighten even the dullest day. Deciduous trees with ornamental bark are ideal in this situation and add someting to a garden design. There are several trees that have incredibly attractive bark and since their leaves fall in the autumn, their bark is more visible and indeed can become a focal point.
So what trees am I talking about? Well, there are several to choose from and I will give three examples in this blog. But it is worth having a look in a local garden centre to see what they have on offer.

Betula jacquemontii

The first is Betula jacquemontii (Himalayan Birch). This tree grows to a height of 12m and has a spread of 8m. The branching pattern on this tree is very fine so it provides a lovely outline all year round. In the spring it produces small green leaves that move gracefully in the wind. It is in the winter that this tree comes into its onw. The bark is startlingly white and once the leaves fall, it can be fully appreciated. For maximum effect, plant with a dwarf red leaved Acer or a deep burgundy Cotinus.

Acer griseum

The next tree with great winter potential is the Paper Bark Maple (Acer griseum). This tree is ideal for a small garden as it only grows to a height of 4m and has a spread of 2m. The leaves turn dramatic shades of scarlet and orange in the autumn and then the bark is revealed. This tree is true to itsa name, as the bark is constantly peeling creating a shining bark underneath. It is very unusual and is always a taling point in any garden.

Acer davidii

Finally, the next tree for outstanding bark is another maple: the Snake Bark Maple (Acer davidii). This tree is more suited to a medium sized garden as it will eventually reach a height of 15m and the spread can be up to 12m. It produces pale yellow flowers in the spring, follwed byattractive maple shaped leaves. The leaves give a fanfare of oranage and yellow colour before they fall. The bark is truly exceptional, it is a green colour with white vertical stripes all along it.

So there you have it, a trio of trees with beautiful bark to add some spice to a winter garden.

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Garden Ideas:Indoor Plants

Posted by admin on December 14th, 2011 | No Comments »

Houseplants provide interest throughout the year and make a colourful addition to any house and can link with you garden design outside. There are specific steps to maintaining them during the winter.

In winter, move plants to rooms which are not overhjeated during the day but maintain the required minimum temperatures. Avoid placing plants near open fires, radiators, in draughts or on windowsills on frosty nights. Gradually reduce watering during the winter months letting the compost almost dry out between waterings. Stop feeding altogether except where the plants are growing vigorously or flowering.

Some houseplants that brighten up the home during the winter months include:
Hyacinths

Indoor Hyacinths

The blooms of this bulb are guaranteed to fill your house with their strong floral perfume and gorgeous colour. Place a bowl of these bulbs in a cool but bright spot and they’ll easily scent an entire room. Plant the bulbs in your garden after flowering and you can continue to enjoy their display year after year.

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

This is a Christmas flowering succulent that survives well in centrally heated homes. The plant itself is low maintenance and inexpensive. it requires less light then you would think, being a succulent. To flower successfully it should ideally have 8 hours of light and 16 of dark. It is one of the few succulents that benefits from being misted from time to time.

Poinsettia
One of the best selling houseplants for Christmas, which is quite a statistic considering it is considered a weed in its native Mexico! The distinctive bright red colouring is not actually the flower but leaf-like bracts. Poinsettias are also available in pink and white varieties.

Poinsettia

When buying a plant, try to find one thats not too tightly packed in its cellophane wrapper and has not been left outside for too long. They hate proplonged draughts of cold air. Avoid buying one with green edges on the bracts because this is a sign that the plant was packaged before it had matured.

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