The Front Garden
 
We recently contacted Gemima Park, knowing she was a keen gardener, and asked if she would like to run a series of Garden Doctor articles. She leapt at the chance. I spoke to her throughout the project of her first article - The Front Garden.
Gemima: I decided that this was an unusual place to start with a series on gardening. When most sims think of gardening they think of a back garden with a few trees and shrubs and perhaps a couple of pot plants or tulips by the back door. A few sims actually go the whole way and landscape a pool, aviary or patio..but have you ever thought about your front garden? The first thing a sim see's when they pass your house is the front garden and if you make this a beautiful patch not only will it warm your heart everytime you step out of your front door but it may also help to sell your house in the future.
I have recently taken down my front garden so lets start here. It is most important to take everthing away, even if you are going to keep the plants, so that you can get a good look at the plot. Places where you decide to plant borders should be dug up, grass removed and prepared for planting.

It is extremely important when planning a new garden that you put in the structural plants first. Here I have used a number of conifers, acacia and bamboo plants to arrange a set for the smaller daintier plants to help hide the brick walls of the house. Try to frame the entrance of your house from the road so that neighbours will feel welcome and focussed towards your front door - maybe even the mailwomen will forget to give you bills as she is stunned by the beauty! Another point to add is please always leave enough space...yes it may seem like a huge patch to fill but remember that plants grow and all those borders that you've dug will soon be bursting with colourful flowers. And finally add the border plants and shrubs. Try to work backwards, away from the borders with height. You can see here that the flowers are arranged at the front whilst the larger shrubs frame the backs of the borders which are in turn framed by the trees. How about a climbing plant over the door? Here two clematis either side of my front door will eventually rise over the top making a whole sharade of flowers. Don't let your borders spill onto the path either...Simborough council may not be too happy about that!...frame the edges with a small picket fence or rose bushes as I have done here. With a little effort stunning front gardens can be achieved with will be the talk of the neighbourhood. I hope I've mananged to inspire you a little, next month will be tackling the small, enclosed back garden with patio.
Gemima Park
[If you have a garden that you wish to share with us, please feel free to email a picture of it and it will be posted on this site]

The Decked/Night Garden
 
Welcome to the second episode in the my Garden Doctor series. This time I am creating a decked garden for the Brittun Sisters. They had a very specific brief for me as they wanted an easily kept garden and one that they could also use at night due to their long hours spent at work. One of the most important things when creating a night garden is to actually take a look at the plot when its dark as it will give you an idea of how to light the space. It will also give you an idea of how much light from windows will affect the garden. It is important to realise that light sources will be needed in the garden as your can't rely on light from windows and as the Brittun's want to use this as a highly social space we have to get it right.
 
 

With most gardens we want to get right down to the nitty gritty of actually gardening. However if you get he structure wrong, then the garden will never look right. So as this is a decked garden the most important thing is to get the decking in. As you can see from the photo there are two access points, one through the conservatory and one through the garden itself. This will lend itself to having parties so that food can be carried in and out of the hose easily whilst guests can spill out onto the lawn. The garden furniture to be used has also been placed in the space to get an idea of where the plants will go.

Finally its time to get the plants in. The Brittun sisters have asked me for a garden which is not too much work which is why I've opted to go for small amounts of plants in pots. By placing hanging plants and plants that make sounds when there is a breeze will give the garden a feel of tropicana through smell, noise and luxurious hanging foliage even though the amount of plants in this garden are actually limited. As you can see a large amount of space has been left available on the deck so that it will be easy to move around and have social gatherings. The plants give a feel of the tropics, especially the yellow clematis which has been placed over the conservatory windows. This will only enhance the smell and look of the garden outside but will be able to be seen from inside aswell, creating a more pleasant eating environment.
Finally a few small lights should be placed so as to cast shadows in and around the plants. The lights are subtle, its a night garden so you dont want to light it up like an airstrip, make it subtle and enjoy your night garden.
Gemima Park