Top tips on all things garden design, including fencing, lawn care, planting and outdoor improvements.
A garden room is a fully insulated, self-contained structure in your garden — and a great way to add usable space to your home. It can serve almost any purpose, whether you want a gym, a quiet retreat, or somewhere to pursue a hobby. Unlike a conservatory, a garden room isn't attached to your house; it's a standalone building in its own right, which gives it far more versatility.
Pond maintenance can be a lot of upkeep, given the time that can go into it. Through the winter your pond has likely developed green along the walls and a murky colour to the water. That isn't the view you want when you're sitting in your garden in the summer.
Keeping your hedge tidy doesn’t just improve the look of your garden. Regular trimming helps maintain healthy growth, prevents hedges from becoming overgrown, and keeps boundaries neat and manageable. But many homeowners ask the same question: when is the best time to trim your hedge?
A conservatory is a bright space that can be used all throughout the year for relaxing and entertaining or working remotely. However, conservatories are exposed to the elements, so they require specialist treatment compared to other areas of a property. Regular conservatory cleaning is vital to maintaining the space and keeping it looking fresh and welcoming.
November might feel like the quiet season in the garden: temperatures drop, daylight shortens, and many plants begin to die back, but there’s still plenty you can plant to set yourself up for a colourful spring and a productive growing season next year. Whether you’re nurturing a vegetable patch, planning a vibrant flower display, or simply keeping your garden active through winter, November offers more opportunities than you might think.
We guide you through the best way to compost your home waste and how to use the finished product effectively.
Winter can be challenging for birds as they find it hard to find food. Feeding birds can be rewarding, but we discuss what to feed them and how.
If your home is exposed to the elements, it's wise to choose a fence that will allow wind to pass through it, rather than acting as a block. Here are our tips.
Bamboo can be a great feature in your garden and can offer wonderful, natural screening as well as being a great carbon absorber. We go over the pros and cons.
Fence ownership isn’t always obvious. This guide explains how to check deeds, understand responsibilities and avoid disputes with neighbours.
Keep on top of your garden this August with our top pick of gardening jobs and tasks to complete in your garden in June
This week we will go into more detail about the practicalities: flooring, shade, and usage of your conservatory when considering your new conservatory design
Location and style tips for getting the right conservatory design. From small conservatory ideas to period properties.
Keep your lawn healthy with simple steps like regular mowing, proper watering and fertilising, helping grass grow thicker and stay resilient in dry weather.
If you want to get composting, check out our simple guide on what to (and not to) compost.
Our trusted landscape gardeners can help, whatever the task at hand, offering reliable support and professional expertise.
A garden room is a fully insulated, self-contained structure in your garden — and a great way to add usable space to your home. It can serve almost any purpose, whether you want a gym, a quiet retreat, or somewhere to pursue a hobby. Unlike a conservatory, a garden room isn't attached to your house; it's a standalone building in its own right, which gives it far more versatility.
Gardening and landscaping questions covering maintenance, design and seasonal tasks.
For simple stuff - planting, basic lawn care, a few raised beds - you can often manage it yourself. For anything involving hard landscaping, drainage, retaining walls, or changing ground levels, get a professional involved.
Badly built retaining walls and poor drainage cause expensive problems. A landscaper will also know which materials will actually work for your soil and conditions.
A gardener looks after your garden on an ongoing basis - mowing, pruning, planting, general upkeep. A landscaper creates the garden in the first place - patios, paths, fencing, decking, drainage, planting schemes, the whole structure. Some people do both, but they're distinct skill sets.
If you want the garden transformed rather than maintained, a landscaper is who you need.
It's often more work than it looks. Beyond cutting things back, there may be significant root systems to clear, possibly invasive species to deal with (Japanese knotweed needs specialist handling), and ground prep before any replanting can happen.
For anything seriously overgrown, professional clearance is going to be faster, more thorough, and safer than tackling it yourself.
Hard landscaping - patios, paths, decking, fencing - can happen most of the year, though very wet or frozen ground causes delays. Planting is best in spring or autumn when things establish more easily.
If you're planning something big, book a landscaper in late winter for spring work - good ones fill up fast once the season gets going.
Take it seriously. It can damage buildings and hard surfaces, and some mortgage lenders won't lend on properties where it's present and unmanaged. You're not legally required to remove it as long as it stays within your boundary, but you are responsible for stopping it from spreading to neighbouring land.
It needs specialist treatment - either chemical treatment over multiple growing seasons, or excavation and licensed disposal. Don't compost it or put it in your general garden waste.
The obvious one: no mowing. It stays looking decent all year and doesn't turn to mud in winter, which is a real plus for households with kids or dogs. Modern artificial grass is much more realistic than it used to be and holds its colour well. Worth knowing though: it gets noticeably hot in direct sun, needs occasional brushing, and is made from plastic that can't currently be recycled at end of life.
It's a great fit for a low-maintenance, practical space - less so if the environmental benefits of a real lawn matter to you.
Cut down the amount of lawn first - it needs more regular attention than almost anything else. Swapping sections for hard landscaping or planted beds with ground-cover plants makes a real difference.
Pick plants that suit your soil and aspect - ones that are happy where they are will largely look after themselves once established.
A thick bark mulch layer keeps weeds down and holds moisture. A drip irrigation system on a timer removes another regular task. A good landscaper can design a scheme specifically around low maintenance rather than just what looks attractive.
Decking is usually fine under Permitted Development as long as it's no more than 30cm above ground and doesn't cover more than half the garden. Open pergolas are generally okay - but start enclosing them with a roof and sides and they get treated differently.
Garden rooms are classed as outbuildings: permitted if single-storey, within size limits, not used as living accommodation, and set back properly from boundaries. Listed buildings are a different matter - any structure nearby needs listed building consent. If you're not sure, a quick inquiry to your local planning authority will give you a clear answer before you spend anything.
If you have a question in relation to TrustATrader specifically, please check out the TrustATrader FAQs, with separate lists tailored to consumers and tradespeople. Alternatively, get in touch with our team. We're happy to help!