There are complications in using mains electricity outdoors. Many lighting fittings can be fixed to the bricks to the house wiring, but garden spotlights, pool lights and lights in herbaceous borders will need an outdoor connection. Weatherproof 13amp sockets mounted on the outside wall of the house are an inexpensive way of providing temporary lighting for the patio, but will not have the same atmospheric effect as lighting sited away from the house.

Spotlights are the most effective way of lighting a garden. Mains voltage 100 and 150 watt spotlamps screw into waterproof holders and are tough enough to withstand most outdoor conditions, the holders can be supplied with an earth spike or a mounting bracket. Spotlights can also be mounted on trees or walls to light a path or section of the garden. When lighting trees, the spotlights should be placed at ground level or low down on the trunk and directed so their light goes up into the branches.

There are several low voltage lighting sets available. These can be safely installed even at ground level, where children are likely to touch them. They operate at 12 volts through a portable mains transformer (the output of the transformer is described in volt-amps rather than watts); you simply plug the transformer into any convenient socket outlet and trail the cable down the garden, connecting in spotlamps at any point in the length of the cable. The lamps are easily attached and can be pushed into the earth on spikes or fixed to trees.

Colour is important when lighting outdoors and most spotlamps are sold with colour filters. The thing to remember when lighting a garden is to concentrate on what is being lit and not on the lights themselves. White is most effective since it brings out colour, red turns foliage brown, while yellow turns it grey. Green highlights grass and foliage, while blue has a mysterious quality especially on birch trees, it also attract insects, so place it away from a terrace or patio. Lights should be hidden from view or placed behind large plants, where concealment is difficult, you should mount them above the normal lines of vision.

Concentrate on trees and larger shrubs. Trees such as elm, which have a high canopy, should be lit from below so the spotlight shines upwards into the leaves. Silver birches should be lit so the beam just touches the main limbs and conifers should catch the light along the edges of their branches. One or two spotlights placed in herbaceous borders can give a dramatic effect, casting a warm glow over the flowers.

When experimenting, choose a dry night and use an ordinary 150 watt lamp in a simple bowl reflector. Seen from a distance, this will give you an idea of the effect you will get when you eventually install the proper equipment.

Designing paths
The essence of good design is the ability to understand the potential of a feature and use it to your advantage in a variety of ways. The folly of dividing a long, narrow garden with a path down the middle should be obvious. In this case the pats is fulfilling the requirement of access at the problem and compounds it by chopping the available space into even narrower section. If you lay the path in a zig-zag fashion or from side to side of the garden, the area will be divided into more managable proportions and will allow you to give each section its own theme and make better use of the available space.

In basic terms, in a garden of average size you should have an area close to the house which has an architectural theme; this area will link the garden with the building. As you move further away from the house, the composition should be looser and softer. This arrangement will create a feeling of depth, space and movement and your paths should act as links between the different areas. In this case the path should lead eyes and feet in a predetermined direction.

Although paths should provide the type of access you require, they need not be a continuous surface. Stepping stones offer a more delicate design, while a solid path will give better access for wheelbarrows, bicycles and children’s toys.

Your path can also be used as a mowing edge to separate a lawn from softly planted border. Set the hard surface just below the level of the turf so the mower can run smoothly over; this eliminates tiresome hand-edging. If necessary you can neaten the line between path and lawn with an edging iron. A path laid in this way also prevent the mower snipping off overhanging blooms and shrub branches.

Designing drives
Drives are on a different scale to paths since they provide vehicle as well as pedestrian access; they therefore work differently in design terms since one is so much larger and heavier. There is, however, considerable overlap in the types of materials you can use for both paths and drives.

The main problem is to blend such a large and obvious feature into the overall composition of your house and garden; you will probably want a feeling of intimacy rather than that of a racetrack. In all but the largest garden, where the drive can be delightful feature winding through shrubs or even woodland, the distance between the road and house is small. This means the front garden can often only be looked upon as a way in; if you do think of it as a garden with a lawn, trees and planting, this could lead to hopeless overcomplication and an inevitable mess. It is far better to plan the drive and the associated hardstanding areas as a complete entity, link them to the house so they blend in and avoid complex planting; plants should be kept as a soft background.

The design problem with a front approach as just described is to prevent the area becoming boring. A straight drive should be at least 2 3/4m (9ft) wide – 3 3/4m (12ft) is a sensible width which allows vehicle doors to be opened without hanging a wall on one side or damaging plants on the other. This type of straight drive is attractive in financial terms; but it involves backing vehicles out into the road, which can be dangerous even in the quietest street.

Such a drive also has a tendency to incorporate a separate gate and path to the front door; this could leave you with a series of narrow strips in various material which have no design cohesion. It is far better to allow the drive to extend into the garden area, giving room for a vehicle to turn round or park, and incorporate an integrated path to the front door. In this case you could have a wide drive entrance and a wide gate such as a five-bar type, giving access to pedestrians and vehicles alike.

Choosing materials
The materials you can use for paths and drives are broadly similar; the size of the latter will probably mean cost is an important factor to consider when making your choice. To lay a path in York stone would be a reasonable proportion, but to surface a drive in this material would be prohibitively expensive. Look for a material for the drive which is hard-wearing and realistically priced; the simpler the laying operation, the more attractive the price will become. To lay a drive in brick paving involves a large amount of labour; using concrete or gravel is much easier. Concrete, gravel, tarmac, precast concrete slabs and chippings of various sizes are all relatively inexpensive and involve only minimal labour.

Concrete This is the most versatile drive surface since you can lay it in panels of various sizes and patterns. By using aggregates or brushing the surface as it dries, you can also provide a non-slip surface and give different finishes. As you lay the material, you can easily incorporate curved shapes to follow the sweep of a vehicle turning circle or to bend along the drive.

Tarmac As a material for drives, tarmac has many of the advantages of concrete; if necessary, you could lay it on top of a concrete base. However, the life of a tarmac is not indefinite and after some years it will need resurfacing. Don’t attempt to dress up plain tarmac using white or coloured chipping or overall colours; this can look garish in a domestic setting. Make sure you retain the edges to prevent the tarmac crumbling and water undermining the surface.

Gravel If concrete and tarmac are essentially for urban use, then gravel is basically for rural setting. Washed 9mm (3/8in) pea shingle is the best to use and should be laid on a base of well-prepared hoggin (a mixture of sand and gravel); hoggin acts as a binder and makes a durable and attractive surface. Avoid the problem of loose gravel being brought into the house by rolling the surface properly as it is laid; the loose gravel will then serve only as a top dressing.

Gravel is really only suitable on a relatively flat surface since on a slope it tends to fall to the lowest point. Where lawn and gravel join you can make a definite edge by positioning large stones; this will prevent vehicles damaging the grass. Paint them white so they will be clearly visible in car headlights after dark.

Paving modules These modules, or blocks, are available in natural stone, precast concrete and brick versions. The smaller the module you choose, the more expensive and time consuming the path or drive will be to lay. You could use the modules in conjunction with a background surface of gravel, tarmac or concrete; this will add visual appeal and interest to drive. If one section of the modules becomes damaged, you can easily replace it. One type is pierced so grass can grow up through it and give the impression of a lawn.

T

A butterfly garden can be an attractive option to bring to your lawn. A lot of people might be enquiring what a butterfly garden is. A butterfly garden is a garden that is made for appealing butterflies for your viewing pleasure. Before you set out your butterfly garden you are going to need to check what eccentrics of flowers are going to attract butterflies that are native to your special region. If you happen to own cats you might prefer to turn over a different type of garden because cats are affectionate of trying to snatch butterflies.

Container gardens are another great option when it bears on garden ideas. A container garden is ideal if you domicile in an apartment building or if you’re simply not able to tend over a large outdoor garden. You have lots of alternatives when it pertains container gardening as you can plant anything from coffee to herbs to oranges.

Next about the list of gardening ideas are vegetable gardens. You may acquire all types of vegetables in your vegetable garden. You will need to allow what types of vegetables are going to farm the best in your area. You can prefer to grow enough to maintain for the winter days or just enough to enjoy on the summer.

Lawn areas starting to go brown at the first signs of sunlight

Your prize lawn has areas of moss

You have boggy areas in your garden or specific areas have sunk

Shrubs and other perennial plants not flowering as much as they used to

Your plants, are not growing at the rate they have done in previous years

All of those and more are signs of the Topsoil in your garden getting worn out and a little tired. Over the years it is possible that you topsoil has not much more left in the tank to feed your garden with nutrients. Not only that but the way we that most of us treat the topsoil in our gardens is nothing short of tragic.

Here are just a couple of reasons why your garden may not be the way you want it to be.

Pets and wildlife, the call of nature as it were

The kids use your lovely green grass as a sports field

Garden parties with people trampling all over.

Now we are not saying you can’t do any of these, what we are saying is that giving your topsoil the care and attention it deserves will help it keep performing how you want it to for years to come. And don’t worry too much if your garden is showing the signs, a good service should put your topsoil back on the right tracks.

You can repair the damage or improve what you already have and what’s more it is not that difficult to do. Try adding new matter to the topsoil things like compost, well rotted manure and topsoil delivered to your door. give yourself a budget and then look to get the best one for that money. A reputable supplier should be more than happy to advise you on the different options available to you.

Of course this is not guaranteed to solve your issue as there can be many causes of problems. By identifying the problem you can ensure you take the right measure. As for every topsoil problem there is a different solution. Boggy areas will need a topsoil mix that has good drainage. On the flip side, if the ground is hard an dry you will need a topsoil that will retain moisture. Jot down any questions you may have and ask your supplier before ordering your topsoil just to make sure all your requirements are met.