Find a Landscaper you can trust in Keswick.

Different types of gardening work will need to be carried out at different times of the year. Garden maintenance is a year round job, although the amount of work will usually decrease during the winter. For larger landscaping projects, aim to have these done through autumn, winter and early spring, to give plants time to get established before summer. Be aware that poor weather over winter can slow down the work.

1. Place a post in the corner of the frame you created with the pegs and string. Measure and mark out 100mm from each side.
2. Dig out this soil to a depth of 700mm (watch out for cables or pipes). You should have a 300 x 300mm hole. Repeat for the other 3 corners.
3. Using a brick bolster, split a concrete block in two. Put a section of the block in each hole.
4. Get a length of post longer than you need and place one in each hole. You can cut it down later.
5. Create props on each post to hold them in place until you’re ready to add a cement mix. Check that they’re level. When you’re happy that they are, secure them in place with a concrete mix, making sure you create a slope in the concrete so that rainwater runs away from each post. When the concrete is set, remove the props.
6. Create a string line around each corner post and find the centre point between each. Place a timber batten at each point, ensuring that they’re not spaced any more than 1500mm apart.

1. Working from the corner where the deck will be at its highest above ground level, measure and mark on the post where the highest part of the frame will be.
2. Measure from the far side of one post to the opposite and cut sections of joist to size. Line up a piece of joist with the mark you made and temporarily secure it. Factor in a 2mm fall for every metre of decking so rainwater can run off.
3. Secure the frame to the other corner post, ensuring it’s at the right level. Do this for every side of the outer frame.
4. Using 100mm coach screws with washers hanging on the end, secure each end of the four sections of frame.
5. Mark out where the centre of the support posts will be and secure all of these posts to the frame, except the centre post.
6. Add your central support joists. These should run in the same direction as the deck boards will run. You’ll need to measure from the inside of the frame on one side to the inside of the frame on the opposite side. Attach the joist in the same way as you did for the other posts. Repeat so the centre post is in between two sections of frame and secure the posts with concrete.
7. Trim down all the posts to the correct height using a saw.
8. Add your weed-control fabric and weigh down with gravel across the entire area.

1. Measure 400mm from the centre of the outer frame and mark a line. This will be where the first joist is positioned. Repeat at 400mm intervals down the length of the frame – if the last one will be more than 400mm, add another joist to create enough support.
2. Attach a joist hanger to each end of the joist.
3. Place the joist in position so the centre lines up with the 400mm spacer mark.
4. Secure using external grade screws once you’re happy that the joist is flush with the frame.

• What you need the shed for
• How much space you have
• How big you need the shed to be
• Which style of roof you want
• What material you would like
• How big your budget is

• Hand-crafted from Nordic White Spruce
• Felt roof reinforced with high-grade polyester
• Tongue and groove cladding makes it more weatherproof so ideal for items that must be kept dry

• High eaves for more head height and to store taller items
• Pent roof and fixed windows allow lots of light
• Ideal for putting up against a wall or fence
• Door can be hinged either side

• Ideal for small gardens or those with fewer tools to store
• Apex roof for water runoff
• Tongue and groove walls
• Tall floor-to-gable door

1. Unroll your two pieces of artificial grass, ensuring that the pile is running in the same direction. Fold over each piece by about 300m.
2. To get the perfect seam, cut at least 3 tufts back, ensuring that you don’t trim any grass blades.
3. Either remove the backing on your self-adhesive tape and unroll it down the centre of the join, or roll it out ensuring that the shiny side is down then fix at either end with adhesive.
4. Fold over the grass onto the tape and bring each piece together, ensuring there’s a 2-3mm gap at the seam.
5. Where the pile runs over the edge of the seam, fold over the artificial grass.
6. Apply a small amount of adhesive under the edge of the first section of grass with a mastic gun, then add some to the front edge to stick the second piece.
7. Bring the seam together, ensuring that you don’t get any grass blades stuck. Place a plank with some heavy objects on over the join to ensure that it dries securely.

Yes, it is possible to insulate a shed. You might want to do this if you’re planning on working in it during the winter. A professional will be able to help you find an insulated shed or advise you on how to insulate a shed that you already have. Always seek professional advise first before attempting to do this yourself!

Gardens need regular maintenance and without it they can get really out of hand. When you’re thinking about how much gardeners charge, you should bear in mind the state of your garden and whether you need a one-off tidy up or want a regular ‘manicure’ of your garden to keep it looking neat and tidy. Gardeners generally charge in two different ways for their work depending on the job: with an hourly rate or with a fixed price. Generally, gardeners will charge an hourly rate of between £20 - £40 depending on their experience, the job and where you are in the country. They may also charge a minimum call-out charge since a lot of their day will include unpaid travel from job to job. If you don’t need your gardener for a full day, for example if you just need your lawn mowed, then they will probably charge a fixed rate. It’s unlikely to have anything to do with their hourly rate. We’ve found that the average fixed cost of a gardener is around £250 - but this of course includes small jobs like weeding and mowing to larger jobs like pulling out shrubs and replanting, so you may find that your gardener charges more or less than this. Bear in mind that most gardeners will charge a price that doesn’t include waste removal, since lots of people have compost heaps or garden waste bins. So if you need them to take the garden waste away, expect another £100 - £200 on top of your quote.

When it comes to landscaping issues, lawn mushrooms are a very common occurrence. If you’re one of the several home and property owners who simply loves to have a great looking grass, finding mushrooms in your lawn can be a truly frustrating experience. However, with the right skills and knowledge the problem of mushroom growing in lawns can be resolved. If you don’t have the confidence required to carry out this task, then we’d recommend you call in a professional landscaper for help in order to avoid costly errors and unnecessary expenses. In this post, we’re going to put you through the processes involved in lawn mushroom removal.

First and foremost, let’s consider why mushrooms grow on lawns. To determine why mushrooms are growing on your lawn, simply examine the state of your lawn. Lawn mushrooms thrive in damp, shaded and organic waste rich environments. Figure out if you have drainage problems with supports the mushroom challenge, organic waste to be removed or perhaps you have areas on your yard that happens to be very shady.

In order to get rid of mushroom in your lawn, you’ll have to resolve your yard problems. If your lawn is very wet, try to find out if there are things you can do to minimize the moisture. You can reduce the decaying organic materials in your yard by raking your grass clippings, replacing existing mulch or detaching your lawn. If your yard happens to be quite shady, check if some targeted pruning can help to enable the access of more light to your yard. Also, you can apply a fungicide to eliminate the existing lawn mushrooms.

How To Repair A Pothole In Gravel Driveways

When the integrity of your gravel driveway is impaired not only does it have a negative impact on the curb appeal of your property, but also makes your driveway a danger zone. If your driveway needs to be repaired, you’d simply have to grab the bull by the horn and get it done - the sooner, the better to avoid the problem getting worse and to have your beautiful gravel driveway back as soon as possible.

The major cause of potholes in driveways is usually water, when it gets trapped beneath the surface of the driveway. Therefore, you may also want to enhance the drainage in the area as part of your repair. The repair process is quite simple for confident do-it-yourselfers, but if otherwise, then calling in a reliable professional will save you some time and extra money that can result from possible errors. So how do you repair gravel driveway potholes?

✓ Prepare the area. This involves removing all forms of debris from the pothole. To achieve this, you can rake, shovel or brush the loose stones, soil and other debris from the pothole.

✓ Fill the pot hole. Make use of a coarse gravel to fill up the pothole to a depth of about 3 inches beneath the driveway’s level. Upon the filling, simply tamp down the coarse gravel using a commercial tamper or any available homemade option. Once done, the final 3 inches to the surface of the gravel driveway should then be filled up with gravel which perfectly matches the colour and texture of the remaining driveway.

✓ Compact the patch. To achieve this in an easy and fast way, simply run your car’s wheel up and down over the repaired spot gently a couple of times. This will be enough to compact the patch and seal the pothole.