Up the garden path

In all seasons, there is one area in the garden which we enter - or at least pass through - every day. It greets us in the morning and it brings us home every evening. It welcomes visitors and it hosts farewells. It brings in the new and ushers out the old. It's the garden path or, more precisely, the path to the front door.

A path to the front door, lined with Box (Buxus sempervirens) in a garden designed and planted by us (Howbert & Mays)

January in our shop: lots in bloom and looking good!

There isn't a lot of colour about in January, but there are still plenty of things to bring life to the garden. Here is a selection of plants, pots and other items in our shop, all taken in eary January 2013.

Festuca glauca grass and white Cyclamen in a black 'Artstone' bowl planter: an excellent combination.

Organic vegetable and herb seeds

The Garden in Winter

Autumn colour in the garden

As the temperature drops, leaves respond with dramatic changes in colour. From yellows and oranges to burnt reds and ochres, nothing gives us that 'autumn feeling' more than the turning of the leaves. Here are some highlights: all easily grown in Irish gardens.

Autumn colour in the garden centre: Cotinus, Acer, Nerine, Hydrangea 'Limelight', Fothergilla.

Letting the outdoors in: designing the garden to suit the house

Modern houses have bigger windows than old ones. Picture windows, sun rooms, sliding glass doors – these are relatively new concepts. The ‘big house’ of old may have had big windows, but for everyone else, home was a fairly dark place. So, what do these big windows have to do with gardens? Garden in the rain

Big windows looking into the garden at our own home.