When planning your family garden you must always incorporate an adequate level of practicality into the design as your garden must cater for all of your needs in order for you to get the maximum pleasure out of it.

Different surfaces can be used to cope with various activities that your garden will be subject to and planned areas of interest are vital. Ideally you should try to add an area for growing your own food too.

Before you begin to design your garden think carefully about the activities that will be carried out in your garden. How old are your children? As they grow what will they want from a garden in years to come?

Starting with the basics

If you have a moderately sized garden a lawn will provide your children with a good area to ride their bikes, play football and other activities. The soft lawn will cushion any falls and act as a great surface to play upon throughout most of the year.

Decking is another highly practical surface for children to play on, although you must be aware that after rain it will become slippery. You can purchase decking kits which are easy to install and provide fantastic dining areas. If you plan to use both decking and a lawn in your garden, divide the two spaces up with low planting to soften the edges. Pick easy care plants like flax and use a combination of different coloured foliage to add interest to your garden.

Improving the privacy of your garden

If your garden is overlooked or next to an uninspiring view, you can use tall plants to provide a screen. These tall plants can also be used if your garden is on a road or noisy street. The foliage will not only block any views it will reduce the noise and stop people peering into your garden. Use evergreen plants that will last all year. Bamboos or spiky architectural plants such as cordylines will help to give your family garden that contemporary look that you are after.

Create an area where you can relax and unwind in the privacy of your back garden. Decking or a patio will provide you with a good hard surface for your sun loungers. Think about using plants and a pergola to create shaded areas where you can sit and cool off in the warmer summer months.

Patterns

You can define the overall shape of your garden and help to make it appear tidier if you incorporate so clear and simplistic lines in your design. Keep borders edged and square slabs set equally apart in gravel. Doing these simple things will add neat visible interest to your family garden and is easy to maintain.

There is nothing worse in a garden than a well worn muddy route from one side of the garden to the house. The easiest solution is to create a path to the shed, back gate or vegetable patch.

Low maintenance

A family life is often an extremely hectic one! Keep your garden low maintenance by planting easy to care for plants. Plant out plants that enjoy the sun in sunny positions and those which don’t in shady spots. A small vegetable plot will allow your children to learn about the food that they eat but do not allow it to become too large and burdensome.

For more top gardening tips visits Jacks Garden Store now.

Good Luck

Gardener Jack!

Garden fencing not only allows you to define you land from your neighbours it also can help you to hide any unsightly areas that you may view from your home or garden such as the street outside.

Fencing panels can become a wonderful feature in your garden. A simple high border edging can really help to add the wow factor to the boundaries of your backyard.

When buying fencing you will find a number of materials and designs to choose from:

Wooden fence panels look the most attractive and even extremely tall wooden fence panels can still look stunning if made from this material. If you purchase timber fencing you must be aware that it will require some maintenance. Your fence will have to be varnished each year to protect it. You can alternatively buy pre-stained and even vinyl fence panels in white or wooden stains that will require less maintenance.

Lattice garden fence panels
Wooden lattice fence panels offer an attractive focal point to your garden. Not only do they offer a beautiful design but the lattice acts in the same way as garden trellis enabling you to grow climbing plants vertically. Over time you will be able to create a stunning wall of flowers.

Picket fencing
Picket fencing offer little privacy but will look simply charming on your garden borders. This is a low decorative style garden fencing can also be used to separate individual areas in your garden such as vegetable patches and pet enclosures. Traditionally painted white or alternatively stained a natural colour to blend easily into your gardens backdrop.

Gates
Decorative gates in the same style as your garden fencing panels will truly finish off your garden design. Depending on the style of fencing you have chosen the gate will either help to keep intruders out or simply be an attractive focal point in your garden.

Before purchasing any style of garden fence panelling, think carefully about why to want to erect a fence. Are you looking for increased security or simply to add an attractive border to your property.

For a great range of garden fencing visit Jacks Garden Store. At our site you will also find other useful blogs about fencing.

Good Luck

Gardener Jack

With summer thankfully on its way you will no longer be confined to entertaining indoors.  Read my top tips on how to entertain outdoors:

Shelter – Rain can ruin an outdoor party, taking simple precautionary steps means that should the heavens open a down poor will not dampen the spirits of your guests. Depending on your budget and size of garden there are a range of products available to shelter your guests from the weather. Permanent garden gazebos are at the most expensive end of the scale whilst sails and parasols are far cheaper. A gazebo not only offers shelter from the weather but also provides a stunning focal point in your garden; parasols on the other hand are far cheaper and can be moved to different locations in your garden. Garden Sails are far more contemporary and will add a modern twist to your garden whilst still keeping costs down.

Decking Area – If you regularly entertain outdoors building a decking area is a great idea. A deck acts as an outdoor dining room. Not only does it help you to protect your lawn but offers a relaxed sophisticated space in your garden for you and your friends to sit and chill out.

Seating – When planning an outdoor party you must always ensure you have enough seating. At Jacks Garden Store you will find a wide range of furniture sets that can sit anywhere from 2 – 12 people around. For larger parties you may want to rent further seating or ask close friends and family to bring their own where possible. A garden arbour can offer a special secluded seating area for private conversations after dinner. There is a wide range of arbours available at Jacks Garden Store.

Food – A successful dinner party does not require over the top cuisine, just simple quality food that can be shared and enjoyed by all. A BBQ can help you to produce really tasty food at relative ease. Try to plan and prepare as much in advance so you can enjoy the time with your guests and not spend most of the evening hidden in the kitchen.

Cushions and Table Cloths – Brightly coloured cushions and table cloths can brighten up even the oldest of outdoor furniture sets.

Plates and Crockery – Use plastic cups, plates, knives and forks to reduce the chance of breakages. There are some really funky crockery sets not available that will look beautiful on your table outdoors.

Centrepiece – Create a stunning table centre piece simply with a glass bowl filled with water and fresh flower heads floating on the top.

Lighting – Fairy lights and lanterns hung in your trees will add a truly magical feel to your garden.

Music – Is a must to get you in the party mood.

Heat – Patio heaters or fire pits are great heat providers which allow you to stay outdoors for longer.

Visit Jacks Garden Store for more great entertaining ideas and products.

Good luck

Gardener Jack!

Having a decking area in your garden can make it feel larger, look better and create a wonderful social area for you and your family to enjoy. This guide will show you how easy it is to transform your garden by installing a deck area.

There are two options for installing a deck, the first is to do it yourself and the second is to hire a professional team to do the work for you. I am predicting that as you are ready this article you fall into the first category. Well if you are planning to install the decked area yourself (and there is nothing to stop you!) be prepared for quite a lot of hard work. Make sure that you already have some DIY experience and a few free Saturdays!

Choosing the right decking kit

Decking kits can vary greatly in price depending on the size and quality of wood you buy. I would always recommend looking for a kit that has been pre-treated so that you do not need to varnish the deck once you have it installed.

Things to consider before you buy:

• Which area of your garden you want to deck – Is this area overlooked?  Does it get the sun? Is it sheltered from the wind? Can you see yourself happily entertaining in this spot?
• What furniture are you planning to put on your decked area – Will the area be large enough to seat your family and friends? Will your furniture set fit onto the decked area?
• Is the location free of obstacles – Such as trees, plants and large rocks?

Jacks top tip: When considering the location of your decked area spend time in the morning and evening identifying where the sun shines the most in your garden. Sunny areas are ideal locations for a decked area.

Once you have decided on the size and location of your decking area check out Jack’s garden store where you will find a wide range of decking kits available. Each will come with their own assembly instructions to help you on your way. You can choose from simple decking kits that will quietly blend into your garden or opt for creating more of a feature and focal point with a pergola kit or balustrade. Again these options are easy to assemble and will come with their own instructions.

Construction
As mentioned above most decking kits come with their own instructions that contain simple step by step guides on how to erect each decking kit. If you are planning to deck over an area with grass in your garden I would recommend removing the grass and covering the area with a weed barrier to prevent grass and weeds growing up through your decked area.  You will also need to ensure that the area has good drainage so your deck does not become flooded at any point.

Good luck

Gardener Jack!

Now that you have planned your deck and know exactly where things are going and that you have all the right materials for the job, lets look at walking you through the main steps to completing your first DIY Decking Project.

If you have not read my guide on pre-installation preparation .. read this garden decking checklist

Ok .. here we go ..

Allow a few clear days to complete this project. Home DIY projects take longer than you think

Budget
For deck boards, joists, ledgers and noggins allow around £10 per 3.6m (12ft)

Clear the site and markout
Get rid of any remaining vegetation and mark the area out with pegs and some string. Make sure it is square. Try not to let any slope be more severe than 1:120. Thats a 1cm drop for every 120cm along the length

Level and compact the surface
Lay down some black plastic sheeting and cover with some gravel. This will prevent vegetation from growing underneath and up through your decking at a later stage.

Lay your foundations.
You may want to use old paving slabs for the foundation points. If you do not have anything handy, then make up some concrete and make support pads of around 30cm x 30cm and these should ideally be 45cm deep into the ground. Do not space your support points more than 6′ or 1.8m apart

Lay your decking joists
Once the concrete foundations have set, lay your ledger and joists on top of these. Be sure to use a spirit level as you go, making sure the decking is level and sloping off if you so desire. Position your joists at 40cm intervals and fix using 75mm screws. Noggins (the support beams running at right angles between the joists) must be 40cm apart. Ensure your ledger (this will be load bearing) is spaced slightly away from the wall to allow for ventilation and drainage.

Lay your decking boards
Fit at right angles to the joists. This adds strength to the foundation. Make sure the decking boards and joists are not bowing or sagging under your weight. If they are, do not move on until you have stabilised the foundation. It is important you do not start the next section until you are 100% happy with what you have done so far. If you need to fix a wobbly joist or cut down a deck board that is slightly bigger than you want it .. do it now or it will frustrate you for ever more each time you walk across it

Spacing & Fixing
Try and stagger any breaks in the boards as this will look a lot better. Use stainless steel countersunk crews or specially made decking screws (usually 50mm) on each board. Galvanised nails can also be used but I wouldn’t recommend them for longevity. Predrill pilot holes for screws to avoid splitting the wood. Try and keep a 3-5mm gap all the way around. 3mm is about the width of a 50mm long nail. Good idea to use this as a guide.

Treatment & Finishing
Using your chosen wood treatment and finishing style, pay particular attention to areas of decking that have been freshly cut. This is where most wood rot will start and needs to be covered well.

Other Tips
# Make sure your deck is at least 6″ below your DPC (Damp proof Course)
# Slightly slope the deck away from any walls or the house
# Lay your decking in a sunny spot
# Make sure your furniture fits the area you are decking
# If boards need joining .. make sure they meet above a joist
# Use an extra deck board or fascia to cover the end cuts
# If using nails, blunt the ends to avoid splitting the wood

Well thats it .. voila .. your first attempt at diy decking.

I hope this has been useful and you enjoy yourself. Love to see some pictures of what you’ve been upto if you have a chance to send them in to us.

Happy Gardening .. Gardener Jack