TimberWindows.com is pleased to announce the launch of The English Glasshouse.

The company, which produces bespoke timber orangeries and conservatories, as well as roof lanterns and pool houses, is already setting new standards for the industry.

With each building constructed individually to suit not only the style of house, but also to take into account the preferences and style of the Owner - the fact that there is nothing mass-produced is obvious.

The honest charm and character that shines through is unmistakable.
Whether you’re looking for something contemporary or traditional and whatever size your home, The English Glasshouse can create a garden room for you that will not only add value to your property, but will also change the way you live at home.

Giles Henman, Conservatory Director of TimberWindows.com, says: “Our mission, with The English Glasshouse, has been to bring 21st century standards of insulation and security, while not compromising on design and ensuring each English Glasshouse requires little maintenance and is built to last.

“We have taken the very best American, Scandinavian and European technology and married it with peerless British design, to create glass buildings that are both beautiful and a joy to live with.”

Conservatories and orangeries by The English Glasshouse are the only ones in the UK to be manufactured exclusively from engineered hardwood (multi-layered timber sections laid out at opposing grains) and oak, ensuring many problems usually associated with wood, such as warping and twisting, have been eliminated.

The English Glasshouse offers a unique guarantee of up to 30 years and prides itself on building strong relationships and offering the very best customer service.

To view the stunning range of bespoke glasshouses and orangeries, please visit the English Glasshouse website.

Tel: (0845) 652 7365.

The passing of the summer solstice sees a new range of outdoor and indoor lanterns and hurricane lamps – of all shapes, sizes and finishes – at the specialist home accessories online boutique Nordic House.

The traditional teak lanterns, with a contemporary look and a stainless steel top, are part of the Danish Designer Collection at Nordic House, while there are more than 30 hurricane lamps and lanterns to choose from within the Lanterns and Hurricanes range.

Materials and finishes include stainless steel, glass, whitewashed, distressed paint, wood, rattan, metal, rusty, ceramic, retro, classical and contemporary style.

• In our picture is the Retro Candle Lantern:
  These are a limited edition! - A.gorgeous retro style metal, pale taupe lantern with a chalky, painted finish.
  Sizes:
  Medium: H20×14x14cm.
  Large: H32×21x21cm.
• Recommended Candles:
  Large lantern: 8×12cm pillar candles - Medium lantern: Large tealights or the 6×12cm pillar candle.
  Priced at: £24.50 – Medium. £34.00 – Large.

Nordic House collections reflect the best of Scandinavian design and are strongly focused on natural elements and textures.

Collections are limited and constantly evolving as each season progresses.
Boxed gift vouchers are also available for those special gifts or treats.

Visit the Nordic House website to view the stunning new ranges of lanterns and hurricane lamps.

Tel:   (0844) 209 2027

Did you know that 66% of all candle sales happen in the 2nd half of the year?

This is because the autumn is naturally when we want to make our homes cosy and warm after a summer of outdoor activities and entertaining.

This is best achieved by lighting a Yankee Candle®, famous for their long lasting and true to life fragrances.

The NEW autumn fragrance collection contains natural extracts and delivers the sweet richness and spicy warmth of the season and will make any home feel comfortable and inviting:

• Creamy Caramels aroma of melt-in-your-mouth, sugar and gooey lusciousness will instantly appeal to those with penchant for buttery rich vanilla caramel!
• For those looking to escape reality will adore the fantasy fragrance of Mountain Lodge™. A luxurious retreat in front of a cosy hearth, with the warm aroma of cedarwood and sage will instantly lift spirits dampened by dark evenings.
• A classic autumnal treat comes in the form of Apple Cider. The welcoming hot-cider scent spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg is perfect for fragrancing homes this autumn.
• Sandalwood Vanilla offers pure indulgence and will elevate any bad mood bought on by summertime blues. Luxurious warmth of fine aromatic sandalwood and rich comforting vanilla will fill homes with a lasting fragrance that can only come from Yankee Candle®.
• To add a touch of colour to any room this autumn, look no further than Spiced Orange. This bright and cheery blend of sunny citrus and snappy ginger is the perfect winter warmer.

For further information on the Yankee Candle® collections visit their website shop.

The kid’s summer holidays are just about to start, which presents the dilemma to parents up and down the land - how do you keep them occupied for six whole weeks?

Well before you start tearing your hair out, the Dotcomgiftshop can help you.

TheDotcomgiftshop online is choc-full of fun pursuits, to keep them captivated over the holidays - whether it’s playing with their selection of toys and games; getting creative with arts and crafts; or making new discoveries in the garden and kitchen.

So no matter whether you and your family find yourselves on a tropical beach, caravanning in the Dales, or simply in your own back-yard - Dotcomgiftshop can supply all you’ll need to keep them happy, learning and above all - having fun!

Featured here are a few of the childrens cookery games and accessories:

Children’s Minature Tea Set, 11 Pieces; £12.95.

20 Assorted Plastic Cookie Cutters; £4.95.

Children’s Baking Set Spaceboy Design; £12.95.

Skull Design TV Dinner Tray; £12.95.

Large Popcorn Holder; £3.95.

The Dotcomgiftshop online, offers a wide range of gifts, exclusively designed or sourced by their in-house team.

They are a little bit quirky, some are quite kitsch but surprisingly stylish; you’ll find vintage style kitchenware alongside glamorous baroque chandeliers.

This easy to navigate website is divided into sections:

• Interiors - Kitchen, garden, bathroom etc.
  Gifts for Her, Him and the Kids.
  Toys and jewellery, plus seasonal items.

Their appeal lies in the huge range of products on offer, all at remarkably affordable prices, plus their pledge to customer service and speedy delivery.

To view the wide range of gifts on offer visit the The Dotcomgiftshop online.

Trees Direct specialise in sending trees as gifts and offer an attractive choice providing a beautiful, balanced and useful collection.

All are chosen for their colour, blossom, shape and size, to suit all types of garden and patios and are also helpful to wildlife and the environment.

The idea for Trees Direct was started around the family dining table in 1999, when they decided they could create a business and also help the environment.

Starting out in Christmas 1999 with only their knowledge of horticulture and a love of trees they succeeded and 10 years later the business is thriving.

All of the plants are potted and dressed in hessian sacks, with ribbons, a hand written gift card and planting instructions.

Why send trees as gifts?….There are many reasons why you might choose to send trees rather than conventional gifts:

• Trees are alive, not made of ‘dead’ resources – they regenerate life instead of being the end product of industrial processing.
• Trees can be a long lasting remembrance of an event, person or occasion – instead of being used up, worn out, lost, or sitting gathering dust.
• Trees and plants benefit ecology and wildlife, air and water cycles, landscape and ‘spirit’.
• Green and growing things provide us with a means to connect to nature - especially important for people living in cities.
• Planting native trees helps maintain the natural heritage of the land.
• Sending living rather than material things helps to reduce landfill waste.

Trees Direct also provide a popular Tree Search service for customers, to find a particular tree not listed on the website.

Visit the Trees Direct website to view their wide-ranging collection of trees as gifts.

Tel: (01588) 680 280

Summer is upon us, which means gardeners are struggling to strike the fine balance between under-watering and over-watering and wondering who they should get to provide holiday watering cover.

Help is at hand as a company has set up a helpline to provide free watering advice and developed a range of innovative holiday-proof watering products.

Lancashire-based gardening products retailer and manufacturer, Greenhouse Sensation has set up a free ‘Gardening Angel’ phone and email advice service, to answer watering related questions.
According to Gardening Angels, most people know that it is important to ensure plants are not under-watered, because they need water in order to transport nutrients to all parts of a plant, but most people don’t realise that it is just as damaging to over-water.

Over-watering forces air out of the root area. It is the most common cause of plant fungal infections, proliferation of pests, root rot, yellow leaves and ultimately, plant death.

The most common result of erratic watering is blossom end rot; the tell tale sign is tomatoes, peppers and aubergines with brown/black bottoms. Finding the correct middle path for specific plants in a specific garden or greenhouse is a difficult task.

For those who want a bit more certainty about their plants, the Quadgrow from Greenhouse Sensation is a set of 4 pots that keeps plants perfectly watered for two weeks at a time, banishing overwatering, underwatering and holiday plant care rotas - forever.

Plants can be taken out of their standard pots and growbags and put into a Quadgrow.

SmartMats link the Quadgrow’s massive 34litre reserve of water with the compost in the pots, delivering water to the compost when it’s needed.

The automated watering is more responsive to a plant’s needs than manual watering; it’s like standing over their plant all day adding teaspoons of water; the plants receive exactly what they need, when they need it, so that they grow stronger and healthier, producing bigger harvests.
Quadgrow.
Size: L55cm x W55cm.
Price: £52.90.
For further information on Quadgrow planters and stockists visit the Greenhouse Sensation website.

Apropos’ latest lead figures have shown an increase in the number of enquiries for a conservatory kitchen.

Customers are looking to brighten up their kitchen areas, by moving them into an aluminium and glass conservatory.

They can also have the option to add folding sliding doors, which will enable them to open out the kitchen and let in the fresh air.

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), adding a new kitchen to your property can be more appealing to buyers and can add as much as 4% to its value; adding a conservatory to a property can be very simple and cost effective.

Apropos structures are designed especially for the clients to suit their needs and can be designed to fit any space for any size kitchen. Apropos’ aluminium and glass structures come with a large choice of different colour frames to suit any house from the ultra modern town house to a traditional farm house.

Peter Holland, Regional Sales Manager at Apropos comments “We have seen a significant increase in the number of kitchen conservatories that we are designing for our clients. More people these days are looking to make their homes brighter and more airy, so are looking to us to help them achieve their dream home.”

Apropos glass and aluminium structures start from £12,000.

For further information or to order a brochure visit the Apropos website.

Tel: (0800) 328 0033.

Haddonstone, the leading UK manufacturer of fine cast stone garden and landscape ornaments, is opening its acclaimed show gardens as part of the National Garden Scheme’s Yellow Book for the first time ever.

The show gardens, located in the picturesque village of East Haddon, near Northampton, will be open on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th September, giving visitors a rare opportunity to view the gardens at a weekend; they are usually only open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm (except Christmas and Bank Holidays).

Visitors to the show gardens will be able to see Haddonstone’s impressive collection of planters, fountains, statuary, bird baths, sundials and follies ~ all in a fabulous setting.

Featured here is the Hadrian Vase. This elegant vase combines a half-gadrooned bowl with egg-and-dart rim, two scroll and foliate carved handles, a circular socle and square base. Priced at £566. It is also available without handles at £440.

Width at top: 97cm.
Width at base: 35cm.
Height: 84cm.

Haddonstone’s two-acre show gardens have developed as the company has expanded. The Jubilee garden was opened in 1998 and includes a pavilion, temple and gothic grotto.
An Orangery was constructed in 2002 and is a prominent feature on the main lawn.
A contemporary garden – showcasing the new Robert A.M. Stern Collection of planters – is currently being constructed.

The stunning show gardens attract visitors from around the world and have been featured on television programmes including BBC Gardeners’ World and BBC Wild About Your Garden.

For more information, or to request a copy of their inspirational 208 page catalogue,visit the Haddonstone website.

Tel:  (01604) 770711

Fairwind’s brand new range of stainless steel picnicware is ideal for entertaining outdoors.

This hand-painted range of cups, bowls, jugs, trays and tiffins, are ideal for summer picnics or stylish camping and caravanning; the products can also be used indoors and look stunning on display in the kitchen:

• The range has been inspired by the colours of India and is in keeping with an Indian tradition of decorating and adding colour to everyday objects.

• Each piece has been hand-painted with a bird design by artisans in Kashmir. They work in their own homes and these gorgeous home accessories are helping to keep local skills alive, while generating a sustainable income for some of the poorest people in India.
• The collection includes, cups (£6), bowls (£6), trays (£23), jugs (£27) and tiffins (£65).

• The vibrant colour options include, red, navy, green, light blue and cream & black, cream & red, cream & green and cream & blue.

Fairwind
This innovative company is owned and run by Teresa Owen and Martin Abel who are passionate about fair trade and providing affordable, quality fair trade gifts and accessories from around the world.

In 2007, Fairwind was shortlisted for an Observer Ethical Award and is a member of the British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS).

Fairwind sells gifts, home products, jewellery, children’s toys & clothing, bags, cushions, candles and garden accessories.

To see their full range, or for further information, visit the Fairwind website.

Tel:   (020) 8374 6254

As UK homeowners get a taste of the summer sunshine, their thoughts turn to shade!

There’s never been a better time to invest in a stylish Apollo awning, to provide shade to outdoor living spaces and keep adjacent rooms cool.

And one fabric is tipped to be a major seller in homes across the UK this year – Apollo’s green multi-stripe fabric. As pictured here.

Made-to-measure awnings are one of the most effective ways to provide flexible shade and shelter.

A range of optional extras such as integral heaters and lights can extend the use of an awning, allowing you to sit outside longer into the night and in colder months.

And, for those who like gadgets, the awnings are available with sun sensors, which extend the canopy automatically depending on the strength of the daylight.

For a limited period, Apollo’s 4 x 3 metre motorised Tortola awning in green multi-stripe fabric, is available at £1,999; it includes a remote control handset and vibration sensor (which automatically retracts the awning in windy conditions).

Apollo awnings are available in a range of 240 fabrics, adding style and comfort to the outside of any home.
There are also four types of frames, which can be motorised or manually operated, and a range of optional extras.

Key benefits:

• Fabric is UV rated 801, and colour, light and weather fast – so won’t fade.

• Suit all house types, from traditional and period to modern and minimalist.

• Awnings fold neatly away when not in use.

• Choice of options & year round comfort pack available including, remote controlled Somfy motor option; Lights; Sun sensor; Wind setting.

All Apollo awnings and canopies are professionally surveyed and installed by their team to guarantee they fit beautifully.

For more information and stockist details visit the Apollo Blinds website.

Tel: (01924) 413048.