Urban dwellers and novice gardeners throughout the UK are to be encouraged to grow their garden knowledge and transform their tired, outdoor space as part of Ronseal’s Urban Gardens Week 2011.

The leading woodcare manufacturer has announced Urban Gardens Week 2011 will take place for the third year running between 11th and 18th April 2011.

With many urbanites shunning the green fingered approach to gardening and neglecting their often overlooked outdoors spaces, the week aims to encourage and empower novice gardeners, providing easy-to-follow inspiration and support.

Urban Gardens Week 2011 will again be supported by celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock, who will provide advice and top tips on how to improve your urban space, whether you own a new build with a blank canvas or have simply inherited an overgrown mess!

• Throughout the week a series of template garden designs will be available for easy download and execution, offering a range of simple styles to suit even the most novice of gardeners.

• Ronseal will also be linking with conservation charity, The Woodland Trust, official partners of the week, highlighting the environmental and economic value, of planting just one tree in domestic gardens and showing urbanites how native trees can flourish in even the smallest of spaces.

Novice gardeners - turn your forgotten gardens into green havens with Ronseal!

First time buyers - grow your green fingers to get your dream garden!

For more information about Urban Gardens Week, please visit the website.

Garden on a Roll® offers to bring an attractive garden border within the reach of every household. It is ideal for those with no gardening skills, no plant knowledge and no desire or time for gardening.

It eliminates the need to research suitable plants for your garden and as close to providing an instant garden as possible. After planting, it’s just a matter of watering, feeding and pruning.

Garden on a Roll enables homeowners and new home-builders, schools and business premises, to order ready planned, personally designed borders by the metre:

• The buyer provides brief details of style and type of garden, such as cottage, sunny or shady, dry or damp and type of soil etc, then a qualified plant expert will prepare the border ready for delivery.

• The pack comes complete with a biodegradable paper ground plan and pegs, plants/shrubs, a sachet of MiracleGro, a gardening book and an instructional DVD. All plant pots are numbered corresponding to a position on the plan - it is as easy as gardening by numbers!

• There is a comprehensive range of ten garden styles to suit personal choice, including an evergreen garden, mixed border, Mediterranean, dry border, low maintenance, sensory, cottage, wildlife, colour themed, a shady garden and a soft fruit and vegetable border.

• All can be supplied in borders upward of 60cm x 3m starting at £122.90 (including UK delivery and VAT).

TV gardening presenter and garden designer Antony Henn, inventor of this product said “Having been a garden designer and garden centre owner for over 20 years, I observed customers buying plants, with no understanding of whether they suit their garden situations.

Once at home they forget what the expert told them and often plant too closely and in the wrong positions.

Garden on a Roll eliminates these problems - it couldn’t be simpler, as anyone can plant one of our gardens following our simple step-by-step guide. It’s also a great way to get children involved in gardening at a very early age. The ‘Bees and Butterfly’ border is popular, as it attracts many forms of interesting insects and hoverflies.”

The plants are grown and dispatched by Antony and his team at The Dutch Nurseries at Potters Bar, Hertfordshire and Coggeshall, Essex, where trial borders are now on show.

For further details and to view the stimulating Garden On A Roll range of garden styles, please visit the website.

Tel: (01707) 276620.

An expert garden designer has launched a new service offering gardeners the chance to create their very own award-winning borders.

Philippa Pearson, whose design and planting skills have been scrutinised by and rewarded with medals from Royal Horticultural Society judges over the last five years, is offering a tailor made, affordable border design service that takes into account your specific gardening conditions:

• An online form outlining the needs and requirements for the border is the basis for Philippa to create a unique hand drawn colour border design, using plants suited to the soil, site conditions and the garden owner’s personal design wishes.

• A shopping list is provided, specifying which plants to buy, and how many, plus a useful plant maintenance schedule, to help with caring for the border throughout the seasons is also part of the service.

• The specialist on-line garden store Crocus has teamed up with Philippa, to offer a 10% discount off plants for the new border. The choice of top garden designers, Crocus have grown and supplied plants for Philippa’s own award winning show gardens.

“I think all gardeners face times when they would appreciate some expert advice and knowledge,” explains Philippa.

“We all have parts of our gardens that don’t work well, or need a boost.
In some cases it is a flower border that needs updating, or it’s a tricky area that can be given a new lease of life with some thoughtful planting.

My border design service is a cost-effective way to treat you and your garden to some TLC.

For that reason it also makes a great Christmas, anniversary or birthday present.” Gift vouchers are also available for the service.

• Prices start from £180 for a border of up to 10m².

• Rising to £280 for borders of between 10m² and 20m².

• £400 for a border between 20m² and 30m².

• For border areas over 30m², and for whole garden designs, prices are quoted separately.

The Border Design service is easy to do - Just visit Philippa’s website and go to ‘Border Design By Post’.

For more information about Philippa Pearson, please visit her website.

To contact Philippa Pearson Tel: 01767 651253, or 07709 947284.

Get more from your patio or windowsill with the Windowgrow planter, which keeps chillies, salad, herbs and micro greens perfectly watered for up to 2 weeks.
The Windowgrow ensures a constant supply of water without sitting plants in water, so plants grow stronger, healthier and faster.

It’s difficult to keep plants in pots in tip-top condition, especially on a windowsill or patio, but this low maintenance planter keeps plants in the best of health thanks to the Windowgrow’s SmartMats, which link the compost to a reservoir, delivering water when and where plants need it without standing them in water.

The removable lid, which keeps compost warm, means it’s a propagator and planter in one, so you can sow seeds directly into the Windowgrow and get them off to the best possible start.

Simply add compost and seeds and keep the reservoir topped up when the water level indicator drops down.

The Windowgrow comes with beautiful packaging; perfect gift for foodies.

Windowgrow is pecifically designed for small spaces including windowsills; drip-proof design, ideal for use indoors or outdoors.
L75cm x W19cm x H13cm.
Reservoir: 6litres. Priced at £26.90.

3 steps to growing a bumper harvest in a Windowgrow:

1. Add compost and seeds or plants.
2. Keep reservoir topped up, the water level is visible so it’s easy to see when to add more.
3. Relax whilst the SmartMats link the reservoir with the compost, providing water to the plants when they need it.
Harvest and enjoy.

Features:

• Holiday proof – the reservoir holds sufficient water to keep plants nourished for up to two weeks.
• Grow anywhere – drip-proof so can be used indoors as well as outdoors.
• Crop guarantee – in the very unlikely event of you not raising a healthy crop, we provide free plant food and seeds and one-to-one advice to get you back on track
• Transfer plants or sow seeds at any time.
• Free Gardening Angel Support -whether you’re and experienced grower or an enthusiastic novice, our gardening angels are on hand to answer any growing questions you may have.

Available online from greenhouse sensation including free delivery.

About Greenhouse Sensation
Greenhouse Sensation provides products that make it easier for anyone to grow stronger, healthier plants.

Their products are designed and manufactured in the UK and tested by a team of horticulturalists at their research and development site in Lancashire.

For more information about the Greenhouse Sensation range of windowgrow planters, please visit the website.
Tel: (0845) 602 3774

Interflora has designed a stunning Collection for Mother’s Day 2010 with an emphasis not only on style and elegance, but also on affordability.

Out of a Collection of over 20 new products, over 60% are priced at below £33.00:

Mother’s Day 2010 Azalea Basket.  Interflora’s team of award winning florists has worked hard to produce a Collection that has wide appeal for both the sender and the Mum. £19.99.

Mother’s Day 2010 Hat Box. Kenyan Roses & Pink Germinis. £32.99.

The Mother’s Day Perfect Gift in our picture really is the complete package.
A fantastic selection of seasonal flowers, presented in a beautiful curved glass vase, and finished with a pink sisal collar and decorative ‘Mother’s day’ bow trim.

This vase arrangement features short-stemmed roses, freesias, germinis, and spray chrysanthemums with salal and pittosporum. £29.99.

And if you’re looking for something other than flowers this year, Interflora has a selection of gifts that would thrill any Mum:

A specially boxed selection of mouth-watering cupcakes each with an iced ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ message. £24.99.

Personalised Mother’s Day chocolates £19.99; the Mother’s Day Treat Tower (gorgeous!) at £29.99; or the Biscuiteers Shoe Box (designer biscuits!) at £24.99.

The Interflora Mother’s Day 2010 Collection will be available to order from Wednesday 17th February, right up until the afternoon of Saturday 13th March for delivery on Mother’s Day, Sunday 14th.

To complement the Collection, Interflora can create individually designed floral gifts with its Designed to Order service. Simply advise on the style, colour and how much you would like to spend.

Prices start at just £19.99 plus delivery.

To place an order visit Interflora.co.uk or call 0800 434343.

Homebase has launched a new value range - a collection of budget DIY essentials to help keep the costs down.

This collection of over 300 everyday essentials, including 150 for under £5, offers exceptional prices on the products.

From decorating and DIY, to home furnishings and finishing touches, the Value Range has everything you need for a home makeover:

“For the DIY enthusiast” Affordable hand tools including a 3m tape measure (99p), a 16oz hammer (£3.99), 6in junior hacksaw (£1.99) and a slotted screwdriver (99p).

“For keen decorators” Choose from a range of decorating essentials, including plain white wall tiles (£4.49 for a pack of 44), white matt paint (£5.99 for five litres) and lining paper (£2.24, to cover 5.6sq/m).

There is a choice of accessories including, a 500-watt floodlight (£4.99) basic roller kit (£2.49), step stool (£11.99) and paintbrushes from 49p

Other finishing touches for the home include beech laminate flooring (£10.61 for 2.66sq/m), polished brass internal door pack (£8.99) and a silver spotlight – pictured here. (£6.99).

“The new homeowner” Decorate in style for less with home essentials including a paper light shade (£2.49), beech bookcase (£12.99), toilet seat (£8.99) and a coir doormat (£3.99). You can even pick up a double duvet for £7.99 for the first night in your new bed.

“The kitchen connoisseur” With a great range of cookshop products on offer, there’s no excuse to keep out of the kitchen. Pick up a a 16-piece cutlery set (£2.99 and a 12-piece white porcelain dinner set (£5.99).

“The gardening guru” Get into your garden this summer with a range of gardening products including seeds (from 39p), terracotta pots (from 49p) and plants (from 99p).

Homebase is the UK’s second largest home improvement retailer and is recognised for choice, style and customer service.

Visit the Homebase website to view the whole Value range.

The new ‘Grow’ range of vegetable growing kits from Greenhouse Sensation, promises to help gardeners develop greener fingers, produce bigger harvests and enjoy stress-free holidays.

These clever vegetable plots and pots automatically feed and water plants to prevent over and under-watering, the chief causes of many common gardening problems.

Simply top-up the growing kit’s integral reservoir and plants are automatically provided with the water they need, when it’s needed.

Plants automatically get the perfect balance of water, nutrients and lots of oxygen, so the gardener gets bumper harvests.

Gardeners can see how much water has been taken from the reservoir, and quickly learn about the amount of water plants need, according to soil dampness, plant size, light levels and weather conditions.

The Grow kits even improve harvest sizes, as the automated watering is more responsive to a plant’s needs than manual watering.

Experienced gardeners will also be relieved to learn that the Grow kits keep plants perfectly watered over extended periods – like summer holidays - no more having to rely on friends and neighbours.

The range of four styles of veg plots and pots, can be used in any indoor or outdoor sunny spot to grow almost anything; they are watered by a SmartMat mechanism, and the Solargrow is watered by a solar panel powered pump.

About Grow Products – no power supply required, all can be used indoors or outdoors:

• Windowgrow– self-watering windowsill plot with seed raising lid. Price: £26.99.
• Size: L70cm x W15cm x H15cm.

• Vitogrow – Self-watering veg plot with optional mini greenhouse. (In our Picture) Price: £34.90 to £109.90.
• Size: Square 55cm x 55cm or Long 105cm x 55cm

• Quadgrow – 4x self-watering pots for tall plants such as tomatoes, chillies and beans. Price: £52.95.
• Size: 55cm x 55cm.

• Solargrow – solar-powered large planter with solar panel and solar-powered pump to water plants 2 x every hour. Price: £64.90.
• Size: Planter 55cm x 44cm. Solar panel: 23cm x 23cm.

Every customer has access to the Gardening Angel advice service offered by the company, to call or email their experienced team of horticulturalists.

Greenhouse Sensation products are available direct from the Greenhouse Sensation website, and from a range of stockists.

Tel: (0845) 602 3774

Delicious, fresh vegetables from your own garden on your dinner table every day – what a luxury!

It needn’t be a worry if you think your garden is too small, or if you only have a few hours to spare.

Complete kits for instant edible gardens have arrived!:

Small Vegetable Garden Plant Pack - The plant pack contains all the plants and seeds you’ll need for ONE GROWING YEAR. It doesn’t matter when you buy the pack, as you will receive deliveries through the post for a whole 12 months.

• The young plants are only sent out when they are ready for planting, so there’s no need to ‘harden’ them off or pot them up.

• With each plant pack you will be sent a Planting Plan.

• How many plants you’ll need to fill your beds, has been carefully worked out; how far apart each plant should be and depending on the weather, the best time to plant. It’s a bit like ‘planting by numbers’.

• Great for one to two people - It will fill two raised beds 1.2m x 2.4m, or a plot 4m x 4.5m. Price: £92.50 Including delivery.

The Mini Kitchen Garden Plant Pack – New from The Travelling Souk.

• Its small size means that it will fit into all gardens, raised beds or pots.

• There is something very satisfying about growing your own and with the instant edible garden kits you are helped every step of the way.

• Ready-to-plant organic young plants are delivered to you by post and a planting by numbers plan means that you get it right – an excellent way of engaging your children too.

• The mini-kitchen-garden pack is packed with veggies, salad, herbs and strawberries – just dig in!

• The kit contains 40 young organic plants and retails at £45.

Also available from The Travelling Souk are Raised Beds and Mini Green Houses.

Visit the Travelling Souk website to view more gardening delights.

Following in the footsteps of the Obamas, the Queen and the Prime Minister, planting a kitchen garden is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to start the New Year.

More and more people are including fruit and vegetables in their gardens as they experience the superior taste and health benefits of home-grown food.

However, growing vegetables has traditionally needed more experience than picking out plants from a garden centre; many crops need to be grown from seed, spaced correctly and ‘rotated’ in groups, to prevent the build-up of pests or loss of soil nutrients.

The brilliant GrowVeg.com simplifies the planning of a vegetable garden or allotment, by making it easy to work out what to plant, where to plant it and when to do so.

The website enables the gardener to build a personalised interactive plan of their garden using the unique online Garden Planner software:

• Gardeners simply sketch out their growing space and then add vegetables to it by clicking and dropping them onto the area.

• An intuitive colour-coded circle around each plant, shows how much space it requires and which crops to keep together.

• Plants can easily be rearranged by dragging them into another location until the perfect layout is achieved.

• Once the vegetable patch is planned GrowVeg.com will send email reminders twice a month listing which vegetables need sowing or planting out. (Only if opted in for contact).

• A complete list of plants and their spacing can quickly be printed out, giving a useful summary of what to buy, when to plant and when to harvest.

• Plenty of information on the likes and dislikes of each vegetable is built in, including which plants to sow together and how much water, feeding and maintenance they require.

In addition to the interactive Garden Planning software, the site has a number of expert GrowGuide articles, on everything from keeping your plants pest-free to gardening with children.

GrowVeg.com is also offering a free 30-day trial of the Garden Planning software, including all the features of the site; new features are continually being added, such as the ability to add garden notes and vegetable varieties.

To view the smart Garden Planning software and arrange your free trial, visit

the GrowVeg website.

Why not turn that dull roof into something spectacular with a low maintenance green roof that offers some worthwhile environmental benefits?

Sedum Supply specialises in growing and supplying a marvellous range of sedum products, for use on green roofs and in garden landscaping projects and has also developed ready grown environmentally friendly wildflower roofs.

Green Roofs are becoming more and more popular in both rural and urban locations and they can be installed on flat roofs as well as roofs with a slope of up to 45 degrees.

There are different ways of achieving a living green roof:-

An Extensive Green Roof is particularly low maintenance, generally planted with sedum and is designed to look after itself for most the year.

A Wild Flower Green Roof is an extensive Green Roof planted with a wild flower mix, to provide colour throughout the summer months and a very natural habitat for local wildlife.

An Intensive Green Roof provides an accessible roof garden that can be used for recreational and leisure purposes and will require ongoing maintenance throughout the year.

Green roofs are also becoming popular because:

Alleviate Flooding
Following a heavy rainfall a green roof will initially retain more rain than a conventional roof. This minimises the initial heavy run-off, which can cause localised flooding and put pressure on the sewage system.

Noise Reduction
The soft layer of a sedum blanket growing on a green roof has the affect of absorbing sound, as opposed to hard conventional roofs, which can reflect it; the same layer can reduce sound pollution within the building.

Increases Thermal Insulation properties
Making it warmer in winter, cooler in summer and reducing energy costs.

Green roofs can be used to soften ugly flat roofs on extensions, garages, sheds etc. so that they blend more easily into their environment.

Visit the Sedum Supply website for more in depth information.

Tel: (0845) 688 8793