This is the second in a series of blogs looking at using plants for creating different effects, and considers Mediterranean… Read more.

... or so the ALDA team thought as we tackled the job of uplifting concrete paving and pathways during some… Read more.

When designing gardens, I always have a picture in my mind of what the final garden will look like more… Read more.

As usual my visit to Chelsea this year didn’t disappoint – around every corner there were creative gems to inspire… Read more.

For me, one of the most interesting aspects of planting design is how plants can be used to build and… Read more.

This month in a garden in Lower Earley, we built a bespoke timber storage area as part of a wider… Read more.

May has to be my favourite month of the year. Everything in the countryside has that lovely lush fresh green… Read more.

It is easy to underestimate the impact a new patio can have on your garden. It can instantly update and… Read more.

As a garden designer, I have very mixed emotions when it comes to Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’. Am I… Read more.

At our recent landscaping project in a garden in Caversham, the landscaping team at ALDA constructed two bespoke builds –… Read more.

Modern new build houses seem to be allocated ever smaller gardens; we find that even large dwellings nowadays are often… Read more.

One of the joys of my work is seeing a garden being transformed – from the design, through the landscaping,… Read more.

This week the landscaping team at ALDA have been busy constructing a curved brick seat in a garden in Barkham.… Read more.

It may be seasonal, but I have to say that Ivy (Hedera) is not my favourite plant. It can be… Read more.

Busy days leading up to Christmas for the ALDA Landscape team... A question I am often asked at this time… Read more.

When designing a planting scheme for clients, garden designers (me included) always look to provide structure and plant interest all… Read more.

A trellis screen can come in very handy.  It can effectively minimise the impact of a nearby eyesore and so… Read more.

Most gardens that I visit have a few borders which are really narrow and this can often pose a planting… Read more.

When it comes to the hard landscaping of any of our garden designs, sustainable drainage systems are crucial to the… Read more.

Little plants with long names! Anyone who has ever asked me to design a planting scheme for them will know… Read more.

Garden designers often like to tilt the orientation of a garden so that, for example, lawns and paths run at… Read more.

One of our recent clients has just sent us these photos... ... and also these kind words: "I would like… Read more.

Well, I’m about to pack my bags and depart to deepest Italy to recharge my batteries, but I will have… Read more.

Problem: what to do about a crumbling flint wall in a cottage garden Solution: replace it with a new dry… Read more.

Another of my favourite plants, this yellow leaved form of the smoke bush is perhaps less well known than its… Read more.

Yorkstone is a naturally occurring sedimentary Carboniferous sandstone of extremely good quality.  It is sourced from the quarries of Northern… Read more.

Porcelain paving is a relatively new and exciting product to arrive on the paving market and is proving popular due… Read more.

Client Brief: create a new level lawn for their children to play on. Problem: how to create a workable garden on… Read more.