At New Leaf Gardens we can offer a full design and landscape service and bespoke garden projects like this one…Beautiful stone walling with a garden seat created in an old cottage garden.  We created a new Yorkshire Stone paved area, a cut above the block paved driveways and not a lot extra in material costs.  Very happy with this one!

I haven’t added to galleries and ideas for a while as we have been very busy over the Spring and Summer. One of the comments we have had from people we have done gardens for is that we should have more photos on our website. So, until the site has a bit of a re-vamp I thought I would stick some here. These are all photos from gardens we have done – perhaps you will see something you like!

Some of these gardens may appear in the “before and after” page soon so forgive me for repeating them here.  I usually like to take a “before” shot so the difference between new and old shows what can be done.

Deck and patio

A "before"

"After" - make the most of space

Raised beds and deck - a good combination

Fort with slide

Just add plants!

Seating area

Pond with bridge edge

Boardwalk over pond

Ponds aren’t for everybody (they don’t go well with young children!) but I do like to get them in as many gardens as possible.

I like them because they add more interest to a garden than anything else I can think of.  They are great for wildlife, look good most of the year and can be used to add superb noise to a garden. Once in, they are the focal point of any garden.

A lot of people think they are hard to look after but I really don’t see why.  A large pond takes a lot less looking after than a similar sized piece of lawn that needs cutting every week for most of the year and they don’t need much weeding either!  A good clear out of plants once a year and make sure the pump isn’t blocked (I clean mine out about once a month) and you are there!

Over the years I have made formal and informal ponds.  I use the best liners and make sure they are deep enough in the middle so that they don’t warm up or cool down too much. (A lot of garden ponds are too shallow and that tends to lead to them looking like warm pea soup in the summer).

If you are thinking about having a pond or perhaps want an old one rejuvenating, give me a call.

Sleeper pond

Structure for circle pond

Circular pond

Pond "bed"

Plants, plants, plants!

Log seating for insects

See previous blog from 22nd April 2012.  These pictures were taken May/June last year approximately 3 months after the garden was planted.  I think its quite amazing how the plants have grown.  All it takes is good soil/compost, lots of water and a bit of sun!

Over the years we have built a few decks.  I thought these were a good selection to show how a deck can be used to really add something to a garden.

A lot of people think of decks as a bit 1990’s and I can see what they mean but I think they still have a place in garden design if used appropriately.

What is appropriate?  Well, if there are different levels to contend with a deck is a heck of lot easier and cheaper than moving a lot of earth.  A deck in conjunction with a pond is always good and decks are good for raising the ground level outside a patio door without compromising the damp proof course on a house.

see blogg on "make the most of your space"

deck with sandpit built in (deck cover for sandpit not in picture)

Wildlife garden - work in progress

Decks on their own at ground level – often at the bottom of the garden are a bit daft and they can be slippery.  A tip I always follow is don’t put them on groove side up.  The grooves act as runners making them more slippery   They also make them harder to keep clean and don’t look as good as smooth decking.

Tim with bee hotel

This is me, holding a bird box and bee “hotel”.  We have a lot of jobs on at the moment but nothing we can do with 6 inches of snow on the ground!

We have just about finished building a wildlife garden at a house in Adel and these little houses for feathered and creepy crawly things are to go there along with some bat boxes, hedgehog house and stag beetle home.

Been putting this  job off for a snowy day but I have to admit Matt is having a lot of fun making them.  We will probably have a few spare if you want to buy any – £5.00 a box or hotel!

My driveway

Driveway

With Matt the builder on board, we are more than happy to look at doing block stone driveways and I thought it would be a good idea to show some pictures of driveways he has done.

The terracotta setts driveway is mine. It’s been down for a couple of years now and there is no indication of anything having been parked on it and, as you can see, I drive a big van which is often carrying a lot of weight. I say this because I am amazed at how often you see driveways that have sunk where cars have parked because the groundwork has been done poorly before the blocks are laid.

While we would welcome the opportunity to provide a quote for a new drive, please don’t ask us to correct one that’s been put down badly in the first place. That really isn’t a fun job!

"After" a new deck with a view

The weather has been so mild this winter (up to now) that we have managed to keep going.  We have been working on the hard landscaping for three large gardens so that they are ready for planting up once the weather improves, probably after Easter.

We also worked on a large decking project that has been finished that I thought may be worth including in a blog.  This garden belongs to young couple who have a new house in Bramley with superb views across the Aire valley.  The builders left their house (and all the others on the street) with a big fence that prevented them falling down a large drop onto the remainder of their land.  This was good on the one hand but unfortunately it meant they couldn’t use 40% of their garden or have the magnificent view.

The plan was to build a small deck in the usable part of the garden and a large deck on the lower level that will become their baby boy’s football pitch/play area.  The plans required planning permission which was granted before the work started.  I think it is fair to say that the garden has been transformed and that the cost of the work has definately been met by the extra value on the value of the property.

"Before" nice view of a fence

"After" new play area

"Before" the inaccessible part of the garden