Bloor Homeowner Craig Forrest-Thomas, owner of @bloomsandbricks on Instagram, is a dab hand when it comes to his garden, he’s kindly shared his passion and tips with us here:
“As a creative person who loves interiors and gardening the idea of being able to start from scratch on a new build home and garden was thrilling. When we viewed our plot, I knew I didn’t want a traditional garden with borders down the sides in a rectangle shape. It’s not a big garden and I wanted to create a journey through the garden and make use of the space.
My landscapers helped build the hard landscaping such as the sleeper borders, and sleeper steps. We levelled the bottom of the garden to create a mini oasis with better drainage and a solid base for the shed to sit on. Our shed was hand build to order by a local craftsman and fits perfectly in the space.
When it came to planting I followed the advice of gardening guru Monty Don. Plant what you love. That way you’ll enjoy everything about your garden and it would become a hardship.
I love cut flowers, flowering shrubs and foliage. Before you do anything, get your soil right as this is your basis for any planting, add manure or compost to soil and give it a good mix to help nourish new plants.
My top tip is get some evergreen shrubs and trees in the garden to soften edges and give you interest all year. I’ve got Heuchera, Choisya, Hardy Palms and Bamboo.
Then you can add your seasonal interest. My garden has a bit of a country cottage feel.
I love Dahlias for their variety and the colour they add in peak summer. I’m also a bit obsessed with buying pots which can also be used to soften edges and they can be moved anywhere in the garden to give you a different look if you get bored. This year I’ve already sown Sweet Peas which I want climbing over the garden arch. I’ve also sown Sunflowers and plan on doing Pumpkins this later in the year!
Last year was our first year in the house having moved in late 2019.
I never imagined how much the garden would have meant to me during lockdown and I was so thankful to have a project to focus on.
Gardening really is a therapy and seeing things you’ve sown and then planted grow and thrive is so rewarding.
So now that spring has officially sprung. Happy gardening!”
You can start the search for your own Bloor home and garden!