insideKENT Magazine Issue 32 - November 2014 | Page 122
OUTDOORLIVING
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
Jacksons
Fencing
NEWS,
TOPICAL TREATS
AND MORE...
RAISED BEDS GIVE YOU
SO MUCH MORE...
The Float Garden by David Magner with split level deck and raised bed adds interest to
the garden by adding a variety of shapes and heights.
Autumn is well and truly here and
those mellow, golden days of late
September and October, that fool
us into thinking the end of the
summer isn't quite as bad as
feared, are dwindling. Being such
a summer lover can make me a bit
gloomy, as the nights draw in and
the clocks go back.
We've been here before of
course, I know I'm not alone in
turning to "activities" as the antidote
to the onset of winter blues. It
follows quite naturally that as foliage
dies down and leaves fall, having
a bit of an autumn tidy up strikes
you as the sensible thing to do,
especially when you realise the
temperature is about 10 degrees
lower than you've been used to
and it is more conducive to bursts
of activities like scrubbing, jetwashing, raking up leaves etc, than
relaxing on the lounger, with your
Kindle.
Hopefully there is room
amongst this cleaning frenzy to
actually do a bit of constructive
stuff. Take stock, as the garden's
shape and size is revealed, by
clearing up the clutter and pruning
the old growth. How about getting
a project underway like creating
some raised beds? These are
becoming increasingly popular, with
media exposure extolling the virtues
Win a pair of raised bed kits
Enter the free prize draw and be in with a chance to win a pair of
Jacksons raised bed kits. Simply log on to your local page, address
below and follow the easy instructions on how to enter.
The draw closes 31.01.15. To enter go to:
www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk/ashfordlocal
of raising the level of your gar
dening,
as seen in many gardening DIY and
makeover programmes.
It certainly helps to make
weeding and harvesting that much
easier if you raise the height of the
plants you are growing, especially
if you have back problems or other
physical conditions that limit
bending. However there's a lot
more to them than convenience.
Raised beds are being used as an
integral part of garden design
schemes, where they contain veg
or flowers and shrubs creating
separate growing areas. As shown
in the photo at the top of the page,
one of our raised bed kits has been
incorporated, in the split-level
decking next to the Zone shelter.
The designer planned this, not just
for aesthetic reasons, but to cater
for the ericaceous (lime hating)
plants he wanted to use in this part
of the garden, like the beautiful red
Maple (Acer), with the ferns.
So raised beds can give you the
chance to keep soil types separate.
They can also add interesting shape
and structure.
The other photo bottom left
is an impressive example, sent to
me by David Padgham for the
customer projects section on the
website. Rather than using our
raised beds kits he has used
ungrooved Jakwall timbers in a very
clever way, making beds for water
features, some are Alpine beds and
a nifty bench seat is included too.
Here's a test for you, look at
the picture, then imagine it without
the raised beds. It would just be a
flower bed, some paving and the
fence – pretty boring really! I think
I know which I prefer. To find out
more go to your local page,
www.jacksonsfencing.co.uk/ashfordlocal or call
0800 408 4754 to talk to your local
Jacksons Fencing Centre.
[email protected]
Thanks to David Padgham for this lovely project with raised beds, you can see more on
the customer projects pages on the website
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