By Mark Nathanson “The tree we want to plant today, for tomorrow, should have been planted yesterday.” In the winter planting season of 2021/2022, Nicholsons Forestry department and its contractors planted approximately 382,000 bare root trees across 88 sites. This how-to guide offers some of the best practice employed by Nicholson’s Forestry Operatives. When to Read more »
By Libby Reeves Here in Oxfordshire, we are surrounded by areas of historic limestone. The Cotswolds are on oolitic limestone; the Chilterns and North Wessex Downs (including White Horse Hill) are on chalk. This has wide implications for the native flora that grows in these areas and, ultimately, the plants in our gardens. Limestone Read more »
Whether you have a windowsill, courtyard garden, vegetable plot or regularly glean a glut of produce from an established kitchen garden of your own, National Allotment Week is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of homegrown produce. Kitchen Gardens have become increasingly popular over recent years and on reflection, there are a Read more »
Our lovely team celebrate entry into the Michelin Guide for Great Britain & Ireland. The Yurt at Nicholsons are delighted to announce that we have been selected for the Michelin Guide for Great Britain & Ireland. A huge amount of effort goes into providing delicious food and innovative menus, whilst operating as sustainably as possible. Read more »
By Nadia Cheddi (Lighting Designer) In recent years, garden lighting has become a very popular trend. Whether it is uplighting huge feature trees to give structure and height, or downlighting the façade of house, more and more people are wanting to venture into the world of garden lighting. However, we need to make sure Read more »
By Wil Heeney Often when people talk about wildlife gardening, they conjure up images of gardens left to grow into backyard jungles. However, improving our back gardens for wildlife doesn’t have to mean carrying out your own re-wildling experiment. Even the slightest changes in the smallest spaces can promote native biodiversity. Below are two Read more »
By Ruby Simpson June is here! And because we have all been busy celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, I thought why not go for a red(ish), white and blue(ish) theme? I have included some Roses in the mix, as June is the month of the Rose. Not only that, but it’s the 60th Anniversary Read more »
By Steve Malsher I consider myself extremely lucky in the work that I do. Working in not only beautiful gardens, but in a beautiful part of the world, The North Cotswolds, Oxford and South Northamptonshire. Simply driving from once place to another can open up vistas that could grace the cover of any landscape Read more »
By Liz Nicholson The nettle we’re used to in the UK is Urtica dioica, a perennial plant full of iron, calcium, magnesium and nitrogen, which makes it incredibly nutritious for humans. I think the term “grows like a weed” refers to nettles which start as innocent little clumps of green in late April and gallop Read more »
By Victoria Sherbourne Synonymous with freshly cut grass, blooming flowers and blossoming trees is the Chelsea Flower Show. This year, we are thrilled to be returning to the Show to build a considered and captivating garden named, “Connected by EXANTE,” for Finnish designer, Taina Suonio. Our passion is to lead on sustainability, not only Read more »
By Katie Stevens Spring is blooming, butterflies are fluttering by, and trees are waking up after their long slumber. So why am I talking about woodland planting in winter already? Last May, the Forestry Commission rolled out their new and improved tree planting scheme: England Woodland Creation Offer, or EWCO for short. Open to Read more »
By Will Beament Increasingly in the contemporary world, Environmentalism is slowly being incorporated into every facet of modernity. Whether this is through policy via the encompassing umbrella of ‘Sustainable Development’, through direct-action following law, or simply through the desire of ‘grass roots’ change. Being in the industry of green infrastructure and designing Landscapes, one Read more »
By Jared Hutchings Have you ever picked up one of those bags of seed with a title like “Wildflower Meadow Mix” and a dreamy image of a grassy swathe, speckled with colour, like something painted by Monet. Did you imagine yourself sprinkling those seeds on a worn-out patch of lawn, and then sitting back Read more »
Our newest member of the Forestry team, Clara, shares her experience of a day spent with our Forestry team. The day in question, falls as part of our large planting job in the grounds of Blenheim. This job was featured on BBC News over the weekend. Read the full article by clicking here... It's Read more »
Nicholsons Lockhart Garratt are to return to RHS Chelsea Flower Show to build the most magical garden “Connected by EXANTE” for Finnish designer Taina Suonio. We could hardly believe our luck when we received the invitation to join forces with Taina at Chelsea in 2022. Our beating heart is to lead on sustainability, not Read more »
By Jarka Valasheek (Assistant Designer & Planting Specialist) Don't just smell the roses! If you really love them, do go ahead and enjoy the fragrance that they can produce. I particularly enjoyed ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ at Upton House in their Rose Garden last summer. However, if growing roses is not an option for you, Read more »
By Annie Buckle Last year, we received a request by Great Rollright Primary School to help them realise their ambition of transforming a newly acquired piece of land into a Forest School haven for their students. After almost a year of planning and organising alongside our dedicated partners, the Berkley Reafforestation Trust, that dream Read more »
By Libby Reeves Damp, wet or boggy areas in the garden are usually caused by two separate issues: Poor drainage High water table Poor drainage has various causes: a heavy, impermeable clay soil; compaction; a physical barrier such as a concrete slab or pond liner; soil pans to name a few. A high water-table Read more »
