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Construction and Landscape Harwood Construction & Landscapes are committed to providing the very best in design and build excellence.

Built on the reputation of Harwood Building Control and the Construction Consultancy divisions of the business. With over 20 years experience in all aspects of the industry, backed by RHS Medals and letters of commendation, we are fully capable of delivering perfect solution for projects large and small across London and the south east. The following commitments are carried through all aspects of

the business. o Professional and customer focused
o Dedicated to exceeding client expectations
o Responsive and reliable
o Effective and efficient
o Consistent in our approach both locally and nationally
o Dedicated to training and maintaining the highest standards and professional ethics
o Pre-application meetings and value engineering on projects
o CPD presentations and seminars
o Provision of additional services through our network of fully qualified external consultants
o Quality Assured to BS:9001 which is audited through the British Standards institute

11/08/2022

Geraniums (also known as pelargoniums) are popular bedding plants, providing a burst of colour throughout summer. They’re easy to grow and thrive in terracotta pots as well as traditional bedding displays. They work well planted or their own or combined with other plants. Some types of geranium are perfect for growing in hanging baskets.

Pelargonium can be perennials, sub-shrubs or shrubs, sometimes succulent and mostly evergreen, with palmately lobed or pinnately divided leaves and clusters of slightly irregular, 5-petalled flowers. With a variety of colours to choose from to suit your borders and pots!

All plants have a species or Latin name, as well as a common name. ‘Geranium’ is the common name for the species Pelargonium. Confusingly, ‘Geranium‘ is also the botanical name of hardy geraniums, also known as cranesbills or ‘true geraniums’. Despite sharing a common name, geraniums (pelargoniums) and cranesbills (geraniums) are different species and have different growing requirements.

Plant in partial to full sun in West, South or East facing sheltered aspect, in well-drained chalk, clay, loam or sandy soil.

Part of the Geraniaceae family, not native to the UK.

Water geraniums well in summer and deadhead to encourage a second flush of flowers.

To overwinter geraniums, lift plants that are in garden soil or large pots and pot them into a smaller pot. This should be done before the first frost. Remove any damaged leaves and faded flowers. Cut plants back by about a third and position in a frost-free but bright place. The plants won’t go into complete dormancy so water lightly through the winter. In spring, apply a general liquid feed and increase watering. Plant out only once all danger of frost has passed, usually late May.

Ideal for
City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Bedding
Conservatory and greenhouse
Flower borders and beds

28/07/2022

Dahlias - A fantastic choice of flower shapes and colours, which give an unrivalled showy display from summer into autumn. You can combine them with other late-flowering plants like salvias and grasses to uplift late season borders, they love free-draining soil in full sun in a sheltered spot, they do not like chilly conditions!

Cut flowers for indoor displays as this will help the plant to keep producing flowers until the first frost. Great for containers in small city gardens, you can move to your favourite spot to enjoy the fabulous colours!

With such a broad range of flower colours and shapes, choosing dahlias is largely is about personal taste, but it’s worth thinking about the following:
Big dinner-plate flowers are spectacles but don’t blend well in borders
In borders, dark-leaved cultivars can support the planting design
Single flowers are best for pollinators.

Shorter cultivars are best for container growing and bedding
Seed-raised dahlias are a cost-effective way to create mass colour
Eventual size - shorter types, sometimes called bedding dahlias, are good for the front of the border or containers as they only reach around 60cm. Most others need staking to support an average height of around 1.2m. Some species and cultivars grow very tall - over 2m.

Plant in fertile soil that is moist, yet free draining. They don’t like very dry conditions or waterlogged soil!
As plants come into growth, new shoots that emerge in June and July may need thinning. Select out spindly growth giving it a sharp pull to break it off. You should be left with a maximum of 7-10 sturdy stems per plant.

If you’re growing giant flowered dahlias, limit the number of stems to 3-5 per plant so you get fewer, but bigger blooms.
Dahlias need watering in dry and hot weather. Direct to the base of the plant. Soak down to the roots once a week rather than watering shallowly more frequently.

To encourage dahlias to produce more flowers, deadhead regularly, ideally weekly. The plant will put its energy into making flowers rather than seeds.

22/07/2022

Nerium Oleander – also known as East Indian Oleander, Jamaica South Sea Rose and Rose Bay amongst others. It is an evergreen shrub with narrowly lance shaped grey-green leaves and terminal clusters of salver-shaped pink, white or red flowers 3-4cm across, followed by long bean like seed pods.

It is part of the Apocynaceae family, not native to the UK.

Oleanders are a mainstay of Mediterranean gardens, widely used for screen planting, on hillsides and alongside roads. Flowering throughout the summer.

Plant in moist well-drained chalk, clay, loam or sandy soil, in South facing aspect in a sheltered frost-free spot, they are not frost tolerate, oleander thrive in full sun. Buy and plant in spring or summer.

All parts are highly toxic if ingested. Do not grow where they will come into contact with children or pets. Foliage may irritate skin, wear gloves and other protective kit when handling.

Will grow to an ultimate height of 1.5-2.5 metres and spread to 1-1.5 metres in 10-20 years.

Ideal for:-
City and courtyard gardens
Patio containers
Cottage and informal gardens
Wall side borders

Oleander are low maintenance, pruning isn’t essential, but is often necessary to reduce size, especially if moving from outdoors to winter undercover, ideally prune in later winter or early spring.

14/07/2022

Polystichum setiferum – also known as soft shield fern, are a tufted evergreen fern to 1.2m in height, with rosettes of soft textured, lance-shaped mid-green fronds, the stalks have prominent orange-brown scales.
Plant in moist, but well-drained chalk, clay, loam or sandy soil, in any aspect, exposed or sheltered.
Will grow to an ultimate height of 1-1.5m and spread to 0.5-1m in 5-10 years.

Is part of the Dryopteridaceae family and not native to the UK.

They are easy to grow, they like cool, fertile, moist, humus-rich soils. Protect crowns from excessive winter wet.

Remove any dead or damaged fronds as necessary. Ferns are very low maintenance.

Ideal for
Cottage and informal gardens
Wild meadow
Flower borders and beds
Underplanting of roses and shrubs

There are so many types of ferns to grow to suit your garden, some grow in sun while others prefer shade, with their interesting foliage and textures, ferns are easy to grow.
Some species are evergreen, giving year-round interest, while others die back in autumn and produce new shoots in spring.
Combine with using contrasting leaf shapes such as broad-leaved brunnera, heart-shaped epimedium or palmate hellebores.
Taller selections and tree ferns make exceptional striking focal points.

08/07/2022

Spiraea Japonica ‘Goldflame’ - common name is Bridal wreath. Both the foliage and the flowers make this an interesting and colourful shrub.
The foliage emerges each spring with a burnished bronze-red flush, but as the leaves mature, they turn bright yellow, then luminous green. In mid and late summer, clusters of dark pink flowers appear, seemingly backlit by the glowing foliage.

Compact and easy to grow, it makes a fantastic low hedge or groundcover plant for a sunny border. Plant in well-drained clay, chalk or sandy soil in full sun in east, south or west facing exposed or sheltered aspect, it is a very hardy plant and will attract bees and other pollinators, with its nectar pollen rich flowers. Deadhead after flowering.

Part of the Rosaceae family. Not native to the UK.

In early spring, hard prune the flowering stems to a permanent framework of 10–15cm above ground.

Ideal for City, Coastal and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and containers
Wildlife gardens
Flower borders and beds
Go on, bring some colour to your border!

30/06/2022

New sunken tennis court, work started this week. Did someone say ?

🎾🎾🎾

31/05/2022

Beech - Make excellent hedges, which live long in free-draining soil, including chalk. Apart from the upright or weeping forms, select any beech (Fagus sylvatica) for an easy-to-maintain hedge.
Plant young beech and clip annually to form a neat hedge around 90cm-2.4m (3-8ft) tall, or taller if an object or view needs screening.

To grow beech as a hedge, space plants from 25-45cm apart, depending on plant size and how quickly you want to achieve a dense hedge.
For quick results, plant in a double staggered row with 30cm between the two rows. Plant into well-cultivated weed-free ground, at the same depth as the plant was growing previously.
Beech leaves die each autumn but, unlike most other deciduous trees, young and clipped beech holds onto its dead leaves throughout the winter. This gives great winter screening but will appear brown in winter.

Beech love sun or part shade. Purple-leaved forms colour up deepest in full sun while golden leaved forms scorch less if planted in light shade. Young beech leaves can be killed by late frosts, so try to avoid planting them in frost pockets, also stay clear of wet areas in the garden as roots may rot off in waterlogged soil.
Continue to water your beech hedge for the first season or two, especially during dry spells in spring or summer.

Covering the soil with a 5-7.5cm layer of organic matter such as bark, composted bark or leaf mould will help reduce moisture loss from the soil and suppress weeds, giving the beech roots a good start.
There is no need to prune your new hedging plants if they have plenty of side branches. If plants look sparse, help thicken them by shortening the leading and longer shoots by up to one third. Do this in winter or straight after planting. Repeat in the second year if the plants still look a bit leggy, then prune annually in August.

If you would like to make a bold statement, how about selecting copper beech!

26/05/2022

Hosta - common name Plantain lily. These are brilliant for foliage, there are many varieties, they thrive in shade and are great for containers.

These shade loving plants have a vast range of cultivars to choose from, with leaves in all shades of green, some are variegated others are dusky blue and acid yellow, with texture of smooth, ribbed or ruffled. Many produce small trumpet shaped purple or white flowers in summer.

Plant in moist soil in partial shade, whether in a container or border, they don’t like exposed, windy areas of the garden.
Hostas are easy to plant, space plants up to 90cm apart, depending on their ultimate height and spread. Always check label. Dig a hole the same depth as the root ball and twice as wide, water and water regularly thereafter, especially in dry weather during the first summer. Mulching will help retain moisture.

In containers, make sure there are plenty of drainage holes, as waterlogged soil can kill the plant and use a large container to avoid compost drying out, use peat free multipurpose compost, make sure the top of the root ball is the same level as it was in the pot it came in, again water and continue to water regularly.

Miniature hostas need good drainage and will do best in soil improved with the addition of grit and garden compost. They are also suitable for rock gardens or containers and troughs. Mulching round plants with a layer of gravel not only looks good but also keeps soil from splashing up and spoiling the leaves.

In containers liquid feed once a month using a general liquid fertiliser. In borders an annual mulch of well-rotted manure should be enough.

No pruning is required, but you can remove damaged and unsightly leaves.

Hostas are fully hardy, foliage will die back in late autumn and plants are dormant until mid-spring.

Hostas are clump forming, so every 4-5 years divide in autumn or spring, replant making sure there are 1-3 good buds on each new division, replant with the shoots just poking through the soil and water.
Hostas in containers may require dividing every 3 years.

Unfortunately slugs and snails love them too!

11/05/2022

Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’ also known as Japanese Maple is a large bushy deciduous shrub with deep red-purple leaves with 5-7 slender-pointed lobes, turning red in autumn. Small purple flowers are followed by red fruits. One of the best purple-leaved Japanese maples.

Is a member of the Sapindaceae family, not native to the UK.

Plant in moist well-drained chalk, clay, loam of sandy soil, in a West, East or South facing sheltered aspect in full or partial shade.
Will grow to an ultimate height and spread of 2.5 - 4 metres
in 10 - 20 years.

Water in summer if necessary. Leaf colour is best in partial shade, although will tolerate full sun. Leaf scorch can be caused by lack of soil moisture or excessive exposure.

Ideal for City and courtyard gardens
Cottage, rock and informal gardens
Patio and containers

Is low maintenance and brings some brilliantly colourful
architecture to your garden.

26/04/2022

Euphorbia Cyparissias – cypress spurge is a vigorously spreading rhizomatous perennial with erect stems, bearing very narrow blue-green leaves and greenish-yellow flowers in late spring and early summer, often becoming orange with age.

Is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, not native to the UK.

Plant in moist but well-drained chalk, loam or sandy soil, in a South or West facing aspect, love full sun.

Will grow to an ultimate height 0.1 - 0.5 metres with ultimate spread of 1 - 1.5 metres in 2-5 years.

All parts are toxic by ingestion, sap is skin and eye irritant, so wear gloves when handling.

Ideal for Coastal, City and Courtyard gardens, flower borders and beds, banks and slopes. It is perfect for ground cover.

Euphorbia cyparissias is known for attracting beneficial insects and other pollinators. It has nectar/pollen rich flowers

12/04/2022

Aubrieta gracilis ‘Kitte’ is an evergreen, mat forming perennial with small rounded leaves and deep violet-purple relatively large flowers with small yellow eyes are borne in spring.

It is part of the Brassicaceae and isn’t a native of the UK.

Plant in well drained chalk, loam or sandy soil in a South or West facing aspect, sheltered or exposed in full to partial shade. Will grow to an ultimate height of 10cm and spread to 0.1 - 0.5 metres in 2-5 years. Great for ground cover.
Cut back after flowering to maintain compactness.

Best grown in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade, an ideal plant for dry areas such as chalky slopes, walls and very useful as will bring spring colour to your containers.

Ideal for City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal gardens
Patio and containers
Coastal and rock gardens
Banks and garden edging

Aubrieta will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects.

08/04/2022

Berberis darwinii, also known as Darwin’s barberry, has clusters of small, nodding, orange-yellow flowers, followed by bluish-purple autumn berries.
This upright, evergreen shrub has small, spiny, dark green, holly-like leaves and is useful to fill a difficult spot in the garden and is an excellent choice for hedging to keep intruders away due to its prickly nature.

It is a native to Chile and Argentina, it was discovered by Charles Darwin in 1835.

Plant in full sun or partial shade in well-drained soil, will tolerate exposed windy areas, South or West facing aspect, flowers April to May and is fully hardy.
Berberis darwinii will grow to 3m high and spread to 3m, so make sure it has space, best o plant in middle of border it is vigorous and easy to grow, it often produces a second flush of flowers in autumn.

Ideal for Coastal, City & courtyard gardens, Cottage & informal gardens.

The Berberis provides nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects.
Where some pruning is required, cut back in autumn or winter, after the appearance of the autumn fruits.

Bring some brilliant colour to your garden!

Address

3 Beer Cart Lane
Canterbury
CT12NJ

Telephone

+441227931777

Website

http://www.harwood.uk.com/

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