< Previous40 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYIt’s all very well decorating your home to thelatest trends, but if the exterior looksneglected, you might not instil those feelingsof wonder your best efforts have createdinside! When creating a home to be proud of, sometimes peopledon’t realise they can make the most of the outside of theirhomes and combine the pleasures of nature with comfortableliving areas.The lines between outdoor space and indoor dwellings arecontinuing to blur and people often live with doors andwindows flung wide open with decking, gardens, lawns, porchesand conservatories acting as extended places to make your ownand truly relax within. To give yourself the feeling of a largerhouse, one idea is to match materials both inside and out. Withmore hard-wearing bases, furniture out of doors will no doubtfeel somehow rougher or more rustic, but soften them withcushions and soft furnishings when the weather allows and theywill seem to make the outdoors more of a personal space.Spending the evening in a gazebo, or looking up at the stars incomfort from luxurious decking, it’s the fact that it’s yourpersonal space means it’s that much more special.The ‘walls’ you can create in a garden or outdoor area can bean extension of the home’s exterior walls or formed by trees,shrubs, hedges, planters, fences, privacy screens or lattice panels.Outdoor “flooring” can be as simple as grass, pebbles orstepping-stones, or as elaborate as wooden decking or tiles.Ceilings may be outlined by tree limbs, vines, pergolas, arbours,retractable awnings or permanent roof structures. Investing inadequate driveway material is also pretty essential, with optionsto extend the life of the main thoroughfare to your home withuse of innovative materials means it should be a one-off job, onlyperformed once in a blue moon. Installing softer materials if youhave children too will ensure less grazed knees and will allayfears of falls causing injuries as much.If you’re lucky enough to have a conservatory or sun room,why not look into making this more of an extension of yourRoomswithout wallsRoomswithout walls040-041:Layout 1 11/4/14 10:53 Page 1house rather thansomewhere you endup putting furniture thatisn’t quite up to scratch? We’ve seen an end to wicker furnitureas a trend in these kinds of rooms and not a moment too soon!Soft furnishings and a sense of relaxation is what is needed, notrigid, unforgiving furniture that can be a strain on the back.Use of furniture out of doors doesn’t have to be limited towhere you sit or various tables either, décor is as importantoutside as it is in. Use of vintage ironwork or reclaimed itemscan really stamp a personal feel onto your space too. We’veseen old ceramic basins, sewing machine frames and even oldwellies planted with flowers or shrubs to great effect and theyoften prove to be conversation starters!When the weather is particularly good, you may well find youare spending more time outside than usual, so why not makethe effort? There’s much to be said for a dose of sunshine. Thegreat outdoors is right outside your window, make the most ofit!LINCOLNSHIRETODAY41LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - EXTERIOR EVOLOUTION CANOPY SYSTEMS WITH ANY RUBBERMAC DRIVEWAY PURCHASED.<3@/= y :+>2= y :+>39= y 6+8.=-+:381=+0/ y A/+>2/<:<990 y .?<+,6/ y 898=63:Permeable - Cost Effective No Weeds - No FadingHuge colour range including MultifleckNew construction or overlay old slabs, concrete & tarmacGolf Courses - Care Homes - Caravan Parks etcWe also install quality block paving / Indian stoneOver 120 driveways installed in Woodhall Spa aloneQuality workmanship guaranteed for 10 yearsssssssssCHILD& OAPFRIENDLYALL OTHERBUILDINGWORKCONSIDEREDPERMEABLEPRODUCTNO PLANNINGPERMISSIONNEEDEDTEL: 01526 353777 or 07436 803507s&DUSRUWVs&RYHUHGVHDWLQJDUHDVs&RYHUHGSOD\DUHDVs3RUFKHVs3DWLRFDQRSLHVs&DUDYDQVKHOWHUVs&\FOHVKHOWHUVs6PRNLQJVKHOWHUVs:DONZD\FRYHUV 10% OFFWhen theweather is particularlygood, you may well findyou are spending moretime outside than usual, so why not makethe effort?PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ROLAND SPIEGLER040-041:Layout 1 11/4/14 10:53 Page 242 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDENSA taste of the eastin the eastMarigold Cottage is a fantastic seaside retreat, nestled in the east coast idyll of Sutton-on-Sea. Iinvestigate its many charms.042-045:Layout 1 11/4/14 10:54 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY43LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDENSWe meet Stephanie, owner of thecottage on a hot day as she entertainsold friends, among them the formerowner of the cottage.Thanks to her past travels, inspirationis taken from the oriental gardens of theFar East. Stephanie originally bought thehouse while still actually living in Japanin the early eighties - and at first thehouse was used as a summer holidayhome. Back then the garden was a lotmore modest, being mainly lawn with afew apple trees dotted about and aprivet hedge. In 2001, Stephanie travelled back tothe UK to live permanently and shemoved into Marigold Cottage with hermother, who lived here with her until2005. Both Stephanie and her motherwere passionate about gardening and sothe project began to transform thegarden at Marigold Cottage into thewonderful space it is today.44 042-045:Layout 1 11/4/14 10:54 Page 2LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDENSHaving volunteered at the nearbyGunby Hall as well as at two localnurseries, Stephanie has picked up ideasover the years that she has been able toutilise on Marigold Cottage. It was alsoduring this time she also developed aninterest in propagating.Stephanie uses her knowledge to givetalks to gardening groups at gardeningclubs, WI meetings and eventsthroughout Lincolnshire. Her topics rangefrom garden and structural design toseasonal and Japanese gardens. Havingspent years teaching maths to studentsoverseas, Stephanie’s own life experiencealso became a topic ofinterest.As mentioned, thegarden at Marigold Cottage is by theseaside, so it suffers from the rigours ofthe coastal breeze, but also has a heavyclay soil. Approaching the garden from a long,grassed driveway, it really is a hive ofactivity. With several paths that run inand out of borders and acrossvegetable patches, it’s a real treasuretrove of plants, flowers and produce, aswell as decorative items that reallyshow off the eastern influence. You canreally get among the plants andStephanie encourages us to walkthrough a certain section in thevegetable patch in order to see howmany butterflies have visitedrecently. A quick stroll042-045:Layout 1 11/4/14 10:55 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY45LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDENSreveals they are still here and we are soonsurrounded by dozens of large examples, wings a-flutter as they re-settle on lavender flowers. The oriental influences continue elsewhere, withone bed holding a Japanese lantern sculpture as itscentrepiece, surrounded by bamboo, euphorbia,hydrangea, acanthus and ferns. Water features alsosit here and there, with pots and tubs filled withwater and scattered with water lilies. There’s also atraditional Japanese tsukubai – a basin usually foundin Buddhist temples for visitors to purify themselvesby the ritual of washing hands and rinsing of themouth.One feature we are particularly taken with is anoriental wall, painted blue on one side and whitethe other. Its circular window frames the gardenperfectly and is worth our visit alone.042-045:Layout 1 11/4/14 10:55 Page 4caps off during hockeypractice. The new mid-range grasses availableare almostundistinguishable fromthe real thing! The buzz words ingardens for the lastdecade or so has been‘low maintenance’ andfitting an artificial lawn isjust that. It is also agreat way to make yourproperty more saleable inthe future and istherefore an investment. As with anything youget what you pay for,there are cheap productsout there with somebeing made from toxicproducts and so they willnot last very long. However, if you buy aquality product and it is fitted correctlythen you should have a virtuallymaintenance free lawn that looks greatall year round. Just think of all the hoursthat you spend on your lawn each year.Installing an artificial lawn buys you allCareful application of herbicides canreduce weeding considerablyIt is not only the beds that we battle tokeep weed free. The lawn makes up alarge percentage of the garden and a well-manicured lawn will set the tone for therest of the garden. Keeping a lawn lookinggreat takes a lot of time and the oldadage “little and often” springs to mind.In late spring you will have slowly loweredthe cutting deck on the mower and nowfinally you should be cutting at thesummer height (this varies with grasstype), and a weed and feed applicationwith a moss killer is ideally suited at thistime of year.Lawns require, feeding, scarifying,edging and cutting weekly during thegrowing season. For some this is a lot ofwork, but luckily there is an alternative.Artificial grass has come on massively inthe last ten years in terms of realism andquality. In the last five years the priceshave come down to sensible levels too. Icome from a background of growing andnurturing plants so when a client firstasked for artificial grass I was wary.Artificial grass is no longer the brightgreen abrasive stuff that took your knee46 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDEN ADVICESpring is drawing to an end and wehave been lucky enough to enjoy somegreat weather lately for gardening. Manyof you will have planned, or evenstarted, projects of all shapes and sizesbut, unfortunately, these can be held updue to ongoing jobs that are in need ofdoing. One of those continual jobs at thistime of year is weeding, and making sureyou keep on top of it all. As the soil isstill moist at this time of year any seedslanding on your little bit of England willgerminate and spread! However thereare many ways to cut down on theweeding. Here are my tips…Wherever possible use weed controlfabric and gravel. This is not alwayspossible and may not be aesthetically inkeeping with the rest of the property,and so you could use recycledcomposting mulch as an alternativeUse bark mulch in areas to create awoodland feel. Make sure that the depthof the mulch when settled is 6". Also beaware that the bark will shrink when itdries out.Do not be tempted to use grassclippings as a mulch as it will poisonyour plants.Hand weed in the spring. This isbecause using a hoe can enable theweeds to retake in the moist soil - hoeswork better in the summer.Our regular gardening expertSimon Fuller, of FullersForestry and Landscaping,explains what the end of Springshould bring!Summer’son the way!046-047:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:08 Page 1that time back again, and what could you do with all that newspare time? It is not everyone’s cup of tea but if you have arelatively small garden, dogs and children then I think it isdefinitely worth considering.Take a look at the three photographs of lawns we havedone and see if you can spot ones are artificial or real! Wewill let you know next month.LINCOLNSHIRETODAY47LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDEN ADVICEThe buzz words in gardens for the lastdecade or so have been ‘low maintenance’Specialised Servicesin Garden DesignLandscaping andTree MaintenanceBacked by a highly-skilledand experienced team,we’ve built our reputationon an ability to provide our clients with professional, tailored gardening and forestry solutionsFREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTATIONSCall 01522 868717 or 07867 510544info@fullerforestry.co.uklwww.fullerforestry.co.ukwww.landscapinglincolnshire.comFULLERSForestry & Landscaping046-047:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:08 Page 248 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYLINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDENSThe family business is now run by Charles and his son Graham,along with a team of dedicated employees who are all long-servicing and experienced in their departments.The timber business, founded by Charles’ father Rowland in 1922is where Charles gained his long-standing practical experience ofchainsaws and the timber trade. As chainsaws were first introduced,he could see their huge potential and eventually sold his first Stihlchainsaw in 1964. Charles H Hill Ltd has grown from that day andis now a well-established and well-known firm in Lincolnshire.The timber business, R H Hill & Son continues to operate,producing quality firewood.Fifty years of qualityIt’s now fifty years since Charles Hill sold his first Stihl chainsawto Norman Leggate of Tattershall Thorpe. The original chainsawwas purchased for just £62 12s 6d. Fifty years later and theLeggate family still have a great working relationship with the Hills.In the 1960s, the West German company of Andreas Stihl onlymade two models of chainsaw. As the range of Stihl productsrapidly increased over the years, the business grew, taking on allthe new quality products as they were introduced and alsocarrying the huge stocks of spare parts required to maintain thebackbone of the business, which of course, is after sales service.Stihl qualityAndreas Stihl Ltd now manufactures a huge range of qualityforestry and garden machinery, for both domestic and professionaluse, together with all the accessories and safety equipment thatcomplements the range. The 2014 price list now consists of 250pages, including chainsaws, polesaws, brush cutters, strimmers,hedge trimmers (including long reach), posthole borers, gardenblow vacs, pressure washers and vacuums. Virtually the entire rangeis carried in stock at Horsington and all sold at competitive prices.The company also stocks the Viking range which is part of the StihlGroup, which also includes the new iMow robotic mower.The Honda franchiseWhen Charles H Hill Ltd decided to expand its range intolawnmowers and generators, the Honda franchise was the obviouschoice as Honda’s reputation for reliability and quality was alreadylegendary.The Honda product range has also grown rapidly over the yearsSpecialists in quality andservice for 50 yearsCharles H Hill Ltd of Horsington is synonymous with Stihl chainsaws, priding itself on qualityproducts, strengthened by unrivalled spares back-up and after sales service.Charles and Graham Hill withthe team outside theHorsington premises048-049:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:46 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY49LINCOLNSHIRE LIVING - GARDENSand Charles H Hill Ltd now sells and stocks virtually all the HondaPower Product Range, which includes ride-on mowers,lawnmowers, handy and industrial generators, water pumps,engines and rotavators. Most Honda mowers and ride-ons nowcarry up to a seven-year warranty along with other selectedproducts, again with the after sales care afforded similarly to Stihl.The ranges of Stihl and Honda have worked well, being soldalongside each other and both being market leaders in their fields.Charles H Hill Ltd also stocks a range of Husqvarna ride-onmowers including the rider range of front-mounted decks witharticulated rear-wheel steering for excellent manoeuvrability.Also in stock at the Horsington premises is the Etesia range ofride-on and pedestrian mowers. This company specialises inmanufacturing very strong mowers which will cut and collect grasseven in wet conditions, marketed as they are as ‘anti-clog’mowers.Future successCelebrating fifty years in style, Charles H Hill Ltd now looksforward to continued success. Priding themselves on offering thevery best after-sales service to customers, the company willcontinue to expand the ranges stocked, ensuring customersreceive high-quality products and outstanding services at all times. Charles H Hill Ltd. Moor Lane, Horsington, Woodhall Spa, LN10 5HH.Tel: 01526 388281www.charleshhill.co.ukGraham Hill with the latest Stihl MSA 160 C-BQbattery-powered chainsaw and Charles with thefirst Stihl chainsaw he ever sold in 1964.Engineers Michael, left and Stephanworking on Stihl chainsaws in one ofthe workshopsRidersStihl GB congratulatesCharles H Hill Ltd on 50 years’loyal service048-049:Layout 1 11/4/14 11:46 Page 2Next >