There seem to be as many landscape garden designers in Bristol as there are landscapable gardens!…read more Literally, everywhere I go I see ads for them, competition must be tough. I know Pete Jordan, the chief of Jordan Garden Design, personally - he once spent a while talking to me about the variety of different types of grass and the price different. While I can't say I really minded either way, the point is, is that he is very passionate about all that is green and will do you a good job. He has a really good website, so if you're thinking of asking some to re-do your garden have a little visit to his site and see what you think.

Tim and his team did a meticulous job in replacing our cracked concrete drive and ageing fence with…read morea new stepped fence and a driveway of setts. The new installations have been admired by many visitors and even by complete strangers who have stopped to say how nice it looks now! The whole team was skilled , hard working and pleasant. It was well worth the long wait to get to the top of the queue to have such a good job done.

I had been looking around for some local gardeners/landscapers who could help sort out my awful…read moregarden. I contacted Tim, from Stockman Landscaping who came round to discuss ideas for my then wasteland. He was a very friendly chap who, after taking a few quick notes and measurements, went away assuring me I would have a full quote and design emailed to me as soon as possible. I received a very comprehensive quote a few days later. This included drawings of my finished garden and detailed labour and material costs. The quote was very reasonable so I accepted it and within a month of contacting him I was entertaining friends out on my new deck! He has since been back to maintain my garden and decking area it always looks neat and tidy after his visits.

My recent hobby of Tropical Fish keeping led me to Almondsbury Garden Centre just last weekend -…read morethey have a really good Aquatics section with everything you need to start and maintain a fish tank. With a rather impressive range of fish there is a lot to choose from - I would suggest reading up on the old fact sheets before going here as on one of my visits there wasn't anybody there who really knew their stuff. Having said this, on the second time there was! If you're going for a particular fish in mind it's really worth calling before hand as all new deliveries have to make if through a period of observation before they'll let you take them home. Aside from the fish the centre is positively brimming with all garden related necessities and accessories - I think I might go back in the spring to buy seeds for growing my own tomatoes / cucumbers / strawberries!

Having grown up in Bristol, I've been to this place countless times with my parents on boring…read moresunday trips out. As I got older though, I finally realised what a really good garden centre it is. It's basically massive, with a wide variety of plants on the outside section, from roses to small trees. It's got three sections - the main bit as you walk in, which houses garden furniture, indoor plants, seeds, cards, books (and the other more random items big garden centres tend to stock) and a really nice cafe, ideal for a cup of tea and flapjack on a sunday afternoon. Outside, it's got a really big patio area which contains most of the plants, with three large greenhouses to the top left of the patio. In here is an excellently stocked water department, selling fish, ponds, pumps and general water gardening paraphernalia. The young guy who runs this department is extremely friendly and really very helpful - he's advised on a few pump issues at my folks' house over the years. Check out the view over to the Severn bridge on the road that leads to the centre, it's phenomenal!

According to the Chinese Proverb apparently, 'he who plants a garden, plants happiness'…read more If you're like me and like the idea of a nice garden but firstly have no idea about the different soils, what should be planted when and when you have to 'move them on' (what ever that means) from pots, then perhaps Grass Roots Gardening can help. They will plant your garden - but leave the happiness for you to have! No job is too small, they'll come and look at hanging baskets or re design your whole garden. Email: grassrootsgardening@tiscali.co.uk

The Stumpman...!…read more What a name! It makes me think of a character from a cartoon on super hero film, like he could be Batman's next evil rival. As it turns out that Jonathon Hill is a very nice man who will professional remove your unwanted tree stumps. Judging by the fuss my Mum made when she tried to remove a stump herself it really is worth getting someone in with all the right knowledge and equipment to do the job in a jiffy!