Do you have any good secrets please? G Norman by e-mail
Do you have any good secrets, please? G Norman, by e-mail.The secret lies in helping the moss to get a foothold on the surface of the stone. We have had a new retaining wall built in the garden after some small alterations to the layout. It has been built from the same type of grey stone as the other walls adjoining it but looks very new and sterile The older walls are darker with mossy patches I would like to blend it in as quickly as possible. They also make larger models and can supply stone plinths for them to stand on; prices start from £90 for a small granite plinth. Alternatively, you could consider making your own sundial – www.sundials.co.uk will take you through the process and offer instructions. They also have a list of craftsmen that you could commission to build a sundial to your own design.Q.
Have you any idea of where I should start, please? Anne Malden, Chelmsford.A. It’s true to say that sundials involve a huge amount of science in their creation. They must be set up carefully and in a precise position dictated by their latitude and some are more versatile than others, but most manufacturers will provide you with clear instructions on how to achieve this.Spot-On Sundials ( www.spot-on-sundials , 01372 747767) makes a lovely solid brass sundial in a contemporary design, 17cm square, for £105, including delivery (with the option of a personal engraving for an extra £55).It has the added exciting feature of a divided gnomon which casts a line of sunlight within the band of shadow at exactly midday, a curiously delightful event. According to the principles of feng shui, black has a negative effect on the appetite, which could be either a good or a bad thing; you may get away with serving smaller portions at your next dinner party.Q I would like to buy a sundial for my mother’s birthday. I have seen various models in garden centres and so on, but I have heard they need to be well made and properly set up to be accurate.
Q I saw a table set with a black tablecloth on television I thought it looked great and would love to find one Can you help? Serena Bremner, by e-mail. Black is a very effective foil to bright colours and can bring out the best in a table setting. Purple and Fine Linen ( www.purpleandfinelinen , 01491 638 184) has a range of tablecloths, napkins and runners in jet black, machine washable 100% Irish linen with a hemstitched border.
A large 175cm x 350cm cloth will cost you £113 and would look fantastic in combination with its bright red runner (from £18) and napkins (£8 each). I RECOMMEND Rebecca Heard, Fine Line Garden Design (07950 155662); New Dawn Furniture – solid teak swing bench ( www.newdawnfurniture.co.uk, 01243 375535); Cathedral Garden furniture – rose columns ( www.cathedralgardenfurniture.co.uk, 01915 171700); Adrian Hall Garden Centres – old York flagstones (020-8751 7600).. As the garden grows up I look forward to brushing my way through a scented jungle, on my way to the swing bench. IF I COULD DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN I should have planned the project in September 2004 and completed most of the work by the December of that year. Planting could have been done in very early spring, and we wouldn’t have had to be without a garden last summer.
The bench itself stood up well to a party of 10 teenagers last week, drinking coke, swinging and snogging. I AM MOST HAPPY WITH Relaxing on the swing bench, which formed the centrepiece of my vision, is delightful. The finishing touches came recently with the installation of a string of copper lights on the walls and more lighting on stakes in the flower beds IT COST £10,000, excluding the plants and the swing bench. I had never even noticed the tiny orange centres of the euphorbia, for example, which are highlighted by combination with the orange of the tulips. The orange Ballerina tulips and the magenta peony tulips are really lovely with the soft lilacs and pinks that I always, rather safely, prefer to choose Rebecca’s subtle combinations are very clever.
The garden incorporates lots of plants that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself. I chose a climbing hydrangea to drape around the trunk of the ash; Rebecca’s advice to insert a plastic membrane beneath the hydrangea’s roots prevented the tree from taking all the water and the climber is flourishing. In cracks between the flagstones we have planted thyme and lawn chamomile that smell lovely when crushed beneath your feet Behind the bench is a row of lavender and Russian sage. I set certain parameters; roses and clematis in pink and white, highly scented Her inspiration and skill has made the garden what it is.