Tag: build

All Posts Gardens by Peter Donegan Garden Design

Garden Containers, Pots and Planters

Post author By Peter Donegan
Post date October 18, 2010
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For those looking for that instant effect, immediate colour or simply a softening of your space outdoors, sometimes the simplest way to achieve this is through instant gardening. How it works is very simple.

Planters are pre-made off site with a pre-selected choice of best look plants
Hand picked to suit your favourite colours and textures
And chosen with only your business and/ or home in mind
Carefully positioned, delivered and placed right at your door or place of choice

In this, plant choice will and can vary from individual to business and from desired placing to season. I have personally found that most choose the following:

Mildly scented yet neutral in colour on business/ office entrances
herb, salad or/ and fruiting choices by kitchen and eating areas
stunning, attractive and stand out for openings, ceromonies and occasions
pretty, instant and welcoming by dwelling and homely places

Planting style aside, in your space you may decide on choosing the following containers

hanging baskets
window boxes
pots and planters
raised beds
something that little more unusual
or a one off just for you

Of course this can be tailored once again to suit your specific space and all fixtures and fittings can be supplied and fitted. I personally like the fact that, if you do feel that after some time that you need that little change…

not all plants or any [depending on what you choose] will need to be replaced
the planters won’t need to be replaced at all
and the same planters can simply be painted a different colour

Although some do choose to ask for something that mild bit different and one off in general most types, styles and wishes can be discussed and ordered by phone or email and designed/ pre arranged to suit your budget. After that, you simply continue on about your daily routine and let me look after the dirty work.

What do you do next….

You can contact me in the following ways:

send an email to info@DoneganLandscaping.com
telephone me direct on 087-6594688
or enquire via the contact page on DoneganLandscaping.com

No matter how unusual the request may be….. I can make it happen for you.

…

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Building Your Own Bar-B-Q

Post author By Peter Donegan
Post date June 26, 2009
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I bought this ‘barbequick‘ bbq last year. Quick? hmmmm… €20. In December. Bargain. Left it in the shed.

When the sun came out I built it. Did it end up looking like the image above…? not on your nelly… 😉 But for good reason….

If you do fancy building your own barbeque – here’s how.

Stone type:

i tried to get the same brick sizes as per the instructions – but – free bricks are much nicer
i wanted a ‘looks like its been there for a while…’ kinda finish – it’s also the greatest excuse if you’re not the best brick layer in the world
don’t use concrete blocks unless you are going to plaster the walls

Location:

decide where you want it. This is built from stone. Solid stuff. It hasn’t got wheels. So be darned sure it is exactly where you want it.
Keep it well away from walls… smoke? black? and more important timber fences… fire?
not right beside the patio – smoke/ guests eyes; flames & grannys new hair do

How I built mine:

I picked my spot.
Took the measurements from the instructions and layed a foundation about 4″ deep – to finish just below ground level. Left it for a few weeks day or three…

Materials:

300 no. brick
2 no. bags cement
1 no. bag of gravel
3 no. bags of sand
washing up liquid [substitute for mortisiser – bonds the cement better]
some paving slabs for the base – for you to stand on

Tools:

spirit level – a good long one
a block splitter ‘or’ a good bolster chizel and a mallet
a trowel
a wheel barrow to mix cement in

Conundrums:

I measured the foundation from the instructions but that was based on ‘their’ brick sizes. Mine were smaller & I needed a lot more than they suggested.
The clips to support the grill are ‘only’ to suit that size of block. They obviously wouldn’t fit ‘my’ barbeque.
I also wanted an extra, adjoining counter to the side for plates and food so I had a bit more to do.

Don’t Forget:

To stick a few long screws into the cement while laying to hang your implements on
Measure twice and cut once rule

My thoughts:

It will take about 2 days to complete. And there is nothing more rewarding than sitting back with a cup of coffee looking at a wall that you built. Sincerely. Especially if you are a man…. 😆

If one was to pay to get it built….? In my opinion, it would be cheaper to go and buy one. To approximate the costs briefly; if the bricks costs €1 each; multiplied by 300 bricks – One is already at €300 before it gets built….?

That said, I didn’t want a gas barbeque. I wanted one that I could say in years to come… that ‘I remember building that…’ I also have the ability to barter eggs for materials and so apart from my time – this really didn’t cost me whole lot.

my very first barbeque…

Tags barbeque, barbequick, bbq, Brick, build, build in grill and bake, build your own, business, Cement, concrete, Construction and Maintenance, cooking, diy, how to, instructions, Masonry and Stone, Materials and Supplies, outdoors, people

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behind the scenes of a bloom show garden

Post author By Peter Donegan
Post date May 27, 2009
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The slogan that runs under the bloom logo is ‘celebrate garden life’. This year more than ever I hope we as a nation do just that. To quote my good friend Eugene Higgins article in the Irish Mail on Sunday…

It’s not that long ago that garden shows in Ireland were poor to say the least. They were mostly a selecion of neglected plants and muddy pathways with a few burger stands thrown in. But then in 2007 Bloom came to the rescue…

I remember in 2007 cold calling suppliers looking for help. They didn’t even know what Bloom was. Nobody did. Now into the third year it is the Irish Garden event of the year. If you have never been to Chelsea flower show – this is as good as it gets.

I’ve built gardens in 2007 and 2008 and I know it is not as easy as it looks. The garden build time is usually about 2-3 weeks [this varies on garden size]. Some gardens will have had little or no sponsorship [like myself for both years] and whether it rains [and by God it did this year!] or not the garden must be complete 2 days before opening for the judging to take place.

This is the bit you may not know… For me I start planning a show garden garden at least 12 months in advance. My first year, I was answering emails on my honeymoon. 🙄 This was the January before, designs had been submitted the October before that. You might say one simply just can’t switch off. For me anyway, the sleepless nights continue……

Fast track to the garden build and with 27 other gardens being built around me, almost 35 different trades involved in my garden alone, over 250 thank you cards sent out after the show… I then awake at 6am to make it to the park to see what or if I have won a medal. The result was always immaterial, to me anyway. Pink boats don’t win awards. But as my Father would say…

Elvis didn’t wear that white suit cutting the grass son…. Only in Vegas!

It is a show garden. It is a show. I have 5 days to stand at my garden to greet you the paying visitors, the reason I have built the gardens I did.

It doesn’t end there. When everyone has left on the Bank holiday Monday I must then within one week disassemble my entire 3 weeks 1 years works and reinstate the grounds to how they were before I arrived. And breath…… All whilst trying to keep a business running or for some holding down a full time job.

Why amn’t I building a garden this year, to be honest I guess I just needed a little bit of a break. To reflect, to ponder, to rejuvinate the brain cells…. to spend time with the people in my life. I guess it was not easy, at times.

**That said, I love every single second of it 😉

No matter what medal a garden and it’s designer recieve, no matter who is you’re favourite or who gets the most press coverage – if you do meet the designer at their garden…. congratulate them, shake their hands, damn it – give them a big hug and wish them only the very best. They really do deserve it.

Most of all, Enjoy the show !!

Tags bloom 09, bord bia, build, design, garden, Home and Garden, how to, People, Business, peter donegan, Phoenix Park, Recreation and Sports, show garden

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why pink?

I was down in Longford some time ago for a meeting. I’d been there before – It’s where I found the type of pink I wanted for the boat.

For ages everyone was saying ‘nobody uses that shocking pink!

…and there it was the whole time right beside the waterways filled with boats moored up beside it…. amazing where inspiration is found.

And of course Longford is so pretty…

Tags amazing, bench, boat, build, building gardens, design, garden, indspiration, inland waterways ireland, landscape, longford, peter donegan, pink, shocking, waterways

All Posts Gardens by Peter Donegan Garden Design

I Never Knew You…

So many times I hear people say they never knew I did this or that with relevance to ‘gardening’ of some form. This may sound like a sort of pitch – it’s more clarification – on the record.

The company is called Peter Donegan Landscaping Ltd. But, maybe I should have called ‘the company’ Peter Donegan… anything horticulture or ‘gardening’ Ltd. Gardening consists of so many varying matters and subjects, which often firms chose to specialise in solely one aspect of. I choose to like *everything* done in-house and under the one roof. So what do I/ we do?

consultancy: advice from domestic to commercial, whether considering a budget, design advice or simply the most general of matters. I know we know what we’re talking about.

design: with numerous awards under our belts for garden design from domestic to commercial from large to small and historic to modern; it’s your space outside and our role is to get the best results from that budget and your space.

maintenance: employing only the finest horticulturists, it is gardening, it matters and we do it. In fact unknowns to some we hold an award for this too!

sales: from product sourcing to product sales. If it’s related to the garden we sell it. from plants to mulch, from soil to seating it’s all there and the list goes on… and on…

landscaping: the name says it all! garden building, garden making, overhauls, revamps and re-creations… from the oldest to the boldest….

That’s the basics. But this can be broken down once again into project management, tree surgery, lawns, planning… but the reason why i only work with the finest horticulturists is so that the customer gets what exactly the customer wants. The way it should be. From Donegal to Galway, from Wexford to Dublin, even overseas… you are the customer – you can have whatever you want.

If its not on the list, you like it, love it or want it, let me know. It may be in the weblog [search for it]. If I can help you – I will. In the meantime…. Thank you.