Plan your garden colours to compliment your pattern imprinted concrete driveway

For example, if you already have a pattern imprinted concrete driveway, then you will have chosen a colour scheme and pattern which suits your home and tastes. This will be a factor to consider when choosing your garden plant schemes, so the colours complement each other and ‘hang together’.

Another factor that’s easily overlooked is your car! If it sits on your driveway, then it’s a large block of colour to incorporate for consideration. Luckily, many cars come in ‘plant complementary’ shades. A silver or grey car is neutral enough to withstand most floral schemes. A bright red car will provide a colour flash amongst a riot of rainbow shades if you like a bold effect!

If your pattern imprinted concrete driveway and car tend towards redder shades, consider introducing cooler blues, whites and lush green foliage to balance the overall effect. If, however, your car and driveway are largely neutral in tone, then you can afford to go wild with surrounding borders in a wide spectrum of shades. Think about the overall look you want to create – whether homely, chic, family-oriented, or urban minimalist, and plan the overall exterior space accordingly, giving consideration to additional elements such as water features, garden lights and art or sculpture installations.

Above all, planning your garden design should be fun and not taken too onerously – after all, gardens are made to be renewed every year!

One of our happy customers enjoying their pattern imprinted concrete patio!

Decorative concrete is one of the best ways to add a high design aesthetic to your outdoor space. Using the same techniques for pattern imprinted concrete driveways, you can have the same flooring put down between your garden room and patio, to extend the available floor space.

Pattern imprinted concrete uses stamping moulds and colours to create remarkable designs. Inks are added to the in-situ concrete, and combine with colour surface hardeners, commercial release agents and specialist acrylic sealers to create custom shades. 3D texturing tools are then used to create creative designs, to your specification and preferences.

The nature of pattern imprinted concrete is such that many effects can be re-created – to give the appearance of granite, flags, slate or cobbles for example. The finished effect is limited only by imagination and the skill of your pattern imprinted concrete driveway installation team. (At CD Designs, you have the peace of mind of knowing that we’re part of the Guild of Master Craftsmen – the ultimate marque of quality!)

Speak to us about using pattern imprinted concrete flooring in your conservatory and patio to create a seamless look and spacious feel. Modern concrete finishes are hugely popular with interior designers, and our decorative concrete patios last for at least 20 years if they are well cared for, meaning that they are beautiful, functional, hard-wearing – and a great long-term investment.

Our top patio game - Giant Jenga!

Patio games are a great way to enjoy time together outdoors, so we’ve pulled together our list of top five favourites.

1. Giant Jenga! Using large blocks, ‘children’ of all ages can have fun recreating this classic game on large scale. The game’s tower can be built up to 5 feet high and it’s ideal for parties or BBQs. Either buy an outdoor set, or craft your own!

2. The archetypal bizarre British classic, outdoor Twister offers hours of twisting fun for up to 40 people! ‘Get Knotted’ is based on the original game and is 3m x 3m in size – ideal for a large party after a few rounds of punch!

3. Perfect for smaller children, giant Snakes and Ladders is great fun for the family – including a giant inflatable dice that you toss in the air.

4. A favourite with pub beer gardens, Big 4 Connect 4 is always a best seller, and also perfect for smaller spaces, thanks to its vertical build.

5. Finally, an old classic re-mastered for the outdoors – chess is perfect for getting grandparents involved in family fames, and teaching kids this ancient game of strategy whilst enjoying the sunshine.

Photo by Jam343

But Iran has taken high-tech concrete development to new limits with the creation of a new ‘anti-nuke’ concrete. According to the country’s state-run news station, Press TV, Iran has developed a sci-fi sounding ‘ultra’ high performance concrete (UHPC) from quart powder and a mix of ‘special fibres’. Designed to withstand high pressures by offering increased rigidity, the new concrete mix is intended – apparently – for commercial purposes such as dam building, bridges, tunnelling, sewage pipe reinforcement and even pollution control.

However, the undertone of military applications runs clear, with Press TV pointing to the ‘dual use’ applications of UHPC, such as protection of underground buildings from military bombardment.

Certainly, Iran has plenty of reason to lay claim to this UHPC development as a deterrent from military interventions. But could the country’s minds have really developed a concrete which offers ‘energy shields’ against attack? And is it really indestructible? The sceptics point to Iran’s history with wild posturing and counterfeit claims – but for now, the jury’s out.

Spring Lawn Care Part 4 - Patch up the bareness in your lawn this Spring.

After a long winter, many lawns show bare areas that spoil the overall look, and also leave the lawn susceptible to weeds and moss. However, there are ways to tackle the problem – such as with a specialist lawn patching product.

These clever formulations mix up natural coir, grass seed and slow release grass feeds, for rapid growth in targeted areas and thick coverings of robust grass where patches used to exist.

You can also spot treat bare areas with fresh grass seed, water it and tend as you would any new plant growth. Patience is a valuable asset in creating a beautiful lawn, and this works well for areas damaged by prolonged snow fall or ice.

Alternatively, cut out the bare patch of lawn, rake the soil over well to aerate it, and then patch up with fresh turf. Some brands offer specialist lawn repair kits, with lawn seed and feed preparations included.

Other products exist for patches caused by pets – dog urine, for example, is a key cause of lawn patches. However, you can also tackle this problem naturally, by soaking the offending area with water to flush away excess salts.

Photo by Sean Hobson

Spring Lawn Care Part 3 - It's not just the grass that needs cutting, you need to keep the weeds out too.

Certainly if you’ve spent time picking the perfect pattern imprinted concrete driveway, you’ll find your external space becoming quite a feature. So it makes sense to finish the look with an eye-catching and well-tended lawn.

Once you’ve established a good mowing routine and fertilised the lawn well, it’s time to tackle the rogue weeds and moss which often attack garden lawns.

Even the most beautiful garden can be ruined by these uninvited garden guests, and you’ll need to tackle the intruders quickly for best results. For serious moss or weed invasions, look for specialist lawn weed killers which will come in liquid form and give powerful results.

Once you’ve cleared your lawn from immediate attack, build in a regular protective treatment. There are specialist combined products which control weeds and moss, whilst feeding the lawn and building up its resistance to extreme weather conditions. These products can be used from April onwards and are well worth investing in. As with so much in life, when it comes to moss and weeds, prevention is better than cure!

Photo by Sean Hobson

Spring Lawn Care Part 2 - After you’ve established a regular lawn mowing system, move onto grass feeding and fertilisation.

After you’ve established a regular lawn mowing system, move onto grass feeding and fertilisation. Lawn fertiliser makes the grass grow thicker and greener, improving its strength, health and overall vigour, so that it’s better able to deal with attacks from moss, weeds and the stresses of harsh weather.

A fertilised lawn will quickly identify itself, so get the best results by treating your lawn to specialist granular feed over spring and summer. Look for blends which supply regular and balanced amounts of nutrients over a 2-3 week period.

There are many different lawn fertilisers on the market, each offering their own formulations and benefits. Head to your local garden centre and seek out advice from their experts if you are new to tending a lawn.

It’s important to apply granular feeds evenly over the entire lawn and follow the application instructions carefully. Built-in spreaders are ideal for this and many lawn feed packs now offer these for ease. If you spend time feeding the lawn in this way, it will stay strong and healthy, and look its best all summer.

Photo by Sean Hobson

Spring Lawn Care Part 1 - Spring is the perfect time of year to get both lawn and garden into shape

Spring is the perfect time of year to get both lawn and garden into shape. This means mowing grass correctly, feeding it with a good quality fertiliser and dealing with unsightly areas such as bare patches, moss and protruding weeds.

Regular mowing is the most important job for good lawn care, and a quick way to transform the entire appearance of your garden. The trick is to cut the grass regularly and whenever it is growing. In spring, this is likely to be every week, as the weather warms up.

Aim to keep the grass at a constant height throughout the season. An ideal guideline is about 2.5 to 4 cm in height. If you have a family or pets however, you might prefer a slightly longer grass height (of about 5 cm) to allow for extra wear and tear. Increase this up to 7cm for very shady areas of the garden.

Bear in mind that if you mow the lawn too short, you’ll weaken the grass and inhibit healthy growth. This tends to result in moss and weeds pushing through the lawn and spoiling its appearance.

Other tips for good lawn maintenance include trimming the edges for an attractive crisp line, or using a half-moon edging iron for a well-shaped and neat finish.

Take care of your lawn and it will take care of you – giving you a long summer of enjoyment to look forward to, and something for the neighbours to envy!

This is the first of four posts about Spring lawn care, come back soon to view our next post.

Photo by Sean Hobson

Some of the highlights of the show included the ‘Practical Installer’, which gave live demonstrations on how to install micro-renewable technologies, ‘Fabric First’ which showed viewers how to use different building fabrics and interact them with each other, and ‘Renew’, which gave advice on obtaining a highly efficicent, energy saving building.  The show had over 1,500 exhibitors, 130 free seminars and dozens of live attractions and live demonstrations, making it the biggest Ecobuild ever.

The event was attended by over 57,000 visitors over the 3 day period, and was hailed a huge success by both visitors and exhibitors.

As readers of our blog, you'll know we like to keep a close eye on eco-friendly and renewable developments in the construction area, so hearing and reading about advances that we might use ourselves in concrete driveways is great!

You can click here to visit the Ecobuild website.

“Hi Ben & Everyone.  Its just about a year now since our drive and front/back gardens were completely transformed by you and your hardworking, superb, funny, polite, nothing too much trouble, workforce.  We were absolutely delighted with the result and still are (money very well spent).  Your after sales service and communication is more than excellent.  Just about the best firm we have ever dealt with and we would recommend you without hesitation.”

We are very happy that they are enjoying their driveway and garden so much, and hope that they do so for years to come.

To view the case study click here