Garden lighting: how to make winter less gloomy When winter arrives in the UK, gardens often feel cold, wet and lifeless. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As the evenings draw in and we switch on every indoor light, our windows turn into mirrors, shutting out the [...]
How to design an edible garden Over recent years, I’ve had the immense privilege of working with Raymond Blanc in his gardens at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire. Raymond’s passion for plants and their uses is infectious - he’s curious. I value curiosity too but in today’s world [...]
Top garden design considerations for your outdoor space In this blog, Cotswold designer and RHS Chelsea judge, Liz Nicholson, shares her top garden design considerations and expert insights when it comes to designing a new outdoor space. We have all been in the position of the shopping list when [...]
Nicholsons & The Rooflight Co. Rooted in Light: Part 3 - Our Vision In this series Rooted in Light, we have been advocating for a cohesive design approach as we believe in the long-term value gained by embracing light indoors and outdoors to transform the way we live. In [...]
Collaborating for change: Farmers clusters & Nicholsons The North East Cotswolds Farmer Cluster (NECFC) is a growing network of farmers, land managers and community partners working together to accelerate the transition to a financially and environmentally sustainable farming system. The network includes the newly established Cherwell Farmers Cluster (CFC) [...]
Nicholsons & The Rooflight Co. Rooted in Light: Part 2 - Healthy Spaces In the second part of our series, Rooted in Light, we explore the concept of healthy spaces, and how looking at the ‘big picture’ when designing your home can result in a sustainable living environment connected [...]
Nicholsons & The Rooflight Co. Rooted in Light: Part 1 - Why Daylight Matters As the season shifts into Autumn, we are reminded of the vital role that light and fresh air play in our wellbeing and comfort. In this series ‘Rooted in Light’, we explore how thinking cohesively [...]
February 2025 marks the one-year anniversary of statutory biodiversity net gain (BNG). Nicholsons Ecology Team have reflected on this national framework and the importance it has on protecting and enhancing ecosystems. What is biodiversity net gain? Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a development approach that ensures biodiversity [...]
By Rachel Crapper, Assistant Ecological Consultant The Eurasian otter is the apex predator of the UK’s freshwater ecosystems. As opportunistic carnivores, they primarily feed on fish but will also eat crustaceans, frogs, molluscs and even small water birds. Otters require a mix of good quality water sources in close proximity to terrestrial habitats, making [...]
Throughout its natural life, a tree will face all manner of trials. These can be as a result of encroaching human development, competition from their neighbours or even the relentless cycle of the elements around them. Some will weather the storm better than others and go on to be prominent champions of the landscape. [...]
The hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, is one of the UK’s smallest and rarest protected mammal species. With its sleepy nature and fluffy, golden-brown fur, the hazel dormouse is undoubtedly one of our most adorable resident species. Beatrix Potter once kept one as a pet, naming her Xarifa, and wrote in her journal, “I think [...]
Our team always take great pride and feel a great sense of responsibility to honour the fellow foresters that came before us, particularly when it comes to utilising timber from the trees that they so lovingly planted and tended for decades or centuries before us. When we manage our woodlands, we always work with [...]
By Libby Reeves, Head of Horticulture There is an association between soil fungi and plant roots that covers over 90% of plant life, this is known as mycorrhiza. It works in a symbiotic way with benefits to both the plant and the fungi. The plant provides carbohydrates from photosynthesis whilst the fungi assist with [...]
By Charlotte Harris, Associate Director of Personnel In 2019, The Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group - a body of industry leaders - identified a gap in green skills and knowledge, with more people retiring from the industry than entering it. For an industry that packs a huge punch on the economy, employers and educational institutions [...]
Some shocking statistics that might make you reconsider the value of the brown friable substrate I call soil but many people call “muck” or “dirt”. Across our UK landscape, we would be forgiven for thinking that our carbon stocks are in our trees and hedgerows but in fact 95% of land carbon stocks are [...]
Author: Harriet Smith, Landscape Department What is Building with Nature Building with Nature (BwN) is the UK's first green infrastructure benchmark which provides a framework for the creation of high-quality places with an environmental focus. Schemes can gain BwN accreditation by demonstrating that excellent quality green infrastructure is placed at the heart of [...]
With the weather alternating between sun and rain, the garden weeds are thriving. Bindweed snakes its way up and around our shrubs until you can barely see what’s under them, ground elder marches relentlessly across our borders, brambles burst forth through the foliage of our shrubs, clumps of meadow grass announce themselves in the [...]
This April, we would like to raise awareness about an emerging threat to our cherished oak trees: the Oak Processionary Moth (OPM). This species of moth, characterised by its caterpillars that nest on oak trees, poses significant risks to both the health of our trees and the well-being of humans and animals. Understanding OPM: [...]
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