The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012 kicks off this week and after months of preparation, this year’s show is as spectacular as ever. Today, we've been checking out the gorgeous blooms at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show (and can't wait to see which gorgeous celebs will be there this week too!). Have you ever wondered about all that behind the scenes work and what it’s like to design and build a garden for the Chelsea Flower Show? To find out, we asked gold-medal-winning de...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
May 20th, 2012
2012 is a year for celebration – we have the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and last but not least, the reinvention of the garden room. This summer, you can add a little Chelsea Flower Show style to your garden and create a brand new living room just beyond your back door with sofas, chairs and loungers from the new exciting ranges of affordable, all-weather furniture that blur the line between outdoors and in. You can take a tour of ACHICA’s range o...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
May 19th, 2012
Just because the sun sets before 6pm, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our gardens in the evening. All you need is a bit of expert lighting positioning...and possibly a warm jacket! But if outside is lit with a warming glow, it's easy to enjoy your garden from inside too. As spring approaches, now’s a great time to start planning your garden lighting. To find out how to create the perfect outdoor lighting plan, we called upon the expertise of leading garden designer, Janine Pattison. Janine has won many awards for h...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
March 6th, 2012
Make this fabulous Christmas garland with a few pine cones, cinnamon sticks, seasonal fruit and bits and pieces from your garden. It not only looks beautiful, but has a delicious scent too. When the Christmas chaos of shopping, card-writing, and parties just gets too much, I like to hide away, listen to some mellow festive tunes, and do something creative.
So if you’ve watched Kirsty Allsop’s attempts to get crafty on TV and thought you’d like to have a go too, try this easy Christmas garland, which I made in just a couple of hours last ...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
December 8th, 2011
Winter is the best time to plant a tree and, yes, I know it’s cold and wet out there, but after the ‘digging a big hole’ workout you'll be warm as toast and reap the benefits of these dramatic plants...
An ancient Chinese proverb says that ‘the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the next best time is today’, and I couldn’t agree more. Trees are the most spectacular of all plants and I'm on a mission to encourage everyone to include at least one in their garden or on their balcony.
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
November 18th, 2011
As I explained in my previous post here, now's a great time to plant tulip bulbs for beautiful blooms next year. If you're keen to get planting, but wondering what variety of tulip to choose, here's my favourites for you to try...
1. Menton (above)
I admire the quiet elegance of the single-flowered Menton. The flowers’ tall stems, classic tulip shape and beautiful blend of pink and peach look fabulous when planted in large groups...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
November 9th, 2011
When the winter blues start to hit in dark and dreary November I reach for my spade and think of spring. This may sound weird but it’s the best time to plant tulip bulbs and although they don’t look like much right now, pop them in a pot or in the ground and you’ll be rewarded with a blaze of colour next April and May. Buy your bulbs from specialists like Peter Nyssen, who offers a great choice and is very good value for money, or just go along to you...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
November 8th, 2011
With winter just round the corner and the nights closing in, you may feel that the garden is out of bounds, but with a garden room you can make the most of your outdoor space all year round. I’m a complete convert to these beautiful buildings, and bought a garden office about eight years ago to free up space in the house for my growing family. In fact, I’m writing this from my timber-clad hideaway, looking out on to beds of Michaelmas daisies, with birds hopping around on the trellis by my window, oblivious to me tappi...View more
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Posted by Zia Allaway, Garden Expert, ACHICA Living
November 4th, 2011
Design enthusiast Gillian Martin recently won the Are you an ACHICA shopper? competition. She invited us to go and visit her beautiful home, which she shares with husband Christian Harper and two-year-old son George. Take a look inside here … &nb...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
October 6th, 2011
This is it - this is our summer, so let's make the most of it. Before you know it we'll all be back in the lingerie department of M'n'S stocking up on an Autumn/Winter tights supply, so let's embrace what we've been given right now. Even if our summers can be a little unpredictable and bucket down with rain at a moment's notice, it's still a great idea to throw a barbecue, don your favourite al-fresco outfit and slap on the factor 30 (although perhaps factor 8 will do - my London-based friend messaged me yesterd...View more
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Posted by Emily Peck, Editor, ACHICA Living
July 29th, 2011
