The first in a new series of Alan Titchmarsh's 'Love your Garden' aired on ITV1 on 25th February 2020 and what am amazing garden they created this week!

Maidenhead Aquatics is incredibly proud to have been able to contribute to this project as not only were the results of the team's hard work stunning, but the beneficiary of the garden was a truly worthy and inspiring young man.

Harri, a teenager from Hull was diagnosed with a significant life-limiting illness but in spite of this, his love of nature and zest for life was incredible. The garden which was designed to be a haven for wildlife but also a retreat for Harri and his mum during the challenging times ahead was a real showpiece.

A central element of the garden was a bespoke super-sized, 3m wide wildlife pond linked to the rest of the garden with some cleverly designed decking. The pond base was dug out and then lined with sand to protect the liner from any sharp objects in the soil before ensuring that the liner was as free from folds as possible before masking the unsightly liner edges with pebbles for a beach-like entrance to the pond. If you are thinking of building a pond in your garden, speak to our in-store teams about your pond liner needs or check out our pond liner range available online here.

It was recommended that around 1/3 to 1/2 of the surface of a pond should be covered with plants and the team did a great job adding a range of pond plants including Water Spearmint, Club Rush (which offers the added benefit of not only looking good but also releases bubbles of oxygen into the water during the day providing additional oxygenation for an aquatic life which might take up residence there) and Marsh Marigold (which produces bright yellow buttercup-like flowers early in the Spring). Check out our Databank for planting ideas for your own pond projects here.

Another stunning feature of this garden was this unusual water wall which incorporates Oase’s non-rust stainless steel waterfall blades to create a relaxing section of the garden to be enjoyed by Harri and his mum when they want to relax and spend quality quiet time together.

If you have been inspired by any of the water features in this garden, pop into your local store to discuss how you might recreate something similar in your own garden with our friendly store teams.