Over 35 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Renovating and Design Professionals in the UK and Around the World

London, UK, Monday 8th February 2016 – Kingston-upon-Thames based Touch Landscapes has won “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading online platform for home renovation and design. The successful garden and landscape design practice was selected by the 35 million plus monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community, from among more than one million active home building, renovating and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2015. A “Best Of Houzz 2016” badge will appear on winners’ Houzz profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metropolitan area on Houzz.

“We are delighted to have received this top accolade. It demonstrates both the popularity of our garden and landscape design services in the Houzz community and our commitment to first-class customer service” commented Georgina Chahed, founder and principle garden designer at Touch Landscapes.

“Anyone building, renovating or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionals” said Andrew Small, managing director of Houzz UK. “We’re so pleased to recognise Touch Landscapes, voted one of our “Best Of Houzz” professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively renovating and decorating their homes.”

To find out more about Touch Landscapes’ garden and landscape design services Tel: 07872 590303 Email: info@touchlandscapes.com visit: www.touchlandscapes.com or follow Touch Landscapes on Houzz at: www.houzz.com/pro/touchlandscapes

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Georgina Chahed principal garden designer at Touch Landscapes on Tel: 07872 590303 or Email: info@touchlandscapes.com

Notes for editors

About Touch Landscapes
Based in Kingston-upon-Thames, Touch Landscapes designs exquisite gardens and landscapes for domestic and commercial clients. Offering a range of services from consultancy to complete project management, Touch Landscapes helps clients realise the potential of their outdoor space, creating gardens and landscapes that reflect their personality and practical requirements. In 2015 Touch Landscapes scooped a silver Royal Horticultural Society award for its show border ‘The Teacup Garden’ at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. www.touchlandscapes.com

About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide.

In the latest of garden designer Georgina Chahed’s blog posts, she highlights her top five woody plants for winter interest…

When light levels and temperatures plummet, colour, structure and texture are essential for making your garden sparkle. Bring vibrancy and intoxicating scents to your outdoor space in winter by introducing some of these star performers:

1. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ (witch hazel)
A firm favourite, Jelena’s buttery autumn foliage makes way for spectacular citrus scented spidery orange flowers in winter. Great teamed with the equally architectural and colourful dogwood; which has a contrasting, upright habit.

2. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ (dogwood)
Slightly below the radar, dogwoods deserve much more attention from gardeners. With arresting ornamental stems, Sibirica produces red winter shoots and large leaves when pruned in summer. With its graceful variegated leaves, Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ is also worth considering.

3. Sarcococca hookeriana var. Digyna (sweet box)
Digyna is dense, with a spreading habit, glossy evergreen leaves and purple-green branches. It produces very fragrant creamy white flowers in February, followed by black fruit. Plump for this hardworking shrub and you’ll discover that it has plenty going for it, being both long flowering and hardy in winter weather.

4. Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’
Clusters of flowers open to pink heavenly scented winter blooms which last until spring. Daphnes are best situated in a sheltered spot and varieties such as Daphne odora are blessed with broad evergreen leaves too.

5. Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’ (Beautyberry)
I will never forget the first time I clapped eyes on Beautyberry in Bushy Park in Kingston – I went straight home and looked it up. With clusters of showy violet berries, this winter jewel shouts unapologetically, “Look at me!” Adorned with small lilac-pink flowers, its young purple lance shaped leaves turn rosy-pink in autumn. The shiny, vibrant fruits mean Profusion is ideal for placing centre stage, in front of a window. The berries also provide food for birds and animals. Cosset this diva with shelter and companions to pollinate her and you will be richly rewarded.

Remember to check that the eventual height and spread of your chosen shrub is appropriate for your garden. Also, be sure to select plants suitable for the soil type and horticultural conditions you have.

What are your favourite plants for winter interest? Leave a comment, I’d love to know.

Touch Landscapes designs gardens with year round interest. Call 07872 590 303 or email info@touchlandscapes.com to discuss your requirements.