A DREAM GARDEN FOR SUMMER

This year, Cat & Mouse Landscapes celebrates 25 years of providing both landscaping services and Scotts of Thrapston’s range of stylish summerhouses, throughout East Sussex and Kent

It was in 1997 that David Granger left his job as a graphic designer to set up his landscaping business, Cat & Mouse Landscapes. Based near Hailsham in East Sussex, and working across East Sussex and Kent, this year David is celebrating his company’s 25th anniversary.

Cat & Mouse Landscapes has grown significantly since those early days when David mostly oˆered garden maintenance services, initially just as a stopgap until he found an alternative career. But he found that working outdoors was such a welcome change from his former o‰ce job that landscaping and gardening soon became his vocation. He’s dedicated the past 25 years to perfecting his trade.

From terracing and patios to retaining walls, ponds, kitchen gardens and every other hard landscaping feature you can think of, David can oˆer pragmatic, practical advice and the complete service to finish your project. He’s also adept at soft landscaping – the lawns and planting that bring a garden together.

In addition, 15 years ago, David began working with renowned summerhouse manufacturer Scotts of Thrapston to supply and install its premium garden buildings – he’s one of just six such agents in the UK. “It’s a premier brand with a high-quality product and the same ethos of customer service as my own,” he explains. Scotts of Thrapston also has a long-standing reputation and history, and celebrated its own special anniversary in 2020 – its centenary – when a range of summerhouses made from ethically sourced hardwood was launched.

Summerhouses are such a boon. Not only do they help gardeners cherish every moment of a fleeting English summer, they can provide a cosy, relaxing hideaway to while away the hours, somewhere to work or indulge in a hobby, and they often form the focal point of a garden’s design. The Scotts of Thrapston range is extensive, encompassing all shapes and sizes, and Cat & Mouse

Landscapes can supply and install them all. The range starts with models such as the bijou Baltimore summerhouse: a traditional octagonal design that’s two metres in diameter with leaded casement windows and a decorative roof finished with your choice of slate-e“ect tiles or cedar shingles.

The Burghley model is similar in style, but larger, with a spacious interior that will easily fit chairs and sofas or a dining set for entertaining, and a choice of lead-e“ect or cedar shingle roof is o“ered. Both the Baltimore and Burghley summerhouses can be viewed at Cat & Mouse Landscapes’ show garden in Featherstone, along with Scotts of Thrapston’s Sun Ray Garden Room. The

Sun Ray model on display at Cat & Mouse is 3.4m wide, but models go up to 4.4m in width. At just over two metres deep, these well-proportioned garden buildings lend themselves perfectly for use as a hobby room or home oˆce.

“The Featherstone show garden overlooks the Pevensey Levels National Nature Reserve,” says David, “and it’s the ideal way for customers to see and experience the summerhouses first hand in a landscaped environment.” It’s been four years since he started developing the landscaped gardens here; simply book an appointment online to view the summerhouses for yourself. A second show garden at Corker Outdoor Living in Paddock Wood, Kent, has Scotts of Thrapston’s Baltimore model on display.

If you dream of adding a summerhouse to your garden, now’s the time to get in touch so it can be in place, ready to help you make the most of your outside space this summer. And for any landscaping job, whether it’s re-laying a path, building a raised bed, adding a pond or a new patio or completely overhauling the design of your garden, David and Cat & Mouse Landscapes can help you make your project a reality.

To find out more, including further information about Scotts of Thrapston’s summerhouse range, call 01323 833600 or visit catandmouselandscapes.com

Above A well-positioned summerhouse can form the focal point of a garden, like this Scotts of Thrapston Sun Ray Garden Room summerhouse with cedar shingle roof.

Clockwise from top left The Baltimore summerhouse from Scotts of Thrapston; spacious interiors; the octagonal Baltimore summerhouse installed by Cat & Mouse Landscapes; David’s landscaping services include creating paths and beds.