ladiesfirst • living&lifestyle
HOME style
get bright, bold and very outdoorsy with prints, patterns and a splash of citrus
INDOORS OUTDOORS LUST-BUY We’ve fallen head over stilettos for the gorgeous new Lusaka pouf, £436, from Missoni Home. The perfect way to brighten any room, terrace, or conservatory, it’s designed for both indoor and outdoor use – so a savvy investment we say! www.amara.co.uk
Spending time in the garden has never been so comfy with the influx of indoor furniture designed for the great outdoors. We love this Luna Day Bed from John Lewis, perfect for lounging outside in the lap of luxury – just add cushions and a great summer read! Lantern £85, Luna day bed £1,499, tea-light holder £7.50, bowl oil lamp £35, all John Lewis. www.johnlewis.com
Summer Essential
TOP trend...YELLOW Embrace citrus chic with summer’s colour of choice
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Keep bugs at bay with these cute coloured citronella candles, £2 each, from Tesco www.tesco.com
PRETTY BUSY
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It’s the perfect time to get busy in the garden, and even if you begrudge those essential summer jobs, they’ll feel like a treat with the pretty new gardening accessories from Sainsbury’s. Floral gloves £4.99, raspberry hanging basket £5.99, tool set £14.99. www.sainsburys.co.uk 00
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2 1 White leather sofa £2,650, Canary fabric loveseat £1,950, yellow screen £1,350, drawer unit £895, yellow square table £495, mirror £192, all www.Heals.co.uk 2 £19.97, Wilkinson paint www.Wilkisonplus.com 3 Vase, £20, Bodie and Fou www.bodieandfou.com 4 Cushion, £29.95, Illustrated Living www.illustratedliving.co.uk
LIBERTY Prints Cake stand, £25
GARDENING WITH
Chris Collins
The Blue Peter gardener on growing your own this summer
Mug, £6 Teapot, £20
Get your own piece of Liberty whatever your budget, with the new Liberty of London for Target range. The iconic London department store has teamed up with American retail giant Target, to produce a stunning collection of homeware and accessories, showcasing archive Liberty prints in fresh and funky floral shades. Now that will impress at your summer afternoon tea parties! www.liberty.co.uk
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ladiesfirst • living&lifestyle
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Rookies: For beginners, basil, spinach, rocket and leaf crops are a good place to start because they grow from seed to crop very quickly – just 2 to 3 weeks in some cases. As with anything, growing your own is about building confidence, so start with a few simple veggies, and then once you’ve had fun with them you’ll get into growing lots of different things. Summer Veg: Carrots are always nice to grow in the ground this time of year, while mixed leaf salad seeds are great to sow into seed trays, and because they grow back, you’ll get about three crops from them. Growing things with neighbours too is a great idea, because you can swap and share crops and advice.
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Flowers: It’s nice to mix flowers in with your veg, and summer is the perfect time to plant your perennials. Plant a small strip near your vegetable patch so that the butterflies etc they attract will help to pollinate everything.
The new Sumptuous scented candle from NEOM Luxury Organics, with soothing rose and comforting orange blossom oils – perfectly indulgent for relaxing on those summer nights. www.neomorganics.com
Secret Tntips a real boost,
To give your tomato pla by mixing a d give them a liquid fee tiliser (available fer o at m seaweed extract to with water. The trick from garden centres) leaves very early in is to spray it onto the the morning.
Top 2...
Watering Cans
£34.95, Celia Birtwell at www.berryred.co.uk
£39.95, www.gettingpersonal.co.uk
Pest control: If you don’t like using chemical pesticides, there are a few natural alternatives. Firstly, you need to get out and look at what’s going on every day, and physically move what you can – slugs, snails and so on. Other things you can do include sprinkling coffee granules, egg shells, or gravel on the soil around your plants, or build decorative barriers. Leaving a bit of garden for wildlife like birds and toads will help too, as they’ll naturally keep certain pests away naturally.
3 Golden Rules:
Observation – get out and have a look at what you’re growing. Like a small pet, plants need attention! Feeding – check the water every day and boost plants with a liquid feed, or by covering them with mulch from garden centres. D.D.D – this stands for dead, disease or dying, and basically means that you need to keep things clean and hygienic, as dead pests can do secondary damage. Pick your crops as they ripen too, to avoid losing them and encourage more growth. For more tips on growing your own from Chris, check out his latest Crop Swap campaign with Plant for Life at www.plantforlife.info, or read his latest blog posts at www.chriscollins.org. 00