August 2014
GARDEN
Style
Garden Advice • Expert Tips • Exclusive Offers
Tips for the perfect outdoor living space
Facts you may not know about the ever so popular Hydrangea
Online magazine
The perfect recipe for your fruit harvest
CREATE The perfect outdoor space
T To achieve the perfect outdoor living space it is important to create a seamless link between the garden and your indoor living areas. Creating an outdoor dining area to entertain family and friends is a great way of extending your living space. Pick a Theme To pull off that professional interior design look the first thing to do is choose a theme and stick with it. A theme will give you a clear direction and prevent you from buying random items that do not match your theme. Countless outdoor living spaces lose their way over time due to the lack of a theme. Your theme can be based on colour combinations, patterns or classic designs such as the quintessential English garden. Investing in new cushions and parasols can brighten up any outdoor living space and bring your old furniture back to life. You can add unity and diversity to your theme by repeating a colour provided by a variety of
different plants. Colour themes are a very effective design trick for adding beauty and unity to your garden. Choose Wisely If you have a balcony then a small bistro set along with a couple of stylish pots planted with some simple ornamental grasses or ferns will instantly
Coloured cushions and parasols will brighten up any outdoor living space and bring your old furniture to life. transform it into a relaxing dining space. For larger gardens a 4 to 6 seater set is the way to go and with more table space you can complete the look by selecting some stylish table accessories or lighting. We have a great range of table lanterns at our garden centres that will give you that cosy feeling whilst dining and allow you to enjoy your al-fresco experience long into the evening.
Plan for Growth Whichever plants you decide to use remember to plan for growth, it is important to give your plants room to grow. If you must have a dense, full landscape right away, plant with the intent to relocate or remove some plants as they mature, to do this simply keep the plants in their pots. This allows for easy transport allowing you to relocate them when needed. Use Foliage with Colour & Texture For added depth choose plants with interesting forms and textures and opt for perennials with colourful foliage. For year round colour there is nothing better than colourful textured foliage.
Plants to Try Hosta 'Wide Brim' Carex 'Red Rooster' Pennisetum ‘Cream Falls’ Heuchera
Avant COLLECTION
TEAK
The avant collection is a firm favourite with our customers due to its stunning looks and high grade materials. Constructed using precision engineered, high quality weather resistant tubular stainless steel combined with Teak, Textilene and HPL (High Pressure Laminate) produces beautiful high quality, low maintenance garden furniture. The teak used is ideal for outdoor furniture and is FSC certified, with many weather resistant properties. The Avant classic teak table comfortably seats six people and when used with the Avant classic extension leaf can seat up to twelve people, making it the perfect furniture set for large gatherings or family BBQ's. It also includes a 50mm central parasol dock to keep the whole family cool on those hot summer days.
Teak (Tectona Grandis) is an ideal hardwood for constructing outdoor furniture. With a beautiful smooth texture and a subtle striped grain. Teak has a naturally high oil content giving the wood a formidable resistance to extreme weather.
Alexander Rose Avant Teak
Alexander Rose Avant Teak
Alexander Rose Avant Classic
Stacking Armchair
Table 1.6Mx1.0M
Teak Extension Leaf 1.0 x 0.66m
Swiss Grill Zurich Z2 650D The Z650D Zurich Series Propane Barbecue Grill appeals to your sense of adventure with a luxurious design and exciting grilling features that are guaranteed to bring out the grill master in you. The Z650D Gas Grill offers high results and precise cooking with 6 solid stainless steel burners and thick stainless steel grids with flavour waves that are built to last through some of the harshest weather conditions. A Swiss style thermometer on the grill allows you to grill like a professional. It produces an accurate viewing of the temperatures of your grilled goods to ensure that they are cooked to perfection every time.
The Z650D Zurich Series Barbecue Grill is not just for grilling. It also features an adjustable infrared side-burner perfect for searing meats or boiling pots & pans, a commercial grade rotisserie, and a signature bottle opener. This barbecue is built to last with a double skinned, stainless steel hood panel, a double drawer roller system and hidden caster wheels for easy mobility. The grill cart Z650D Zurich Series Grill is designed with ease of use in mind comes complete with pull out drawers to house grilling tools, seasoning and spices or any other grill accessory.
ÂŁ1,699.95
PLANT OF THE MONTH
Hydrangea Facts ● Hydrangeas are one of very few plants that accumulate aluminium. Aluminium is released from acidic soils, and forms complexes in the Hydrangea flower giving them their blue colour. ● Hydrangeas produce their main flower clusters from the tips of shoots formed from the previous season. If the terminal buds of these shoots are destroyed, the plant usually fails to bloom. The chief causes of destruction of the terminal buds are excessive cold in winter and uninformed pruning. ● The Japanese refer to these Hydrangea plants as Mountain Hydrangeas because they originate in the mountainous areas on the islands of Japan. These Hydrangeas are smaller in stature and have smaller leaves and delicate lacecap flowers. ● Although most Hydrangeas bloom in summer and fall, a few Hydrangeas have developed the ability to set new bloom buds in the spring after the old ones have been pruned off or damaged. ● ‘Endless Summer’ produces blooms more than once a season, this trait is referred to as being "remontant".
PLANT PROFILE
Japanese anemones Japanese anemones give borders a welcome boost in late summer and early autumn. 'Honorine Jobert' is a particularly choice cultivar, single flowers, tinged with pink on the underside of the petals. Its fine qualities have won it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.
Light Japanese anemones are happiest in partly shaded conditions. I've found that an eastern exposure works well; it allows the plants to benefit from morning sun while protecting them from blazing afternoon heat. In full sun, their foliage may burn and flower colour can look washed out. Full shade produces fewer flowers, but with deeper and richer colouring. Soil They accept a wide range of soil type from sandy loam to heavy clay so extraordinary measures aren't called for. However, as with any perennial, a healthy dose of organic matter added to the planting hole before installation will make for a long, floriferous life. As an added bonus, aside from the cultivar ‘Party Dress' (which doesn't do well in limey soils), Japanese anemones adapt easily to acidic, neutral or alkaline soils. Care Despite their predisposition for moist soil conditions, Japanese anemones perform well without much supplementary irrigation, and indeed, in warmer zones where plants may become precocious, withholding water is the best method for keeping clumps contained. Large, double-flowered varieties usually require some discreet staking, particularly after heavy rains. On poor soils to improve flowering, feeding may be required using an organic fertiliser such as bonemeal.
Common Name: Japanese anemone Genus: Anemone Species: x hybrida Cultivar: 'Honorine Jobert' Skill Level: Beginner Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade Hardiness: Hardy Soil type: Well-drained/light, Acidic
THE ULTIM
ATE SUMME R
PUDDING
For the filling 300g strawberries 250g blackberries 100g redcurrants 500g raspberries OR 1¼kg/2lb 12oz mixed berries and currants of your choice 175g golden caster sugar 7 slices day-old white bread, from a square, medium-cut loaf METHOD Bring out the juices: Wash fruit and gently dry on kitchen paper – keep strawberries separate. Put sugar and 3 tbsp water into a large pan. Gently heat until sugar dissolves – stir a few times. Bring to a boil for 1 min, then tip in the fruit (not strawberries). Cook for 3 mins over a low heat, stirring 2-3 times. The fruit will be softened, mostly intact and surrounded by dark red juice. Put a sieve over a bowl and tip in the fruit and juice. Prepare the bread: Line the 1.25-litre basin with cling film as this will help you to turn out the pudding. Overlap two pieces in the middle of the bowl as it’s easier than trying to get one sheet to stick to all of the curves. Let the edges overhang by about 15cm. Cut the crusts off the bread. Cut 4 pieces of bread in half, a little on an angle, to give 2 lopsided rectangles per piece. Cut 2 slices into 4 triangles each and leave the final piece whole.
Build the pud: Dip the whole piece of bread into the juice for a few secs just to coat. Push this into the bottom of the basin. Now dip the wonky rectangular pieces one at a time and press around the basin’s sides so that they fit together neatly, alternately placing wide and narrow ends up. If you can’t quite fit the last piece of bread in it doesn’t matter, just trim into a triangle, dip in juice and slot in. Now spoon in the softened fruit, adding the strawberries here and there as you go. Let flavours mingle then serve: Dip the bread triangles in juice and place on top – trim off overhang with scissors. Keep leftover juice for later. Bring cling film up and loosely seal. Put a side plate on top and weight down with cans. Chill for 6 hrs or overnight. To serve, open out cling film then put a serving plate upside-down on top and flip over. Serve with leftover juice, any extra berries and cream.