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Give your lawn the care and attention it deserves with a STIHL cordless lawn mower. Using STIHL Lithium-Ion batteries, the STIHL cordless range is packed full of useful features that make mowing the lawn much easier.

An automatic eco mode helps conserve battery power, mono handles make emptying the grass box simpler, whilst the powerful and efficient motors ensure a high quality cut and collection. STIHL cordless mowers are also lightweight, quiet and easy to manoeuvre, making them ideal for small to large-sized lawns. Plus the high capacity batteries give large area coverage and fit a whole range of hand-held garden tools from hedge trimmers to chainsaws too.

AVAILABLE FROM APPROVED STIHL DEALERS, SELECTED GARDEN CENTRES AND BY VISITING SHOP.STIHL.CO.UK

GET A SECOND BATTERY HALF PRICE WHEN YOU BUY A TOOL, BATTERY AND CHARGER *Buy any promotional set - which includes a tool, 2 x recommended batteries and a charger - and the price paid will include the second battery at half price. Terms and conditions apply - visit stihl.co.uk/cordless for full details.

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£3.99!

ENJOY A SUMMER OF

“IT’S THE PERFECT SPACE TO ENTERTAIN FRIENDS”

JULY ISSUE 24 JUNE - 28 JULY

GREAT IDEAS FOR YOUR GARDEN!

OUTDOOR LIVING

EASY PROJECTS TO CREATE AN OUTDOOR KITCHEN

22

FAST UPDATES TO ADD

SEASIDE STYLE ion

s y ✽ R v p yo plo o s b ✽ n- n b p b rb rig t now ✽ B ssf no f ss bloo s to p v y ✽ o

Agapanthus Twister The first and only hardy bi-coloured Award-Winning Agapanthus in the world

BUY 3

SAVE

£12

A TRUE STAR IN THE WORLD OF AGAPANTHUS AND THE ONLY HARDY BLUE BI-COLOURED VARIETY IN THE WORLD. In summer clusters of intriguing flowers form magnificent bi-coloured globes up to 8 inches across upon strap-shaped, clump forming foliage. Once established you will also have enough blooms to cut for the home. Perfect for pollinators and holds the coveted Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Agapanthus love having their roots restricted and grow well in a sunny position in poor soil, making them well suited for pots as well as a border, reaching a height and spread of 50cm (20") Your order is covered by our No Quibble Guarantee and will be confirmed together with a copy of our latest catalogue. Your 9cm pots will be delivered in July.

ORDER ONLINE hayloft.co.uk

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Simple pleasu r in Julyes

COV E R P HOTOS : G A P PH OTOS / F I O N A L E A/ FR IE DR I C H S TR AU S S

PH OTO : S H UT T E R S TO C K

Sitting in as a glass of hady spot with somethin g cold The scen t of fresh ly picked Heavenly herbs agapanth us bloom s

My garden is a tale of two halves at the moment as it’s mid revamp.

Sitting on the yet-to-be-paved patio, if I gaze to the right, I see silvery spikes of sea holly and black-velvet scabious buttons weaving through tall grasses, all spilling from a pleasingly straight run of raised beds.

I’m idly entertained by the sight of newly opened blooms, distracted by damselflies alighting on bobbing blooms, fed by the saturation of soothing green. A blackbird, made bold by all the grubs exposed as I built the beds, is often there, too, searching the bare soil beneath the bay tree for a meal. The scene satisfies my soul: it brings a warm fuzziness and makes me feel good. My view to the left is a little different. Other than an untidy pile of bricks that needs clearing, the base of a rotten shed I took down last weekend, the garden here is bare: a sterile expanse of fence and grass. When I look left, I feel nothing, other than a mild unease as I recall the ungodly size of the spiders that scuttled from beneath the old shed. It’s a non-feeling of depressing emptiness that mirrors this unloved half of my plot. The stark contrast has made me realise how much joy my garden gives me, just as the recent months of Covid-19 confinement have left me eagerly anticipating garden barbecues with friends like never before. What used to seem commonplace is now a glorious treat, and the only difference is that I’ve learnt to savour what I once took for granted, to appreciate the blissful highlights of humdrum and adore the everyday. I hope you’re enjoying your garden afresh too. July isn’t for jobs, it’s for outdoor living, so put your feet up – and send us a photo of your heavenly view!

Editor Emma Kendell You can find us on www.moderngardensmagazine.co.uk Facebook Modern Gardens Magazine Twitter @Modern_Gardens and you can post us your modern garden pics on Instagram @ModernGardens

Host a garden fest and indulge in some summer merrymaking, p100

rbecue Gather round a yltaeblemtoeapl,bap4 8 for a tapas-st

Inside this

Staycation SPECIAL

70

Enjoy lashings of colour all summer with easy-care blooms.

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WORTH OVER £500 TURN TO P29

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Garden makeovers

“Sundays are for barbecues, not roasts!”

20

ON THE COVER

This clever design blends old and new to create a versatile outdoor living space.

“It’s my happy chill-out place” 34

A compact garden is redesigned to create a summery escape from city life

“We love a drink on our gin deck!”

42

This terrace is a room with a view.

90

I’m in the garden

We take a peek over a reader’s fence.

114

Our garden crush

It’s where we’d like to be this month!

Simple projects 25

Natural high

Add vertical interest to your garden.

30

Patio pockets

Create sweet-scented patches of pretty chamomile for a fast garden update.

52

Upcycled bee hotel

Welcome solitary bees into your space.

54

The owners of this stylish space never tire of the view.

Message in a bottle

How to make heart-warming gifts for neighbours and friends.

76

Striking screen

Use a slatted fence panel to create more room for blooms and zone your plot.

83

Now we’re cooking!

SMALL GARDENS

BIG IDEAS

ON THE COVER

Turn your barbecue into a stylish outdoor kitchen with these clever ideas.

88

We love to make

Add staycation style to your outside space with these fun planters.

Outdoor living 14

Staycation summer

56

Easy ways to add coastal charm.

ON THE COVER

Add a holiday vibe to your garden and enjoy a relaxing week in the sun.

33

Fiona’s patch

A small, town garden in Lincolnshire is brought back to life.

48

Tabletop barbecues

ON THE COVER

Gather round one of these super-chic grills and enjoy cooking together.

100

Host your own garden fest

The best summer festival is happening right here in your outside space. ON THE COVER

We LOVE this!

14

Style up your garden for a stay-at-home holiday.

Easy ideas 6

6

Earthy pleasures

What to buy, make and do this month.

38

40

Selina’s garden style

Go thrifty chic with these on-trend styling ideas and glorious garden buys.

56

Life’s a beach

ON THE COVER

Add seaside vibes to your garden and let the coast come to you this summer.

64

What to do in your garden

Simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month.

Make your own rose petal lemonade for sipping in the sun.

9

78

Plant a corner

Enjoy a magical cornucopia of vibrant blooms inspired by Game of Thrones.

106

y

Lick into shape

Get creative with a few pots of paint and turn your shed into a work of art.

New and on-trend summer buys.

93

We love outdoor living

Your garden highlights.

96

Q&A

Got a question about your garden?

We’ve got the answer.

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Paws & whiskers

Enjoying your garden with your pets.

111

Ultimate alliums

Save money on easy-care bulbs.

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Sow a crop and enjoy deliciously fresh summer salads in just two weeks.

Best buys 12

Blooming lovely

Plants and shrubs to buy now, plus give our edible garden basket a try.

46

On-trend outdoor rugs

10 buys for a quick and easy patio update from tasteful tassels to arty swirls.

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The best plants to buy now, and how to make sure they survive. ON THE COVER

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Earthy DREAM

PLANT

GROW

PICK

MAKE

BUY

EASY IDEAS HEAVENLY SCENT

New look for lanterns

THE FLOWERS OF FRIENDSHIP Along with freshly mown grass and sun lotion,

Ignore the unspoken rule that lights strung high should only be of the fairy or festoon kind for dramatic results.

Oversized lanterns suspended at varying heights on a rope slung over pergola slats look so modern, and they provide enough lighting to see what you’re eating, too – just ensure the lanterns are light and secured safely. Bamboo Lantern, £65 thewhitecompany.co.uk

F E ATU R E: F I G AL L E Y. PH OTOS : G E TT Y I M AG E S, TH EJ OYO F PL A N TS.CO.U K , SH UT T ERS TO C K

the citrusy scent of freesias is up there when it comes to heavenly smells of summer. The dainty blooms sit prettily on top of slender stems, in an array of joyous shades. Yellows, blues and whites will last longer in a vase than their fellow reds and pinks, but the latter shades emit the most intense scent. Display in a group of tall vessels to support the stems, adding a few teaspoons of sugar to the water to enhance their perfume. Freesias symbolise friendship, so send a bunch to a friend you haven’t seen for a while – try the Guernsey Freesias bouquet, from £29.95/20 fineflora.com

WAY UP HIGH It’s easy to enliven an evergreen when a planter looks as plucky as this one. Chasing Rainbows Hanging Planter, £10 redcandy.co.uk IN THE CLOUDS evoir to an achy neck mer when you’re ming in the garden. w T l Pill w

WHAT’S UP DOC? It’s not too late to sow these rainbow-bright veggies.

Carrot Seeds Rainbow Mix, £1.75 suttons.co.uk

We LOVE this!

RAINBOWYour post-wor special served glasses. Rainb £15/4 marksan

➣ 20

MODERN GARDENS 7

@ T HE WH I T E H O R S EF LOWER

WHAT O PLANT NOW

INSTAGRAM INSPIRATION The pandemic has some positives, one being that

Black radishes If you’ve never tried black radishes, you’re missing out! They pack a more peppery punch than their red cousins, and their black skin against crisp, white flesh makes them a visually stunning alternative. They’re fast and faff-free to grow – just sow the seeds (such as Black Spanish Round Organic Radish Seeds, £1.99, organiccatalogue.com) in well-drained soil in a sunny spot,

M

more of us seem to be slowing down, getting outside and appreciating nature… as well as cooing over beautiful flower arrangements on Instagram! This month, we’re following @thewhitehorseflower where Berkshire-based florist, Lindsey Kitchin, posts incredible pictures of blooms, plus tutorials and musings, too. If you want to while away an hour looking at strangers’ wedding pictures, well, you’re in the right place.

and they’ll be ready to harvest in about two months. Julienne and dunk into humous, slice and toss into a salad for a fiery kick, or sauté or roast in salt and butter and serve alongside baked fish.

If you can’t handle the heat, sprinkling them with salt first reduces their pungency. They’ll keep fresh and crisp in the fridge (wrap in newspaper first) for approximately two weeks.

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eath mon brella,

ylish n. mara.com

Two weeks somewhere remote and sunny may be a pipe dream this year, but here’s a rather fabulous way to recreate holiday-happy at home (you’ll just have to imagine the pool!). Garden Tiki Bar with Stools, W128cm, £269 direct.asda.com

th sc sat £24 8 MO

TIKI TREAT

D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

Rose petal lemonade

Rose petals are edible and make a fragrant addition to lemonade – pick them in the morning for the best colour and flavour.

EASY IDEAS MAKE IT!

A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY

YOU WILL NEED ✽ 1 large handful of freshly picked rose petals, gently washed ✽ 200g caster sugar ✽ 3 lemons (juice only) ✽ 750ml bottle of sparkling water ✽ Glass bottle with cap or flip top (optional) WHAT TO DO 1 Boil 450ml of tap water in a small saucepan.

Turn off the heat, add the rose petals and leave to steep for 30-40 minutes.

2 Gently squeeze the liquid from the petals and leave to cool completely. Discard the petals.

3 Meanwhile, boil 280ml tap water in another saucepan, then stir in the sugar until dissolved.

Leave to cool completely.

4 Combine the sugar mixture with the rose petal water, stir in the lemon juice and sparkling water. Pour into a bottle and chill in the fridge.

PH OTO : S TO C K FO O D

/ e n g a p m a h C l e e t -s TI P A s t a i n l e s s 0, .5 4 £ , r e p p o t S e l Prosecco Bott zz fi e h t n i a t n o c l l i johnlewis.com, w onade in y our l e m 3 COLOURFUL DECKCHAIRS

LAZY LOUNGER The jaunty sling on this deckchair is removable and machinewashable, plus, it won’t fade in the sun. Deckchair Frame, £39, and Endless Summer Days Sling, £10 johnlewis.com

TROPICAL TREAT This easy-folding frame with a punchy pattern adjusts to three different positions.

Wooden Deck Chair Ipanema Fruit, £38 argos.co.uk

CONTEMPORARY CAN Of late, watering cans have morphed from functional into fanciful and this beauty is no exception. We love the masculine design and feminine colour combo. Hay Watering Can, £25 huhstore.com

SUNNY DELIGHT Made from robust oak, the print is graphic enough to grab attention, but subtle enough to work in most settings. Maui Solid Oak Deckchair with Palm Tree Print Sling, £60 habitat.co.uk

J U LY 2 0 2 0

MODERN GARDENS 9

Quick make!

Easy spoon garden markers Create that etched look, without having to invest in an expensive stamping set.

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Dessert spoons (use old ones or buy cheaply from eBay or charity shops) ✽ Printer and paper ✽ Lefranc Transcryl Transfer Medium, £11.91 greatart.co.uk WHAT TO DO 1 Decide on your herb/veggie names and font, then type and print on paper to the size you want them to be on the spoons. Cut out, leaving a small border around each one.

2 Following the product instructions for the transfer medium, position each label in the middle of each spoon and apply four thin coats of the transfer, leaving 20 minutes between each coat for drying time.

3 Soak the spoons in water and gently rub away the original paper, before applying a final coat of the transfer.

buy r o , n w o r u o y n es ig d d n a e v i t a e r c t .com t e e r TIP Ge t s h g i h e h t n o t no , 3 / 7 1 £ , e d a m y read 3 AL FRESCO DINING BUYS Di ap ser Bur Pizz £25 conn

QUARANTINI ANYONE? Lockdown’s advent saw all sorts of at-home experiments to conjure up new cocktails – or locktails! Up the ante and grow your own garnishes for your concoctions. Cocktail Growbar, £12 notonthehighstreet.com WILD WEST Just add water to this cactus in a can to add a little pizzazz to your window sill. £5.99 prezzybox.com

TEENY TREATS Mix and match and use as coasters or tea light holders, or to serve nibbles. Mini Porcelain Dish, £1.99 each hm.com

MEALS ON WHEELS This outdoor trolley has storage space for crockery and condiments and can be wheeled – and left – outside. Klasen Outdoor Trolley, £80 ikea.com

10 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

FOAM-FREE ARRANGERS The RHS is banning florist’s foam from shows next year due to its toxic properties for the environment.

Use these Japanese pads embedded with rust-proof, brass pins to hold stems instead. Mini Kenzan Set, £12/4 niwaki.com

TEXTURED MONOCHROME

Black and white is a trend that keeps returning for good reason – it looks great! Monochrome is chic, simple and classic, but it needs a twist to keep it current. This season’s spin sees it combined ith t l t i l f b b d tt

RATTAN ROCKS This corker of a chair is comfy and modern in equal measures. Karina Rattan Lounge Chair, £230 perchandparrow.com

Trend alert!

POT BLACK The contrast of a lush green succulent against a simple, jet-black pot adds a little bit of wow.

Black Plant Pot, £12.99 hm com

EARN YOUR STRIPES A classic pattern in timeless monochrome makes this cushion a keeper. Skandi BIT ON THE SIDE Stitch Garden This artisan side table is made Cushion, £14 from sturdy braided resin and will argos.co.uk defy adverse weather and UV rays. Circus Outdoor Side Table, H45cm, £150 laredoute.co.uk

TEXTURE TREAT Stackable 2/3 Seater Garden Bench, £215.50, and Sphynx Folding Black Printer Garden Armchair, £65, both mainsonsdumonde.com

TIP Da rk colou

EASY IDEAS

rs get hotter in th e s un s o pos ition in the sh ade or unde r a p arasol

PRINT WORKS An outdoor rug is the faste route to bringing the indoo out. Skarrild Outdoor Rug, 230 £60 ik k

HIGH FLYER Hanging planters tick he vertical planting rend, as well as adding sense of height and nterest. Mila Woven Grass Hanging Planter, 20 laredoute.co.uk

Blooming lovely IN JULY Try our pick of the most beautiful plants you can buy now ‘JEZEBEL’ £5/9cm pot

Shameless and unrestrained, as the name would suggest! Bearing masses of showy, pink-red flowers, it’s perfect for a dry spot. Height and Spread 80cm. middletonnurseries.co.uk

3

UMMERY

ages

‘VIOLA KL

£5.99/9cm pot Add a splash of colour at the front of a well-drained, fertile border with these tall spikes of dark purple, hooded flowers.

Prolong flowering by deadheading. Height and Spread 50cm. crocus.co.uk

S FISHING LACKBIRD’

touch of loveliness

9cm pot n’t know why people don’t w this in their rdens because t loves to be eft alone and g for very little t’s still enough hat everyone o know what it is. rass-like slender long arching g dark purple blooms. Plant it in fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered spot. Height 100cm Spread 30cm. suttons.co.uk

12 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

£5.70/9cm pot Cool down on a hot summer’s da with these striking sky-blue, long lipped blooms. A super stylish addition to your garden! It needs protecting from frost. Hei 50cm Spread 40cm. bethchatto

Three plants for fabulously big blooms

7.9o9t £1m p 9c

‘PURPLE CLOUD’

The intense 25cm violet flower heads of this agapanthus sway high above mounds of strappy foliage. Plant in a sunny spot.

Height 1m Spread 50cm. crocus.co.uk

£6ee.9dl5ings 5s

£6m.9p5ot 9c

SUNFLOWER ‘CLARET’ ‘ANNABELLE’

These wine-red sunflowers have a gorgeous metallic lustre and the blooms grow to 15cm. Plant in a sunny spot.

Height 1.8m Spread 60cm. sarahraven.com

The spectacular creamy-white globes of this hydrangea are the size of dinner plates! Pop in a sheltered spot to avoid frost damage. Height and Spread 2.5m. gardens4you.co.uk

F E AT U R E: C L AR E WAL K E R. P H OTOS : A L A M Y, S H U TTE R S TO C K , G A P PH OTOS / N ICO LA S TO C KE N

G POINT

GENTIAN SAGE ‘CAMBRIDGE BLUE’

BEST BUYS

GIVE IT A TRY

EDIBLE GARDEN BASKET

CHIVES

£9.99/3 x 9cm pots Super-easy to grow, taste good on almost anything and you can eat the bright purple flowers as well as the leaves. Height 45cm Spread 10cm. marshallsgarden.com

Hang this pretty hanging basket outside your back door, near your barbecue or next to your outdoor dining area and enjoy the vitality and zest that a few simple sprigs or edible blooms can add to your favourite dishes. It’s easy to grow and looks amazing too!

What are the plants? Lovely purple hues of dainty, small-headed edible violas, chives and lavender guarantee your basket will look as good as it tastes throughout the summer. Combined with beautifully fragrant French parsley, a mainstay of Mediterranean cooking, it will be sure to take your summer barbecues to another level.

Where do they thrive? Your basket will be happy in a sunny, well-drained spot. Water regularly and snip small sprigs or edible flowers little and often to promote fresh growth. Rotate your basket every few days to keep all sides looking their best.

der

HEART’S EASE

£1/plug plant Profuse edible flowers in shades of purple, violet, cream and yellow. Perfect for pepping up summer salads and desserts.

Height 12cm Spread 15cm. naturescape.co.uk

FRENCH PARSLEY

£4/1L pot A must-have for its fabulous flavour, it also makes a skinsoothing face mask when combined with yogurt and apple cider vinegar. Height and Spread 45cm. homebase.co.uk J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 13

Sta

i

F E AT U R E: J U L ES B A RTO N - B R EC K

Add a HOLIDAY VIBE to your garden and treat yourself to a relaxing WEEK IN THE SUN

14

C

ancelled your overseas holiday this year? Feeling a little peeved you’re missing out on your usual sunny switch-off from everyday life? Then start planning your staycation break right now! You only need to spend a tiny fraction of your travelling budget on a few new accessories for your garden that will replicate the feel of your favourite

MODERN GARDENS

J U LY 2 0 2 0

holiday haunt or dream destination, and an afternoon transforming your outside space with our clever and inspiring ideas. Then block off some time in your calendar and look forward to enjoying all the benefits of a break without any of the hassles of travelling or packing. If you can, stick to the holiday dates you’d already planned in.

Whether it’s a week, or two, book time off

work, give yourself and everyone else in your house permission to ditch the chores (aside from filling up the fridge and drinks cupboard of course!), and make a pledge not to do anything you wouldn’t do if you were on holiday overseas. We promise you that you’ll get that holiday feeling as your home-break gets closer, and you’ll feel a lot better after your relaxation staycation!

OUTDOOR LIVING

Trending

now

Styling up your garden and e joying a staycation break at h me to reap the feel-good e efits a holiday brin .

California dreaming

This is where old Mexican style meets modern architecture to create a sophisticated, laid-back vibe. Enclose two sides of your pergola with slatted or roll-out fence panels, sling a hammock between two posts, add lots of spiky tropical plants in angular pots and comfy up your seating with tropical print cushions in dusky shades.

Metro Handwoven Cotton Yellow Rug, L150 x W90cm £87.99, Aptos Outdoor Cushion Cover £15.99, Copeland Hammock £67.99, all wayfair.co.uk 1

2

3

Sleek & serene 1 Pimlico Lantern Candle

Holders, £50/3 johnlewis.com 2 Artificial Leaves, £6 wilko.com 3 Exotic Floral Print Outdoor Cushion, £14.99 beanbagbazaar.co.uk 4 Yucca gloriosa £65/9L pot paramountplants.co.uk 5 Plastic Wine Glass, £1 wilko.com 6 Joslyn Rolled Fence Panel, £64.99 wayfair.co.uk 7 Key Largo Rattan Planters, from £29.99 mainefurniture.co.uk

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 15

GET INTO THE MOOD

Think about how you could easily switch up your garden by moving what you’ve already got around. Your aim is to make your plot feel a little different, and you can do this by rearranging your existing items as well as treating yourself to a few new buys. Swap the furniture around on your patio, regroup your pots into different positions and pinch some bits and bobs from inside your home if the forecast is good. Unroll bamboo screening along a fence for an instant holiday vibe. Hang lanterns from a tree or pergola. And, if there’s a wall you need to paint anyway, why not give it a temporary coat of tropical-garland pink, Italian-villa white or Med-side terracotta?

SOMEWHERE TO LAZE

A comfy spot to laze should be first on your list and a hammock is the ultimate holiday lounger.

If you’re a solitary sun-lover or a let-me-readbooks-all-day kind of person, then choose the quietest and sunniest spot in your garden.

If you’ve got a pair of conveniently positioned trees, then go for a hammock sling and tie around the trunks. Or, try attaching a hammock or strong sheet (feed heavy-duty rope through the top and bottom seams) to fence posts or your pergola. Check the structure is strong enough by tying each end of your hammock to a support, fold the material then sit on it.

Bounce gently with your feet on the ground until you’re confident the supports are safe.

Another option is to buy a free-standing hammock (try Charles Bentley Cream Canvas Hammock With Wooden Arc Stand, £149.99, robertdyas.co.uk) and position an angled parasol alongside so you can enjoy the sun as and when you want it (try Ibiza 2m Traditional Parasol in Ecru, £35.66, wayfair. co.uk). If your hammock is positioned over a paved area, add to the ambience by tipping a bag of sand underneath, with a few white pebbles to create that beachy moment.

A DIP IN THE POOL

While sparkling clear seas and tropical plunge pools are off limits this summer, you still need water to throw yourself into when the temperature rises. A grown-up inflatable pool is so refreshing to sit or lie in and gives you a tiny taste of the real thing. Position it in the sunniest spot in the garden so the water warms up throughout the day (try the Bestway 8ft Fast Set Pool, £39.99, very.co.uk).

1

Moroccan magic

This look is all about deep blues, pops of colour, Moorish geometric designs and lush planting. Paint a feature wall, add an outdoor rug and grow a star jasmine up a trellis or pergola for a heavenly scent reminiscent of Marrakesh markets. Bamboo Bed with Cushion £299, Terracotta Sandstone Side Tables £199/3, Mikasa Cheers Stemless Wine Glasses £19.99/4, Rattan Coasters £7.99/4, all dobbies.com

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5

1 Panza Stripe planter, £6.99 ivylinegb.co.uk 2 Kholsa Ceramic Candle, £12 habitat.co.uk 3 Zeenat Terracotta Plant Pot, £13.24 wayfair.co.uk

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3

Ocean blue hues

6

16

2

4 Star jasmine, £21.59/2L pot

thompson-morgan.com 5 Tie Dyed Tassel Cushion, £7 direct.asda.com 6 San Juan Outdoor Rug, £54.95 cuckooland.com 7 Medina Tealight Holders, £14.95/6 rexlondon.com

1

2

1 Indoor/Outdoor Cushion,

OUTDOOR LIVING

£12.99 beanbagbazaar.co.uk 2 Elzora Jug, £25 habitat.co.uk 3 Calamondin Orange, £13/15cm pot ikea.co.uk 4 Plastic Wine Glass, £1 poundland.co.uk 5 Bear’s breeches, £8.99/9cm pot crocus.co.uk 6 Outdoor Reversible Geo Rug, L150 x W80cm £55 next.co.uk 7 Rattan-Style Standing Planters – Set of 2, £45 very.co.uk

Seaside chic 7 5

Beach retreat

Transport yourself to sunnier climes with natural textures, bold blooms and the azure tones of a warm sea. Paint a wall or fence white, add turquoise accessories and pop a citrus plant in a terracotta pot on the patio. Pria Terracotta Outdoor Rug with Graphic Print, L200 x W133cm, £77 maisonsdumonde.com

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TIP Throw a fe

w sprigs of thyme , rosemar y and s on the barbecue f age or instant Medite rranean aroma

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 17

SUMMER NIGHTS

The more twinkling fairy lights and shimmering candles you can pack into your garden, the better, for dreamy al fresco evenings. Go for warm white, rather than white or coloured bulbs, as these create a softer ambience. Solar lights that automatically turn on are easiest. Trail along the tops of fences and walls as well as from side to side to create a magical canopy, wrap around a tree trunk, pergola or arch, or pop into large clear glass vases and position at the corners of your patio or decking.

Put several candles on a tray (make sure you line it as the candles will drip) and use as a patio table centrepiece, or light up a path or steps with a row of small pillar candles in Kilner or Mason jars. The bonus of using a lidded jar is that you don’t need to take them indoors if it rains – try Clip Lid Jars, from £1, wilko.com.

AL FRESCO MEALS

Plan a holiday menu with meals and drinks inspired by your chosen destination. You don need to cook everything on the barbecue bu keep time spent in the kitchen to a minimum and sit outside to prepare fruit and veg or cre marinades for fish or meat. Theme your outd dining table with a white tablecloth, rustic pla and chunky glasses, too – dibor.co.uk is a gre one-stop shop for these. Food sorted, it’s ont drinks… this is where the holiday garden fun starts! Cocktails are generally the first thing on the list so make sure you’re stocked up with lots of spirits, assorted mixers and ice. Buy beers or wine from the country you’re about to be virtually transported to. And forget the usual drinking time rules – if you’d have a pineapple daiquiri on holiday at lunchtime then treat yourself at home!

5

Bold & bright 6

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Lots of wood or wicker furniture and along with ochre and terracotta tones take you to that safari experience. Fill African animal plant pots with succulen hang rattan or bamboo lanterns. Acacia Resin Wicker Garden Armchair £270, M Wire Lantern £77, Sundara Outdoor Rug £131, Sundara Rhinoceros Figurine £197, all maisonsdumonde com

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Sunny tones 18

MODERN GARDENS

JU

y ‘Purple Sun’, ot thompson-morgan.com anging Sign, £3 asda.com rinks Set, £14.99 vonshef.com el Throw, £20 direct.asda.com werpot, £35 beaumonde.co.uk g Planter, £34.99 very.co.uk catter Cushion, £8 matalan.co.uk

1 Ipanema Parasol, £18 argos.co.uk 2 Solvinden Outdoor Lighting

4

Chain, £25 ikea.co.uk 3 Boho Global Gathering Outdoor Rug, £30 talkingtables.co.uk 4 Rainbow Disco Ball Tumblers, £4/2 direct.asda.com 5 No71 Santorini Ultimate Masonry Paint, £30/1L fenwickandtilbrook.com 6 Breeders Mix Echinacea Plants, £39.99/10 gardeningexpress.co.uk 7 Iris Tea Lights, £6/30 habitat.co.uk

OUTDOOR LIVING

TIP Download

the Milkdroid Am bience Nature Sounds app and listen to wave sou nds, chirping crickets and even the whirr of air c onditioning!

7

Florida fun

Colour, colour and more colour is the key to getting this holiday look in your garden! Use flowers and accessories to bring bright pops of pink, green and yellow to your garden, and get creative with spray paint to transform pots and furniture. Salsa Garden Chairs £98/2, Salsa Round Garden Side Table £79, Salsa Rattan Solar Powered Garden Lantern £20, Cushions £12 each, all johnlewis.com

1

Island escape

Lush, idyllic, remote… is this an all-inclusive resort on Easter Island, Fiji or the Maldives, or your back garden?! Create the luxury vibe with lounging chairs and lots of side tables for resting cocktails and nibbles on, and surround your deck or patio with wafty, whispering bamboo. Sphynx Folding Garden Armchair £65, Perico Outdoor Rug £131, Humpa Matte Nesting Tables £140, Moai Easter Island Ornament £110, all maisonsdumonde.com

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Lush & leafy

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1 Metal Torch Oil Lamp, £33 cultfurniture.com 2 Burwood Bamboo Wind Chime, £15 wilko.com 3 Tiki Beach Parasol, £25 direct.asda.com 4 Black Bamboo, £65/18L pot homebase.co.uk 5 Solar Powered Lantern, £65 johnlewis.com 6 Sommarliv Leaf Place Mat, £1.25 ikea.co.uk 7 Tropical Leaf Wall Decor, £15 dunelm.com

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 19

READER GARDEN

Makeover

un s ar for barbecu , not roasts! create a versatile OUTDOOR LIVING space for Sarah and Jonny Williams

L

ong-time fans of outdoor living, Sarah and Jonny Williams had spent a lot of time improving their garden since moving to their detached Victorian house in Ealing, West London, 14 years ago.

“Our children grew up joking that the lawn was treated like the first child of the family!” says Jonny. But despite all their hard work, the

north-facing plot still wasn’t the garden they dreamed of having. “It had started to feel dark and dank, mainly due to the overgrown plants around the edges. The grey terrace slabs were covered in moss and we just didn’t enjoy using it. But the real incentive for a redesign was a collapsing garden wall; it was falling under the weight of our wisteria,” he explains.

Agapanthus iscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ ‘Karalee White’

RAISED BEDS are filled with plants that grow at various heights and include evergreens for yearround screening.

Want vertical interest in your plot?

Turn to p25

GARDEN MAKEOVER OLD BRICKS are reused to create a secluded seating deck in the e plot.

SMART IDEAS TO STEAL SINK PAVERS into grass to blur the boundary between patio and lawn.

TOP BOUNDARIES with trellis panels painted in the same colour as your shed and furniture to unify the space.

RE-USE OLD BRICKS to create a secluded seating deck in the corner of your plot.

BOUNDARIES ARE TOPPE with trellis panels painted in th same colour as garden furnitur to help unify the space.

THAT’S CLEVER!

SINK SLABS into grass to blur the boundary between patio and lawn.

The garden was gloomy and uninviting

BEFORE

Rebuilding the fallen wall meant moving all the plants from the border beneath it. “For about 10 days, the garden looked like a battlefield!” remembers Jonny.

The couple were also having a kitchen extension built, which added to the carnage outside. “It made sense to create a completely new garden!” Jonny says.

The couple invited several design companies to tender ideas to realise their dream. “Caro Garden Design was the right one for us, and they really understood what we were trying to achieve,” says Jonny.

A GARDEN OF TWO HALVES

Jonny The new garden isg)both and Bertie (the do friendly!

OUR GARDEN PL AN LOCATION Ealing, West London THE LOOK A marriage of modern and traditional SITE & SOIL

Size 11 x 15.5m Faces North Faces Clay

F E ATU R E: G A P P H OTOS / K I RS TY M C N E I L- O’CO N N O R. P H OTOS : G A P P H OTOS/ PAU L D E B O IS. D ES I G N : CA RO G AR DE N D E S I G N - WW W C ARO G A RD E N D E S I G N CO UK

OUR BUDGET Clearance £2,600 Paving £22,000 Raised beds £7,500 Trellis, shed & painting £3,000 Wires for climbing plants £1,000 Topsoil £3,000 Turf & edging £2,000 Plants £4,500 Obelisks £300 Lights £3,500 Drainage & rainwater-saving features £1,600 Furniture £2,000 TOTAL: £53,000 HOW LONG IT TOOK Installing drainage & laying paving 3 weeks Building walls 1 week Building raised beds & planters 2 weeks Adding topsoil & laying lawn 3 days Trellis & wire supports 2 days Installing shed 1 day Planting 4 days Lighting 1 week TOTAL: 9 WEEKS

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The couple’s brief was far from clear-cut. “They were looking for a redesign following on from a new glass-fronted extension,” explains Caro Sanders of Caro Garden Design. “One half of the couple was keen to continue that modern style into the garden, while the other favoured a more traditional style in keeping with the Victorian house and walled garden built from London Stock bricks.”

A compromise was reached, with a design of two halves featuring a modern patio and seating area and then, further from the house, a small lawn punctuated by a pear tree and traditional planting. Tying these two styles together called for some design ingenuity. One clever solution was to let some of the modern porcelain patio tiles escape out into the lawn, leaving gaps that were filled with low evergreen plants including thyme and chamomile. “This really softens the otherwise hard lines of the terrace,” says Caro.

“Planting in the taller raised beds is also deliberately gauzy,” she continues, “to create a semi-translucent screen between the new and old-style gardens.” It’s a favourite feature with Jonny. “The tall wispy plants including verbena, salvias, gaura, campanulas and grasses create the effect of a natural voile curtain between the more modern terrace area and the traditional back part of the garden,” he says, “and they look lovely swaying in a warm breeze.”

A new shed is painted in the same pale blue hue as the trellis above the new and existing walls. And the small brickwork patios use London Stock bricks to match the walls and house, laid in a traditional herringbone pattern.

PLANT EAVE

A TRADITIONAL wood and wrought iron bench is nestled among clematis ‘Gipsy Queen’ next to ‘Claire Austin’ roses and catmint ‘Walkers Low’.

“We bought a pair of three-seater sofas from John Lewis to complete the smart, modern, angular look with the straight edged raised beds and the bright white tiles of the Mediterraneanstyle terrace. Then in a matter of paces, you move into the shade of the pear tree set in the immaculately tended lawn, which brings a contrasting old-fashioned feel,” says Jonny.

PLANT HEAVEN

Lots of plants were saved from the old garden, including those rescued from the border beneath the crumbling wall. “We retained the lovely mature wisteria on the back wall, cutting it from its old trellis so the new wall could be built, and then re-attaching it to a new trellis,” says Caro. “The pear tree, a rare Bardsey apple tree (a breed that originated on the wind-swept island off north Wales), a climbing hydrangea and some roses were also precious survivors of the redesign.”

New plants complement the old. “We added an espaliered apple on the west-facing wall at the end of the garden, to be a pollinating partner for the existing apple tree,” says Caro.

The foliage and blooms in the beds are a big feature of the redesign, as the couple both enjoy looking after plants. Jonny’s love of gardening dates back to a balmy June in the summer of 1979, when he took it upon himself to smarten up his parents’ plot in Dorset, while Sarah inherited a love of plants from her mum and dad. “They’re in their 80s but still tend their garden for hours each day,” she says. Veggies

TALL BLOOMS of varying heights including (l-r) salvia ‘Amistad’ (1-1.5m), Campanula persicifolia ‘Alba’ (90cm) and salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’ (1m) fill the raised beds to provide year-round screening.

’re y e h t e r e h w s r o o td u o s b r e h t n a l P P TI e u c e b r a b r u o y f in easy reach o

GARDEN MAKEOVER

Love these patio planting pockets?

Turn to p30 A MODERN COMBO of white porcelain paving and grey raised beds leads out from the new glass-fronted extension.

have been added to the list, with a small patch just big enough for some tomatoes, and a compost heap, too.

Bringing blooms up to and above eye height was a crucial part of the design, to ensure the garden looked good from inside the kitchen.

Wires were added to the walls to support clematis including ‘Gipsy Queen’, ‘Lasurstern’ and ‘Winter Beauty’, while the two symmetrical beds at the rear of the garden house black metal obelisks to support climbing roses and clematis. Variegated star jasmine scrambles up fans of trellis either side of the doors.

All the new plant choices were checked to ensure they weren’t poisonous for Sarah and Jonny’s dog. Conversely, some were chosen to discourage their dog from bounding onto the beds, including the prickly barberry and roses.

OUTDOOR LIVING

The whole garden is enhanced with lighting.

“The space is visible year-round through the floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides of the extension, so good lighting was essential,” says Caro. “Small wall lights were fixed at regular

THE SAME TILES are used inside and out to seamlessly link the kitchen and terrace. intervals around the house and brick walls, there are spike lights in the raised beds and a ground light illuminates the pear tree.”

Materials were chosen to echo the design of the new kitchen, the grey cladding on the raised beds chiming with the grey surfaces in the kitchen-diner. “Our kitchen has glass sliding doors across its width and so in the summer months the terrace area forms an extension of our kitchen,” says Jonny. “Everything came together beautifully! The barbecue and seating area faces west and is ideal for sundowners.”

“In summer, the terrace forms an extension of our kitchen”

The barbecue area is well-used now. “Jonny was born in Australia and he reckons he was born to be outdoors with a pair of barbecue tongs in his hand!” says Sarah. He’s quick to agree. “I’m in shorts pretty much all year round and firing up the barbecue at the first possible opportunity. Sundays are for barbecues and not roasts in this household!” he says.

“We could never have contemplated a party in our old garden,” adds Sarah, “But in our new space, we can open up the kitchen doors onto the terrace and it feels like a continuation of the same space; the new tiles outside are the same as the kitchen floor and flow seamlessly out Guests can perch on one of the raised beds or sit in one of the several seating areas and, after the sun goes down and the barbecue is extinguished, huddle around the firepit for warmth. It has transformed the way we live.”

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 23

6

afternoon

Natural

SIMPLE PROJECTS

HIGH

PROJECTS TO TRY!

r the sky with these easy projects to add TICAL INTEREST to your garden

5 8 .

6 £3

R

Love it then eave it

an

MODERN SLATE STACKS

Santolina F E ATU R E: J I L L MO RG A N . PH OTO : G A P P H OTOS / S U Z IE G I B B O N S. G AR D E N D E SI G N : M ARTI N SCOR E Y

P

sst! Want to know an insider secret?

Adding height is a great way to transform any outside space in a jiffy.

A top trick loved by every garden designer, a vertical post guides the eye upwards, making your patch look bigger and feel airier.

And whether you choose to weave a bright line of bold-toned posts through a border, build a high-rise bug hotel or create a sculptural trio of slate spires, all of these skyward projects will add style and character to your plot, too.

Summer Silver’

To make these stately monoliths, you’ll need three metal rods, a drill and a fair bit of patience but, boy, are they worth the effort! Enchanting on a sunny day when towering over a gravel garden planted up with lavender and santolina, they look even better when wet.

Depending on the number of stacks you wish to make, you could use leftover slate tiles, broken up using a hammer and chisel. Check out local Freecycle sites, or ask local salvage yards for reclaimed broken roof slates.

Decide upon the perfect spot and hammer in three 6mm metal rods. Using a drill fitted with an 8mm masonry bit, select slate chips, starting with the widest first, and make a central hole through each. Slot each in turn over the rod, repeating until the whole length is covered.

It takes time but is strangely satisfying and hugely therapeutic work!

WHAT IT COST

✽ Reclaimed slate, approximately £25

✽ 6mm x 1m Multi-Purpose Rod – Ribbed Steel x 3, £3.95 each wickes.co.uk TOTAL: £36.85

ate l s f o s e n o t g n i d o bro , k r a d e h t t h g i l h s e l b b o c TIP Hig h s i t t o c S le a p h t i w t i g n i d n by surrou J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 25

➣

SPIRAL FLOWER STAKES

WHAT IT COST ✽ Wooden Rounded Fencing Stakes various heights x 3, £16.02 jacksons-fencing.co.uk ✽ Garden Colour Exterior Paint, £6/1L wilko.com ✽ 30cm terracotta Flower Pot x 3, £4.95 each homebase.co.uk ✽ Plant Pot Tray x 3, 50p each wilko.com ✽ Doff Lightweight Multi-Purpose Compost, £4.99/15L bmstores.co.uk ✽ Petunia Tumbelina, £6.99/5 plug plants brooksidenursery.co.uk TOTAL: £50.35

Forget hanging baskets, this trio of trailing petunias sitting proudly on top of candy-striped posts will bring a whole lot more character to your garden. The tumbling blooms attract bees and butterflies, adding to the colourful display.

Choose your colours and get painting. Use exterior wood paint such as Wilko’s City Slate for a fade-proof and long-lasting finish.

To create a candy-striped pole, paint on a base colour and leave to dry overnight, then wrap low-tack masking tape in a spiral design over the top. Add a second paint colour to the timber and carefully remove the tape once dry.

Decorate the pots too – simple stripes, spots or single colours all look great.

To assemble, hammer the posts into the ground, using a spirit level to check that they are straight, before fixing on the pots. Do this by placing a snug-fitting plastic plant saucer into the bottom of the pot and placing both on top of the post (it’s much easier if you ask a friend to help). Carefully screw down through the centre

of the saucer and the pot’s drainage hole below, into the top of the post. Tighten until both are secure. Fill the pots with lightweight container compost, and add the petunias.

8 5 .

3 £3

HIGH-RISE BUG HOTEL

WHAT IT COST ✽ Forest Wooden Fence Post, 180 x 7.5 x 7.5cm, £11 homebase.co.uk ✽ Ronseal Garden Pink Jasmine Matt Metal & Wood Paint, £9/750ml diy.com ✽ Flat Wood Bit Set of 5 Pcs, £5.99 screwfix.com ✽ Pre-Packed Bamboo Canes, £1.99 therange.co.uk ✽ Postmix Concrete, £5.60/20kg homebase.co.uk TOTAL: £33.58

PH OTO : G A P P HOTOS /J E N N Y L I L LY

Attract pollinators to your patch and add a splash of colour, too, with this easy-to-make insect house. This project calls for some spade drill bits but they’re super-cheap to buy.

Using a tenon saw, cut a wooden fence post to the height you’d like the hotel to be, adding an extra 40cm to be sunk into the soil for support. Next, drill four large holes into the front of the post. These are made by using two spade drill bits of different widths – 32mm and 25mm are ideal.

Paint the post and fill each opening with short lengths of bamboo. These can be snipped to size using sharp secateurs or a fine-toothed saw.

Finally, dig a hole and sink the lower 40cm of the post into the soil, securing with Postmix.

d n a t o p a t t o c a r r e te g r a l a n i l e t o h g n o i s r e v y l d TIP Put the bu n e i r f atiop a r o f x i m t s o P set with 26

MODERN GARDENS

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5 3 .

0 £5

PHOTO : G A P PH OTOS /H A NNE K E R E I JB RO E K . GA R DE N D E S I GN: JACQ UE L INE VA N DE R K LO E T. S T Y L I NG : E R I K K L E I N SC HIPHO R S T

SIMPLE PROJECTS Try omething ifferent

£79.09 Th stu potted pole grasses, which need very little m combo of green foliage and grey poles will add a good dose of modern urban chic to your plot.

Decide how many posts and pots you wish to display and where you want to position them.

Enlarge the drainage hole in each pot using a craft knife or drill bit so it slides easily over the pole. Paint the posts with exterior wood paint and allow to dry. Fix them in position, approximately 60cm apart. For a long-lasting feature, bed the posts in quick-dry concrete rather than soil to prevent them from rotting.

Once dry, slide a rail end socket onto the first pole and fix in place where you wish the base of the pot to sit. Slide the pot down the pole so it sits on the socket and tighten the screw to secure. Repeat for each pot, staggering the heights for maximum effect.

Fill each pot with compost and add your plants – it’s cheaper to buy a bigger plant and use a bread knife to saw into sections to create multiple smaller plants that will soon spread.

P H OTO : G A P P HOTOS / F RI E D RI CH S TRAU S S

GOOD IDEA!

WHAT IT COST ✽ Broom Handles 1200mm, £8.99/5 handles screwfix.com ✽ Essence Rio Pot x 10, £1.99 each therange.co.uk ✽ Exterior Gloss Paint in Grey Skies, £12/750ml homebase.co.uk ✽ Rail End Sockets Dia25mm x 5, £3.69/2 sockets screwfix.com ✽ Ready to Use Postcrete, £4.75/20kg wickes.co.uk ✽ Multi-purpose Lightweight Compost, £4.50/15L wilko.com ✽ Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ x 3, £5.99/9cm pot gardens4you.co.uk TOTAL: £79.09 (for 5 poles with two pots on each)

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 27

SUCCULENT TOWER

Quirky, textural and made from reclaimed treasures, this soaring planter will quickly become a garden favourite. Costing next to nothing and requiring very little upkeep, it’s a great way to round up mismatched flowerpots and put them to good use.

Sink a 6mm steel rod into the ground and carefully slide the pots on top, threading the

Recycle your stuff

WHAT IT COST ✽ HR Steel Round Bar Profile, 2m x 6 x 6mm, £4.25 homebase.co.uk ✽ Westland Cacti & Succulent Potting Mix, £4.17/4L diy.com ✽ Sempervivum Collection, 6 x 9cm pots, £9.99 yougarden.com ✽ Decorative 10cm Terracotta Garden Ball, £5.99 amazon.co.uk TOTAL: £24.40

rod through each central drainage hole. Position the largest container at the bottom and fill with a mix of grit and compost before placing the next pot on top. Repeat the method, angling each pot to create an interesting shape. Use the compost to provide support, creating room for creeping sedums and colourful houseleeks, before topping off with a neat terracotta sphere.

Houseleek

TIP Round pol

es give a softer look, while squar e posts offer a sharper, more u rban feel

COLOUR-POP POSTS

‘Silver Moon’

PH OTO : F LO R A P RE S S

‘Blue Boy’

e l g n i s o t n i e t a r epa s ; s e i k o o c h g u o t are ts n a l p w e n e k a TIP Houseleeks m to l i o s y t t i r g o t n i k rosettes and tuc 28

MODERN GARDENS

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PHOTO : G A P PHOTOS /J S S IR A . GAR D E N. DE S I G N: P HI L L I P A ND V IC TO RI A JAC K SO N

SIMPLE PROJECTS

Simple but oh-so-effective, a line of vibrant poles adds a dash of colour and interest all year round. Weave them through a grassy border or line them up sentry-style along a path with clumps of blue fescue grass or heuchera.

Choose a paint colour that echoes the tones of surrounding blooms or provides a contrast, like these vivid pink poles that pep up a coolhued border. Spacing them 40cm apart, with graduating lengths, works well, and remember that 40cm of each pole will disappear into the soil. Pressure-treated wooden tree stakes will last longer. Use a tenon saw to cut the stakes to length, cutting one end to an angled point.

Sand off any rough edges and give each post a couple of coats of paint. Allow to dry. Place each pole in position, point downward, so it can be easily hammered into the soil. A club or sledgehammer is the best tool for the job.

WHAT IT COST

✽ 80mm x 1.5m Timber Garden Tree Stake x 3, £7.50 each wickes.co.uk ✽ Cuprinol Garden Shades in Sweet Sundae, £14/1L homebase.co.uk TOTAL: £36.50

COMPETITION

5 SETS TO WIN! EACH WORTH OVER £100!

WIN A SUMMER

STAYCATION SET! Sit back, relax and let your garden water itself

W

ant to spend your stay-at-home holiday chillaxing instead of standing around with a hosepipe watering your plants? Then enter our fabulous competition now!

We’ve got five Summer Staycation Garden Sets, each worth over £100, up for grabs. Each contains a GARDENA Micro-Drip-System starter set, with enough kit to water five flower pots, so it’s ideal for your patio. The system delivers water directly to the roots of your plants and regulates the amount of water delivered, so you’ll use up to 70% less than conventional watering methods. Each Staycation Set also includes a compact AquaRoll S Set, with 20m classic hose and spray nozzle, which is perfect

for smaller gardens. It comes with a heightadjustable handle and hose trolley – no more pulling hoses around your garden.

Plus, each winner will get a Comfort Multi Sprayer for watering flowerbeds, pot plants and delicate plants as well as for powerful cleaning and removing dirt. It features an ergonomic handle, five spray patterns and an integrated filter that can be removed for cleaning. All GARDENA sprayers come with a five-year warranty.

Each Summer Staycation Garden Set, worth over £100 each, includes: ✽ Gardena Micro-Drip Starter Set ✽ AquaRoll S Set ✽ Gardena Comfort Multi Sprayer ✽ Gardena Connection Set

ENTER NOW*

Visit moderngardensmagazine.co.uk/ gardenastaycationcomp and enter your details *T&C S APPLY – SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS. COMPETITION OPENS ON 24 JUNE, 2020, ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 29, 2020.

F EAT U R E: S U E M A RT IN PH OTOS : RI C H A RD FAUL K S, G AP P HOTOS / F IO N A L EA

d l o ff o p i n s o t s r shea f o r i a p a e s U th P w o TI r g y s s o m , k c i te th o m o r p o t s m e t s flower

ET

Add sweet-scented patches of PRETTY CHAMOMILE to your patio for a fast garden update 30

MODERN GARDENS

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1

2

TRY THIS!

Add textured tufts of chamomile to cobble sett paths, too

3 4

W

ith daisy-like flowers and feathery leaves, chamomile is the perfect plant to create luxuriant pockets of green in among your paving slabs. Just make sure you choose lawn chamomile, also known as English or Roman chamomile, which is a low-growing, spreading variety and, while it grows best in partial shade, also thrives in full sun. It needs very little looking after, only requiring a spray with your hosepipe during long, hot spells, and it easily copes with being walked on. Crushed underfoot, it releases a fresh apple-blossom scent, which will make your garden feel even more summery! Whether you choose to fill just a few nooks between paving stones, leaving the chamomile to grow into organic shapes to soften the edges of your sleek patio, or to lift some complete slabs for more substantial squares of green, is up to you!

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Patio weeder, try B&Q Patio Weeder, £1 diy.com ✽ Trowel ✽ Sharp sand ✽ Multi-purpose compost ✽ Broom ✽ Lawn Chamomile Seeds, try naturescape.co.uk £1.75

WHAT TO DO

1 Use the patio weeder to dig out the gaps between paving slabs that you wish to plant.

If you want to remove a slab, wear goggles and use a hammer and chisel to loosen the pointing all around it, before using a spade to lever it up.

If necessary, remove a little of the subbase to create enough depth for planting.

2 Use a trowel to mix equal quantities of sharp sand and compost together in a wheelbarrow.

3 Gently tip the mix onto the paving.

4 Using a broom, brush the mix into the gaps between the slabs, then lightly water using a watering can with a rose head attached. The compost mix should sit just below the level of the paving edges.

5 Chamomile seed is very fine, so mix it with a handful of dry sand so it’s easier to spread evenly.

6 Sprinkle the mix finely along the cracks and over exposed squares where pavers have been lifted.

Chamomile needs light to shoot, so don’t sprinkle the seed mix too thickly. The seeds will

5 6

start to grow within a few days. Keep the area watered while the seedlings establish.

The plants will quickly spread to create a mat-like covering, and the action of walking on them and crushing the stems into the ground promotes this process.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 31

COMPETITION

Do you own

BRITAIN’S BEST LAWN?

WIN a STIHL lawnmower, worth £539!

Enter our competition and you could win a STIHL LAWNMOWER worth £539!

D

o you have a lovely lawn?

Whether your patch of grass is big or small, and your garden is blow-the-budget or ona-budget, we want to hear from you!

Modern Gardens is on the search for Britain’s Best Lawn, and it might just be yours! We’re hunting for lawn perfection, whether that’s an expanse of lush green blades or a simple but smart square of grass in a sea of paving. If you love your lawn, enter our competition and you could be in with a chance of winning a lawnmower worth £539.

WIN A LAWNMOWER! Once your lawn is looking its best, enter our fab competition and you could win a lawnmower worth £539.

Get your lawn looking great!

WIN A FAB LAWNMOWER!

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e c n o t s u j r e g n o l r n fo w a l r u o y r e t a W y, l TIP r a l u g e r e l t t i l a an a week, rather th p root growth to encourage dee

www.modern gardensmagazine.co.uk/bestlawn2020 Terms & Conditions: 1 This prize draw opened at 9am on 22 April 2020 and closes at 9am on 15 September 2020. 2 The prize is open to only amateur gardeners. The garden may be open to the public for charity, but not make any profit for the owner. The garden must be maintained by the owner with no more than one full-time or two part-time helpers. Our employees (and their family members) or employees of any company involved in the competition, including the prize provider, must not enter. 3 One entry per person. 4 The prize consists of 1 x STIHL RM 448 TC petrol mower. 5 The winner will be chosen from all valid entries after the closing date and notified by email and must agree to having their photos published in Modern Gardens Magazine. 6 The prize may be offered in a limited number of other promotions. 7 No purchase is necessary. To enter for free, visit www.moderngardens magazine.co.uk/bestlawn2020 • Full terms and conditions can be found at www.bauerlegal.co.uk/competition-general-terms-and-conditions

OUTDOOR LIVING

Fiona’s Plant, vintage and craft-lover FIONA CUMBERPATCH has a small, town garden in Lincolnshire that she’s bringing back to life with easy projects and planting ideas

R

ecent events have meant a major rethink in my garden this summer. Last month, I had loads more time to spend in my plot but, like everyone else, I wasn’t able to go shopping for bright, beautiful bedding plants for my borders and containers. Faced with the prospect of a flowerless summer, I took drastic action and started sowing seeds. Every window ledge in my house was crammed with an assortment of plastic pots and old milk cartons, holes pierced in the bottoms and covered with clingfilm. With so much uncertainty in the world, I did not want my plants to let me down, so I chose the

Adding a pink parasol

mustardy varieties such as mizuna. Even better, once they have been harvested, leave the roots, keep the pot well-watered and they’ll come back with another crop. I’m also loving crunchy, long, white icicle radishes, another sow-andleave crop available at wilko.com, and I have my fingers crossed for plenty of spicy red chillies, which should be ripe next month.

For spirit-lifting colour, I planted nasturtium seeds outside in an old terracotta pot. I mingled a climbing mixed variety in sunshine yellow and hot orange with pretty ruby-red ‘Baby Deep Rose’ from thompson-morgan.com. They grow fast in full sun, and I get great results in about six weeks. Extra zing comes from zinnias, nurtured inside in early May, then planted out in a blue enamel container, which shows off their jewel-box tones to perfection.

I am so pleased that I saved last year’s pelargoniums by putting them inside over

PHOTOS: FIONA CUMBERPATCH, PELARGONIUM FOR EUROPE

“Each tiny sprouting seed and every flower that blooms is a little sign of hope” easiest, cheeriest flowers to grow, plus some straightforward vegetables.

I knew I would miss the fragrant smell and textures of my favourite herb plants, so I also sowed sage, oregano, parsley and basil. They took a couple of weeks to sprout, but they came good and now I have a pretty herb garden underway in an old zinc trough.

Mixed leaves for summer salads were a must, and they have been my most successful crop.

At this time of year, I sprinkle the seeds straight into a pot outside, keep the soil moist but not soggy, and they pop up in a couple of days.

There’s no need to thin them out, or to repot the seedlings, just let them go and in a couple of weeks, you will have some servings of super-healthy greens. I particularly like the spicy,

winter away from the frosts. They’ve come back, flowered, and now I’m displaying them in some lovely old vintage biscuit tins I found on eBay. The perfect accessory among this kaleidoscope of colour is a gorgeous pink parasol from marksandspencer.com. I may not have a show garden this year, but I am learning to love what I’ve got. So what if there are a few gaps here and there? Each tiny sprouting seed and every flower that blooms is a little sign of hope in such a challenging year for us all.

Fiona

Instagram @fionacumberpatch blog www.fionacumberpatch.com

The taste of mme

Growing salad from seed

Jewel-toned zinnias

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 33

READER GARDEN

BEFORE

Makeover

“It’s my happy, chill-out place” Hannah Thomson redesigned her compact garden to create a SUMMERY ESCAPE from city life

F E ATU R E: R ACH EL TOA L . P H OTOS : @ H O M E M A DE _ HA N N AH

T

aking in the lush greenery, inviting sofa and boho vibes in Hannah Thomson’s London garden, you’d never believe it was ever less than lovely. “But it used to be really creepy!” Hannah smiles. “It was dark and grim, and there was a strange metal outhouse under the trees that we lovingly referred to as the ‘hurt locker’!”

When Hannah and husband Jon moved to their Victorian terrace seven years ago, renovation of the eerie-looking garden had to take a back seat. “The whole place was in disrepair,” says Hannah. “We had to prioritise doing up the house, so the garden sat untouched for five years. But I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the ramshackle outside space.”

For super-organised events professional Hannah, the wait was worthwhile. “I’m a practical person, and I love mapping everything out,” she says. “I’d been the same with the house renovation, planning every detail. My aim was to reflect the personality of the interior in the garden – I’d say my style is a blend of boho, vintage and industrial, and I wanted to continue that outside. Jon and I love entertaining and I visualised opening the kitchen doors with friends and taking our drinks outside.”

PLANNING THE PLOT

Hannah’s industrious planning was aided by both paper sketching and free online design programme, My 3D Planner. The software enabled her to scale out exact dimensions for the 4 x 9m space, both in 2D and 3D. “That really helped me to visualise it,” she says.

“Because we don’t have the largest of gardens, I wanted to maximise space by creating distinct zones for relaxing, planting and eating.”

Plans made, Arc Creations (arccreations. com) were called in to oversee all aspects of the heavy construction work, with Hannah driving 34

MODERN GARDENS

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the creative choices. “We’d used the company with our house redesign and had a good relationship with builder Rich,” explains Hannah.

“It was great teamwork – I came up with the ideas, and Rich made them a reality. Jon was happy to let us crack on!”

First on Rich’s list was stripping back the overgrown trees. A tree surgeon was brought in to cut down seven of the eight large trees that were blocking out light. “It was sad but definitely the right decision,” admits Hannah. “That gloomy vibe had to go!” Thankfully, Hannah’s fears about the contents of that dubious locker were unfounded. “To my relief, it only contained an old butler’s sink, which I was able to repurpose into a planter,” she smiles. ➣ A FENCE PAINTED IN Valspar Garden in Modern Grey (£15/1L, diy.com) topped with trellis and wisteria, completes the seating area.

gloomy f o ll fu s a w en d r a The g wn trees ro g er v o d n a e et cr n co

SMART IDEAS TO STEAL

GARDEN MAKEOVER

STRING FESTOON lights overhead to create a glowing canopy.

ADD A SIMPLE WOODEN SQUARE to the edge of your patio to frame the view to the rest of your garden.

EXPERIMENT WITH a free online design tool to see what you can dream up for your outdoor space. Try marshalls. co.uk/garden-visualiser/

Hannah shares more inspiration Instagram @homemade_hannahon

MY GARDEN PL AN LOCATION Hackney, London THE LOOK Green and gorgeous SITE & SOIL Size 4 x 9m

MY BUDGET Tree removal £850 Fencing (labour & materials) £900 Labour for clearing garden, building seating & beds, laying paving & lawn £3,500 Materials to build seating & beds £600 Summerhouse (labour & materials) £3,000 Plants £1,500 TOTAL: £10,350

s e s a v d n a s g u r , s n io TIP Add cos y cush t a th e c n a h n e to s r e w of freshly cut flo vibe outdoor living room

HOW LONG IT TOOK Tree removal 1 day Fencing 1 day Clearing garden 1 day Laying paving & lawn 1 week Building seating area & borders 1 week Building summerhouse 1 week Planting 1 week TOTAL: 5 WEEKS

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 35

“I absolutely love the outdoor living space we’ve created” Clear space enabled Hannah to test those all-important plans. Armed with a measuring stick and lengths of string, she physically walked around each of the zones. “I got it down to the centimetre,” she explains. “It was great to know that the space worked.”

PATIO PERFECT

With the old concrete ripped up, Rich laid down a new patio using modern grey limestone sourced from a local builders’ merchant. The paving complements Hannah and Jon’s natural kitchen stone flooring, providing a seamless progression outdoors. The scruffy lawn was replaced with artificial turf. “For such a small space it didn’t make sense to have to get a lawnmower out,” Hannah explains.

Borders were incorporated on both sides, edged with sleepers at 1m deep. But it was Hannah’s plan for the centrepiece of the garden – the huge sofa – that packed the biggest design punch. “I’m a big fan of huge L-shaped sofas,” she says, “but I didn’t want to have to cover one up in winter – it would make the space look a bit redundant.”

The solution was to build a bespoke all-weather wooden seating area. “I wanted a permanent feature for our comfy seating and, because the space is small, we needed a storage solution too. My design incorporated fixed wooden seating with lids so we could chuck in gardening tools,” Hannah says. “I made the cushions myself with a sewing machine, and when the weather’s bad I just bring them inside.

I also designed space at the back of the seating for a flower bed. It felt like the perfect solution.”

HOW WE DID IT...

BEFORE

HOUSE FOR ALL SEASONS

Rich was also tasked with building Hannah f the house o e id s e th t a ip tr s The pride and joy, was wasted space the bespoke summerhouse. “M inspiration for that was the need for a sheltered space we could use all year round,” says POTTED HERBS Hannah. “We toyed with the idea of a garden make the side office and even a mini sauna before realising all return an extension we really needed was a place to sit and relax. of the garden.

I had fun sourcing bookshelves, wall prints and a small sofa, and with electricity installed, we have the freedom to use it even in winter. It’s my favourite part of the garden, and I love it even Hannah’s carefully curated planting plan more now I’ve used colour-blocking paint on included a magnolia tree and a photinia ‘Red the walls. It’s my happy, chill-out place.”

Robin’ shrub on the left, and delicate clematis, rose and peonies on the right. Lavender and STANDOUT GREENERY wisteria surround the cosy seating area, while The scene was now set for Hannah to add the evergreen shrubs and ferns are abundant all greenery that was to become a standout around. To help her stay on top of pruning, feature of this compact garden. “With it being Hannah has created a spreadsheet listing each a small space, there was a risk it’d look cluttered plant, with details of when to cut back to keep with too much colour. I wanted it to look the plants looking their best. And pots provide designed and considered, so I chose a colour a moveable feast of foliage – through the palette of mostly greens with a few white, pink winter, they’re positioned outside her kitchen and purple flowers,” says Hannah. “But choosing window, so she’s greeted by a view of greenery plants was all new to me,” she says. “I had an whenever she looks out. idea in my head of what I wanted – wisteria, “I’m so pleased with the result,” she says. magnolia and roses – but I had no idea where “It feels lush and green, yet still modern and to put them. The Royal Horticultural Society considered. I absolutely love the outdoor living website was a lifesaver for that research, and I space we’ve created. Those hours of planning can’t thank Harlow Garden Centre enough for were definitely worth it for the dedicated zones spending hours talking me though the basics. that serve all our purposes,” she smiles. “I I filled my tiny car up with plants, then went couldn’t love the space any more. It’s hard to back with a hire van the next day!” believe how it used to look!”

2 3

1 THE PLOT IS CLEARED, the overgrown trees are cut down and the space is levelled.

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NEW FENCING, plus trellis, goes up on the left-hand side and back wall.

THE PAVING IS LAID, and construction of the bespoke seating area started.

THE COLOUR-BLOCKING design in the summerhouse was created using a laser spirit level and a makeshift giant protractor consisting of a pencil tied to string.

Love this geometric design?

Turn to p38

GARDEN MAKEOVER

Get the look!

1

1 Palm Patterned Cushion Cover, £7.99 hm.com 2 Masthlmen Outdoor Coffee Table, £50 ikea.com 3 Calathea orbifoli £39.99/22cm pot beardsand daisies.co.uk 4 Tropical Leaves Poster, 50 x 70cm, £23.95 desenio.co.

5 Copper Metal Dining Chair, £115 onlinereality.co.uk

2

3

5

a e d i s t u o s s a r g l ficia TIP Using a rti dy d u m o n s n a e m s umme rhous e e d i s n i d e s p i a r t e r footprints a

4

5 6

4 ARTIFICIAL TURF (from namgrass.co.uk) and seating with in-built storage are finished.

THE PLANTS arrive, and the space begins to look like a garden!

THE BESPOKE, fully insulated summerhouse is installed ready for Hannah to work her magic.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 37

Lick into

SHAPE

Get creative with a FEW POTS OF PAINT and turn your shed or summerhouse into a work of art

ant to give your garden a whole new look quickly and easily?

Paint your garden building with bold geometric shapes in a complementary combo of colours. Mark

the shapes using a pencil, metre rule and spirit level. To create the curve, first draw the vertical line, then attach a length of string to a nail or drawing pin inserted approximately a quarter of the way up from the bottom, tie a

pencil to the other end of the string at a length to meet the top of the vertical line, then mark the curved line, keeping the string taut. Use a small pointed paintbrush to get sharp lines, then fill in the shapes using a larger brush.

EASY IDEAS Modern

TONES

SOOTHING SANCTUARY Little Greene Intelligent Exterior Eggshell in Pearl Colour, Pearl Colour Dark, Pearl Colour Mid and Pearl Colour Pale, £35/1L littlegreene.com

URBAN INDUSTRIAL Cuprinol Garden Shades in Black Ash, Urban Slate, Cool Marble and Silver Birch, from £14/1L wickes.co.uk

SHADES OF GREY Little Greene Intelligent Exterior Eggshell in French Grey, French Grey Mid, French Grey Pale and French Grey Dark, £35/1L littlegreene.com

MEDITERRANEAN COURTYARD Cuprinol Garden Shades in Sandy Shell, Coral Splash, Wild Thyme and Crushed Chilli, £13.39/1L kentblaxill.co.uk

COASTAL COTTAGE Wilko Garden Colour in Vanilla Morning, Coastal Cliff, Beach Hut Blue and Night Sky Blue, £6/1L wilko.com

MID-CENTURY STYLE Wilko Garden Colour in Vanilla Morning, Dusky Pink, English Sage and Daffodil Yellow, £6/1L wilko.com

SORBET SHADES Cuprinol Garden Shades in Pale Jasmine, Pale Thistle, Fresh Daisy and Sweet Pea, £13.39/1L kentblaxill.co.uk

Simply

SUMMER-BLOOM HUES Ronseal Garden Paint in Daisy, Cool Breeze, Pink Jasmine and Cornflower, from £9.50/750ml homebase.co.uk

Bright &

BUBBLY

SEASIDE SPLASH Little Greene Intelligent Exterior Eggshell in Creamerie, Pale Berlin, Custard and Flint, £35/1L littlegreene.com

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 39

F E ATU R E: E MM A K EN DE L L . P H OTO : TA AR M O H E AV Y DU TY LO G S H ED, £ 8 0 4 . 99, DU N S TE RH OU SE.CO.U K

STYLISH

Selina’s garden

YLE THRIFTY CHIC

Stylist & book author SELINA LAKE shares her on-trend styling ideas & glorious garden buys

Selina

40 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

Bin-bag bunting

I’m desperately trying to be plastic-free, but I still have some bags in my cupboards, so I thought I would turn some into weatherproof bunting to adorn my shed. I cut them into 10 x 20cm flags and then folded them up so I could snip out pattern shapes, just like you would to make paper snowflakes at Christmas.

I used a sharp skewer to carefully pierce a hole at the top on both sides of each flag then threaded garden wire through to hang them up.

Trending

now

Being thrifty is totally on-trend right now: the last few months have made us all appreciate what we have, and to make the most of it.

Instant sculpture

No budget for a stone statue to give your border a focal point? Then steal my trick and plunge an old spade or fork into the ground instead. The effect is similar, but much cheaper!

PH OTO : D OB B I ES G A RD E N C E N TRE /J U L I A C U RRI E S TY L I N G : S E L I N A L A KE

T

hrifty chic is a perfect garden style for anyone being more savvy with their budget. And you can achieve a stylish result for next to nothing if you champion second-hand, reuse and recycle.

It’s good for our purses and the environment, and reusing old items enables you to create a very unique look in your outside space.

Have a scour of online Freecycle sites for second-hand garden items, tools and furniture and keep your eyes peeled for objects being thrown away by your neighbours. One of my best freebie-finds was a lovely old rusty trolley, which had been left outside for weeks by one of my neighbours. I kept thinking how nice it was, so I popped a note through their door asking if I could buy it and found they were happy for me to take it off their hands. I knew exactly where I wanted to put it in my garden.

You can also be thrifty with things you have tired of indoors, giving them a new lease of life in your garden. Old baskets are perfect for planting up summer annuals or make for a stylish way to collect weeds. How about making garden decorations from rubbish like my plastic bag bunting idea?

Charity shops have now reopened and are bursting with donated goods from lockdown clear-outs, so you can find quirky vintage crockery that might make good planters, and nice old tools that will add a decorative effect to your space. To keep the thrift look on the stylish side, choose items with similar colours – grey, black and white metals and woods work well in a garden setting. I hope you have fun being thrifty!

EASY IDEAS

Thrift yourself a quirky planter

Get creative with a set of vintage wooden desk drawers to make a botanical display. Start by lining the drawers with recycled plastic bags. Fill with a layer of compost and add plants that cope well in compact spaces such as ferns, mint and thyme.

PH OTO : S U SS I E B E L L . S T Y L I N G: S E L I NA L A K E

Instagram @selinalake

Pots and pans

As well as using old pans as instruments to clap for the NHS each week, they can make unusual containers for herbs. Colanders work well as they already have drainage holes. This one belonged to my husband’s Nanna Peggy, so it’s now a sentimental garden feature.

Style up the chores

I think you might agree with me that one of our least-favourite jobs is weeding. I try to make the task a bit more stylish by using a 1900s metal potato basket to collect the debris. It’s so much nicer than a plastic tub! I normally use this basket to store logs next to our wood burner in the winter, but it gets a holiday in the garden over the summer.

Vintage Potato Basket, £69 thevintagewall.com

✽ NEXT MONTH: DAY TO NIGHT

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 41

“ o

i

k eck!”

READER GARDEN

Makeover

Helen and Tom Orrock have created an outside ROOM WITH A VIEW at their Nottingham terrace

Bamboo Stacking Chair, £55,

SMART IDEAS TO STEAL BUY A FEW OUTDOOR RUGS in the same colour but with different patterns, to easily change the look of your deck.

THAT’S CLEVER!

PAINT THE LEGS of your outdoor table for a fast style update.

USE SLATTED FENCING to gain privacy but retain a view.

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MODERN GARDENS

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GARDEN MAKEOVER The unloved terrace was at odds with the breathtaking view it overlooked as well as the impressive property itself. The Victorian mansion, set in the leafy grounds of a private estate, was once home to a wealthy lacemaker before it was converted into self-contained living quarters.

work to be done. “The property hadn’t been touched since the 1960s,” Helen explains. “The courtyard at the back of the living space was damp and dismal. There were a couple of dodgy steps that led down to a cobbled old concrete square, surrounded by a rickety fence.

There was nothing appealing about it!”

ALL ABOUT THE VIEW

Having spent the best part of a year on interior building work, including decorating with Helen’s signature sleek monochrome style, it was time to focus on the outside. “With that view in front of us, I knew we had to do something special with the available space,” says interior designer Helen. “I visualised a simple, casual seating area where we could relax with friends and family, pour a drink and admire the view. The idea of our very own gin deck really appealed!

“Tom and I had seen the perfect wooden deck in Spain, and I wanted to bring that relaxed holiday feel to our home. There’s something liberating about being able to walk straight out from the house, and it creates extra seating space. Looking at magazines and on t as tr n co k ar st in as w Pinterest and Instagram, I kept seeing photos of The stunning yviefewnce and tired concrete slatted wooden to the ricket fencing, which felt perfect, too.”

Before settling on design specifics, there was the question of dimensions and how to construct the deck in order to maximise space. “The concrete steps took up quite a bit of space, which seemed like a waste, and we realised that elevating the deck would make more The new decking rais ed room,” she explains. of the garden to matc the level h the house The couple worked with a local builder on plans to lay a platform, including over the existing steps to gain foot-space, and to create a seamless transition through the glass doors. Plans for discreet new steps leading down to a small laundry room around the side of the deck were drawn up too.

BEFORE

a plant stand

Found in Ikea’s

CONSTRUCTION DELAYS F E AT U R E: R ACH EL TOA L . P H OTOS : H E L E N O R RO CK

T

he first time Helen Orrock witnessed the outside view from the property she was soon to own, it had a profound emotional impact. “It took my breath away,” she says. “Looking out from the terrace, I was moved to tears.” Surveying the vast cityscape and panoramic views of Nottingham architecture, Helen was left in no doubt as to what she and husband Tom should do. Seduced by the dramatic vista and potential for the outside space, the couple made an offer to buy and have never looked back.

To make the terrace worthy of such a spectacular view, there was, however, some

It was all going well until a site inspection, when a three-metre-high adjoining wall with a neighbour’s property was condemned. “It had to be taken down completely, and rebuilt,” explains Helen. “We hadn’t bargained on that, so it was a bit of a budget breaker!”

But with the wall rebuilt, work could begin on the deck. A local joiner fitted joists and posts to reinforce the new platform and fencing, with Helen working with local timber yard Gibbs & Dandy to find the most cost-efficient option – in this case, wooden timber battens. “Cedar panelling would have been great, but it was J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 43

➣

“It’s such a special space, and never fails to make me proud” expensive,” says Helen. “We needed an alternative that looked good, was practical and hard-wearing, and didn’t cost the earth.”

The timber battens were pressure treated, then coated with clear preservative in keeping with the natural, relaxed feel Helen was aiming for. After being measured and cut to size, the wood was delivered. “A crane was used to drop the battens down, and it was all quite thrilling,” Helen remembers. “Seeing the deck take shape, and then being able to step straight out of our doors onto a stylish new platform, complete with horizontal slatted fencing, was amazing.”

got their Helen and husbanjudstTthom ree weeks dream deck in

OUR GARDEN PL AN LOCATION Nottingham THE LOOK Monochrome deck with a view SITE & SOIL Size 3 x 7m Faces South OUR BUDGET Timber for deck & fencing £1,500 Labour £500 Furniture £500 Plants £100 TOTAL: £2,600 HOW LONG IT TOOK BUILT OVER THREE WEEKENDS

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MODERN GARDENS

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MINIMALIST DESIGN

With the deck’s structure complete, next up was the greenery and seating – something designer Helen relished. But while the new-found space presented a blank canvas with endless possibilities, she was keen not to complicate things with clutter. “We’d worked hard for that space, and I didn’t want to overly populate it with plants or furniture. The view’s like a magnet and it draws you out. I didn’t want the deck to distract from the main attraction, so I tried to keep everything quite modern, restrained and minimal to create a stylish viewing platform.”

Far from cultivating rambling climbers, Helen added simple pops of greenery to provide a bold contrast to the natural wood.

“I added a trio of palm trees, which I’d placed in black pots from B&Q,” she says. “I bought potted ferns and a few more palms to give a tropical feel.

As well as keeping it pared back and minimal, I wanted everything to be maintenance-free. I’m not really a deadheading sort of person! In summer, the plants are f occasional waterings, and cover them with protectiv

MONOCHROME T

When it came to choosing furniture and decorative to a palette of natural wood, b and white blended perfectl the open-plan interior. “The dropped for me a few years Helen explains. “I realised I’m drawn to interior and garden in the same way I’m drawn to clothes, and I rarely deviate fr wearing black and white. It’s a classic look!”

The monochrome thread ru from house to garden, with dramatic splashes of black agai airy white. White Scandi-style sheepskins nestle against grey cushions, and a black drinks serv , upcycled from a plant stand, stands against a framed ‘Gin Bar Open’ print from Gay Mansfield Designs. Relaxed low-level wicker chairs from Homebase are paired with a complementary table Helen picked up from a bargain corner in Ikea, then stained the legs black. A black and white outdoor rug, also from Ikea, completes the look.

“It’s got a lovely relaxed, sociable feel,” says Helen. “Tom and I love drinking our morning

Helen’s garden styling tips ✽ Look in the bargain corners of

furniture stores for items to upcycle or customise to fit your scheme.

✽ Make your indoor and outdoor space

interchangeable when it comes to furnishing by sticking to the same colour palette inside and out. I subscribe to the idea of a ‘capsule interior’. Just as I own certain key clothes that work together with different outfits, all my cushions, side tables and plants work inside and out.

✽ Set the tone with a statement sign that clearly outlines your garden’s purpose. It’ll help everything else fall into place! ‘I’ll Gin To That’ print, £15 not onthehighstreet.com ✽ Arrange your

furniture in a symmetrical pattern to create structure, which will be softened with foliage and furnishings.

for when th

✽ Consider lighting

enings draw in. Tea light ly made using old glass them from trees or place ng a fence for flickering light. vest in a rug that you leave out all summer. It’s perfect way to create feeling of an outdoor m. Scatter floor cushions it and a sheepskin rug £35, dunelm.com) on chairs, for a cosy look and feel.

✽ Position pots and

ccessories together n groups of threes or fives for the most aesthetically pleasing display.

coffee out there, but you can’t beat sunset when friends and family are able to come around and the drinks are flowing. Our gin deck really has lived up to its name!

“I love it when the doors are wide open, and the house and deck become one. Friends who go out there for the first time gasp at the view.

It’s such a special space, and never fails to make me proud.” ✽ You can follow Helen on Instagram @theinteriorslady for more inspiration.

GARDEN MAKEOVER A HUGE PATIO DOOR makes it easy to swap items inside and out.

Treat your garden to a new outdoor rug – turn to p46

LUXE LOOK

Limit tones but include lots of different textures to keep a small space uncluttered but still striking

THERE’S NO BETTER TEXTURE than a pooch to pet – French bulldog Hugo (left) and pug Milo (right).

A TRAY GROUPS TOGETHER potted plants with very different types of foliage.

Love this stylish colour palette? Turn to p11

A KNITTED BEANBAG from Jessica Lee Design (@jessicaleedesign) creates extra cosiness alongside natural sheepskin.

POTS OF EASY-CARE plants keep maintenance to a minimum.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 45

Quick and easy patio update!

A FAVOURITE WITH FEET Grab a book, pull up a chair and let your bare feet play among the tessellating geometric shapes of this Piatto Argento Circle Rug. Made from 100% polypropylene, this hard-wearing, weatherresistant rug is sure to last.

Dia160cm, £75 therugseller.co.uk

1

CO M PI L ED BY: AN G E L A K E N N Y

10 buys...

ON-TREND

OUTDOOR RUGS 46 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

BEST BUYS

MONOCHROME MAKEOVER Instantly transform a shady corner with this double-sided Ikea Svallerup Rug. Surround with white-washed lanterns, pile on plenty of white floor cushions, turn on the chill-out tunes and recreate that Ibiza sunset vibe in your garden. 200 x 200cm, £65 ikea.com

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3 TASSELS, NO HASSLE! Stylish and easy to clean, this plush Clover Rug in Silver Cream has a reversible loop pile made from recycled plastic bottles, so it’s eco-friendly too. 120 x 170cm, £179 therugseller.co.uk

FLOWER POWER Make sure your garden is always blooming lovely by treating yourself to this eyepopping Makono Yellow Patterned Polypropylene Rug. Once summer is over, take it indoors to liven up your living room.

160 x 230cm, £99 maisonsdumonde.com

LAY DOWN A LITTLE LUXURY Team this polyester 3D-effect Flatwoven Katelyn Carpet with faux sheepskin throws for cosy nights outdoors under the stars.

155 x 190cm, £87.99 wayfair.co.uk

We LOVE this!

4

Try omething ifferent

5 7

6 ADD A SPLASH OF OMBRE OCEAN Feel like you’ve taken a refreshing trip to the seaside every time you step outdoors with this reversible Big Sur Rug, made from recycled plastic bottles. It can be left out year-round and wiped clean. 120 x 180cm, £49.95 cuckooland.com

ARTY SWIRLS Create a colourful spot for al fresco dining with this Artis Multicolour Rug that’ll add a splash of modern style. It’s particularly easy to clean with a gentle going over with a hose.

80 x 165cm, £45.95 benuta.co.uk

JEWEL IN THE CROWN With a pink diamond pattern, this Nirvana Recycled Plastic Rug will pop against a warm wood deck and lush foliage. It’s easy to clean, so perfect for zoning off a dining area. 90 x 150cm, £42 greendecore.co.uk

9 8 PAST MEETS PRESENT A combination of vintage design with modern colours, this weather-resistant, flat-woven Harborough Flatweave Yellow Rug is bang on-trend. 80 x 150cm, £38.99 wayfair.co.uk

ROCK THE INDUSTRIAL LOOK Enjoy that chic faded concrete look without the harshness underfoot with this hard-wearing, easy-clean Rodelund Flatwoven Rug. 200 x 250cm, £75 ikea.com J U LY 2 0 2 0

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 47

GARDEN INVESTMENT

This neat, cast-iron design with swing grill is sturdy enough to cope with years of regular use. John Lewis Morso Tabletop Charcoal Grill, Black, £200 johnlewis.com

GOOD IDEA!

Staycation SPECIAL

Tabletop BARBECUES Gather round a stylish mini-grill and enjoy the new trend of COOKING TOGETHER

T

he very hottest trend this summer is these small, super-chic barbecues that sit centre stage on a table. They open up a whole new world of small-scale garden entertaining, as a few friends or family members can grill their own tasty treats for a tapas-style meal, so you can relax, knowing everyone is personally responsible for how well-done their chicken kebabs are!

F E AT U R E: J I L L MO RG A N

AL FRESCO FUN

Being small and quick to clean, a tabletop grill makes it easy to barbecue a quick lunch, an impulsive weekend breakfast or an impromptu supper on a surprise sunny evening, plus it’s the perfect size to cook a meal for two. And don’t get us started on the possibilities it brings of enjoying late-night s’mores and toasted marshmallows under the stars at the bottom of your garden! A tabletop barbecue will also provide a novel way to serve up grilled nibbles or appetisers, keeping your main barbecue free for the heavy-duty cooking, or use it as a 48 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

separate grill for vegetarians or vegans. So, whatever the government restrictions in your area, one of these mini grills will make outdoor living more enjoyable, for very little outlay.

Whether you’ve got a tiny urban terrace or acres of leafy garden, every outdoor space has room for one of these little beauties. They burn very little fuel, are quick to light and, in the case of charcoal models, are far speedier to reach an ideal cooking temperature than their bigger cousins. They’re also easily moved and stored away when not needed. They offer a more sociable way to cook than standing up at a full-size barbecue, turning burgers, often well away from everyone else.

There are a host of attractive designs available, from curved retro styles to edgy modern shapes, in a wide choice of on-trend, show-stealing colours such as yellow ochre, tangerine and spring green. Often designed with integral feet for a neat finish and maximum stability, they make statement centrepieces that are sure to draw everyone in. So, whether you ➣

GUEST AND GARDEN-FRIENDLY

With a ceramic burner box that you fill with water, the charcoal Barbecook Joya stays cool, and silicone feet provide your table with extra protection. The starter set comes with 650g Grilltabs, which are easy to light, and four pairs of wooden tongs. £86.80 amazon.co.uk

TIP Pop a lazy S

OUTDOOR LIVING

usan underneath laden with dips f or easy sharing. B your barbecue arbecook Rotatin Table with 6 cup g s, £45.15, amazo n.co.uk

COOL TO TOUCH

Pop this charcoal Churrasco Grill out on your patio table when you’re almost ready to start cooking, and it’ll be hot enough for your kebabs in just five minutes. A built-in fan and air-control knob means it heats up super-fast but the sides stay cool. It’s virtually smokeless and its grill and drip tray are dishwasher safe. £59.99 coopersofstorford.co.uk

The taste of ummer

NIFTY DESIGN

Smart and compact styling make this charcoal grill a winner, with the cork lid doubling as a heatproof mat. BergHOFF Portable Table Top BBQ, £149 amara.com J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 49

want a reason to try out some new recipes, a fun way to share time with loved ones, or just to spice up everyday meals, treat your garden to a compact grill.

EFFICIENT GRILLING

Just as with larger free-standing models, tabletop barbecues use three different fuel types: gas, charcoal or electricity. Each option has advantages and disadvantages, so make sure you consider your needs before you buy.

Gas is a reliable, clean and controllable fuel for outdoor cooking. Designs usually feature simple knob controls and a visible temperature gauge, so you can easily and instantly adjust the heat output to suit your chosen dish. The cost of this ease is flavour, but some gas-fuelled products use lava rock, which promises to infuse food with a bit of smokiness. Some models have an optional cast-iron griddle and skillet, perfect for pancakes and eggs. Most gas-fuelled models run off bottled propane or butane gas. Readily available from most petrol stations or camping retailers, they require the use of specific connecting hoses and regulators, which add to the initial cost and can limit where you can safely and practically place the barbecue and bottle at home.

– and it’s a sustainable fuel. It can be messy to store, handle and dispose of, though. It can also be tricky to control temperature-wise before and during cooking, so requires more of your attention. Some models have adjustable ventilation slots to make this easier, while the LotusGrill (£150, lotusgrill.co.uk) has a battery-operated fan to speed the charcoal to the perfect cooking temperature.

EASY TO USE

There are a few electric tabletop barbecues designed for outside use. You simply plug them in and switch on, and they’re clean and easy to use, but they won’t impart that characteristic smoky atmosphere or imbue food with much flavour. They’re great for cooking veggies and seafood, but meat can prove trickier to master as some smaller, cheaper designs do not have

the necessary wattage to reach the high, constant temperatures required. Heat is lost when the lid is removed during cooking and this can take time and more power to regenerate.

SAFETY MATTERS

The table that will be supporting the barbecue needs to be stable, strong enough to support the grill and constructed from sturdy material that won’t melt or conduct heat. It should also be plenty large enough to accommodate the burner, food and utensils. Some models have a hinged lid, but if you want a barbecue that can be easily accessed from all round the table, it’s better to choose an unlidded design, or one with a fully removeable lid. Some designs are double skinned, which makes them cool to touch even while cooking – essential for families with younger members.

e l b a l i a v a s i e n o t as z z i p p o t ll i r g A TIP ne o t S a z z i P l l i r G s for this grill: Lotu kooland.com set, £74.95, cuc

FLAVOURFUL COOKING

Charcoal-fuelled designs mean you’re cooking with smoke and white-hot coals, creating a real sense of occasion as well as unrivalled flavour.

Charcoal comes in many forms – coals, ready-to-light bags as well as artisan lumpwood

EASY TO STORE

This charcoal grill has a prep board, food storage tray and firebox that slot neatly together, offering tabletop cooking in one smart unit. Everdure Cube, £149 kettler.co.uk 50 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

THAT’S CLEVER!

Stand crates on their sides as makeshift tables and barbecue wherever you like in your garden!

OUTDOOR LIVING

TRY THIS!

HIGH LUXE

The distinctive shape makes this stainless-steel grill the perfect centrepiece. Pomona Charcoal Barbecue, £164.99 wayfair.co.uk

Simply stylish

GOOD IDEA!

To make your grill non-stick, use a basting brush to coat the cooking surface with vegetable oil. Wait for the grill to stop smoking before cooking

3

bargain barbecues

You don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy the fun!

The charcoal Vesuvio Table Top Grill (fuchsia) is fan-assisted for quick cooking. £59 limesandvines.co.uk

The Gourmia Portable Charcoal BBQ Grill produces minimal smoke. £39.99 amazon co uk

QUICK STARTER

Ready to cook in three to four minutes, this grill is made for impromptu meals outside. It uses 90% less charcoal than most and is smoke-free too. Lotus Grill, XL, £225 lotusgrill.co.uk

The Ellis 32cm Charcoal Barbecue by Sol 72 Outdoor has a generous rectangular grill. £69.99 wayfair.co.uk J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 51

SIMPLE PROJECT

60 minutes and

F E ATU R E: AN G E L A K E N N Y, CU PR I N O L , F RI E N DSO F TH E E A RTH U K / BE E S/ M A K E-A- B E E- H O U SE PH OTO : C U PRI N O L

hey’re done!

UPCYCLED BEE HOTEL Welcome solitary bees and enjoy the RELAXING SOUND of their buzzing

G

et cracking this weekend and make an air bee ’n’ bee that will soon be a hive of activity for bees, including mason, leafcutter and yellow-faced, looking for places to breed. These are pretty chilled bees, so you don’t have to worry about having them in your garden, and they’ll be busy building cells, laying eggs, searching for pollen and nectar to feed their young, and blocking the entrances with leaves, mud or other materials.

To create the interior of your hotel, collect lengths of bamboo, hollow plant stems and bunches of dried twigs and grasses. Different species of wild solitary bee need holes from 2 to 10 mm, so aim for a range of diameters, and make sure your materials are dry before starting.

To keep the stems dry from rain, make them 3cm shorter than the edge of the hotel. Use sharp garden clippers to trim them, smoothing

52 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U L Y 2 0 2 0

the ends using sandpaper if uneven, as bees will be put off by any sharp edges as splinters can cut their wings. Avoid canes with too many knots as bees can’t burrow through them.

Position your hotel in full sun, facing south or south east. Hang at least 1m off the ground, with no foliage blocking the entrance. Move your bee hotel somewhere dry and unheated, such as garden shed, from October to February.

You’ll know when the new bees have made their way out in spring as any mud covering the hollows will be opened up. You can then fill your hotel with fresh materials for a new year. ✽ Buzzing is up there with some of the top sounds, alongside birds singing, leaves rustling and the trickle of a water feature. To calm anxiety, yoga fans hum the sound of bees during a breathing exercise known as Bee Breath – the longer your hum, the more relaxed you become!

Y

£22.

40

✽ Hand sa ✽ Wooden pallet ✽ Flat head nails x 3 ✽ Sandpaper ✽ Paintbrush ✽ Cuprinol 5 Year Ducksback in Silver

Copse, £14/5L homebase.co.uk ✽ Collection of straw, pine cones, hessian, jute, natural dried grasses and cut bamboo ✽ Fine mesh chicken wire, £6.95/5m homebase.co.uk ✽ 8-10 metal staples, £1.45 homebase.co.uk ✽ Wire clippers ✽ Fixing bracket or hook, drill and screws WHAT TO DO 1 Saw off the end of the pallet.

2 Lever off one of the planks from the discarded pallet and nail to the back of the cut section creating an open-fronted box with two long slots.

3 Lightly sand the box then dust if off using a clean brush. Apply two coats of paint, allowing it to dry in-between.

4 Once dry, fill each slot with natural materials.

5 Cut a length of chicken wire to cover the open front and hammer in the staples to keep it in place. Trim to size. Hang from your fence and wait for the bees to set up home. Repeat to make a collection of hotels.

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EXTRA BONUS OFFER ’Isabella’ Round Planter 30cm (12in) Patina Fusion Weave-Effect Add a touch of class to your patio with this stylish garden planter. The ‘Isabella’ planter is ideal for finishing off displays, from colourful summer bedding and patio plants, to bulbs and even house plants. Made from UV and weather resistant plastic, it will really last the test of time meaning you can use it again and again, year in, year out. Supplied as 1 x 30cm (12in) Plastic Planter with a gold washed weave pattern and copper-tone rim.

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AD CODE

MG146

Message in a

BOTTLE

Renowned floral designer JANE SCOTT shows you how to make heart-warming gifts for neighbours and friends

Jane’s floral faffery lo and is easy and thriftyoks stylish to create

S

mall, random acts of kindness are not only good for the soul but they can have a massive impact on the wellbeing of others. Their heart-warming value is huge, whether it’s to cheer up a friend or just to let a neighbour know you are thinking of them. These challenging times have helped remind us all that thoughtfulness can cost so little but goes such a long way.

They may be short and sweet, but I’ve found a blooming message in a bottle hits the spot.

Never one to miss an opportunity to be creative with flowers, I’ve rustled up quite a few of them recently. They’re easy to make and you can personalise them using your own snippet of floral artwork. Think penny-wise prettiness meets sustainable style. So, now our hearts are in the right place, let’s get started.

FEATURE & PHOTOS: JANE SCOTT

Jane

Brush your illustration with a wash of watery paint. I’ve used children’s paints but you could try a couple of drops of food colouring in a small cup of water. Leave to dry then go over the pencil outlines using a fine black pen. Next, spell out your message with little letter stamps or use your best handwriting!

3

54

MODERN GARDENS

J U LY 2 0 2 0

First, find yourself a cute clear-glass bottle. Start by checking the recycling bin, although to be honest I’ve found myself buying a fancy cider or swish lemonade just so I can use the bottle afterwards. Soak the label off in warm, soapy water, making sure your bottle is nice and clean inside and out.

To make the tag, tear a piece of card into a rectangular shape. Hold it up against your bottle to work out the final size. Draw on your illustration in pencil. If you’re stuck for inspiration, there are lots of charming floral line drawings dotted throughout the pages of Modern Gardens magazine.

Snip three stems of greenery from the garden. I’ve used photinia ‘Red Robin’, euphorbia and mint, which will grow back super-fast. Check your garden for blooms too, five or six will do the trick. Alternatively, try your local florist for a few stems or pick up a small supermarket bunch.

Half-fill your bottle with water. Add each stem, arranging as you go for that garden style look. Tie on your tag using two loops of twine, and knot at the back. For an even greener gift, deliver them by hand. Place on the doorstep, ring the bell and stand back to watch the delighted reaction.

1

4

2

5

SIMPLE PROJECT

Instagram @janescottflowers

blog janescottflowers.com

Sna

agon

Make your neighbours smile!

‘Athena rose

TIP Choose s

easonal bloom s from local growers for m inimum eco im pact J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 55

We LOVE this!

22

EASY IDEAS

1

TINNED DELIGHTS Spray-paint clean, dry sardine tins, decorate with nautical-toned washi tape and pop in some tea lights.

Life’s a

Staycation SPECIAL

BEACH

Add SEASIDE VIBES to your garden and let the coast come to you this summer SCANDI SHORE STYLE Paint your dining furniture white, stand it on a natural rug and add accessories in ice-cream hues Custer Beige Area Rug £97.99/121 x 182cm, Bel Étage Picnic Table £219.99, Toskana Dinnerware Set for 4 £94.99, all wayfair.co.uk

2 4 lavender

Bring on the sun!

56 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

SHELL SENSATION Use Gorilla Glue to attach shells to a terracotta pot, then pipe exterior grout in the gaps, using a damp sponge to wipe off any excess.

3

VITAMIN SE Don’t underestimate the soothing effects of sand between your toes! To create your own mini-beach, cover a paved area with Soft Play Sand (£3, homebase.co.uk).

Laying it on weed control fabric makes post-summer clean-up faster.

Solblekt Beach Chair, £70 ikea.com

EASY IDEAS

TIP White wash

e s ea s ide st yl e – tr d wa ll s br ing insta nt y Cuprinol Gard e n Shades in White Daisy, £20/2.5L wicke s.co.uk

SEA-SIDE TABLE Stand drinks on an upended vintage crate to bring a tide-worn feel to your plot.

Wide Striped Throw, £25 nordichouse.c k

5

SHINE Hang w glint lik waves i sunshin Coloure Wall Ar dorsetgi

6

GOOD IDEA!

7 AY Pierce or drill cockle shells and thread onto wire to create a simple wreath to adorn your shed or summerhouse.

J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 57

➣

GOOD IDEA!

58 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

DAY TRIPPER Pack a picnic and a good book, spread out your beach towel in your garden, and relax! Rainbow Beach Parasol, £29 dunelm.com

8

COASTAL CHARM A large jar with a few pebbles placed in the base before it’s filled with water makes for a modern vase with seaside style.

EASY IDEAS

10

9

BEACH LIFE P i bbl hite and onto each tion to ur patio.

TIED TO THE WAVES Trail sisal rope (£9.29/15.2m, screwfix. com) through beds, loop around pots or string between posts.

Simply stylish

11 12

13

ISLAND HOME Give your feathered friends with this Coastline Bird Hous

he way a home-made from an offcut or buy instant style with this Distressed Wood Arrow Sign, £8.25 giselagraham.c

15 14

SHINGLE HOLIDAY Move your seating to an area of gravel for deckchair drinks with a seaside vibe. Table painted in Protek Royal Exterior ‘Saffron’, £17.99/1L protekwoodstain.co.uk

ALL ABOARD Stain decking white (try Ronseal Ultimate Whitewash Matt Decking Wood Stain, £32/2.5L, diy.com) and strew with shells, rope and sand.

➣ J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 59

Quick & easy

PAT H D E S I G NE R A ND PH OTO G R A PH E R : C HR I S O D O N O GHU E

BOARDWALK PATH Lay planks of wood on sparsely planted gravel, with a line of solar-powered pathway lights. Resist the temptation to line the wooden sections up – wonky is the way to go!

DUNE STAR The metallic blue tones of sea holly are at their blooming best in July and ‘Violet’ is one of the most intensely coloured. £7.95/9cm pot sarahraven.com

16

WAVE-WASHED CHIC String up white bunting made from an old sheet cut into triangles using pinking shears and sewn onto 14mm-wide bias binding tape (£4.99/20m, amazon.co.uk).

BEACH GAMES The satisfying sound of ball hitting bat will transport you straight to seaside memories (and this lightweight ball won’t harm your blooms). Solblekt Racket and Ball Set, £13 ikea.com

COASTAL COLOUR Pink sea thrift and acid-yellow Sedum spathulifolium tolerate salt-laden winds at the beach, so they’ll survive in your garden with zero care, no problem!

Plant into a patch of gravel and let them slowly sprea 60 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

18

SEA CHANGE Cover soil in your borders and raised beds with white pebbles – they’ll help to keep the weeds down too. White Pebbles, £9/25kg wickes.co.uk

19

20

17

21

blood grass

EASY IDEAS

THAT’S CLEVER!

GOOD IDEA!

22

OCEAN BEACON Coat three terracotta pots with a mix of two-parts water-based paint and one-part PVA glue, turn upside down and stack one on top of the other. Use an old jar on top of a plant pot saucer for the light.

J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 61

F E AT U R E: E MM A K EN D E L L . P H OTOS : G A P PH OTOS / F H F G RE EN M E D I A , FLO RA PRE S S, L I V I N G 4M E D I A , RI C H A RD FAU L KS, A L A M Y, S H U TTE R STOC K

Make life lovely

GIFT WORTH

£25

Enjoy e vere to

AND RECEIVE A WELCOME GIFT OF PURBECK SET OF 3 NIBBLE BOWLS IN INK & FLINT

or

Smarten up your serveware with this set of three Purbeck Bowls, worth £25.

Made from natural ecofriendly bamboo with contrasting bases in ink and flint, they’re the perfect size for heaps of fresh salad, stacks of crisps and mounds of couscous to accompany summer barbecues and garden picnics.

62 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

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If you want to make the most of your garden this summer and enjoy it right through the season, subscribe today. You’ll get each issue delivered to your door for just £2.90 each when you pay £34.90 by direct debit for 12 issues. Or, get Modern Gardens on your digital device for a budget-savvy £24.90 for 12 issues. Both options come with a complimentary set of nibble bowls worth £25!

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Keep the colour coming!

We LOVE mme

For the prettiest pots, baskets and windowboxes, keep them well-watered and feed once a week using a high potash plant food such as Phostrogen All Purpose Soluble Plant Food, ÂŁ4.25/800g, homebase.co.uk. Snip off the flowerheads as they fade and your plants will keep blooming all summer.

What to do in yo r Simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month 64 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

EASY IDEAS

Water in the morning

Give plants in beds and borders a good soak once a week rather than watering them little and often. The best time to do this is early morning, or early evening if you can’t get outside sooner.

Get more flag irises

Carefully dig up their fleshy roots (rhizomes) using a garden fork. Choose the best fans of leaves with the healthiest-looking rhizomes.

Trim the leaves using a horizontal cut 15cm above the rhizome, and chop off any damaged roots. Replant, water and look forward to lots more irises next year!

Love lilies

Inspect lilies for bright red lily beetles and their ugly larvae, or they’ll strip your plants of leaves and flower buds. Check them early in the morning, before it gets warm. The adults are dozy then and much easier to catch!

Let rhubarb recover You’ve got until mid-July to enjoy tasty rhubarb stems but then leave what’s left to give the plants time to build up their strength for a bumper crop next year. Mulch with well-rotted compost and water during prolonged dry spells.

Raise the bar

Unless you water your lawn, it will grow less in this lovely hot, dry weather – yay!

Keep giving it a weekly trim, but raise the height of the blades slightly, so you take off less with each cut.

Top up water

Check and fill water features regularly, especially small self-contained ones and those that have a water pump. If they run dry, the pump will overheat and be damaged beyond repair. ➣ J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 65

EASY IDEAS

10 MINUTE SORT OUT

✽ CHECK HOUSEPLANTS Give any that are positioned on hot, sunny window sills a wellbeing check. If they’re looking a bit scorched, move them to a cooler spot.

July is a great time to trim hedges. Try to cut the sides at a slight angle, so the bottom is a bit wider than the top as this helps to strengthen the hedge and allows more light to reach the base, preventing bare bottoms!

Garden notebook

Update decking

Give dull decking a makeover now that barbecue season is in full swing. Treat any boards that are looking off-colour using a decking stain, such as Cuprinol Anti-Slip, £24/2.5L wickes.co.uk.

Find your simple guide to all you need to know to get started outside at moderngardensmagazine.co.uk

66 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

✽ GET FREE SUCCULENTS Make more houseleeks by cutting off plantlets and putting them in a pot of gritty compost with their base just in contact with the compost. It’s so easy!

✽ TIDY UP TOMATOES Remove side shoots – those that grow in the angle between the stem and the leaves – of upright toms. Pinch them out using your fingers when 2.5-5cm long.

F E ATU R E: G EO F F H OD G E. PH OTOS : A L A M Y, S HU TT ER S TO CK

Hedge your bets

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MOW AND MULCH

E

Getting GREAT-LOOKING GRASS has never been easier thanks to STIHL! MODERN MOWER

For fans of petrol power looking for the latest advanced mowing technology, the STIHL RM 448 TC is packed with clever features.

Its one-speed drive self-propels the lawnmower for easier cutting of areas up to 1200m2, while the robust mono-comfort handlebar improves access to the grass catcher box for easy emptying.

With two handlebar height settings to choose from, mowing is more comfortable and the soft-grip handlebar can also be easily folded for compact storage and transport. Plus, ReadyStart technology means the engine can be reliably started up with minimal effort, both from cold and during mowing. ✽ £539

Number one for tech

The 3-in-1 RM 650 T can be used to cut and collect, mulch or as a cut and drop machine without having to change the blade.

The mono-comfort handle design improves access to the grass box, so emptying it is much easier. Powder coating on the aluminium deck and a sturdy front bumper help to make this a tough little number and it comes with a five-year extended domestic warranty (subject to registration and annual servicing). ✽ £789

Top for oughness

it i ks

2020-2021

PRECISION FINISH

If you strive for stripes, you’ll love the new STIHL RM 545 VR rear-roller petrol mower.

With a full width rear roller for enhanced stability while mowing, you can mow close to borders without dropping into flowerbeds and scalping the lawn. The roller smooths the blades of grass in the direction of travel to create that iconic British stripe effect.

You can also adjust the mower’s speed between 2.4 and 4.0km/h to suit the condition of your lawn and your preferred mowing pace.

Adjusting the cutting height to accommodate varying grass lengths is straightforward, thanks to the spring-loaded centrally located lever and a choice of seven cutting heights, ranging from 20mm to 75mm. ✽ £759 68

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Best for stripes

“The right mower means it’s not a chore any more!”

ADVERTISING FEATURE COMPACT AND CORDLESS

If you’ve got a medium-sized lawn (up to 1200m2), lack storage space and don’t have an outside electric socket, the foldable, petrolpowered STIHL RM 248 T is for you.

Weighing in at 26kg, the mower is easy to manoeuvre, plus the specially designed soft-grip handlebar is comfortable to use and simple to fold for easy storage and transport.

Adjusting the cutting height to accommodate

varying grass lengths is straightforward too, thanks to the spring-loaded centrally located lever and a choice of seven cutting heights, from 25mm to 75mm.

It also has a roomy 55-litre grass catcher box for fewer stops and less downtime, and the smooth-running wheels provide effortless manoeuvring around your lawn. ✽ £379

First hoice for power

Perfect r smalle spaces

FEATURE-PACKED INVESTMENT

The top of the range RM 655 VS is a worthy investment if you’ve got some cash to splash. Its handy blade brake clutch allows you to stop the blade but keep the engine running, so you can empty the grass catcher box, move an obstacle or cross a non-grass area, without having to stop and restart the engine.

It can comfortably mow up to 2500m2 and is fitted with a 3-in-1 blade, so you have the freedom to cut and collect, cut and drop, or mulch, to suit the weather conditions and the condition of your lawn. Switching between mowing functions is quick and hassle-free, as there’s no need to change the blade.

Variable speed drive means you can adjust the mower’s speed to suit the condition of your lawn and your preferred mowing pace, and its height adjustable, soft grip handlebar ensures minimal vibration. ✽ £1,169

Ideal for large lawns COMFY RIDE-ON

For large lawns up to 4,000m2, you can’t beat the compact and manoeuvrable RT 4082 ride-on mower. Thanks to its small turning circle and unobstructed forward view, you can work efficiently in gardens with trees, shrubs and other obstacles.

The driver’s seat can be moved and adjusted to a comfortable height, tool-free. The wide step through provides easy access to the driver’s seat, so you

don’t need to clamber over the machine to get comfortable.

The 250-litre grass catcher box can be easily opened from the driver’s seat by pulling the curve-shaped handle, whereby the clippings are completely tipped out.

The clever catching system ensures the best possible gathering of the grass across the entire cutting width. ✽ £2,899

The STIHL range is available at stihl.co.uk J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 69

GRASS

Use these BREEZY LEAVES and FLUFFY FLOWERHEADS to bring a modern flourish to your garden

FEATURE: GEOFF HODGE PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS/FRIEDRICH STRAUSS, THEJOYOFPLANTS CO UK, VISIONS

S

70

hould there ever be an official chart of plants most-loved in a modern garden, then fountain grasses would grab the number one spot week in, week out. They’re sophisticated, simple and elegant but have rugged good looks, too, so they fit in with all sorts of planting schemes and colour palettes. And they’re dead easy to look after, needing very little in the way of care and attention – just leave them to get on with swaying their fluffy flowerheads in the breeze and looking brazenly beautiful!

Of all the ornamental grasses, the fountain grasses – otherwise known as pennisetums – are our favourites because they’re so versatile. They make a stylish statement whether as a single plant in a gravel area, planted en masse or mixed with airy blooms.

Being heat lovers, they’re happy in a container too. And unlike some grasses, pennisetums don’t hide their light under a bushel – they plug it firmly into the mains electricity and brashly flounce it in your face!

Their large flowerheads appear in such copious quantities throughout summer that they look like they’re cascading down the

MODERN GARDENS

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plant, hence their name. Even when the flowers fade, the seedheads add colour and structure throughout autumn and winter, adding a final sparkle in spring frosts.

Unlike many other types of grasses, it’s not all about green, and you can take your pick from some fabulous tones. ‘Fireworks’ has burgundy-red leaves with pink edges and red flower plumes. ‘Rubrum’ has deep red to burgundy leaves with purple-red spikes. ‘Sky Rocket’ produces white-edged green leaves and cream-red blooms. ‘Cherry Sparkler’ has variegated green and cream leaves tipped with bright pink and long feathery flowerheads in shades of red and purple, and ‘Hameln Gold’ has spectacular yellow leaves with greenish-white flower spikes.

✽ PICK HEALTHY PLANTS

The more common varieties are widely available from garden centres, nurseries and DIY stores, but if you want a more unusual one, then you’ll need to buy it online. Choose plants with a rounded clump of strong, healthy leaves, and reject any with lots of off-colour or yellowing leaves – give any with

Add a touch of velines ADD A STYLISH EDGE

Cut a few stems to add to a vase of zinnias and antirrhinums, where they’ll last for weeks on end. You can use them fresh or dried to add a graceful, airy swish. dead or bare centres a miss too. If you can, carefully turn the plant upside down and ease off the pot – you want to see a good mix of compost and roots, rather than a swirl of jam-packed roots.

✽ KEEP THEM ALIVE

While some varieties grow in partial or light shade, all of them will enjoy life more in full sun. They’re not too fussy about soil type, as long as it remains moist in summer and well drained in winter, so dig in lots of bulky organic matter, such as planting compost or Verve Soil Improver (£4.37, diy.com) and, if you’ve got heavy clay soil, some sharp sand.

✽ HELP THEM THRIVE

To encourage good strong growth and lots of healthy leaves and flower spikes, water well during prolonged dry weather. Feed in spring with a controlled-release fertiliser such as Miracle-Gro All Purpose Continuous Release Plant Food (£5, wilko.com). Add a generous layer of compost or mulch around the plants in autumn, and cut back old leaves in early spring.

➣

PHOTO: MATTHEW CUNNINGHAM LANDSCAPE DESIGN LLC

...fantastic

ECT P X E PAY TO cm pot /9 9 9 .

7 £

BEST BUYS

The est plants to buy NOW! TRY THIS!

Sit a pot of grass in a rod basket to prevent the tall stems from flopping outwards. ÂŁ44.99, rhsplants.co.uk

PLANT A MEADOW

r u o y n i t o p s t u o l l chi TIP Zone off a er d r o b y r e h t a e f a garden with

A mass of fountain grass makes a bold statement and it’s so easy to look after! This modern take on a traditional meadow softens the sleek, straight lines of a contemporary design perfectly.

PHOTOGRAPHY (C ) JONATHAN BUCKLEY

GOOD IDEA!

Try methin ifferen

n e h w s t o p a t t o c a te r r f o s e d i s t u o e h t d e t a r TIP Soak d y h s t n a l p eep k p l e h o t r e t a w y ou 72

MODERN GARDENS

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RAISE THEM UP

Make room for more blooms in already packed borders by displaying them in pots supported on stout posts. For permanent pot displays, use John Innes No 3 Compost, rather than multi-purpose as it dries out more slowly.

T C E P EX AY TO P L pot 5/1 9 .

4 £

HELP CUT BLOOMS LAST Echinacea produce so many flowers throughout summer, your garden won’t miss some for indoor arrangements. To make them last for up to three weeks, mix 1 tsp each of sugar and bleach and 2 tsp of lemon juice to each litre of lukewarm water.

Green Jewel Echinacea Collection, £29.95/3 x 9cm plants sarahraven.com

BEST BUYS

isite

ECHINACEA Add lashings of colour with new varieties of these EASY-CARE BLOOMS that’ll last all summer long

T

hese impressive blooms might look high-maintenance, but they’re a doddle to grow! They’re bang on-trend for summer 2020, and we’re not surprised – their easy-going nature means they need minimal care and attention.

The bright daisy heads are held on sturdy stems, so they don’t need staking for support, and they flower for months on end.

Also known as coneflowers, thanks to the prominent cone at the centre, echinacea are enjoying a surge in popularity because of the stunning new varieties now available. Years ago, pinks, purples and whites were the only choices, but now you can rev-up hot borders with glowing blooms in a kaleidoscope of colours. Our favourites include ‘Sombrero Hot Coral’, whose flowers open coral and then deepen to vermillion, ‘Summer Cocktail’, a sunny shade of orange-yellow that morphs to pink as they age, ‘Delicious Candy’, a mix of hot pink and orange-red, the flowers of ‘Green Twister’ open deep green then develop a flush of purple, and ‘Tomato Soup’ doesn’t need any description!

There are blooms with winsome swept-back petals, berry-bright cones that look like they’re from outer space, ruffled centres and starburst skirts. Have a Google and you’ll find one that’ll add pizzazz to your plot in just the right style. There’s a good choice of height in all these new varieties, too, so there’s a perfect candidate whether you’re looking for a bloom to brighten up the front, middle or back of your borders, or your pots.

Bees and butterflies love them all, no matter the height or colour!

Buying plants already in bloom lets you see the tones, which is important if you’re colour co-ordinating your displays.

✽ KEEP THEM ALIVE

Give echinacea a sunny position and it’ll be happy in most types of soil. Before you plant it, dig in peat-free compost or Levington Organic Blend Soil Conditioner (£6.99/50L, waterperrygardens.co.uk). This will help the soil to stay moist in summer and well-drained in winter.

✽ HELP THEM THRIVE

For masses of flowers all summer, feed your echinacea every time you water with a liquid plant food such as Phostrogen All Purpose Soluble Plant Food (£4.25/800g, homebase. co.uk) and cut back stems once the blooms fade. Make sure you water your plants regularly through hot, dry spells. In autumn or spring, chop off any old stems and leaves and spread a 5cm-thick layer of peat-free compost on the soil around them.

✽ PICK HEALTHY PLANTS

PAINT A BOLD BACKDROP The flowers of ‘Green Envy’ dazzle against a wall painted in a contrasting colour. Try Cuprinol Garden Shades in Sweet Sundae, £14/1L wickes.co.uk

Some varieties of echinacea are widely available from garden centres and DIY stores, others will have to be bought from online suppliers. Look for a plant with lots of deep green leaves, and reject any with yellowing or wilted leaves, or white coverings of powdery mildew disease. Check there are no pests on the undersides of the leaves, too.

GO CONE CRAZY! Pluck faded petals to make a display of cut blooms with a difference.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 73

➣

Plant heaven

...sweet

SCABIOUS

CT E P X E AY T P O T L PO /1 9 9 .

7 £

Hot July days call for swathes of these PRETTY PINCUSHION blooms and clouds of butterflies who’ll enjoy the NECTAR FEAST

D

on’t be put off by this delightful flower’s less-than-lovely name that comes from its days as a traditional medicine used to treat scabies. Its common moniker, pincushion flower, is much more in keeping! And while these unassuming blooms won’t be the stars of the show in your border, they make for a hard-working, low-maintenance supporting cast bursting with colourful character, from spherical bursts of dark deliciousness to open blooms of lilac, scallop-edged petals.

Some varieties of scabious live for just a year, but others reliably pop their pretty heads back up every spring – and it’s these we love best, as you really don’t need to give them any TLC other than snipping off their button heads once the blooms fade. These will flower all summer long, and well into autumn, their mounds of bright green or grey-green leaves the perfect foil. This pretty foliage is often evergreen, so it stops borders

74

MODERN GARDENS

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from looking bare in winter – choose a low-growing type such as such as ‘Butterfly Blue’ or ‘Pink Mist’ if you want to take full advantage of this handy attribute.

Pincushion flowers are irresistible to bees and butterflies, as they’re packed with nectar.

Their often-shapely stems make for gorgeous arrangements of cut flowers, too. A handful of their geodesic seed pods look great in a bottle – if you want to dry a bunch, pick them when the pod is still green, and hang them upside down in a dry, airy spot.

✽ PICK HEALTHY PLANTS

You’ll find some varieties in garden centres and DIY stores, but it’s a good idea to look online for the widest choice. Choose plants with a good coverage of strong, healthy, well-coloured leaves all over the pot. Any tired-looking, yellowing or wilted leaves are signs of stress, so avoid these. If you can, carefully turn the plant upside down and ease

off the pot – look for a good mix of compost and healthy white roots.

✽ KEEP THEM ALIVE

Pincushion flowers need a sunny position.

They love well-drained soil so dig in lots of bulky organic matter, compost or soil improver (try Verve Soil Improver, (£4.37, diy.com) before planting, and also some sharp sand or grit if you’ve got heavy clay soil.

✽ HELP THEM THRIVE

To keep plants flowering for as long as possible, use a controlled-release fertiliser in spring and then feed from late July to September with a liquid plant food such as Levington Tomorite (£4.49, crocus.co.uk).

Don’t worry about watering them unless you’re enjoying a long spell of very dry weather, or you’ve got sandy soil. Snip off flower stems once the blooms fade, and tidy up any old leaves.

PHOTOGRAPHY (C ) JONATHAN BUCKLEY

ENJOY FOR LONGER Scabious blooms open from their outer petals inwards, so, if you want your cut flowers to last, snip flowers that have only unfurled this outside edge of colour.

BEST BUYS

TRY THIS!

Grow starflower or drumstick scabious for delightful, perfectly spherical seedheads. £6.25/5 seedlings, sarahraven.com PHOTOGRAPHY (C ) JONATHAN BUCKLEY

CREATE CONTRAST Dark, moody Macedonian scabious stands out against lime-green euphorbia. £4.95/9cm plant sarahraven.com

‘Tall Double Mix’

MIX TONES

A vase of pink, mauve, white and crimson scabious look fab inside or out. Scabiosa atropurpurea are one of the longest flowering, from June to December.

‘Tall Double Mix’, £10.95/10 seedlings sarahraven.com

TIP Plunge cut

ste ms into a buck et of wa r m wate r imm e and your display diately after cutting will l a st up to 10 days J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 75

Striking

0 2 .

6 £20

Done in a

WEEKEND Use a slatted fence panel to create more room for blooms and ZONE YOUR PLOT ow that we can buy fence panels again (hooray!), here’s a quick and easy job for this weekend that will transform the look of your garden. Using a slatted fence panel or two to create a screen won’t cost a fortune, but it will add a new dimension to your plot.

Dividing your outdoor space into rooms will make it feel bigger, as well as adding a sense of privacy, and using a slatted panel creates a barrier but still lets the sun shine through. And, by only partially hiding what’s behind it, you get just enough of a glimpse of mystery, which implores you to go and explore!

N

F E ATU R E: G EO F F HO D G E PH OTOS : G A P P H OTOS /E L KE B O RKOWS K I - CO N TRO L THE UNCONTROLLABLE GARDEN, HAMPTON COURT FLOWER SHOW 2011

Day 1 PRESERVE

You don’t need to use it to define a zone if you don’t want to. Placing a panel in or across a border instantly makes it more interesting. And extending your garden vertically will provide additional space to grow lots of fabulous climbing plants, so you can add splashes of high colour.

This is especially useful in a small garden where space is at a premium. Climbers love a see-through screen that’s not set against a wall or fence, as they can enjoy light from all directions. We’ve used two back-to-back panels to produce a fuller, deeper effect, but you could use just one if you prefer and want to keep your budget to a minimum.

Day 2 PUT UP

YOUR PANEL

YOUR SCREEN

Protect the wood so it lasts for ages.

Take a before and after photo to see the dramatic effect!

YOU WILL NEED @ 2 bamboo canes @ Paintbrush @ Clear Wood Preserver, such as Cuprinol Wood Preserver, £13/1L diy.com @ 2 slatted panels, such as Hartwood 6 x 6in Slatted Pressure Treated Fence Panel, £74 sheds.co.uk @ 2 x 2.1m fence post, £10.50 homebase.co.uk @ Spade and tape measure

YOU WILL NEED @ Brick off-cuts, large stones or gravel @ 2 Postmix Concrete, £5.60/20kg homebase.co.uk @ Spirit level @ Stainless-steel screws @ Screwdriver, preferably battery-powered @ Drill and drill bits

WHAT TO DO 1 Place the brick off-cuts, large stones or gravel to a WHAT TO DO depth of 15cm in the base of each post hole, so that 30cm 1 Mark the positions for the fence posts using the of the posts will be underground. bamboo canes. Standard fence panels are 1.8m long, give 2 Mix the concrete. Place each post in its hole, ensuring or take a few mm, but it’s best to hold the panel in place the outer edges are exactly the length of the panel apart, and use this to place the canes, just to be sure. and fill with concrete. Check with a spirit level that the 2 Paint the panels and the posts using the wood posts are vertical and will be square to the panel when preserver. Pay particular attention to the base of the posts fitted. Allow the concrete to set. The concrete we’ve where they will sit underground, to chosen is quick-setting, but it’s still reduce the chance of rotting. Standing worth nailing props to the posts to the posts in a container of preserver for keep them steady and in the right WHAT IT COST an hour will maximise uptake. For best place while the concrete sets. @ Fence panels £148 results, apply two coats, ensuring the 3 Once fully set, screw the panels @ Fence posts £21 first coat is fully dry before applying the to the posts using screws at 30cm @ Concrete £11.20 second one. intervals, and ensuring the panels are @ Wood Preserver £26 3 Dig a hole for each fence post, horizontal with a spirit level. Drilling TOTAL: £206.20 measuring approximately 30 x 30cm pilot holes in the panel and posts first wide and 45cm deep. will make screwing together easier.

76 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U L Y 2 0 2 0

SIMPLE PROJECT

TIP Keep the b ot

panels slightly pr tom of the oud of soil level to reduce the cha nce of rotting PROTECT PLANTS

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’

If you’re putting up your screen in an existing border, you may have to move a few plants. Thoroughly water them a couple of hours before digging them up, taking as big a root ball as possible to minimise damage. Water them well once you’ve replanted them, too. Tie twine around any bushy plants that don’t need moving, to restrain them while you work!

Paint it! mpion

You can paint your fence panel any colour of the rainbow – and many more besides! You will need an exterior paint such as Cuprinol Garden Shades in Sweet Sundae (£14/1L, wickes.co.uk) and a brush that’s a fraction wider than a slat – you may think a big brush will get the job done quicker, but you’ll waste a lot of paint. It’s much easier to paint the panel before you put it up. Give it two coats, and add an extra lick to cut ends to protect them from the weather.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 77

A little of what ou fancy

Pl

GAME OF THRONES CORNER

Every month we give you easy ideas for creating a special corner in your garden

What to buy

FEATHERTOP

Fluffy, bright flowers cascade from fine, light green foliage. Unlikely to survive winter but seeds freely, so you’ll have new plants next year. Height and Spread 60cm. £7.99/9cm pot crocus.co.uk 78 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

DAHLIA ‘SUNSHINE’

Dramatic dark foliage is the perfect foil for large bright golden-yellow blooms with striking orange-red centres. Pinch out growing tips to encourage bushy plants. Height 70cm Spread 40cm. £3.99/1 tuber rhsplants.co.uk

H

aving indulged in a few too many box sets over the past few months, now summer is in full swing, we’re out in the garden enjoying long, balmy days late into the evening. We’ve taken the style of our favourite screen fodder with us to create a magical cornucopia of vibrant dahlias with dark bronze foliage doing battle with foxtail barley and feathertop. This combo is perfect for a sunny border with fertile, well-drained soil.

FOXTAIL BARLEY

Silvery-pink, feathery plumes, above swordlike foliage, glisten as they flow harmoniously in the breeze. Tease out tatty foliage using your fingers. Height 60cm Spread 50cm. £5.95/1L pot dorsetperennials.co.uk

EASY IDEAS

Three more fantastical combinations Laidback TONES

BUTTON SNAKEROOT

Unusual rosettes of spiny-edged, blue-grey leaves soar upwards, bearing spherical, whitish-green, prickly flowers. Give it well-drained soil. Height 1.2m Spread 60cm. £1.99/9cm pot longacres.co.uk

SILVER SPEAR

VERONICASTRUM VIRGINICUM

SNEEZEWEED

YARROW ‘TERRACOTTA’

BURNET

STAR DAHLIA

Add sparkle with elegantly arching, sword-like leaves that appear to be sprinkled with silver dust. Unfussy in well-drained soil.

Protected from frost. Height 1.2m Spread 2m. £10/3L pot palms-exotics.co.uk

The slender, branched spikes of small violet-blue flowers are a magnet for bees.

It’s useful for adding long-lasting colour to the back of a border. Height 1.8m Spread 45cm. £4.95/9cm pot claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk

xuberant HUES

Turn up the heat with the warm glow of fabulously ruffled, veined leaves, which change from pinky-orange to burgundy as summer progresses. Height 20cm Spread 40cm. £8.99/9cm pot crocus.co.uk

‘Moerheim Beauty’ will fire up a sunny border with daisy-like blooms in toasty-warm shades.

Cut back in June to keep the glow lasting into autumn. Height 1.25cm Spread 60cm. £5.20/9cm pot claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk

Set against ferny, silvery-green foliage, the flat heads of tiny flowers create a mosaic of colour, from dark orange to pale yellow. Looks hot in a sunny spot! Height 75cm Spread 60cm. £5.99/9cm pot rhsplants.co.uk

Daringly DARK

CHINESE SILVER GRASS

The silky, dark purple, feathery plumes of ‘Ferner Osten’, which fade to silver, are held above majestic, arching, silver-veined foliage.

A fab addition to a sunny border. Height 1.5m Spread 1m. £9.99/2L pot knollgardens.co.uk

Spires of deep ruby-red bobbles hover on wiry stems above low mounds of crimped, blue-green foliage. Happiest in a sunny but moist spot. Height 50cm Spread 40cm. £4.95/9cm pot claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk

‘Verrone’s Obsidian’ brings a dark and sultry mood with velvety, maroon, star-shaped flowers with glowing golden-yellow centres.

Protect from frost in winter. Height 60cm Spread 40cm. £3.95/1 tuber sarahraven.com J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 79

F E AT U R E: C L A R E WA L K E R PH OTOS : A L A M Y L I B RA RY, CRO C U S CO UK

CORAL BELLS ‘PAPRIKA’

Get your DREAM SPACE this summer with GARDENA’S top tips

A

s many of us will be planning a staycation this summer, our outdoor spaces have become even more important. And ensuring they are well cared for throughout the summer months, so we can spend quality family time in them, is top of the to-do list!

With more than 50 years’ experience creating innovative gardening solutions, GARDENA has an impressive range of easy-to-use garden tools and watering products designed to help you create and maintain your dream garden – no green fingers required!

HAVE A PLAN

Whether you’re starting with a blank canvas or looking for some inspiration for an unloved patch of your garden, you can quickly and easily create a custom plan using the GARDENA myGarden app. This free online planner has a wide range of tools for you to be able to visualise your dream garden, including a built-in sprinkler system planner for automatic irrigation. Visit www.gardena. com/uk/garden-life/garden-planner/ and let the inspiration begin!

FOR THE GENTLE WATERING of flowers and sensitive plants, herbs and seedlings, the fine mist of the Comfort Sensitive Plant Sprayer is a great choice.

GET BLOOMING FLOWERS

THE COMFORT MULTI SPRAYER is perfect for multiple watering and cleaning tasks with five spraying patterns – soft, bubble jet spray, fine mist, flat spray and hard jet.

Water your flowerbeds twice a week in the peak of summer, giving each plant a thorough watering to provide the roots with sufficient moisture. GARDENA’s range of sprayers and nozzles ensure you have the right model for every application, from the GARDENA Comfort Sensitive Plant Sprayer (£17.99), for gentle watering of delicate seedlings and herbs, to the GARDENA Comfort Multi Sprayer (£24.99), with five spray patterns for watering and cleaning tasks. For those hard-to-get-at spots, the GARDENA Comfort Spray Lance can reach the back of garden borders up to a

ADVERTISING FEATURE CREATE AN ENVIABLE LAWN Keeping your lawn green and lush in the hot summer months can be a real challenge. On very hot days, raise the cutting height on your lawnmower blade.

Keeping a longer leaf on the grass will reduce moisture loss.

Regular mowing will also help to keep a fine mulch of chopped

grass blades on the soil surface keeping moisture in. Try the new GARDENA Handymower. This compact and lightweight battery powered lawnmower cuts 50m2 of lawn in 20 minutes, and the mulching blade cuts a third of the length, which will help keep moisture in.

SIMPLY CONNECT the pressure-reducing Master Unit to your tap with the aid of a hose and your Micro-Dip-System is ready to go!

ENJOY GLORIOUS BASKETS

Blooming summer baskets always make eye-catching garden features. But, it can be tricky to keep them well hydrated on hot summer days. The GARDENA Micro-Drip-System Starter Set for potted plants (£44.99) is the perfect solution to consistent watering of hanging baskets (as well as container plants).

This ready-to-use kit is quick and easy to install and comes with everything you will need to irrigate up to seven flower pots.

The baskets, or pots, are accurately and individually watered via the pipe system using drip heads. The water quantity per plant can be accurately controlled using the Micro-Drip-System drip irrigation. length of 90cm. Pair your sprayer with one of GARDENA’s Quality Flex Hoses (from £44.99), which are made from a high-quality spiral mesh textile that is pressure-resistant, keeps its shape and easy to use.

GROW YOUR OWN

Nothing beats the taste of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs grown with your own fair hands. With more time to spend in your outdoor space this summer, why not create your own kitchen garden? Keep your seedlings well-hydrated with the GARDENA Micro-Drip-System Starter Set (£44.99) for planted areas. When combined with a water control (from £24.99), this ready-to-use set automatically takes care of up to 40m2, allowing you more time to sample your home-grown delights.

KEEP YOUR KITCHEN GARDEN looking lush and healthy with a Micro-Dip-System Starter Set.

For more information about GARDENA’s range of innovative garden solutions, visit www.gardena.com/uk J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 81

O AU N G SA US LE T JU ISS LY UE 29

✽ ORDER YOUR MAGAZINE ONLINE AT GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK A D ENJOY FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR!

In next month’s issue...

P H OTOS : G A P PH OTOS/ V I SI O N S PR E M I U M , SA N DT E X

acked Garden makeovers p inch p to u o y r fo s a e id h wit

ith Plan a pizza night w ovens for all budgets

es that u iq n h c te t in a p n r e d 10 mo arden will transform your g

a Easy projects to add r plot finishing touch to you

ed The best solar-power lights to buy now

Plus, cottage-garden blooms, pallet makes & more!

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Get your favourite magazine delivered straight to your door

Do you want Modern Gardens magazine delivered directly to your home? Just fill in the form, take it to your local Martin McColl’s store or your local newsagent, and they will do the rest – it’s that easy.

You stay at home, and we’ll do the leg work!

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Terms and Conditions Availability of home delivery is subject to delivery areas operated by your local store. Most but not all Martin McColl’s stores operate a Home News Delivery Service. You can check your nearest operating store by visiting www.mccolls.co.uk/in-store-services, scroll down to the ‘Home News Delivery’ segment and enter your postcode. Other magazines are also available from your local Martin McColl’s store. Visit the website for more details. Delivery charges may by applied by the supplying store.

SIMPLE PROJECTS

Let’s eat out

Hyd

ea

PH OTO : @AU SD E N AC H Z I GE R N

FREE K

Now we’re

F E ATU R E: J U L ES B A RTO N - BR EC K P H OTOS : F LO R A P RE S S, L IV IN G 4 ME DI A, G A P P H OTOS / F R IE DR I C H S T RAUS S

COOKING! Turn your barbecue into a stylish OUTDOOR KITCHEN with these clever upcycling ideas

A

n outdoor kitchen is on all our garden wish lists – and now it’s within our reach, too! Create an outdoor cooking zone around your barbecue with some of these savvy upcycling projects, and you can turn a corner of your plot into a stylish spot for al fresco feast-making. Using a few pieces of wood, salvage furniture, broken crockery, even a wheelbarrow, plus a few licks of

exterior paint, these dapper ideas will ensure your barbecue area looks sleek and smart. The bonus being that you can modify them to suit your needs, making your outdoor kitchen unique to you and however you like to cook in your garden. However you get inspired by our ideas, don’t forget to post pictures of your makes on our Facebook and Instagram pages or email us at moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk.

Be inspired by how @ausdenachzigern created a standalone unit for a barbecue.

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Old kitchen unit or chest with drawer space, doors and drawers removed, big enough to fit your barbecue ✽ Wood screws and screwdriver ✽ Old tongue and groove fence panel or 2 matching salvaged doors ✽ Jigsaw ✽ Leftover exterior paint – try Cuprinol Garden Shades in Forget Me Not, £20/2.5L wickes.co.uk and paintbrush WHAT TO DO 1 Modify the chest to fit the gas bottle, ensuring the hose will reach the barbecue.

2 Customise further to fit the barbecue into one of the open drawer spaces.

3 Create a backdrop by screwing a frame clad with tongue-and-groove panelling or the salvaged doors to the chest, adding a roof supported with brackets if required.

Cut out a section on one of the panels/ doors to allow for ventilation.

4 Paint all the wood and leave to dry, then repaint.

5 Once dry, fix the barbecue in place.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 83

➣

AL FRESCO SHELVES

Use fruit and veg crates, which you can pick up from supermarkets and corner shops, to transform your fe

£1.29

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Selection of wooden crates ✽ Leftover exterior paint and paintbrush ✽ Zinc-plated Corner Braces (brackets), £1.29/10 screwfix.com ✽ Small wood screws and screwdriver ✽ Pencil and spirit level

PH OTO: @H OM E _ O N _ TH E _ B LU F F

WHAT TO DO 1 Paint the crates inside and out, leave to dry, then apply a second coat if necessary.

2 Attach two braces (brackets) to the back bottom of each box using the screws.

3 Hold each box against the fence, line up using the spirit level and mark where to fix through the corner brace holes using the pencil.

4 Screw the braces to the fence and paint over to disguise.

£7.50 HANGING HE Be inspired by Kathryn @h Fintorp rail, hooks and cut

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Spirit level ✽ 4 large cup hooks to fit the diameter of the tubing/rail ✽ 2 lengths of narrow metal tubing or old curtain or shower rail cut to size ✽ S-hooks, £1.50/5 pack ikea.com ✽ 6 lengths of strong wire, each 30cm long ✽ 6 metal plant pots, £1 each ikea.com ✽ Potted herbs of your choice, we used tarragon, thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary and sage WHAT TO DO 1 Use the spirit level to mark where the cup hooks should go to hold each rail – about 5cm from each end – and screw into place.

2 Hang the rails and add the S-hooks.

3 Tie each piece of wire twice around the rim of the pots and then twist the ends together to create a hanging loop.

4 Add the herbs to the pots then hang on the S-hooks.

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SIMPLE PROJECTS

Small gardens, big ideas

TIP Pick the le av

es to add to y our dishes dur ing y o ur mea l

CHIC CUTLERY CONTA This lovely rustic-style holder takes minutes to make and transforms an al fresco meal.

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Old terracotta pot – tall enough to hold cutlery without falling over ✽ Length of wire approximately twice the diameter of the pot rim ✽ Selection of fresh herb cuttings such as rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage ✽ Napkin

FRE E!

1 Clean the pot inside and 2 Wrap the wire around a stem or st yer another stem on top and repeat until you have a length of wired herbs.

3 Wrap the herb wire around the top of the pot and twist the ends together so it sits securely in place.

4 Line the pot with the napkin and add the cutlery with all handles upright.

PAN PLANTER

We love the way that Kevin, who is a volunteer member of the charitable community garden organisation Hyde Park Source (@hyde_park_source), created this during lockdown.

P H OTO : @H YD E _ PAR K _ SO U RC E

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Drill with metal bit ✽ Old griddle or frying pan ✽ Leftover wood ✽ 2 wood screws ✽ Compost ✽ Plant or herb of your choice

E E FR

WHAT TO DO 1 Use the drill to make drainage holes in the back and bottom side edge of the pan.

2 Cut and shape the wood to fit the bottom third of the pan.

3 Drill a hole on either side of the pan and screw the wood into place.

4 Fill the pocket with compost, add your plant or herb, hang and water well.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 85

➣

e c a l p , y l e s i c e r p ina h c f o e c e i p a e p a s, d r a h c TIP To sh p r a h s y n ch a t a c o t , g a b d o o f it in a s r e p p i n e l i t g n i s a nd cut u MOSAIC UTENSIL HOOKS

Repurpose those mugs you never use to make some useful holders!

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Putty knife/grout spreader ✽ Ready to use grout – try Mapei Waterproof Fix & Grout Tile Adhesive, £7.28/1.5kg toolstation.com ✽ Selection of old cups/mugs or teapot handles ✽ Broken pieces of china ✽ Exterior grout sealer – try SRP Spray-On Tile and Grout Sealer Aerosol, £13.95/500ml amazon.co.uk WHAT TO DO 1 Use the putty knife to apply a th of the grout to th ha

3 2 .

1 2 £ BARROW BARBECUE Don’t have a barbecue? Then get clever like @saonkirk and create a portable unit that can be easily wheeled to the perfect cooking spot.

P H OTO : @ SAO N K I R K

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Old metal wheelbarrow ✽ Old grill/oven racks ✽ Barbecue coals/briquettes WHAT TO DO 1 Clean the wheelbarrow – it doesn’t matter if there’s any surface rust as food won’t be touching it – and leave to dry. Thoroughly clean the racks using washing-up liquid.

2 Fill the bottom of the barrow with a layer of coals or briquettes – you can pile up one end higher so you get a closer heat for certain foods, or leave one end clear and lay a grill over it to create a ‘resting’ area for meats.

3 Depending on the size and shape of the grills, rest them along the edges of the barrow, overlapping if needs be to create a flat surface.

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FREE

So EASY!

SIMPLE PROJECTS

BRIGHT TROLLEY REVAMP Outdoor-proof an old kitchen trolley using paint and a pretty mosaic top.

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Old trolley or small kitchen table ✽ Leftover exterior paint and paintbrush ✽ Small broken pieces of china and glass or buy a mosaic kit – try bakerross.co.uk for mosaic glass and tiles ✽ Ceramic glue – try Gorilla Heavy Duty Gorilla Weld Steel Bond 2-Part Epoxy, £7.95 ebay.co.uk ✽ Putty knife/grout spreader ✽ Ready to use grout – try Mapei Waterproof Fix & Grout Tile Adhesive, £7.28/1.5kg toolstation.com

✽ Damp sponge ✽ Exterior grout sealer – try SRP Spray-On Tile and Grout Sealer Aerosol, £13.95/500ml amazon.co.uk

WHAT TO DO 1 Paint your trolley with two coats.

2 On a flat surface, map out the design of the mosaic.

3 Dab the glue on the back of each mosaic piece and stick into position on the trolley top. Allow to dry.

4 Spread the grout over the mosaic pieces.

5 Gently clean the grout off the surface of the mosaic. Leave to dry, then buff to remove any excess. Spray with the sealer.

TRY THIS!

Give your old metal barbecue a modern update with heatproof Rust-Oleum Stove and BBQ Paint, £8, amazon.co.uk

FRE E! FOR

E HOLDER

Upcycle old forks and turn them into stylish candle holders for your outdoor dining table.

TIP Turn a n o ld

£29 .18

side table into a trolley by utting down t wo of the l e gs a n d a t t a c h i n g castors

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Old kitchen fork ✽ Solid circular metal item such as a pipe ✽ Hammer ✽ Pliers ✽ Old saucer and some decorative tape ✽ Candle WHAT TO DO 1 Position the fork in front of the pipe, laid horizontally, and use the hammer to bend it over the pipe. Make sure the end of the fork stays straight.

2 Use the pliers to bend a couple of the fork tines so they create a spike for the candle to sit on.

3 Put the fork on the saucer and stick into place using the tape. Add the candle and light.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 87

love

Add STAYCATION STYLE to your outside space with these FUN PLANTERS that are packed with personality

£4

F E ATU R E: K AR EN WAR RE N . P H OTO : WWW. P IL L A RB OX BLU E.CO M

C

30

MINUTES

CERAMIC TILE PLANT BOX

These Moroccan pots are so easy, you’ll want to make lots!

YOU WILL NEED ✽ 4 leftover square tiles ✽ No More Nails Adhesive, £4 diy.com ✽ Plastic bottle ✽ Scissors 88 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

✽ Compost ✽ Plants

local r u o y t a s e l p m a s e e TIP Pick up fr ns r e tt a p g in h tc a m d n tile store, mixing a for an eclectic look

WHAT TO DO 1 Place a wipeable tablecloth on the surface you will be working on, to protect it. Hold your first tile upright, with the pattern facing towards you. Add a strip of adhesive along the left-hand rough edge of the tile.

2 Butt a second tile up against the adhesive on the first, so that the two tiles are at right angles.

Hold in place for a couple of minutes to allow the adhesive to take hold, then pile up some

heavy books against the second tile, for added support as it dries.

3 Repeat the process with a third tile, then a fourth, butting the left-hand edge of the fourth tile up against the right-hand-side of the first to complete the cube.

4 Choose a plastic bottle that fits snugly into the tile cube. Cut the top off the plastic bottle, leaving enough base so that it’s just a few millimetres shorter than the tile cube.

5 Squeeze the plastic bottle base into the cube and fill with compost and a plant of your choice.

SIMPLE PROJECTS

SUPERFAST MAKE

PH OTO : A NG E L A K E NNY

FLIP-FLOP VASE HOLDER This cute idea will have you dreaming of last year’s beach break. Hammer a nail through the sole of each flip-flop at the heels, into a wooden fence or the side of your shed. Wash out and remove the labels from a couple of bottles that fit snugly into the thong of each flip-flop. Add a little water to the base of each bottle and pop in freshly cut blooms.

E E FR

CONTACT US Address: Modern Gardens, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Email: moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk EDITORIAL Phone 01733 468000 Editor Emma Kendell Art Editor Marisa Bailey Production Editor & Head of Publishing Angela Kenny Junior Designer Megan Spear Editorial Assistant Holly Cammarata Hall Contributors Clare Walker, Fi Galley, Geoff Hodge, Karen Warren, Katie Masters, Jill Morgan, Jules Barton Breck, Rachel Toal ADVERTISING Phone 01733 366404/366411 Group Commercial Director Nicky Holt Commercial Director Iain Grundy Key Accounts Lawrence Cavill Grant Display Sales Lucy Baxter RKETING ne 01733 468209 nd Manager Susan Rogers duct Marketing Manager Naivette Bluff ct Marketing Manager Julie Spires ct Marketing Executive Raheema Rahim d of Newstrade Marketing Leon Benoiton wstrade Marketing Manager Stacey Risk PRODUCTION Phone 01733 468878 Print Production Rebecca Stone Advertising Production Chloe Martin, Kurt Baker Printed by Walstead Bicester Distributed by Frontline SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUES To ensure that you don’t miss an issue and for the best subscription offers, visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk For orders, renewals, missing issues or any other enquiry, please email bauer@subscription.co.uk or call 01858 438884. For overseas, call +44 1858 438884 To manage your account online, visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/solo Syndication syndication@bauermedia.co.uk

£6 CON TOWEL POT

Transform an old beach towel into a colourful planter. Neelima @lowwaste.indian made this one.

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Polycell Cement Quick Set, £6 wilko.com, mixed up in a bucket as per the instructions ✽ Wet beach towel, firmly wrung out ✽ Bamboo cane, for mixing ✽ Protective sheet and bucket for a mould ✽ Leftover masonry paint ✽ Compost and plant

WHAT TO DO 1 Add a little extra water to the cement mix to make it slightly runnier than advised.

2 Plunge the towel into the cement and swirl it around with the cane until completely saturated.

3 Lay a protective sheet on the ground and place your mould on top. Lift the towel out of the cement, holding for a minute of two to let any excess cement mixture run off.

4 Transfer the towel to your mould, pushing the centre of the towel down into the bucket and draping the material down around the sides.

Cut a small drainage hole in the centre of the towel. Push the towel into the base so it’s flat.

5 Once dry and set solid, lift the towel from the mould. Paint and leave to dry before filling with compost and a plant.

H BAUER PUBLISHING President of Publishing Rob Munro-Hall CEO of Bauer Publishing UK Chris Duncan Editorial Director June Smith-Sheppard Managing Director – Sport & Leisure Oswin Grady Head of Digital Charlie Calton-Watson Chief Financal Officer Bauer Magazine Media Lisa Hayden Modern Gardens magazine is published 12 times a year by H Bauer Publishing. H Bauer Publishing is a company registered in England and Wales with company number LP003328, registered address Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT. VAT no 918 5617 01. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any form in whole or in part, without prior permission of the publisher. All material published remains the copyright of H Bauer Publishing. We reserve the right to edit letters, copy or images submitted to the magazine without further consent. The submission of material to H Bauer Publishing whether unsolicited or requested, is taken as permission to publish in the magazine, including any licensed editions throughout the world. Any fees paid in the UK include remuneration for any use in any other licensed editions. We cannot accept any responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, images or materials lost or damaged in the post. Whilst every reasonable care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions nor do we accept any liability for any loss or damage, howsoever caused, resulting from the use of the magazine. Whilst we endeavour to feature the latest products, all products shown are subject to stock. Prices correct a time of printing. H Bauer Publishing is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Ref No. 845898) and (Ref No. 710067) COMPLAINTS: H Bauer Publishing is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (www.ipso.co.uk) and endeavours to respond to and resolve your concerns quickly. Our Editorial Complaints Policy (including full details of how to contact us about editorial complaints and IPSO’s contact details) can be found at www.bauermediacomplaints.co.uk. Email address for editorial complaints: complaints@bauermedia.co.uk

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 89

” n e d r a g e h t n i “I’m This month, Caroline O’Toole takes us on a tour of her quirky, colourful outdoor space in Yorkshire * I share my garden with…

my husband Terry and two of my three children, who are aged 20 and 23. Not forgetting Dexter the Border terrier dog.

* My garden is…

F EATU R E: E MM A K E N D E L L

Meet Dexter, who often plonks himself in my flowerbeds!

cute! Our house is built on an old farm drive and the rectangular gardens front and back were full of compacted debris including hardcore, rubbish and bitumen, which meant it was difficult to grow anything.

When we moved here in 1995, there were rough patches of grass with a few shrubs. But with new soil and manure, we’ve dug and shaped the space into curves. Our aim was to create different areas to sit, relax and take in the views.

A few dahlias make everything look bright and beautiful

* My inspiration is… looking at

other people’s gardens while Terry and I are walking Dexter. I love the idea that the garden is as valuable as any room in the house. I look for plants that stand out and look unplanned – my favourites are the simplest natural cottage garden plants that provide waves of colour throughout the year.

* I use my garden for...

spending most of my time in with family during the summer. We enjoy the morning sun at the front of the house then move to the back

I love to recharge my batteries here in the conservatory with the evening sunshine streaming through 90

MODERN GARDENS

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GARDEN MAKEOVER

My favourite colour this summer has to be yellow. It pops up everywhere in my garden garden for the afternoon and evening. Our trees give us shade and coolness in summer and a mindful oasis to socialise and relax in.

* Best garden moment

We have lots of birthdays in the summer months, so we always decorate the garden.

For my birthday last year, I had a lovely surprise when I returned home from a walk and my daughter had decorated the whole garden.

I also love springtime when nature slowly awakens from hibernation and the new life cycle begins again.

* Favourite area

I love sitting and relaxing in our egg chair, which nestles near a forsythia tree and overlooks most of the garden.

* Current obsession

Self-seeding plants and flowers. There are lots of aquilegia, Welsh poppies and foxgloves in our garden and I love that they do their own thing and are low-maintenance. We also have rowan and hawthorn trees that both self-seeded in the garden.

* Best buy

The garden room, which we bought in 2012.

We were running out of space in the house so, instead of moving, we had this room in the garden erected. We use it for so many different things. During the current crisis, I’m using it to work from home and it has a much better view than working in a city office.

I inherited my love of pink from my mum! * Favourite plant

I love pink, tall cosmos because they have a long flowering season. I grow them from seed and they last until the first frost. They fill borders with a profusion of flowers and a mass of feathery foliage, and they also look good in containers. My mum loved her garden too, and the colour pink, so maybe that’s the reason I love them so much.

* Latest project Our block paving is 23 years old and needs a revamp!

I wish I could bottle the smell of this philadelphus

* My top tip

Relax! Monty Don might disagree, but does it really matter if one plant is higher than the other or if there’s a purple plant in the middle of white flowers?

I love this crocosmia and Japanese anemone combo

* My garden is… my sanctuary, and watching the plants

grow and flourish is a delight. ✽ Caroline’s Instagram is @helena_johanna__ Get in touch Tell us all about your garden by emailing moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk

A cosy corner with a painted wall and recently spray-painted orange clock J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 91

Get ready for

Summer!

Outdoor Solar Panel Lighting á

Easy to use and long-life lighting

á

6 - 9 hours of light during darkness

á

Waterproof and weatherproof Ideal for a vast range of garden styles and outdoor activities: patios, inner courtyards, walkwa

Prices range from

á á

á á á

Cordless and easy to operate. No more tripping hazards, tangled cables, no complicated set up.

Precise handling – expect perfect trimming down hedges for small to medium sized gardens.

40V Tool only - battery and charger sold separately. Motor power: 188W Cutting Length: 500mm Speed: 1300 RPM Net Weight: 2.8kg (without battery)

£79.99

Easy to clean; only requires handful of charcoal Quickly heats up; the battery powered fan circulates the hot air around Perfect for up to 6 people; ideal for camping, caravanning, festivals, fishing, picnics and smaller households

£49.99

£19.99 to £29.99

40V Cordless Hedge Trimmer (Bare Machine) á

Portable Fan Assisted Charcoal BBQ

Event Shelter Gazebo with Side Panels á

Water resistant event shelter for special events and garden parties

á

Large 12.25m square space, ideal for dining sets or buffet tables

á

Featuring mesh and solid side panels that can be zipped down and folded away

á

Dimensions: 3.5m (W) x 2.45m (H) x 3.5m (D)

£89.99

Visit: Vitinni.co.uk or call 0330 0021 202 Vale Mill (Rochdale) Ltd Robinson Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL16 1TA

OVER TO YOU

Growing, making, upcycling or SIMPLY ENJOYING. We love to see what you’re up to in your gardens

Sitting pretty

* F O R F UL L T ERM S A N D CO N DI TI O N S, V IS I T W WW. B AU E RL EG A L .CO.U K / CO M PE T I TI O N -T E RM S. H T M L

That’s cl

A WAY WITH OLD WOOD!

Our much-loved summerhouse had begun to rot and was beyond redemption. My husband has never been known to dispose of any wood, so retrieved what he could and used the roofing boards to make a raised herb bed and the salvageable bits off the sides to make a green bin/barbecue store. A couple of coats of Cuprinol Garden Shades in Urban Slate later and you’d never know the wood was nearly 20 years old! With the exception of mint and chives, which were cuttings begged from a neighbour, the rest of the herbs were supermarket window sill pots.

Kim Chambers, Facebook

My clever hubby made this lovely bench planter, painted using Cuprinol Garden Shades in Morning Breeze, and filled with euonymous and tulips.

Juliet Wheeler, Facebook

A light touch

I painted an old pallet using Ronseal Garden Paint in White Daisy and decorated it with some solar fairy lights and ivy.

Charlotte McAllister, Facebook

YOUR PRIZE!

✽ Congratulations

to Kim for sharing with us the best idea* of the month. She receives a Cádiz Solar-Powered Lantern Duo, 31cm and 24cm, worth £39.99, from lights4fun.co.uk

My filing cabinet planter, drawers removed, painted red. Lee Ahrens, Facebook

OVER TO YOU

My bottle border lockdown project is complete. I’ve filled the beds with wildflower and pollinator seedlings to help visiting bees and butterflies. I love how they break up the expanse of gravel.

Scott Chambers, Facebook

Tool tidy up

My clematis and lilac look lovely in an upcycled oil drum. Denise Beckwith, Fac ebook

My project for today was tidying my shed, but I needed somewhere for my tools. So, using some spare material, I made a tool organiser, I’m quite pleased, but it’s filled up quickly!

Em White, Facebook

An old half-drum barbecue that the council couldn’t take away because of the lockdown restrictions has been a godsend for my one-yearold hosta plants – not a single slug has been able to touch them! I’m looking forward to seeing them grow even stronger.

Fox James, Facebook

94 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U L Y 2 0 2 0

I’ve finally got around to painting and planting up some old tyres that I’ve had for nine years!

Alexa Thomson, Facebook

GET IN TOUCH

Ways to share your modern gardens ideas and projects with us...

Facebook Modern Gardens Magazine Twitter @Modern_Gardens Instagram @ModernGardens

CO M P IL E D BY A N G E LA K E N N Y

High hopes

Tyre treasures

Best plants for your plot

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Q&A

Scrubbing or usi harsh abrasive cleaning products can remove the waterproof protection of shade sails like this one from clarashadesails.co.uk.

GOT A QUESTION? We’ve got the

answer, whether it’s about a plant, a tricky spot or a pro

I’M GROW APPLES FO FIRST TIM I know when they’re r pick? Jane Simms, Ca

Q

Q

Wait until the apples h developed a good colouring. Then cup on in the palm of your han lift it up slightly with a gentle twist. If it come away easily in your hand with the stalk attached, it’s ready – if not, try again a few day

Q

F E ATU R E: G EO F F HO D G E. P H OTOS : G A P P HOTOS / F RI E D RI CH S TR AUS S, S H U TTE R S TO C K, AL A MY

Spruce it up using a solution of mild detergent applied with a sponge or a very soft brush – don’t scrub it with a stiff brush, scouring pad or abrasive cleaner. Let the solution stand for 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly with a strong jet of water from a hosepipe. For more stubborn stains, use a suitable cleaner such as Astonish Fabric Stain Remover, £1.19/750ml staples.co.uk

MY NEW ZEALAND FLAX HAS FLOWERED! Is this unusual? I’ve had it for four years now.

Florence Abbott, Warwickshire

New Zealand flax, or phormium, can take a few years to settle in and then in warm summers may produce tall flower spikes. At the

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY to clean my shade sail?

Amy Fredericks, East Sussex

end of the summer, either cut the stem to where it joins the fan of leaves, or just let the birds enjoy the seeds.

Q

MY TOMATOES ARE DEVELOPING BLACK PATCHES ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FRUITS. Can I still eat them?

Marcus Jenkins, Gloucestershire No – they’ll taste horrible! This is a problem called blossom end rot, and it’s mainly caused by the soil or compost drying out, then being flooded with lots of water. Pick and ditch any tomatoes with black bottoms, then water the plants more regularly, aiming to keep the compost evenly moist, and the rest of your crop should be fine.

WHEN AND HOW SHOULD I TIDY UP MY STRAGGLY HEATHERS? Joan Jackson, Hampshire

Q

Heathers should be cut back as soon as the flowers fade. You don’t have to be too precise, so use a pair of shears to remove the flower spikes and 2.5-5cm of the foliage below.

Don’t cut back too hard into old, leafless growth, though, or they’ll die.

OVER TO YOU Project patio

Q

MY NEIGHBOUR AND I BOTH BOUGHT THE SAME HANGING BASKETS, but why are hers flowering much better than mine? They’re in a very similar position by our front doors.

Tanya Jenkinson, Leicestershire Hanging baskets have to support a lot of plant growth in a limited amount of compost, so it’s very easy for them to dry out. Try to keep the compost evenly moist, since cycles of drying out and overwatering stresses the plants and they won’t flower as well.

Q Grow bamboo in containers, repotting it every 3-5 years, to stop it running riot in your garden

Q

MY BAMBOO HAS STARTED TO SPR EVERYWHERE. How do I get rid of it?

Alicia Armstrong, Surrey Bamboo has a habit of taking over, so it’s best grown in a container. The quickest way to get rid of it is to dig out the roots using a spade. If that sounds like too much hard work, then you can spray it using a systemic weedkiller, but it won’t work miracles and won’t kill it quickly – you’ll need to make several applications, possibly over two or three years, to completely kill it.

D

I’VE SPENT A FORTUNE ON PIZZA deliveries in lockdown! Is there an oven that will fit in my tiny garden?

Paula Hodges, Caithness

The Gozney Roccbox (right, £ com) is a restaurant-grade, po pizza oven that can create temperatures up to 500°C. It c be fuelled with a traditional wo fire or the convenience of bott gas. The Ooni Koda GasPowered Outdoor Pizza Oven cheaper at £249 (uk.ooni.com) If you’ve got a barbecue, then the La Hacienda BBQ Pizza Oven (from £69.99, garden4le co.uk) sits on top of any barbe

g

JUST ASK! Want some design inspiration or got a garden question you’d like answered? Get in touch, including a picture if you have one, by email at moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 97

A style guide to the

outside

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& WHISKERS...

OVER TO YOU

PAWS

...FINS AND FEATHERS. We love to see

your pets enjoying your gardens too!

Zen hens

Having our hens Coco and Pico in the garden is a joy – they are so calming to watch. They also keep us company when digging, waiting to catch worms!

They are gentle hens, plodding around without damaging our plants, rewarding us with eggs with deep yellow yolks.

Jan Garcia, email

Buttons can often be found lying on our garden sofa for an afternoon snooze. Emma Craig, email PET IN A POT

Morning moments

We have a shaded area in the garden that Rico the collie and Hattie the German shepherd enjoy during hotter days. I work night shifts for the NHS, so the dogs and I enjoy the quietness of the early mornings in the garden after our walks.

Samantha Johnson-Kildin, email

the planter was for hi ornamental grass wa no longer needed!

YOUR PRIZE!

F E ATU R E: A N G E L A K EN N Y

✽ Hannah and Arlo

HOT DOG! My Newfoundland Bibi is a very dog and she gets hot quickly. I put pop-up pet paddling pool out for h on hotter days so she can cool off.

Vicky Taylor, email

Beryl adores our catmint plant to sleep next to, or in!

Mandy Parrett, email

receive a Monat Pet gift set with Gentle Cleansing Dog Wash and Freshen Up Deodorizing Spray, plus a Pet Weekender Bag, worth £56, monatglobal.com For a chance of winning next month, post your photo to facebook.com/ moderngardensmagazine or email angela.kenny@bauermedia.co.uk J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 99

T S E F N E GARDN: YOUR GARDEN LOCATIO

NY DATE: A SUN WEEKEND IN JULY

D : SHORTS AN DRESS CODE DRESS AND TRILBY, MAXI THING AND WELLIES, ANY YOUR HAIR A FLOWER IN

F EAT U R E: K AT IE M A S TE RS. P H OTOS : G A P PH OTOS / F RI E D RI CH S T R S HU T T ER S TOC K , L I V IN G 4M E D I A

Staycation SPECIAL

The best SUMMER FESTIVAL of all is happening right here in your outside space, and it’s tailor-made to suit you!

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OUTDOOR LIVING

Recreate it in your garden Kew The Music Musical legends were lined up to give it large from July 7-12, but you can create your own dance area in front of your greenhouse with a playlist of Banarama and James Blunt. Serve top-notch picnic nosh with cauliflower and tahini salad alongside Pimm’s in a beaker. Lie back in a deckchair, tuck into home-grown strawberries and gaze out over your flower-filled garden.

International Cheese Festival Cheshire would have been playing host to the biggest cheese festival in the world on July 29. Buy local cheeses and challenge your friends to a Zoom party, Bake Off style, where everyone has an hour to create a dish to present on their patio table for friendly fromage judgement.

Have fun putting together a playlist of cheese-referencing music, starting with The Cheese Rap (Rhett & Link).

Greater Manchester Fringe This month-long celebration of the arts was due to run throughout July. Rope in your neighbours and use chalk to add art to your front gardens – or graffiti to your rockery! Craft beer, with paper cones of chips and Manchester caviar (aka mushy peas) is on the menu. And when it comes to entertainment – anything goes! Put on a one (wo)man show in your shed, hang artwork on your washing line and tune into a comedy podcast.

eflect r to e l b ta l a v ti s fe r u TIP Set up yo s e r u s a e m g in c n ta is d whatever social rea a r u o y in t n e r r u c e r a

W

ith events across the country cancelled because of coronavirus, it’s time to create your very own and indulge in some summer merrymaking. This is the season for festivals of all shapes, sizes and sorts, so we’ve put on our sparkly fairy-godmother wings to help you magic up your very own unmissable homage... Garden Fest!

This is your festival, so you get to pick your theme. The biggest summer festivals revolve around music, arts, comedy and food, but the joy of this occasion is that you get to put your loves and likes centre stage. Search online for inspiration and you could be creating your own mini-version of mega music-party Glastonbury or Aldeburgh’s operatic celebration, the Isle of Wight’s garlic gala or Dorset Seafood Festival,

Hay-on-Wye’s literature-led fiesta or Reading’s World Yoga Festival. Or perhaps you’ll choose a carnival of snail-racing, nettle-eating, worm-charming, toe-wrestling… if there’s one thing Britain does well, it’s festivals, so you’ll be spoilt for choice.

HAVE FUN DECORATING

Half the fun of the festival is in the preparation.

Aim to fill your garden with lots of bright colours. Floaty fabric that blows in the breeze instantly brings a festival feel, so make a dreamcatcher, pennant flags or a maypole with ribbons tied to a bamboo cane; peg scarves to a washing line and hang up bunting and pin strips of thin fabric to the corners of your shed. Think about what would work for your theme and might earn a permanent place in your garden

The Ledbury Poetry Festival The UK’s longest-running, largest celebration of verse was planned for July 3-12. Decorate your plot with quotations written on torn strips of paper, and use the recordings of poets reading their work at poetryarchive.org for a backdrop of laid-back lyricism. Servings of pear cider, barbecued steak and Tyrrells crisps give a nod to the Herefordshire location. For entertainment, write a haiku about your garden, or create a Guess The Poet garden trail (a beer bottle for Dylan Thomas, a bird cage for Maya Angelou, a length of guttering for Oscar Wilde…). post-fest, too – perhaps a surf-inspired sign for your summerhouse if your festival is seasideinspired, or a DIY rock labyrinth if you’re planning a weekend of David Bowie tracks!

Sunset in July is after 9pm, but if you’re planning for your festival to last into the night, set out lanterns, candles in jam jars and festoon or fairy lights. Add dark-friendly decorations to the scene: hang glow sticks in trees and line your path with pebbles adorned with mandalas of glow-in-the-dark paint.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 101

➣

Days get longer, life ets better

SET THE SCENE

KEEP FOOD EASY

You’ll enjoy your weekend all the more if you get all the food prep done ahead of time. If this is going to be a food festival, then you’ll have fun deciding what you’ll be cooking and filling your fridge with. If you love cooking, then this is a great excuse to try some new dishes on the barbecue. But if you don’t, then opt for food that can be pre-prepared or quickly reheated, so you can grab and relax. Good festival-vibe options are stuffed tortilla wraps, seed-andherb-topped salads with push-the-boat-out dressings, and pre-baked crispy jacket potatoes and a smorgasbord of delicious toppings. String up a line of bunting around the kitchen window while you do the prep, to get into the mood.

WHO’S INVITED?

The beauty of Garden Fest is that you can make it work whatever the government advice in your area. If small garden gatherings are permitted, then invite your friends or neighbours. If you’re in a social bubble, then this is an event that can be tailored to suit all ages.

If you’re still shielding or are in local lockdown, you can add a social element to your festival by using Facetime or Zoom to share the fun with friends and wider family. Perhaps you could invite them to make a playlist to get you dancing on the lawn, or run a mini WhatsApp craft workshop, teaching you how to whittle, crochet or create a flower garland; or you could chat about the best books you’ve read this summer, give a barbecue cookery demo or join a virtual cocktail lounge for a catch-up over drinks. Or, you may decide that indulging in your chosen theme to your heart’s content without interruption is just wonderful!

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DRINK IT!

ENJOY A MINT MOJITO The fruity goodness of raspberries and fresh home-grown mint are a winning combo.

INGREDIENTS (per glass) ✽ 5 mint leaves ✽ 5 raspberries ✽ Ice cubes ✽ 15ml raspberry juice ✽ 2 lime wedges ✽ 90ml Bacardi Superior rum (or other white rum of your choice) ✽ 60ml ginger ale WHAT TO DO 1 Put the mint and the raspberries in a tall glass and muddle.

2 Fill the glass with ice cubes.

3 Add the raspberry juice and lime wedges and top with the rum, followed by the ginger ale.

6 festival essentials

CUT BRIGHT BLOOMS to bring a riot of colour to your table. Use a sheet as a tablecloth, unironed, for an authentic festival look!

PH OTO : SE L IN A L A K E

However compact your garden, divide it into different zones and give each a name, just like the real thing, and style it up to suit. Your lushest flowerbed could become an Enchanted Garden complete with a few ribbon-topped flower stakes. Create a Seat of Contemplation by putting your comfiest garden chair in a sunny, sheltered nook and piling books or magazines on a pallet or upturned crate alongside, with room left for a glass of wine, of course. Make a StarScape Glade at the bottom of your plot with a picnic blanket, beanbags and cushions, where you can sit and watch the stars.

You also need an Entertainment Arena. Your patio makes the perfect stage for whatever action you have lined up. Perhaps you’ll set up wireless speakers to enjoy the sounds from recordings of previous music festivals, and clear the space of furniture so you have plenty of room to dance. Maybe you’ll move your outdoor dining table here to enjoy the feasts of your food festival. Or will that table be used as the venue for a festival of Scrabble instead?

A party light (try ENUOLI Sound Activated Party Lights for Indoor/Outdoor, £12.99, amazon.co.uk) makes this the centre point around which the rest of your fest revolves.

1

1 Sherman Set of 4 Bamboo Bowls,

£22 made.com 2 Carnival Tickets, from £3 notonthehighstreet.com 3 Postbox Party Three White Decorative Dream Catchers, £18 notonthehighstreet.com 4 Solar Spiral Lantern, £5 wilko.com 5 Festival Bunting, £14.29 amazon.co.uk 6 Coloured Crackle Light, £1 each poundland.co.uk

2

OUTDOOR LIVING

TRY THIS!

Twist wire around old jars to fashion handles, half-fill with sand and plunge in candles, then hang in your garden to take your festival into the night STAKE IT!

SEW A FESTIVAL FLAG These will look lovely as flower stakes for the rest of the summer, too!

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Fabric scrap ✽ Bamboo cane ✽ Needle and thread or sewing machine WHAT TO DO 1 Cut a triangle from your fabric. The size is up to you.

2 On the short edge that will attach to the bamboo

cane, make a fold about 1cm across. This will create the channel for your cane to slide into, so check that it will fit the cane.

3 Sew down the edge of the fold and across the top.

4 Slide in the cane. Add a stitch at the base of the triangle so it fits tightly around the cane. Ta-da!

4

6 3

5

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 103

OUTDOOR LIVING

TIP Pla nning to sc

reen a live performan ce from another countr y? Check the time difference at timeand date.com

Let me entertain you!

Whether you watch it on a phone or laptop screen, or stretch a sheet along a boundary fence and set up a projector, craft yourself a list of must-watch material for your festival.

LOVE MUSIC?

✽ Watch Glastonbury – Top 5 Live

Performances on youtube.com ✽ Try a Live Nation Concert @livenation on instagram.com ✽ Head to the Library at operavision.eu to stream international opera performances. ✽ Find a round-up of live-streams and virtual concerts, updated weekly, at billboard.com

GOOD IDEA!

FANCY COMEDY? ✽ Website cosmicshambles.com has new shows every day, featuring the likes of Robin Ince, Tim Minchin, Sara Pascoe, Russell Kane, Katy Brand, Stewart Lee and Stephen Merchant. ✽ For a small charge, you can grab a slice of comedians such as Nish Kumar, Dane Baptiste, Rhys James and Shappi Khorsandi at sohotheatreondemand.com ✽ For a donation (50% of which goes to the food bank charity The Trussell Trust), you can live-stream big-name stand-up comedy from virtual pub The Covid Arms, comedyatthecovid.co.uk MISSING THEATRE TRIPS? ✽ Find a round-up of the best theatre to watch online at timeout.com

TRY THIS!

To see your phone or laptop screen more clearly outside, and help combat glare, turn up the screen brightness

WANT LIVE ACTION? The real deal may have been cancelled, but many festivals are running an online line-up of performances and workshops instead. Take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy a huge international festival from the comfort of your garden. ✽ The Essence Festival of Culture: The Virtual Edition, New Orleans, July 4-5 essence.com ✽ Earagail Arts Festival, Ireland, July 9-26 eaf.ie ✽ Beaches International Jazz Festival, Canada, July 17-26 beachesjazz.com ✽ New Zealand International Film Festival, July 24-August 2 nziff.co.nz

UP TO

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Cut-and-come-again

SALAD LEAVES

Sow a pot of this fast-growing crop for DELICIOUSLY FRESH summer meals

F E AT U R E: G EO F F HO D G E. REC I P ES : HO L LY CA MM AR ATA- H AL L .

P H OTOS : S TO C K F O O D, S H UT TE RS TO C K , A L A M Y, G AP PH OTOS

T

he bags of baby salad leaves that cram the supermarket chiller aisles make for easy summer meals, but wouldn’t it be great if you could choose exactly which types of leaves you wanted in your mix? Maybe you don’t actually like spinach! Growing your own cut-and-come-again salad is dead easy and, as well as choosing a mix to suit your tastes, you won’t have to worry about use-by dates or mushy leaves.

There are lots of superbly tasty leaf types you can grow, many of which never make it to the shop-bought version because they won’t last long enough in the bag. There are lettuces in a range of leaf colours and shapes, as well as endive, rocket, radicchio and purslane, so you can grow exactly what you really like to eat.

You don’t need loads of room for your leaves either, as they’re very happy in a patio pot or hanging planter. It’s usually the simple things in life that bring the most joy, and you’ll get that in spades when you pop out onto your patio to pick a bunch of straight-from-the-plant, mineral-packed, fresh and crunchy salad leaves.

Give them a gentle rinse in cold water, or in a salad spinner, and they’re all ready to eat.

This is a quick crop and will be ready to eat within a couple of weeks of sowing. Even harvesting is a doddle, as you only need a pair of scissors or just your thumbnail. Treating them as a cut-and-come-again crop means you harvest a few leaves from each plant, just as many as you need, then leave the plants to grow more. You can either do this by picking some of the outer leaves or giving them an all-over haircut. They won’t last forever, but you’ll get three croppings from each sowing.

So, for a continual supply, sow a few seeds little and often. You’ll get loads of seeds in each

106 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

packet, more than enough to keep you in baby salad leaves throughout the year. In autumn, winter and spring, just pop your pot in a sheltered spot, in the conservatory or on a sunny kitchen window sill.

PLANT IT! ✽ Lettuce (Organic) Seeds Mix is a colourful blend

of four different lettuce types – ‘Red Salad Bowl’, ‘Suzan’, ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ and ‘Little Leprechaun’ – in one seed packet. Cut at 10cm high for baby leaves. £2.49/335 seeds suttons.co.uk ✽ Fancy Summer Mix is a tasty combo of unusual leaves chosen for a range of colours, tastes and textures and includes land cress, golden purslane, red orach, chamomile, rocket, tree spinach and shungiku. £1.69/325 seeds thompson-morgan.com

YOUR GARDEN LARDER

EASY IDEAS

TIP After each h

arvest, give your plants a liquid feed to h elp them regrow quickl y

GOOD IDEA!

HOW TO GROW

Pretty much any container will do but for best results, a trough planter will give you a bumper crop.

YOU WILL NEED ✽ Trough planter, such as Florus Rectangular Trough 80cm, £9.50 diy.com ✽ Multi-purpose compost, such as GoodHome, £3.40/20L diy.com ✽ Salad leaves seeds ✽ Watering can with rose ✽ Liquid fertiliser, such as Flower Power Liquid Plant Food, £7.99/ 500ml richardjacksonsgarden.co.uk WHAT TO DO 1 Fill the trough with compost, fluffing it up between your fingers as you go, until it’s 2cm from the top. Lightly firm and level it with your hand.

2 Lightly sprinkle some seeds over the surface. Don’t sow too thickly – the seeds should be spaced around 2-2.5cm apart.

3 Cover the seeds with a thin layer of compost, making sure to break up any lumps. Sieve it first if you’ve got an old kitchen sieve you don’t mind getting a bit dirty.

4 Water thoroughly until the water starts to come through the drainage holes in the trough.

5 You probably won’t need to water again until the seedlings emerge. Then water as and when necessary so the compost stays moist. To keep the leaves coming, feed once a week, from five to six weeks after sowing.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 1 07

TOP IT!

BREAKFAST SALAD WITH KALE PESTO INGREDIENTS ✽ 120g mixed baby salad leaves ✽ 1 carrot, finely grated ✽ 1 ripe avocado, sliced ✽ Juice of 1/2 lemon ✽ 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ✽ 2 large free-range eggs ✽ 1 tbsp sunflower seeds to garnish FOR THE PESTO ✽ 60g kale, washed & roughly chopped ✽ 30g basil leaves ✽ 1 garlic clove ✽ 60g almonds ✽ Juice of 1/2 lemon ✽ Good pinch of salt ✽ 60ml extra virgin olive oil Serves 2

TIP Any leftove

WHAT TO DO 1 First, make the pesto. Put all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a food processor. Blitz until everything is broken down. With the processor running, add the olive oil through the funnel. Keep adding the oil until the pesto is relatively smooth and at a consistency of your liking – you may prefer a little less or little more oil. Set aside.

2 Arrange the baby salad leaves, grated carrot and avocado on a large plate.

Combine the lemon juice and olive oil, season and spoon over.

3 Bring a large, shallow pan of water to a simmer. Crack in the eggs and poach until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny.

Remove the eggs from the pan using a slotted spoon and place on top of the salad.

4 Give the pesto a final mix and spoon over the salad. Sprinkle on the sunflower seeds.

r pesto will keep in the fridge in a s ea l ed conta iner for up to a w eek. Cover with a thin l ay e r of olive oil to kee p it fresh

EASY IDEAS

TIP For a more s DRESS IT!

BRIGHT BEETROOT & TOMATO SALAD INGREDIENTS ✽ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ✽ 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar ✽ 1/2 tsp runny honey ✽ 120g baby beetroot or salad leaves ✽ 175g small red cherry tomatoes ✽ 1 small red pepper, finely sliced ✽ 2 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped ✽ 2 cooked beetroot (not pickled), finely sliced ✽ 1 small handful of walnuts, roughly chopped ✽ 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds ✽ Selection of edible flowers Serves 2

ubsta ntia l l unch , crumble over some goats’ cheese or salty fet a

WHAT TO DO 1 To make the dressing, combine the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl.

Season well and set aside.

2 Place the beetroot leaves, cherry tomatoes, red pepper and sundried tomatoes in a mixing bowl. Add three-quarters of your dressing and carefully combine ensuring everything is coated.

3 On a large plate, arrange the sliced beetroot to create the base of the salad. Top the beetroot with your dressed leaves, tomatoes and pepper.

4 Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds and remaining dressing. Add some edible flowers for a gorgeous summer garnish.

SWEETEN IT!

SUMMER LEAVES WITH STRAWBERRIES & CREAM CHEESE INGREDIENTS ✽ 125g cream cheese ✽ 150g mixed baby leaves ✽ 100g strawberries, hulled & roughly chopped ✽ 1/2 cucumber, peeled & roughly chopped ✽ Juice of 1/2 large orange ✽ Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil ✽ Small springs of fresh thyme for garnish Serves 2

ies r r e b w a r t s e h t g in TIP Tr y s witch e g n a h c s u o i c i l e d a r o f s e i r r e b p s a r r fo

WHAT TO DO 1 Place the cream cheese in a bowl and beat it briefly with a wooden spoon to lighten the texture.

2 Arrange the leaves, strawberries and cucumber in a bowl. Squeeze over the orange juice and add the olive oil. Season and mix well.

3 Nestle spoonfuls of cream cheese in among the leaves and strawberries.

4 Garnish with the fresh thyme.

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M O D E R N G A R D E N S 109

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CLMV1

READER OFFER

ENJOY THE ULTIMATE MIX OF

ALLIUMS

Now’s the time to plant these easy-care bulbs for STUNNING COLOUR AND SCENT in your garden next spring

P

lan ahead and order this collection of alliums now for pots and borders that are full of colour and scent come late spring next year. Hayloft has hand-selected the ultimate allium mix to give you an assortment of heights and colours. The shining spheres will add dimension to your borders or hover magically above your decorative pots throughout May and June. Why not place a pot of alliums by your back door or a window where the fragrance will float into your home with the slightest of breezes.

Alliums also make lovely cut flowers for indoor displays, or why not leave the blooms to dry out for ornamental interest during late summer and winter. Order a mix of 50 bulbs now for £19.99, or double up for just 1p more and get 100 bulbs for £20, saving £19.98.

P OT P I CT U R E D A R E N OT P ROV I D E D

Get 100 bulbs for £20!

HUGE SHOWY ALLIUMS create wow in the summer garden. ‘Purple Sensation’ looks striking underplanted with white cowani.

Emma, editor Modern Gardens

TURN THE PAGE TO SEE WHAT’S IN THE MIX...

J U LY 2 0 2 0

M O D E R N G A R D E N S 111

READER OFFER

DOUBLE UP AND SAVE £19.98!

Ultimate allium mix

HOW TO ORDER ✽ GO ONLINE www.hayloft.co.uk/ROMG ✽ CALL 01386 426 245, quoting code ROMG20-26

Make life lovely

✽ BY POST Fill in the form, cut it out and post it to the

address below with your payment by cheque or provide your payment card details.

Code

Description

Price

BA1

Ultimate allium mix of 50

BA2

Ultimate allium mix of 100 Double up for only 1p more!

£20

Postage (per order)

£4.95

Qty

Total

£19.99

1

‘PURPLE SENSATION’

COWANII

CRISTOPHII

NIGRUM

OREOPHILUM

SPHAEROCEPHALON

£4.95

OFFER: Double up for only 1p more!

Total

£

ORDER FORM

Please fill in and send (with your payment) to: Modern Gardens Reader Offer, PO BOX 2020, Pershore, WR10 9BP Title ............................................................. Initial ...............................

Surname ................................................................................................

Address ................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ........................................ Postcode .....................................................

Email .......................................................Tel..........................................

Payment details I enclose a cheque for £.............................. made payable to Hayloft Plants Ltd with my name and address on the back.

Or debit my Visa ■ Mastercard ■ Card Number..................../..................../..................../....................

Start Date................/................ Expiry Date................/................

Security code......................................................................................

Signature .............................................................................................

T&CS: All plants will be despatched September 2020.

Online orders will receive an order acknowledgement via email with approximate delivery date. All items are subject to availability. Offer available to UK addresses only. Reader offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotions or discounts. Please tick here if you wish to receive our newsletter [ ]. Offer closes 29 July 2020.

112 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U LY 2 0 2 0

With lots of small, perfectly-formed star-shaped flowers that create large balls of colour atop leafless stems, alliums are perfect for transforming those typically neglected areas that run along the side of your house.

Whether planting in beds or pots, this ultimate mix will add interest and glamour to these shady spots. Visiting bees and butterflies will also love this collection, bringing your garden alive in more ways than one. Your alliums will be supplied as individually bagged bulbs in September.

Your collection of 100 includes 20 x cowani, 10 x cristophii, 10 x nigrum, 20 x sphaerocephalon, 20 x oreophilum and 20 x ‘Purple Sensation’.

Plant them in well-drained soil. Height 1m and Spread 50cm.

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GARDEN MAKEOVER

OUR GARDEN CRUSH We’d love to be whiling away HOT SUMMER DAYS in this peaceful PONDSIDE RETREAT filled with carefree blooms

A

hhhh, we’re feeling more relaxed just looking at this wonderful watery oasis.

It was created by garden designer Nicola Oakey (nicolaoakey.com) for RHS Tatton Park Flower Show 2018 and would be the perfect plot for a summer staycation.

“I wanted to capture an essence of the countryside,” says Nicola. “Growing up in Devon, I was never far away from water, whether searching for pieces of broken pottery like lost treasure in a neighbour’s stream, damming

brooks or cycling along canal towpaths. I have many fond memories associated with water and I know that so many people feel a strong connection to it too – it has a gravity and a comfort that draws us in.

“I was inspired by the different senses and emotions that water appeals to, from the movement and sound of a babbling brook, to a calm, reflective pool. It can be fun, calming, energising, social or solitary. Research has also shown that people who live near, or spend time outdoors near water, are more active and feel it has a positive effect on their mental health.”

NATURE TRAIL

The design was laid on a diagonal angle in the 9 x 9m plot. “This made it feel a lot bigger than it actually was and gave the opportunity to weave a longer pathway through the garden to the seating area,” says Nicola.

The large curved, oak deck makes for a serene spot, hugged by water and planting and sheltered by trees. “You could relax on the seating or sit on the floor cushions and dangle your feet into the pond below,” adds Nicola.

Two oak sett pathways, surrounded by loose planting in gravel, lead you to the deck. “To make the gravel look as natural as possible, I used a mix of different sizes and colours to reflect the variations you would find in nature, especially on the banks of a river,” says Nicola.

Drifts of yarrow ‘Cerise Queen’, shasta daisy ‘Becky’ and Sanguisorba ‘Tanna’ evoke the carefree spirit of childhood days spent in the countryside. More formal squares of carex ‘Ice Dance’ are planted either side of the pathway leading onto the deck to represent blocks of reeds. “I imagined a more formal dining space near the house would gradually soften to this informal area,” says Nicola.

R e carex grasses frame the deck.

Fringed waterlily 114 M O D E R N G A R D E N S J U L Y 2 0 2 0

F E AT U R E: E MM A K EN D E L L . P H OTOS : TRAC Y B URR, TR AC YB UR R.CO.UK

ers evoke Drifts of colourfuinl flthow e countryside memories of days

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Exquisite English Roses since 1961 Beautifully British and hand made, our exquisite roses have been transforming homes and gardens for over half a century.

SHOP ONLINE at www.davidaustinroses.co.uk and request a NEW ë2020 Handbook of Rosesí