Things to do in May

Easy updates and seasonal style ideas to try this month

WEEKEND PROJECT

Sitting pretty

May is the perfect time to spruce up outdoor furniture and wooden planters to give you a bright new look for summer. To perfectly prep your piece, remove any loose pieces of paint, then give it a sand and a clean. For a smooth finish, paint the fiddly corners before moving on to the larger areas, using long brush strokes. Valspar’s range of fade-resistant garden paint is available in 200 stunning shades. So, you can keep your garden fresh with bright colour all year around.

Valspar Garden mid-sheen paint & primer in English Primrose, £26 per 2.5L, B&Q

HELPING HAND

Get together

Celebrate your friendships, and make some new ones, this month. The 9th to the 15th of May is Mental Health Awareness Week. This year the theme is ‘loneliness’, a problem more people are struggling with following the isolation of the pandemic. So get together with your besties and make new connections by joining a community group or class. Even if feelings of loneliness aren’t something you’re experiencing at the moment, you might just be the friend someone needs to break out of theirs.

Take time to reconnect and make new friends during Mental Health Bamboo and recycled

Awareness Week in May plastic cleaning range, from £7, Pangea Home

YOURHOMESTYLE Clean dreams

The spring clean can be a bit of a slog so we’ve put together a simple guide to help motivate you. Head to yourhomestyle.uk and search for ‘deep cleaning plan’ and learn how to tackle a blitz in manageable chunks; or turn to page 84 for top tips in our special feature on making your home sparkle.

3-pint jugs, £37 each; tumblers, £8 each, both Falcon Enamelware

STYLE SWITCH Picnic ready

Top up your table with Falcon’s limited-edition range of enamelware. There are three gorgeous new colours to choose from: Olive Oil, Buttermilk and Burgundy, which have been applied to its most popular styles. These sturdy pieces are manufactured from heavy-gauge steel and durable porcelain. The materials make them extremely tough and hard-wearing, so they’re perfect for drinks in the garden – or camping, when the weather warms up!

Get back to your roots with Sow Grow Gather, Sam Corfield, £16, Quadrille

PROBLEM SOLVED

Grow simple

You’ve decided to take the plunge and turn your outdoor space into a green and gorgeous productive plot. Where do you begin? Sam Corfield‘s (@the_hairy_ horticulturalist) debut book; Sow Grow Gather is the perfect jumping-off point for your bid to live the good life as his infectious enthusiasm and light-hearted approach make it easier to start growing for the first time.

Purple prayer plant, from £80, Brazen Botany conscious choice

QUICK WIN A new leaf

If you haven’t been blessed with green fingers, and no matter how hard you try you can’t help but kill your houseplants, Brazen Botany has got your back. The Londonbased company makes vibrant, un-killable houseplants using coloured paper, wood and wire, which makes them a great ecofriendly alternative to plastic plants.