n e d r a g n w o d k c lo ts o p e Th T
hrough the unprecedented events of this year, our gardens have become more important than we could ever have imagined in those carefree preCoronavirus times. Although restrictions are easing, it is still likely to be a long while before travel and holidays become their old relaxing selves. Instead, look at how to re-organise your garden for a ‘staycation’ summer. Meeting family and friends outdoors is Covid-safe, so the ideal gathering spot is a good-sized patio with potential for socially-distanced overspill. When planning a patio area, the commonest trap to fall into is ‘undersizing’ – because paving does look expansive when empty or measured out on bare ground. But once occupied by a table and several chairs, possibly a few planted containers; allowing for space to push chairs back from the table and move around, and the space soon fills. Adjacent lawn makes for easy guest overspill, using folding chairs or outdoor beanbags. Extra
‘occasional’ seating can be made in the form of widetopped raised beds made with wooden sleepers, or stone topped with slate. Fill these with fragrant flowers and aromatic foliage, and your patio will become your own little ‘paradise garden’. My summer favourites include pale pink Nemesia ‘Confetti’, with a light floral fragrance that lives up to its name; dark red Chocolate Cosmos with a mouthwatering scent and late-flowering Gladiolus murielae, while the rich perfumes of tobacco plants (Nicotiana) and Oriental lilies intensify in the evening and night. Get the most from your space by growing up: sweet peas and star jasmine (Trachelospermum) clamber up arches, trellis and obelisks. All these plants are great for containers, borders or raised beds, so you can have perfume anywhere that gets a reasonable amount of sun. Watching wildlife in the garden was one of the great discoveries of lockdown for a huge number of people,
ALL ASPECTS OF LANDSCAPING AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE • Decking & Fencing • Dry Stone Walling • Patios & Pathways • Timber Structures • Groundworks
• Sheds • Turf Laying • House Painting • Hedge Trimming • Garden Clearance
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