Cold weather? NOW We’ve got your plants covered!
Complete Mini Greenhouse Cloche Set
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WATER RESERVOIRS AIR VENTS
! G N O L m c 0 0 1 OVER
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Winner of Amateur Gardening Best Buy for extendable cloches Protects young plants from frost, birds and wind damage Integral water reservoirs hold good supply of rain water Robust, sturdy construction for years of usage
SPECIAL BONUS OFFER Extend the growing season and keep your delicate plants protected from harsh weather conditions with this aluminium cold frame from Garden Grow. Cold frames are great for protecting young seedlings, vegetables or flowerbeds from adverse weather, primarily the cold and wet. Lift and transplant fragile plants into the cold frame for protection from frosts through the winter months. The transparent roof allows sunlight to penetrate without the risk of heat escaping.
Complete Cloche Set Easy to set up, these strong, clear plastic cloches not only give plants protection from the elements, they also keep unwanted garden pests away too! Safe under the protection of the cloche, cats, birds and flying insects will not be able to get to your young plants whilst they are growing and the cloches can be left in place to protect lettuces, strawberries and many other crops during the rest of the year too. With the ends attached nothing will be able to get in. The integral rainwater collection reservoirs mean that plants can enjoy natural rainwater, plus normal watering is far easier during dry spells. Each cloche has adjustable air vents. The Mini Greenhouse Cloche Kit comes with 1 cloche, 2 ends and the stakes required. Also available as a set with 2 cloches and 4 ends which can be slotted together to make one long cloche or as two smaller cloches. Dimensions: (Each Cloche) L85cm x W40cm x H21cm (Cloche Ends) L20 x W40 x H21cm. Total length slotted together: (1 Cloche + 2 ends) L110 cm.
Garden Gear Aluminium Cold Frame - ONLY
£39.99!
Includes £20 of vegetable seeds* * Vegetable seeds with Cold Frame offer will be chosen at random from a wide selection. Pictures for illustration purposes only.
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Item Description
Price
KA3043
Mini Greenhouse Cloche Kit (1 cloche, 2 ends, stakes)
£19.99
KA3044
Mini Greenhouse Cloche Kit £39.98 (2 cloches, 4 ends, stakes)
£34.99
KB4666
Garden Gear Aluminium Cold Frame + £20 Vegetable Seeds
£39.99
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GET YOUR GARDEN
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ou Ce td le oo br r l at iv e in g
Simple pleasu in Nove res mber Cris
I’m a fair-weather gardener and the first to admit that, come these chilly days, I prefer to enjoy my outside space by putting my feet up in front of the firepit rather than pruning hedges or protecting pots. But this year, I’m busier than normal. In the midst of this coronavirus chaos, I’m holding onto the hope that all will eventually be okay by creating new little pockets of joy in my plot. I’ve turned some industrial pallets into a pair of planters packed with grasses, lemony geums and achilleas in a delicious custard-tart yellow to sit either side of my front door. I’ve splurged on a new saw that slices through sleepers like butter so I can tailor a raised bed to fit snugly into an awkward corner. And when I reached into my coat pocket for lipsalve on an autumn walk last weekend, I found a forgotten dwarf tulip bulb. Mustering the motivation to pull on a bobble hat and get out into my garden on a grey day isn’t always easy but, once I’m there, it’s honestly lovely. A song thrush is often pulling worms out of the lawn like they’re strawberry laces. A layer-cake of ladybirds is amassing in a little nook under a shed window and there are promisingly plump, icing-white buds on a winter-flowering clematis. Life goes on, and so must I, trusting that by the time all this sawing, sanding and planting is rewarded with a space full of beautiful blooms, the pandemic will be under control. That’s not to say I’m slacking on the firepit front of course! A hot toddy and a half-eaten pack of Bourbon creams in front of the flames are welcome solace – all this work is making me hungry! Do share what you’re up to in your garden, too…
Editor Emma Kendell You can email us at moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk and find us on Facebook Modern Gardens Magazine Instagram @ModernGardens www.moderngardensmagazine.co.uk
Give old bottles a stylish new look for your winter garden, p71
od with Keep your patioetloofokinbegrrgo ies, p13 a cheery buck
P H OTOS : G AP P HOTOS, V I S I O N S, S H UTT E RS TO C K
COV E R P HOTOS : P RO CO LO UR/JAC E K WAC K, G A P P HOTOS, G E TTY, K ATE B OW L IN T ER I O R S K AT E BOWL I N T E RI O RS.CO.U K @K AT E B OWL I N TE RI O RS
PH OTO : G A P PH OTOS / F R I E D R I CH S T R AUS
p, sunny morning Pretty po s ts of cycla men on t he patio A gl warmedass of red wine by firepit flames
78
Inside this
MONTH...
How to keep your plot happy and healthy this month.
FREE
*
100 SPRING BULBS TURN TO P126 NOW!
20
The owners of this Asian-inspired plot spend a lot of time chilling on their new deck.
Garden makeovers
“It’s such a calm and peaceful space to escape to” 20
A dreary plot is transformed into a restorative haven full of Eastern promise.
“I get so much pleasure from this tiny space” 38
ON THE COVER
Flower-filled still life
Create an autumnal work of art. 88
Gabion table & bench
Bring industrial chic to your outside space. 93
Yes you can!
This small courtyard is now a secluded city oasis that looks far larger than it is.
Upcycle tin cans into garden decor.
“It’s great to go outside without putting wellies on”
Quick makes to style up your autumn plot.
52
A boggy plot becomes an all-weather space with clever use of colour. 104
I’m in the garden
We take a peek over a reader’s fence. 130
Our garden crush
It’s where we’d like to be this month!
Simple projects 24
* T& C S AP P LY – J U S T PAY £ 6 .9 9 POS TAG E
68
Eastern allure
Give your garden a style refresh. 36
Marbled pots
Upgrade your plant display for pennies. 43
Natural high
Add a living wall and transform a bare vertical space into a curtain of life.
98 108
BIG IDEAS
We love to make
Light your night garden
Get a designer look for less with our savvy lighting ideas. ON THE COVER
Outdoor living 29
SMALL GARDENS
84
Create a standout autumn show that birds will love.
Fiona’s patch
Catch up on town-garden life. 50
Selina’s garden style
Autumn bright on-trend styling ideas.
How to toast the perfect marshmallow 116
ON THE COVER
Enjoy a whole new level of delicious bliss.
Easy ideas 6
Earthy pleasures
What to buy, make and do this month.
We LOVE this!
93
Breathe new life into old tin cans and fill your garden with glowing hanging lanterns.
6
14
Front garden facelift
Quick and easy tweaks to make the most of your outdoor space. ON THE COVER 30
Add pattern to your plot
It’s the easiest way to give your garden a fast style update for winter months. 57
Smart sleepers
ON THE COVER
Pinch these designer ideas and use chunky timbers to add a creative edge. 64
Hanging gardens
ON THE COVER
Fill your home with on-trend trailing plants that are super-easy to look after. 70
Winter wow!
ON THE COVER
Inject a dash of seasonal drama. 78 Make scrumptious juneberry oat bars.
122
What to do in your garden
Keep your plot looking good this month. 90
On-trend earthy tones and seasonal shopping.
Over to you... 100
Q&A
Got a question about your garden? We’ve got the answer. 102
Ask the designer
Your problem garden solved. 106
Paws & whiskers
Enjoying your garden with your pets. 114
We love outdoor living
Your garden highlights. 128
Modern favourites
Get a free peony with our great offer!
76
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Plant a corner
Enjoy our pick of firework fiesta combos. 122
Juneberry
This sweet superfruit is the ultimate tree for a modern garden.
Best buys 12
Blooming lovely
Plants and shrubs to buy now, plus give our cheery bucket of berries a try. 34
All-new sculptures
10 buys to enjoy modern art al fresco. 82
Treat your garden to...
The best plants to buy now, and how to make sure they survive.
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Earthy DREAM
PLANT
GROW
PICK
MAKE
BUY
EASY IDEAS MAKE LIFE LOVELY
Sunday brunch
HARDY HEATHER This feathery favourite is a late bloomer, and its
Team the great outdoors with weekend eating and you have two of life’s pleasures in one. This multi-tasking firebowl with grill looks like concrete, but it’s as light as a feather so it’s easy to shift to wherever the sun is shining. Who said barbecue season was over? Breakfast bangers and bacon, be mine! Stone Fire Bowl with Grill, £189 idyllhome.co.uk
tough but pretty, mauvey bristles are a welcome pop of pink among the otherwise golden tones of autumn. The green foliage will take on a bronze hue come winter, too. Bushy, dwarf varieties, such as Calluna vulgaris ‘Annemarie’ or ‘Peter Sparkes’ (£4, burncoose. co.uk) are best in pots (ensure they are cossetted in acidic. ericaceous compost) in a sunny position outside. Pop one – or five! – in a spot that you can see from indoors to lift your mood on November days.
SMELLS DIVINE If it’s unlikely you’ll be savouring the taste of a toffee apple at a firework display this month, enjoy the smell of it in your garden. Toffee Apple Candle, £8.99 sublimecandles.co.uk
BUBBLE FOR ONE A nonchalant sway in a cocooning chair will calm your body as well as your mind in a matter of minutes. Malibu Hanging Chair, £349 mazeliving.co.uk
F E ATU R E: F I O N A G A L L E Y P H O
COTTON ON A cosy throw is always a good buy come the colder months, and we can’t get enough of the pompoms on this recycled one. Soul Destiny Recycled Cotton Throw, £34.99 soul-destiny.co.uk
CUDDLE IN A CUP There’s nothing more comforting than a decadent mug of hot chocolate on a chilly afternoon and this one is the tastiest we’ve found yet. Willie’s Cacao Hot Chocolate, 250g, £3.99 hollandandbarrett.com
We LOVE this!
NOVEMBER 2020
MODERN GARDENS 7
PH OTO : @ S WE E T.L IK E.AUT UMN
WHAT O PLANT NOW!
INSTAGRAM INSPIRATION Some people (and squirrels!) go nuts for autumn,
PH OTO : A L A M Y
Mini apple tree No matter how small your garden, make room for a teeny-tiny apple tree. Dwarf ones are easier and quicker to grow than regular trees and can be planted in a large pot. If you’ve only room for one, opt for a variety that pollinates itself such as the Cox Self Fertile Apple Tree, £49.99/12L pot (patio very-dwarf),
ornamentaltrees.co.uk, which grows up to 2m tall in 10 years. Place your pot in a sunny spot, scatter gravel in the base, plant your mini tree using potting compost and water. It’ll take approximately two years to fruit, but you’ll then be rewarded with bountiful crops for decades thereafter.
HOT STUFF One end of this curious instrument will aid airflow to an open fire and the other has prongs for flipping burning logs. Fallen Fruits Bouffadou Pipe, £13.99 dobbies.com
Toss these clever cones into a fire and ooh and ahh over the captivating light show they’ll create. Northern Lights Colour Fire Cones, £13.99 lakeland.co.uk TRAIL BLAZER This swanky FireGlobe Firebowl is a sleek switch-up from a ubiquitous firepit. £285 connox.co.uk 8 MODERN GARDENS NOVEMBER 2020
and thank goodness they do, for that passion and love can create the most inspirational Instagram accounts. @sweet.like.autumn hosts a mesmerising selection of sweet, autumnal treats, from cinnamon doughnuts to spiced lattes, but it’s the beautiful, styled-up snaps in a riot of rich, enticing orange that make this account so compelling. A few clicks cooing over mugs of cocoa, russet leaves and cosy picnic rugs will leave you bidding an enthusiastic farewell to summer, too. Toasted marshmallow sandwich, anyone?
FIRE STARTER Just one strike will light all of your outdoor candles, as well as your fire, safely. Tropical Palm Box of Extra Long Safety Matches, £4.95 rexlondon.com
RAISE THE BAR The perforated top on this garden bar table means it won’t pool rain, nor spilt cocktails! And with a simple but stylish design in classic black, it’ll look pleasing in any setting. Choe Perforated Metal High Bar Table, H110cm, £295 laredoute.co.uk
Smoky, roasted chestnuts and rich chocolate make a dream team in these squidgy cookies. YOU WILL NEED ✽ 100g unsalted butter, melted ✽ 50g caster sugar ✽ 150g brown sugar ✽ 2 tsp vanilla extract ✽ 1 large egg ✽ 150g plain flour ✽ 1/2 tsp baking powder ✽ 100g dark chocolate ✽ 100g roasted chestnuts, try Merchant Gourmet Whole Chestnuts, £2.40/180g tesco.com Makes 12-15 cookies
WHAT TO DO 1 Preheat oven to 180°C. 2 Beat together the butter, sugars and vanilla extract. Whisk in the egg. 3 Add the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and mix until combined. Roughly chop the chocolate and chestnuts and stir in. 4 Use a teaspoon to scoop up the mixture and place each portion on a non-stick baking tray, spaced well apart to allow room for spreading. 5 Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown but still a little squidgy in the middle. Leave to cool slightly before lifting them from the baking tray using a spatula.
MAKE IT!
, s n i k s e c r e i p , s t u stn e h c n w o r u o y t r s o f e k a b d n TIP To roa a y a r gt n i k a b a n o n w o rm a w l l i t place flat-side d s e l i h w l e . Pe C ° 0 0 2 t a s n i m 30
A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU FANCY
PH OTO : S TO C KF O OD
Roasted chestnut & chocolate chip cookies
EASY IDEAS
3 FAUX SINGLE STEM FLOWERS BRANCH OUT A subtle metallic coating gives this spray a hint of shimmer. Dark Larkspur Stem, £3.99 dobbies.com
DREAM OF SPRING This nifty tool makes it easy to plant all your spring bulbs (now’s your last chance!) at the right depth. Planter With An Acacia Wood Handle, £11.99 zarahome.com
TOUCH OF FROST Delicately dusted, this classic rose even has thorns (they’re not sharp!) Single Stem Rose, £2.50 primark.com
SUPER SIZED Large and loud, but lovely! Add to a neutral arrangement for a burst of colour. Large Peony Stem, £10 sophieallport.com
➣ NOVEMBER 2020
MODERN GARDENS 9
Quick make!
Blonde pinecones Bleaching these stalwart symbols of autumn lends them a contemporary Nordic vibe. YOU WILL NEED ✽ Rubber gloves ✽ Thick bleach, neat or diluted a little ✽ Large bucket or container ✽ Variety of pinecones ✽ Something heavy to keep the cones submerged ✽ Newspaper WHAT TO DO 1 Outside and using rubber gloves, pour bleach into the bucket. 2 Carefully add the cones to the bleach and once they’re all in, use something heavy (such as another bucket with a brick in) to keep the cones fully submerged. 3 Leave for at least 24 hours, covered, in a safe place such as a garage. 4 Rinse each cone carefully in warm water to rinse off the bleach with rubber gloves on. 5L t d t id i th
nes o c e n i p l a r u t a n nd a e d n o l b x i M P TI es n o t c i h c i d n a c S to show off their 3 ABSTRAC ART ATTACK This quirky number is handcra so each one is unique. Abstra Face Grey Flowerpot, £24.90 beaumonde.co.uk
LINE DRAWING A simple but standout illustration means this pot doubles up as an art piece. Plant Pot with a Motif, £12.99 hm.com
STYLE ICON Top this ko planter wit green folia a striking c Lesego Te Planter, £38 laredoute.co.uk
10 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
CUPBOARD LOVE We’re big fans of the new working-from-home trend for all things office. A planter tops this fab garden cabinet, adding to its aesthetics. Consuela Outdoor Metal Planter Console, £350 laredoute.co.uk SPARKS WILL FLY Air-writing your name with a sparkler is eternally magical, no matter how old you are. Monster Sparklers, £4.99/5 thepresentfinder.co.uk
EARTHY TONES
EASY IDEAS
Trend alert!
With the catwalks awash with amber, rust and caramel, it’s no surprise to see these warm, rustic tones filtering into this season’s interior and exterior collections. Russet shades naturally evoke warmth, so it’s an easy scheme to achieve, but keep it modern by introducing graphic patterns via rugs and cushions. Metal furniture will create a contemporary industrial feel, but soften it by plumping for rounded edges rather than sharp, sterile corners. CURVE APPEAL The rust shade gives this Mersin Large Rust Iron Fire Pit a rustic look, while the design keeps it looking modern. £119.99 limeandlace.co.uk
STACK ’EM UP Work the concrete trend with the stackable Hempie 3-Wick Cement Candle Holders, also available in cement and black. £32 each laredoute.co.uk
TRIO GLOW Candlelight will intensify the toasty amber hues of this Set of 3 Linear Tealight Holders, £4.50 marksandspencer.com
CHEVRON CHIC Opt for cushions featuring a graphic print in mustard, amber or chocolate. Mustard Yellow Geometric Cushion Cover, £10.99 homescapesonline.com
PRINT WORKS A geometric rug in orange adds texture, colour and interest. In & Outdoor Rug Cleo Orange, 120 x 170cm, £63.95 benuta.co.uk WELL ROUNDED A low coffee table enhances the cosy ambience. Amalfi Round Terracotta and Meta Garden Coffee Table, £324 maisonsdumonde.com
BIT ON THE SIDE Flank a sofa with a pair of side tables to replicate a snug lounge look. Raskin Round Outdoor Side Tables, £135 each laredoute.co.uk
TIP At this tim
e of year, warmth and light are key generous with ca , s o be ndl es a nd pil e th e fire logs high!
Blooming lovely IN NOVEMBER Try our pick of the most beautiful plants you can buy now FORTUNE’S CYRTOMIUM £6.99/9cm pot
The bright green, leathery fronds, reminiscent of holly leaves provide a striking contrast to other more finely cut ferns. It thrives in light shade with a moist but not soggy soil. Height 60cm Spread 40cm. crocus.co.uk
3
FABULOUS
ferns
SOFT SHIELD FERN
DWARF BRAZILIAN TREE FERN ‘VOLCANO
£4.50/9cm pot Soft, lacy fronds arch a swirl from the plant’s centre. Polystichum setiferum is so soft, it’s impossible to pass without stroking it! It loves a shady spot with lots of organic matter. Height and Spread 90cm. naturescape.co.uk
HOLLY ‘INGRAMII’
Add a touch of loveliness
£7/9cm pot Your friends and neighbours will drool over the variegated of this uifolium ush to a k atop y stems in r. Give it a ell-drained, unny home, sit back and wait for adoration o arrive. Height read 1.5m. ands.co.uk
Three plants for sumptuous scent
£7.p9o9t 2L
OLEASTER
The fragrant, silvery-cream flowers of Elaeagnus ebbingei fill the air with their delicate perfume throughout November. Height and Spread 2.5m. jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
£8m.9p9 ot 9c
ARROWWOOD
Deliciously scented, rosepink flowers bring Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ to life until March every season. Height 3m Spread 2m. thompson-morgan.com
£9p.7ot0 1L
BASTARD SENNA
Lemon-yellow, sweetly scented blooms adorn the blue-green foliage of Coronilla valentina ‘Citrina’ until March. Height and Spread 90cm. bethchatto.co.uk
F E ATU R E: C L A R E WA L KE R. PH OTOS : A L A M Y, G A P P HOTOS / CH RIS B U RROW S, V I S IO N S, S HU TT ER S TO C K ,
ADD A SPIKY SENSATION
£7.99/9cm pot This Blechnum brasiliense is an architectural shuttlecock of crink fronds that emerge bright red in spring, maturing to bronze then rich glossy green. Protect in winter for the first few years. Height 90cm Spread 70cm. gardenersdream.co.uk
BEST BUYS
GIVE IT A TRY
CHEERY BUCKET OF BERRIES
At this time of the year, getting creative is the key to talking-point containers and keeping your patio looking good. And this harmonious marriage of pink and zinc will make you smile on the greyest of days. The silvery-blue foliage matches the gentle sheen of the galvanised bucket in low winter sunshine perfectly. Simple, yet oh so lovely! What are the plants? Complementary colours and contrasting textures are the secret to this beautifully uncomplicated container. The punchy pink fruits of prickly heath (Gaultheria mucronata), pale pink winter heather and stunning silver-blue juniper foliage are a match made in heaven! Where do they thrive? A well-drained, slightly acidic soil (use a mix of ericaceous and multi-purpose compost) and plenty of sun will ensure your container rewards you with unrivalled beauty throughout winter and into spring.
PRICKLY HEATH ‘MULBERRY WINE’ £8.99/9cm pot
The glossy foliage is adorned with delicate white flowers followed by purple-pink berries that last well into winter. Height 1m Spread 1.5m. marshallsgarden.com
WINTER HEATHER ‘PHOEBE’
£4/9cm pot Small, pale pink, urnshaped flowers are borne on dark green foliage October-March. Height 40cm Spread 50cm. burncoose.co.uk
FLAKY JUNIPER ‘BLUE STAR’ £6.25/2L pot
Aromatic, silver-blue, needle-like foliage bears small black berries in winter. Height 40cm Spread 1m. grasslands.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 13
Trending
For similar panels, try screenwithenvy.co.uk, from £40
now
Upgrading our front gardens and enjoying this snippet of outside space more
F EAT U R E: J U L E S B ARTO N - B R EC K. P H OTOS : LIV I NG 4 M E D IA , G A P PH OTOS /J ER RY PAVI A / H OWA R D R IC E
THAT’S CLEVER!
Front garden
FACELIFT Boost the value of your house and the size of your smile whenever you return home with these QUICK AND EASY UPDATES
14
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
#1
JAZZ UP A BARE WALL
Take inspiration from garden designer Christine Wilkie who transformed her client’s blank space between the window and front door with a decorative panel and proved that even a tiny front garden can look fabulous. For more information, visit christinewilkie.co.uk
#2 CRE TE A SPOT TO SIT IN
Time to unwind
PH OTO : G A P PH OTOS /M O D E S T E H E RW I G. GA RD E N D ES IGN: B IE SOT D E S I GN
EASY IDEAS
Somewhere to sit, relax and watch the world go by is now a must-have in your front garden. It’s the perfect opportunity to get more involved in your local community, too. Position a bench or bistro set against a wall so you don’t feel too exposed, and start a new habit of taking a cuppa, or glass of your favourite tipple, outside to enjoy, and say hello, or cheers, to passers-by.
#3 So easy!
FLANK THE FRONT DOOR
One of the simplest but still one of the most effective ways to make your house look welcoming is to put a pair of matching pots and plants each side of your door. Depending on your style and door colour, you could go for formal-looking lollipop trees in square planters or something more relaxed such as blousy evergreen daphnes in big, round pots. Symmetry is the key to this look, so make sure each side matches. Swap the pots over every now and then to make sure they’re getting a similar amount of sun and shade so they grow more equally. Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) standard, from £39.99 each thompson-morgan.com
O
P HOTO : TH O MP SO N & M O RG AN
ne of the positive things to have emerged during lockdown is that many of us have started making the most of our front gardens, chatting to our neighbours and using every square centimetre of stay-at-home space to the max. We’ve finally cottoned on to the value of the front garden, no matter how small or large, and adopted the Mediterranean approach of using this area more. Before the pandemic hit, it would have seemed strange to sit in our front gardens, but now it’s just sociable. Covid has opened our eyes to the opportunities to make this outside space look just as good as our beautiful back gardens. So set aside a few hours this weekend to try some of these fast, easy and creative ideas to revamp your front space. Choose just one or two, or do all 10: not only will you be the envy of your neighbours but you’ll add value to your house as well as the quality of your outside living space. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 15
➣
Whether you’ve got pavers or gravel, that expanse of grey can look much more stylish with some clever planting. And it’s easy! Just add a bit of compost to the spaces in-between pavers, or create some planting pockets in the gravel, and choose low-growing plants that will flourish even when they’re trodden underfoot, driven over or parked on. The lovely low-maintenance plants below are all as tough-as-oldboots and will give a pretty mix of different tones.
GOLDEN CREEPING JENNY Evergreen and super-fast growing, Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ has bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers from June to August above a low carpet of rounded, goldenyellow leaves. Height 10cm Spread 1m. £8.99/2L pot jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
PH OTO : G A P PH OTOS / MA RC US HAR PUR . GAR D E N DE S I GN: S E AN MU RRAY S PO NSO R : ROYA L HO RT I C ULT U R AL SO C IE T Y
GREEN #4 UP THE DRIVEWAY
BUGLE Enjoy the deep bronze-purple leaves of Ajuga reptans all year round and the intense blue flower spires that appear in early summer. This low-growing evergreen loves a bit of damp and shade, so it’s very happy under a parked car. Height 15cm Spread 1m. £2.20/10cm pot norfolkherbs.com
BRECKLAND HEATH WILD GINGER THYME PEARLWORT Asarum europaeum The woody stems Sagina subulata is the has rich glossy green, of Thymus serpyllum ultimate no-nonsense round-ish leaves that bear a dark green mat plant! No trimming, will slowly creep of leaves with highly cutting or anything around creating a fragrant pinky-mauve else is needed, and it lush carpet. This flowers, which appear forms a springy mat semi-evergreen can from June to of foliage topped with lose some of its October and will tiny, white, pearl-like leaves in winter, but release their fragrance flowers from late fresh ones will start to when trodden or spring to early appear again in driven on. Height summer. Height spring. Height 10cm 8cm Spread 20cm. 10cm Spread 30cm. Spread 30cm. £7.99/6 plug plants £7.50/5 plug plants £6.70/1L pot jparkers.co.uk victoriannursery.co.uk bethchatto.co.uk
#5
GROW A WINTER CLIMBER
Cover bare walls or fences with a climbing plant that looks good all year round but is at its best over the winter months when the rest of your front garden is bare. If you haven’t got any beds near your walls or fences, then line up three large pots in a row, pop one plant in each and train them up the boundary. Our front-garden favourite is Clematis urophylla ‘Winter Beauty’, which is evergreen and has creamy-white, urn-shaped flowers in winter. Height 4m, £24.95/3L pot sarahraven.com
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MODERN GARDENS
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Done in a day!
TIP Choose a s
EASY IDEAS
late in a colour th at complements the tone of your hous e
TRY THIS!
No green fingers required!
PH OTO : V I C KI BA RRE T T @ VI C KI L E E _ B
Doormat, £33.99, wayfair.co.uk
#7 REPLACE #6 LAWN WITH SLATE
Get rid of any teeny-tiny, awkward-to-mow strips of grass and swop them for modern slate beds. They’re the ultimate in low maintenance and look fab! To remove the turf, use a sharp spade to dig lines a few centimetres deep, then remove shovel-width strips of grass until the area is clear. Lay a weed-control membrane, add planks of wood to edge if necessary and then your slate.
Create a focal point by adding an arch around your front door. Roman Door Canopy, from £373, harrodhorticultural.com
PAINT THE DOOR
If you only have time to do one thing, then this is it. Changing the colour of your front door will give your garden and house kerb appeal. Don’t feel constrained to stick to safe, neutral colours, as there’s a growing trend for bright, statement tones. Take inspiration from the flowers in your front garden, or just go with your favourite colour. The look of the moment is a matt finish rather than gloss. If the weather forecast is dry, you can sort the door in situ or take it off its hinges to paint in the garage or shed. Remove the old paint using paint stripper (follow the manufacturer’s instructions) or an electric sander. Once the door is prepped, apply the recommended number of coats allowing each one to dry before adding the next. Leave to fully dry before rehanging or closing. ✽ Instagrammer Vicki Barrett (@Vickilee_b) revamped her door using Dusky Blush from the Al Fresco collection by Frenchic. The modern tones of this paint range are perfect for a front door, and they’re hard-wearing and weatherproof with a durable chalk finish. £17.95/750ml frenchicpaint.co.uk
➣ NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 17
t s e l l a m s e h t f o r pai d n o c e s a y u b , t l d resu n t a s e n b e e d h r t a r g o k F c a P I b T ur o y n i t e s e n o p e e pots s o y ou ca n k is at its best into pr ime pos ition s witch whicheve r
#8
P H OTO: G A P P H OTOS / I A N TH WAI TE S. G A R D EN OW N E R : K ATR IN A K I E F F E R-WE L L S (E A RTH D E S I G N S )
ADD PRIVACY WITHOUT BLOCKING NICE NEIGHBOURS
It can be tricky to work out how to create privacy in your front garden without seeming to appear rude, especially if you live in a terraced row where neighbouring paths run almost next to each other. A modern, super-stylish solution is pleached trees. These are small trees that have been trained up and along a framework so you get the bushiness at the top but a lovely sense of airiness at the bottom. They can be grown in planters or in the ground, and you can choose from many types of evergreen or deciduous trees. Why not try apple or pear trees to give you an excuse to sit outside with your neighbours for a homegrown feast?
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NOVEMBER 2020
EASY IDEAS
DECORATE #9 WITH STATEMENT CONTAINERS
TRY THIS!
Forget front garden design ideas from the last century and bring some of your personality into play. Invest in a curated collection of modern pots in the same colour and style but in different shapes and sizes, and fill with a quirky mix of foliage and blooms such as mahonia, canna, bleeding heart (Dicentra), rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora), echeveria, cyperus and celosia. Think of these as decorations rather than just planters, so push in stems of twisty willow and add fairy lights or whatever takes your fancy!
Disguise an ugly bin in a simple storage structure. Vario V Wooden Bin Store, £152.99, wayfair.com
MODERN #10 MAKE LOW-MAINTENANCE BEDS Award-winning garden designer Simon Orchard (simonorchardgardens.com) made this stylish and low-maintenance small front garden scheme by creating different bedding areas. “The frames were bespoke-built and made of powder-coated steel,” says Simon. “They were bottomless so that the soi
Super simple!
look we wanted from each set of plants. There were six planting blocks – three with steel surrounds to act as a frame and keep the geometric architectural look for the looser plants and three without surrounds that were filled with plants that could be kept tightly clipped to form x shapes.”
Burkwood
P HOTO : S I MO N O RC HA RD G A R D E N D E S I G N / S I M O N O RCH AR D G A RD E N S.CO M
rtin’s spurge
Comm ‘Myrtifolia’ mn moor-grass
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 19
AFTER
BEFORE in This wrap-aroundofgaardfaencew-lias ft desperate need
A low-maintenance design with an Asian twist has transformed this plot
Banana
F E ATU R E: K IR S T Y MC N E I L- O’CO N N O R. P HOTOS : G AP PH OTOS. G A R D EN D ES I G N : S EA N B U TL E R, C U B E 1 994 LTD
Want to add patterns to your plot? Turn to p30
20
“It’s such a calm and peaceful space to escape to” Paul and Helen Rainbow’s dreary Essex plot has been transformed into a restorative haven FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
READER GARDEN
makeover
READER GARDEN
SMART IDEAS TO STEAL NESTLE A BUDDHA BUST in a bed to bring a sense of calm reflection. PLANT THYME IN PATHS to scent the air when it’s crushed underfoot.
Portuguese laurel
SHOW OFF A TREE TRUNK by removing a neat square of turf around it, laying a weed membrane and filling with pebbles.
Umbrella grass
Japanese sedge
liage fo n e e r g r e v e w o l h it ck w e d d e is a r a g in g d E g it TIP in s o l c n e t u o h it w n io adds a sense of seclus ➣ NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 21
A
fter spending years redesigning the interior of their home in Maylandsea, Essex, Paul and Helen Rainbow knew that their garden was in desperate need of a makeover to match. Although the plot had been theirs for 11 years, little had been done to it. “It was very basic and old-fashioned with a greenhouse, vegetable patch, two different concrete patio areas cordoned off by trellis fencing and little privacy,” says Paul. The couple had a clear idea of what they wanted from their outside space. “It had to have a modern look with low-maintenance design as we are both busy working during the week,” Paul explains. And there was no doubt about their style inspiration, either. “We have always loved Asia, especially Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,” Paul adds. “We’ve spent a lot of our married lives travelling to that part of the world, both with work and for pleasure, including our
time in his Paul loves spendingsere new oasis of nity
OUR GARDEN PL AN
first holiday together and our honeymoon. We love its lush greenery.” Their idea seemed to match up perfectly with their plot. The key to many Asian-inspired garden designs is to create a calm place to go for contemplation and reflection, and the sense of peace and quiet was one of the factors that had attracted Paul and Helen to the house all those years ago. “It had a really good feeling when we first visited,” Paul remembers. “It’s in a quiet area, close to a river.”
DESIGNER SOLUTIONS
An internet search led Paul and Helen to local garden designers, Cube 1994 Ltd. “Our first meeting with MD Sean Butler went really well and we felt he totally understood what we wanted from our garden,” says Paul. Sean also has a love of the Far East, which complemented their wishes for a modern, Asian-inspired garden. “Paul and Helen were looking for a low-maintenance design with areas for dining, entertaining and relaxing throughout the day,” explains Sean. “Privacy was also important. We wanted to create a private dining area, walled off with Asian-inspired art panels, with a bespoke water feature for ambience and a space for outdoor cooking. “A raised deck area would form the outdoor lounge with space for large sofa seating and views across the different spaces. And a small side area would become a courtyard, with bistro seating for coffees in the morning sun.”
NOVEMBER WEATHER
With the design agreed, the build began. “It was November and the weather was awful, so the Cube team had to cope with a lot of mud and rain. Due to our location near the Blackwater estuary, our soil is very thick, heavy clay, which I
GOLDEN bamboo creates a soothing rustle whenever there’s a breeze. NOTHING channels Zen into a space more than the serene sight of a Buddha sculpture.
Update your space with Eastern promise on p24
LOCATION Maylandsea, Essex
THE LOOK Asian inspired, modern and low maintenance SITE & SOIL
Size 180m2 Faces West Soil Heavy clay,
knew would make it even harder,” says Paul. But Sean and his team were undeterred: “We removed 22 tonnes of clay and replaced it with topsoil and soil-improver in the flowerbeds, and added drainage to the new lawns,” he explains. “The going was really tough at the initial stage of removing the wet clay but once that was off-site, it made progress a lot more effective.” Paul and Helen happily missed this quagmire stage, having already booked a holiday. “We left my mother Maureen to look after the house and keep the team in tea and biscuits!” says Paul.
much of which was removed and replaced
OUR BUDGET Decking £5,000 Sandstone patios & steps £17,000 Plants, including lawn £10,000 Screens £2,500 Lighting £3,500 Bespoke water features £2,000 TOTAL: £40,000 HOW LONG IT TOOK Clearance 1 week Decking 4 days Paving preparation & laying 2 weeks Electrics 3 visits Planting 5 days TOTAL: 41/2 weeks
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MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
WICKER LANTERNS are decorative by day and create a soft and inviting glow at night.
GARDEN TRANSFORMATION
By the time the couple returned, their outside space was unrecognisable. Multiple materials create a textured space and plenty of interest. As with many Asian-inspired gardens, water is an essential element and a bespoke water
READER GARDEN
A BESPOKE water feature adds ambience as it cascades over black pebbles from a simple spout mounted in a sandstone plinth.
CONTEMPLATION CORNER
Thyme
Warm mood lighting was the final touch to complete the garden, highlighting the features and extending its use into the evenings. “As we’ve both been working from home, having our beautiful garden to look at has made us realise how lucky we are. We spent a lot of time chilling out in the garden through all the lovely weather in lockdown,” says Paul. “We love to sit out there at the weekend, having a quiet coffee and reading the paper, with the water feature running in the background.”
AROMATIC stepping-stone paths planted with creeping thyme lead you through the garden. feature is fitted onto the garage wall. There are pebbles and grasses too, adding a natural element to the peacefully ordered geometric shapes. The distinctly different areas are well defined with the clever use of paving, wooden decking and lawn, and the colour scheme is simple and tranquil, the dark grey creating a contrasting backdrop to the lush green leaves of the planting scheme. Stunning screens make a real statement, casting interesting shadows while effectively marking out different areas of the garden and screening for privacy. A golden bamboo screen adds further seclusion. Evergreen grasses and ferns add to the movement, underplanting the architectural tropical trees and plants.
PEACEFUL PLANTING
“Everything is generally low maintenance, and Helen does most of the looking after, including adding new plants and tweaking the borders to match,” says Paul. “We have big blue lilyturf (Liriope muscari) in the side entrance, which looks great all year but especially when it starts flowering in autumn. The courtyard has agapanthus, purple top (Verbena bonariensis) and sage (Salvia), which provide masses of colour in the summer. And all the bamboo around the garden looks smart and provides that Asian feel too.” There are some plants that require more TLC, but the couple are happy to go the extra
mile to enjoy the large, lush leaves. “We love the area with the bananas and canna, and we probably went over the top to look after it last winter, creating a straw-filled cocoon to protect the plants from the winter frost,” says Paul. “But then we ended up with such mild weather!” The couple are enjoying watching their outside space evolve. “We opted for some less expensive young plants to keep within our budget, so it’s still maturing in some areas and we’re making little improvements and changes as things grow and some plants do less well,” adds Paul. “We bought Corten steel strips and used these to edge all of our beds, which provided a really clean line and, as it’s weathering, is adding a cool, aged look.”
1
3
2
Get the look!
1 Fishpole Bamboo, £29.95/5L pot gardeningexpress.co.uk 2 Nandita Buddha Head Statue, £57.99 wayfair.co.uk 3 Moucharabiya Screen, £85 screenwithenvy.com 4 Large Wicker Bulbous Lantern, £34.50 blossomandbuttercup.co.uk M Eh L S Fl ll l
k
4 A R D E N S 23
Eastern
ALLURE
Asian fusion is a HUGE GARDEN TREND right now – refresh your outside space with these easy makes this weekend! ancy giving your garden a style refresh? Take inspiration from the beautifully refined gardens of Asia with these simple but stunning afternoon projects. Make just one for a quick injection of style into your November garden, or create all six to bring
F
F E ATU R E: J I L L MO RG A N . P H OTOS : TH E J OYO F P L A N TS.CO.U K , G AP PH OTOS / F R I ED R I CH S T R AU S S / VI C TO RI A F I R M S TO N / BR E N T WI L SO N / V IS I O N S P RE M I U M
Simply stylish
PROJECTS TO DO NOW!
Dwarf balsam fir ‘
ake inspiration from the Vietnamese art of Hòn Non Bô and design your own mini landscape in a pot. A hugely relaxing and mindful process, you’ll enjoy tending to this tiny garden, rearranging the stones and adding little treasures. It will also add Zen style to any outside tabletop or deck. Using a shallow, glazed container, surround a tiny tree – conifers or acers are both ideal – with horticultural grit, a few choice stones and two or three other low-growing, textural plants. We chose an interestingly shaped dwarf balsam fir (Abies balsamea) ‘Nana’ as our tree and teamed it with low-growing dwarf juniper (Juniperus procumbens) and a couple of denseleaved stonecrops (Sedum). Three rough stones look like boulders and create a bold contrast to the fine grit. 24
energy and elegance in equal measure to your plot and a real feel of faraway climes to ward off all this British weather. The great thing about Asian fusion is that it combines vibrant with serene to revitalise but calm – perfect if you’re a bit frazzled right now!
6 standout
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
WHAT IT COST @ Pot, try Stunning Aegean Bowl Patio Planter Pot. Midnight Blue, 40cm wide, £26.99 amazon.co.uk @ Dwarf juniper, £11.99/2L pot jacksonsnurseries.co.uk @ Dwarf balsam fir, £19.99/2L pot jacksonsnurseries.co.uk @ Sedum album ‘Coral Carpet’, £3.75/9cm pot gardens4you.co.uk @ Westland Bonsai Tree Potting Mix Compost, £4.75/4L homebase.co.uk @ Tarmac Horticultural Grit, £3.99/20kg therange.co.uk TOTAL: £75.21
s to e n a c o o b m a b e s TIP U e r u t c u r t s e k i l a create a pergol on s t h g i l r u o y g n a to h
SIMPLE PROJECTS
TRY THIS!
Balance round pebbles in a stack for a moment of outdoor mindfulness
DESIGNER CONIFER TRIO
WHAT IT COST @ 3 Red Acetate Sheets, £1.79 each amazon.co.uk @ Wilko 100 White LED Solar String Lights, £7 wilko.com TOTAL: £12.37
LOTUS FAIRY LIGHTS
Simple but oh-so effective, these exotic fairy lights will bring Eastern promise to your patio in next-to-notime. You’ll need to make a template from thin cardboard (a cereal packet is ideal). Draw four petals side-byside, then join them together at the base with an overlapping 5mm-deep rectangle. Cut this template out, then
place it on an acetate sheet, drawing around it then cutting out the shape, to create as many flowers as there are lightbulbs. Wrap the rectangle section tightly around the base of a lightbulb, secure in place with tape, then open the petals to form a flower. Repeat for each light until you have completed the whole string.
Planting trees in a group of three is a designer trick that dates back to some of the earliest Japanese gardens, thought to have arisen from Taoist and Zen influences that value asymmetry, the randomness of nature and the strive for perfection rather than perfection itself. And the strong shapes of white cedar Thuja occidentalis ‘Sunny Smaragd’ (right) and ‘Pyramidalis Aurea’ (centre and left) are the perfect trees to do it with. Choose three identical, plain containers. Cover the drainage hole with a pebble before adding a layer of compost. Remove the conifer from its plastic pot and place on the compost before filling round the plant, firming the soil down. Water and finish off with a decorative layer of bark chippings. WHAT IT COST
@ Pots, try Amber Plant Pot – Light Grey,
25 x 24cm, £29.99 each hortology.co.uk @ GoodHome Multi-purpose Compost, £3.40/20L diy.com @ Plants, £6.99/9cm pot crocus.co.uk @ Chunky chip bark, £8.99 longacres.co.uk TOTAL: £123.33
² NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 25
fa u t r e p y h r u o y n o i TIP Posit spot e e r f t s o r f a n i r hol de
HYPERTUFA INCENSE HOLDER Evocative of Far Eastern climes, incense can lift your mood and relax your soul while you sit peacefully in your garden. The use of incense sticks dates back to 650BC, and many are still made to the same traditional plant-based monastic recipes, featuring herbs and wood resins such as cedar, thyme and sandalwood. And it’s fun to make your own incense burner using a mixture known as hypertufa. You’ll need two old plastic plant pots, one larger than the other. Wearing rubber gloves, mix one-part sand, one-part cement and two-parts fine composted bark together with just enough water to form a wet but not sloppy mix. Spray the inside of the larger plastic pot with cooking oil and press handfuls of mixture inside the base and up the sides, creating a layer around 2/3cm thick. Cover with a plastic bag and press in the smaller plant pot to shape. Leave to dry for 48 hours. Remove the small pot and plastic bag, then gently tap out the hypertufa pot. Leave to dry thoroughly before filling with sand and incense sticks. WHAT IT COST @ Tarmac Sharp Sand, £1.90 wickes.co.uk @ Blue Circle General Purpose Cement, £4.20/25kg wickes.co.uk @ Westland Composted Bark, £5.99/70L longacres.co.uk @ Pure Sandalwood incense sticks, £4.65/40 tibetanIncense.co.uk TOTAL: £16.74
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MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
SERENE SCREEN
Escape from the world and conjure up exotic climes by making an outdoor chill zone using this barely-there screen. Separated from the everyday world by a pair of light cotton panels, you’ll create the perfect spot for a quiet cuppa, a leisurely read or a restorative, evening glass of vino. Unless you have a conveniently placed wall or tree, you’ll need to set a sturdy fencepost into the ground using ready-mixed, quick-setting
Postcrete, to suspend one end of the branch. Fix a galvanised metal eyelet or hook to this and another at the same height on the wall or fence, and use loops of natural jute or hemp rope to hang the branch. Tie the curtain tabs to the branch, at regular intervals, using short lengths of white cotton tape. Weigh down the base of each panel using pebbles placed at each corner or, if you have patience, by sewing them into the hem.
SIMPLE PROJECTS
TIP Add low-le
v outdoor rug and el seating, a neutral rattan lanterns t o see you through until tw ilight and beyond FIREBOWL PLANTER These pots started out as metal firebowls and have been cleverly painted to match the vibrant mix of blooms, foliage and berries. The result is breathtaking – and cheaper than using a new planter! Start by drilling several drainage holes in the base of an old firebowl, using a drill and metal bit. Sand the exterior surface, wipe off any rust flakes or dirt using a damp cloth and leave to dry. Place the bowl upside down on newspaper and spray on a thin, even coat of your chosen paint. Leave to dry and repeat. Position, half-fill with compost, add the plants, top with compost then water. For top-notch drama, the larger bowl features crimson-leaved burning bush (Euonymus
TIP These hard
TRY THIS!
Display autumn leaves in a shallow dish with pebbles on your patio table
americanus) and low-growing checkerberry (Gaultheria procumbens). If you’re making a second pot, try red-flowering Lobelia speciosa ‘Starship Scarlet’, £11.99/12, gardeningdirect. co.uk, or sage (Salvia) ‘Royal Bumble’, £7.99/9cm pot, crocus.co.uk.
y bea uties love a sunny spot
WHAT IT COST @ Plasti-kote 22105 400ml Premium Spray Paint Satin – Wine Red, £9.66 amazon.co.uk @ Verve Multi-purpose Compost, £4.60/50L diy.com @ Burning bush, £5.99 jparkers.co.uk @ Checkerberry £9.99/1.5L pot jacksonsnurseries.co.uk TOTAL: £30.24 (for one planter)
WHAT IT COST @ Hilja Curtains, 145 x 250cm, £12 ikea.com @ Hemline White Cotton Tape 12mm x 5m, £2.49 amazon.co.uk @ Smith & Locke General Duty Hooks 65mm, £2.49/5 screwfix.com @ Forest Fence Post (if needed) 2.4m, £12 homebase.co.uk @ Blue Circle Ready mixed Postcrete (if needed), £4.75/20kg diy.com TOTAL: £33.73
Recycle your stuff NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 27
rare | unusual | exciting
Hyacinth Basket with fairy lights
BUY 3 FOR
Available individually or as a collection
£12 EACH
Hand-crafted woven baskets with sparkling fairy lights and highly perfumed Hyacinth are the perfect gift for you and your friends “Hyacinth” really has it all – decorative and intricate fairy lights for a touch of winter romance; incredibly fragrant blooms to perfume a room; happy to be planted in the garden after flowering and reappear, while leaving behind her basket and lights to be refilled with other indoor beauties. With a diameter of approximately 15cm (6"), each fully-lined basket is a unique handmade product. Your hyacinths will be supplied in bud ready to slowly unfurl over several weeks – the cooler the room, the longer the display. Your order is covered by our No Quibble Guarantee and will be confirmed together with a copy of our latest catalogue. Your baskets will be delivered in early December.
ORDER ONLINE hayloft.co.uk NAME & ADDRESS
• BY PHONE 0333 358 2006 – QUOTE MG1120 • PLEASE SEND
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3 WHITE WITH BASKETS
BUHBW03-MG1120
£36
3 BLUE WITH BASKETS
BUHBB03-MG1120
£36
3 PINK WITH BASKETS
BUHBP03-MG1120
£36
1 OF EACH WITH BASKETS BUHBM03-MG1120
£36
TOTAL
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£4.95
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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
A
mid the grey days, the darker evenings and chilly mornings of November, I am always looking for little sparks of joy. I’ve found that I don’t need an expensive project or new purchase for my garden to make me happy. Planting up pretty pots in pale winter shades, tidying borders, pressure-washing my patio and sweeping pathways clear of leaves and moss bring their own sense of satisfaction. I’ve cleared summer bedding, now blackened by frost, out of every container and replaced it with new plants. I am loving ornamental kale
Sorting my pots
containers with good drainage positioned in a partially shaded spot. The nights have drawn in, and the brightness of my solar lights is fading now but hanging some lanterns in my porch and around my patio brings a comforting glow in the evenings. I spotted some lovely ones, £25 each from nordicstyle.co.uk, which use battery-operated tealights and are sturdy enough to withstand a few gusts of wind and showers of rain. On still, starry nights, I will be tempted to light my firepit and pop outside for a hot toddy: my latest crush is blackberry mulled wine. Combine a generous handful of blackberries – I picked some from the hedgerows a few weeks ago, but they are available from supermarket freezers – with a bottle of red wine, a few cloves, some star anise, a dash of apple cider and maple syrup to sweeten. Warm the ingredients slowly in a pan, stirring gently. It’s autumn in a glass!
Make life lovely
Lighting up the dark
P H OTOS : F IO N A C U M B E RPATC H , TH E J OYO F PL A N TS CO UK
“Plants continue to restore my sense of contentment and calm” with its large, frilly leaves in shades of purple and white. I’m combining it with some pretty heathers in the same colours, making sure that the pot has plenty of drainage holes and a handful of grit in the compost as neither plant enjoys soggy roots. A big zinc tub has made just the right home for a swathe of little white violas. The trick is to buy plenty of plants, and cram them into the planter, so there is a feeling of abundance in the middle of winter. I’m planning to put a tub or two of pure white, hardy outdoor cyclamen on slender stems alongside for height. For a plant that will come back year after year, I like hellebores. There are so many beautiful colours, but I love pure white J‘ acob Royal’, also known as Christmas rose, to give the garden a lift at a flat time. These flowers will be happy in
Colourful kale
My foraging expeditions are paying off, and I have plenty of seedheads ready to make into seasonal decorations in a few weeks. When I am out walking, I keep my eyes open for extra branches and berries that I can add to my stash. Whether it’s the bright glow of orange Chinese lanterns, a spray of silvery honesty (Lunaria annua) seedheads or a splash of scarlet leaves, plants continue to restore my sense of contentment and calm in our confusing world.
Fiona
ro s a m t is r h C Planting
Instagram @fionacumberpatch blog www.fionacumberpatch.com NOV
BER 2020
MODERN GARDE
TO YOUR PLOT It’s the easiest way to give your garden a fast STYLE UPDATE for the winter months
W
hen your garden is looking rather bare of all its beautiful blooms and lush summer colours, don’t despair! There’s a really simple way to inject an explosion of style and interest to it this winter. It’s all about adding patterns and, in particular, repeating them, which scientists have found naturally calms and soothes our brains. While the beautiful natural symmetry of flowers and foliage gives us this in spades throughout the summer, adding some man-made patterns to your outside space will bring back those stress-relieving effects. Using patterns outdoors is a big trend-inthe-making for 2021 and there are lots of ways to achieve it, from easy-to-install screens to plants that create standout shapes against their backdrop. And with our gardens increasingly becoming outside rooms, the market for interiorinspired outdoor patterned products is booming, so it’s easy to find one that delights.
F E ATU R E: J U L ES B A RTO N - BR EC K. P H OTOS : @ O UR H O M EO N TH E F O L D, AL A M Y, L IV I N G 4 M ED IA , G AP P HOTOS / F R IE DR I C H S T RAUS S / RI C H A RD B LO O M / EL K E B O RKOWS KI
WHAT PATTERN WILL YOU CHOOSE?
The key to getting this look right is to choose one style of pattern and stick with it. That way, you’ll maintain the calming repeat effect, rather than muddling your brain with lots of different types of patterns to process. You can use lots of different ways to bring that pattern type into your garden, just as long you don’t stray from your chosen style.
How patterns soothe your brain According to psychologytoday.com, it’s been proven that repeating patterns – ones that are identical or similar, known as fractals – can reduce stress levels by up to 60%. Experiments have been done using eye-tracking equipment to better understand how we look at these patterns. Using special imaging and brain measurements, the studies show that we have hard-wiring that responds to certain forms of fractals. If you want to test the science, sit in your garden and simply look at your newly added pattern for 10 minutes and see how much better you feel! 30 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Metal Screen, £230, screenwithenvy.co.uk
EASY IDEAS MODERN GEOMETRIC
ON-TREND ABSTRACT
If you’re a fan of big prints and strong patterns when it comes to interior styling, then this look is for you. A geometric pattern is one that is created by repeating simple shapes such as rectangles and triangles. It’s a bold look outdoors as it’s such a contrast to the curved forms of nature, so it’s very effective in a modern garden. What makes this outdoor room work so well is that while different geometric patterns are used together, using various products, they’re all in the same monotone colours. So, although it’s quite a strong look, there’s nothing jarring about it.
Injects instant drama
Brings a wild edge
This design is reminiscent of the ordered disorder of branches and twigs, so it slips into an outside space very easily, making this a great choice if you want to add pattern to your plot without shouting about it. Garden screens are such a quick way to do it in any part of your garden, whatever its size, and on-trend Corten steel with its rusty, weathered appearance merges perfectly with other natural colours. Position against a wall or fence in a contrasting colour, or add two or three to zone your plot.
Astral Star Pattern Tiles, £25.95/m2, wallsandfloors.co.uk Add a tou magi UPLIFTING STARS
What is it about star shapes that is so alluring and can almost hold us spellbound for a second? Perhaps it’s the reference to the galaxy in the night sky that reassures us that everything in the world is OK, or it’s simply a nostalgic reminder of a motif from childhood, but humans have been using this pattern for millennia! These gorgeous tiles lift an otherwise plain patio for a stylish but subtle effect. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 31
➣
TIME-TESTED SQUARES
Creating a grid of squares has to be the simplest of all patterns and has been used in gardens since time immemorial. Old fashioned? Yes, there is that danger! But take the reassuring effect of that time-tested order and pair it with a modern twist of textures, and you have garden magic! This look is easy to pull off, especially if you use squares of artificial grass so you don’t have to keep the edges trimmed.
CONTEMPORARY BLOCKS
Like to keep things simple and straightforward but far from boring? Then be inspired by Mondrian who was the Dutch abstract artist who didn’t paint things that were recognisable such as people, objects or landscapes, but used colours and shapes to achieve the effect. Block patterns work best on a big scale and are simple to create outdoors. Use masking tape to shape three separate rectangular sections on a bare wall and paint them in contrasting colours. Alternatively, fix painted exterior wood panels to an existing fence.
Makes a small ace loo igger
rings a sense of order
Creates n optica llusion EYE-DEFYING STRIPES
Don’t be scared by the idea of stripes! By using subtly different natural tones rather than completely different colours, you can achieve a bold but not brash look. There are various ways to bring stripes into your garden if you like the look of orderly and controlled linear designs. You could paint stripes on a wall or fence or go the more aesthetic and organic route by creating a path or deck using planks of different tones of wood. Cedar, as used on this decking path, is perfect as it has a wide spectrum of tones. Stripes will elongate a shape, too. So, use them across your garden to make it look wider, or up it to create the illusion of a longer plot. 32 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Shifts with the breeze
EASY IDEAS SOOTHING CIRCLES
Repeat patterns are so easy to create with the simplest of materials and circles particularly so. Just stack whatever you’ve got and let the round shapes slip into a snug pattern. Because you find lots of circles in nature, this is a more
subtle pattern type to add to your outside space and, because of the softly curving shapes, is particularly relaxing. These gabions have been filled with cut logs and are little pieces of artwork as well as being handy to sit on!
5
cheap-as-chips ideas to try
Lift the planks from your decking and re-lay on an angle (turn them over and they’ll look as good as new!).
Fill two old hanging baskets with pebbles, using strong wire to bind them together into a sphere.
Adds a relaxed vibe
Sink leftover paving slabs into your lawn, ensuring they sit 2mm below the surface, so it’s still easy to mow.
BOLD CRISS-CROSS
If you love order and like everything in your life ‘just so!’, then you’ll adore a criss-cross pattern. A symmetrical design can look a touch old-fashioned outside, so a modern take is to use straight-stemmed plants against a horizontally slatted fence. This creates an ever-shifting pattern that’s simply mesmerising. Bamboo plants, with their thin, architectural stems are a great choice, but purple top (Verbena bonariensis) works brilliantly, too. If you haven’t got this type of fence, cheat the look by fixing some slim batons behind the plants.
Pack a wide-rimmed circular pot full of the eye-catching geometric spirals of hardy sempervivum succulents.
Lay a line of light-toned circular stepping stones on a path of darker coloured gravel. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 33
Enjoy odern art al fresco
SLUG IT OUT This oversized snail sculpture is made from cast iron with a striking rust finish that will continue to weather, enhancing its vintage appearance and adding to its charm. Pop it in a flowerbed for a fun and quirky feature that won’t harm your plants! Rusty Garden Snail Sculpture, 30cm, £45 notonthehighstreet.com
1
CO M PI L ED BY A N G E LA KE N N Y
10 buys...
ALL-NEW GARDEN
SCULPTURES
34 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
BEST BUYS
2 GET THE DRIFT A stylish addition to a beach-themed space, this Hawkesbury Driftwood Garden Art, H72cm, is weather and UV resistant. Stand it among a bed of white pebbles for a beautiful contrast. £116.99 wayfair.co.uk
REACH NEW HEIGHTS Simply hook the loop at the top of the wire to a nail or screw and this Climbing Man Sculpture will balance on your fence or wall. 20 x 19 x 10cm, wire 60cm. £29.95 notonthehighstreet.com
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Try omething ifferent
3
7
We LOVE this! JUST ADD WATER When this intricate Sandpiper Pecking Sculpture is glistening with rainwater, you’ll be amazed at how lifelike it seems. With a powder-coated body, natural weathering will only add to its beauty. H20cm. £35.99 primrose.co.uk
UP THE APPLES AND PEARS Group these Large Apple (26cm) and Pear (36cm) Aged Stone Effect Ornaments on the edge of garden steps or among plants in flowerbeds. £49 each kaleidoscope.co.uk
WALK ON WATER Bring your winter pond to life with this pair of Contemporary Cranes. They’re cast in aluminium and are frost resistant. H95cm and 80cm. £139.95 rubysgarden-boutique. co.uk
GO BIG OR GO GNOME Meet Nino, ‘the first tasteful garden gnome’. Handmade from concrete with a geometric design, this kitsch icon has a new look making it a must-have for the modern garden. H36cm. £94 pamono. co.uk
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8
4
HAVE A BALL Bounce light around your garden as it reflects off the twisted, powder-coated steel of these Garden Sphere Sculptures. Put ’em together and they’ll transform a bare bed quicker than you can say bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. H20cm, 30cm, 40cm. £144.99/3 primrose.co.uk
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GIVE IT A SPIN There’s nothing like decorative spheres to soften the feel of a square garden. Nestle this weather resistant Woodview Gazing Globe among a bed of lime-green euphorbia for a striking display. D40cm. £78.99 wayfair.co.uk
10 KEEP THE PEACE With an air of tranquillity, this Buddha statue will bring a sense of calm to your garden. Weather-resistant with a patina bronze finish, position it where you can see it wherever you are, indoors or out. Team with a water feature and pots of bamboo for a stylish Zen corner. H100cm. £59.95 rubysgarden-boutique.co.uk NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 35
60 minutes and
T
ime to give your houseplants a pamper! Using leftover nail varnish to marble their pots is an easy way to upgrade your indoor plant display from minimalist to maximalist. Using this technique to create personalised mugs is a big interiors trend at the moment, but we think it works even better for pots! You may have old bottles of lacquer you can use, or friends will be happy for the excuse to get rid of old bottles they no longer want. Plain block colour varnishes tend to create clean lines and ‘crack’ patterns in the marbling, while pearlescent varnishes will spread further over the surface. Combining both gives a beautiful effect. Pots with a smooth, shiny, light-coloured surface work best, though you can also use terracotta.
it’s done!
FOR EACH POT YOU WILL NEED ✽ Bucket ✽ Water ✽ 3 nail varnish bottles in different colours ✽ 1L plant pot, clean and dry
star
F E ATU R E: M EL I S SA M AB B I TT. PH OTOS : N E I L H E P WO RT H
0 5 . 3 £each
RBLED
POTS
Upgrade your indoor pots for pennies with a rainbow of LEFTOVER LACQUER 36 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
WHAT TO DO 1 Fill a clean bucket with lukewarm water. Unless the weather is very cold, work outdoors – it prevents fumes from the varnish building up and makes drips easier to clean up. 2 Shake the varnish bottles well. Make sure they are still runny and not clotted. Have everything you need to hand and prepare to work quickly – once the varnish is in the water it will start to form a skin or a crust that affects the marbling if left too long. 3 Give the water a gentle stir to get it moving. Drip the varnish into the water, moving the bottle in circles or side to side to create a random pattern on the water. Drip one or two more colours onto the surface in the same way. The varnish will mostly float at the surface and spread to create a marbled effect. 4 Smoothly dip the pot into the water. You can submerge it, or just dip part of it at an angle to create a strong line of colour. As you pull it out again, you can twist it to create more shapes in the pattern. Set it on newspaper to dry. OUR BUDGET
✽ White Scheurich 13cm Plant Pot, £3.50 homebase.co.uk ✽ Nail varnish Free TOTAL: £3.50 each
Yucca elephantipes House JUST plant 2 Stem in 17cm Pot £16.99
YUCCA ELEPHANTIPES
Dramatic, sword-like leaves on a sturdy trunk for instant impact
Head Gardener & Plant Expert.
2 TRUNK YUCCA IN A 17CM POT
SAVE £3.00!
E V A S 0
Peter McDermott,
+P&P
£3.0
A
great way to bring the outside in, these bold, striking houseplants are bang on trend and make a real feature in your home with their sword-like, long green leaves sprouting from a sturdy double trunk. One of the few houseplants that thrive in full sun and partial shade, the Yucca is an ideal plant for a bright room or the conservatory and a great plant for a Mediterranean feel on the patio during the summer. Grown for its foliage and shape, it really does resemble a tree and makes an instant and dramatic impact when given pride of place in a room, guaranteed not to disappoint! One of the easiest houseplants to grow and care for, the yucca (Yucca elephantipes) is an exceptionally robust houseplant requiring very little water - perfect if you don’t have much time or usually forget about them!
• Easy to care and maintain for! • Instant and dramatic impact around the home • Thrive in sun or partial shade • Supplied as a a double trunk, 45cm and 20cm, in leaf, and around 80cm tall from the base of the pot grown in a 17cm pot.
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EXTRA BONUS OFFER Indoor Houseplant Mix Pack of 100 Bulbs! Currently the must-have plants for indoor gardeners, you can’t escape the rise of the easy-care houseplant. With our collection of 12 starter plants, this is your opportunity to join in and grow these fun, easy plant Supplied as a collection of 12 mixed plants* (6 cactus and 6 succulents) in 5.5cm pots, ready to be displayed!
Item Code 800152
JUST £9.99 HALF PRICE! Offer available while stocks last. © YouGarden Ltd 2020
House plants are great for purifying the air!
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*We’ll automatically renew your membership every year, so you can keep saving - AND the price will NEVER go up... GUARANTEED! Full details at YouGarden.com/Club. Orders dispatched within 7 days. Delivery to UK only and a £6.00 surcharge will apply to the following postcode areas: AB, BT, DD8-11, GY, HS, IM, IV, JE, KA27-28, KW, PA20-80, PH19-50, TR21-25 & ZE. Offer subject to availability and in the event that this offer is oversubscribed, we reserve the right to send suitable substitutes. Images show mature plants. See website for full product details and T&Cs.
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1 If you’re not totally happy with your o return it within 30 days and we’ll repla refund in full. 2 Should any hardy plants fail to thrive th we’ll replace free of charge. You just pay Peter McDermott, Head Gardener
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MG148
“I get so much pleasure from this tiny space”
READER GARDEN
Makeover THE LIVING WALL wraps around the courtyard, framing the water feature. Easiwall Panel, from £188.99 treebox.co.uk
Sally Gillespie’s tiny London courtyard is now a SECLUDED CITY OASIS that looks far larger than it is
F E ATU R E: M EL A N I E W H I TE H O US E. PH OTOS : PRO CO LO UR /JAC E K WAC K
A
Victorian railway worker’s cottage in central London was never going to come with a large garden, but a generous dose of ingenuity has given this little plot a character all of its own. Sally Gillespie moved into her Kensington home with her two daughters in 2015. “I was looking to buy in nearby Notting Hill but couldn’t find what I wanted within my budget,” she recalls. “An estate agent persuaded me to look in Kensington and the minute I walked through the door, I knew I’d found the house for me. The garden wasn’t great – east-facing and very small – but it was the only negative to the house.” The tiny garden was a huge issue. “I’m an energy healer, and it’s very important for me to connect with nature,” explains Sally. Working from home, it was also vital for Sally to create a soothing environment both for herself and her clients. So, it was time for some creative thinking! Sally had the brainwave that by sacrificing a downstairs bathroom to add a little more outside space, the courtyard could be enlarged to give her and her family just enough of a garden to be happy. With just 11 square metres to play with, Sally knew she’d need to make the most of every centimetre, and asked her friend, garden designer Maitanne Hunt (maitannehunt.com) to help. “Maitanne is a perfectionist and she took so much trouble to make sure my little garden was what I wanted,” says Sally.
plan. “Since the floor space was so limited, I had to make full use of the walls for everyone to admire – a bit like a play or a show,” she explains. “I thought a green wall would be dramatic, yet easy to maintain, and present a vast array of plants for stress-free gardening. And I wanted to incorporate a slimline, vertical water feature, both for its appearance but also to introduce the sound of water, which is a plus for the adjacent rooms as well as a soothing element for Sally’s clients.”
SEAMLESS FINISH
Work began in June and had to be scheduled around the refurbishment of the house, which took longer than expected. “I had to be extra careful with measurements because there’s no room for error in such a small space,” Maitanne laughs. It was important to create a sleek finish in the confined courtyard, so the water and ➣
BOLD PLANS
It’s fair to say that Maitanne’s first impressions of the plot were less than inspiring. “There was a concrete slab with brick walls and a washing line,” she remembers. “It was a very small patio, typical of so many London houses. Yet this outside space is the main view for the three reception rooms of the house – kitchen, dining and family rooms.” With space at such a premium, it was important to keep the redesign simple. After long discussions with Sally, Maitanne came up with a 38
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
HORIZONTAL TRELLIS tops the walls, adding privacy. RHS Prestige Slatted Panel, from £74 gardentrellis.co.uk
Purple’
READER GARDEN Find out how to light your night garden for less on page 108
THE VERTICAL WATER FEATURE runs into a base of black pebbles, echoing those in the paving. This was built bespoke from black slate. For similar, try 130cm Vertical Stainless Steel Water Wall, mrose.co.uk
BEFORE
Pre-transformation, the view was dull and uninspiring
Lesser periwinkle
THE PURPLE BISTRO TABLE and lime-green bistro chairs echo the planting on the living wall. Fermob Metal Bistro Chairs, £63, and Folding Table, £169 worm.co.uk
, ll a w n e e r g r o , n e d r al ga c ti r e v a g n ti a e r C P I T ght ti is e c a p s r o o fl n e h is the ideal solution w a must yet foliage is NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 39
rden Sally got her dreameega in just seven w ks
MY GARDEN PL AN LOCATION Kensington, West London THE LOOK Secret city garden SITE & SOIL Size 11m2 Faces East MY BUDGET Clearance & bay suspension £1,290 Paving & drainage £7,975 Green wall £10,750 Water feature £5,715 Trellis £1,065 Lighting £530 Green roof £2,038 TOTAL: £35,235.60 HOW LONG IT TOOK Clearance 1 week Water & electrical connection 3 days Drainage 1 week Paving 1 week Water feature 1 day Trellis 3 days Green wall 1 week Planting 4 days Lighting 2 days Green roof 3 days TOTAL: 7 weeks
HOW WE DID IT...
SMART IDEAS TO STEAL
electrical connections were hidden behind the green wall, and brick slot drains added, before the garden was paved. To maximise the floor surface, the paving level was made flush with the adjacent interior rooms. “I used large slabs of pale beige natural stone with inlays of black polished pebbles,” says Maitanne. “The pale slabs contrast with the lush vegetation of the green wall and bounce the natural light around the small space. The lines of pebbles give an illusion of distance and echo the pebbles in the water feature.” Horizontal fencing on top of the wall adds privacy and security, while hiding the water and electric cables, and supports the light fittings.
ADD A LINE OF SMOOTH PEBBLES between paving slabs. IMPROVE PRIVACY by topping a wall with slatted panels that won’t catch the wind. WEAVE FAIRY LIGHTS into foliage plants for a magical effect.
LIVING WALLS
The vertical garden covers two full sides of the courtyard and is planted with evergreen ferns, shrubs, perennials and bulbs. “Maitanne spent ages researching what plants would thrive,” says Sally. “She took me to look at lots of living walls so we could plan what we were going to plant in ours.” In the end, they settled on a clever mix to give year-round colour and interest, starting with trailing plants including lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) ‘Bowles’s Variety’ on the bottom shelf of the wall. Evergreens including hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium), elephant’s ears (bergenia) ‘Baby Doll’, sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana), snow rush (Luzula nivea), spindle (Euonymus fortunei), hebe and hard fern (Blechnum spicant) provide a strong backbone, along with stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), Stern’s hybrid hellebore (Helleborus sternii) and hybrid Lenten rose (Helleborus hybridus). Dwarf daffodils pop their pretty heads up in spring, and Sally supplements the wall to add colour and texture. “I add pretty seasonal plants and it’s doing really well, attracting birds, bees and butterflies,” she says. An irrigation system means Sally doesn’t have to worry about watering it.
NATURAL DISTRACTIONS
The flow of the water feature can be adjusted from a soothing, discreet trickle to a splashing, loud torrent to disguise any noise in the street. “It’s made bespoke from a single piece of dark
Fancy a living wall too? Turn to page 43
slate to blend with the dark foliage, so that you first notice the sound of water – adding surprise and mystery – before actually noticing the water feature itself,” says Maitanne. The designer also made the most of the opportunity presented by a roof previously made of dull grey asphalt, which could be seen from the stairs and Sally’s therapy room. “We covered this with maintenance-free sedum, which is evergreen and in the summer blooms continuously with pink, burgundy and lime-green flowers,” says Maitanne. “Green roofs can be such a pleasure to look at.” Adds Sally: “It’s just outside my healing room and gives me so much pleasure. When I’m working, I can see birds perching on it and bathing in the bird bath.”
2 3
1 THE OLD PAVING IS STRIPPED OUT of this unloved courtyard, and a hole dug to house the base of the water feature. 40
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
THE EASIWALL FRAME for the vertical garden goes in, complete with irrigation system, ready for the plants to be added.
THE BESPOKE WATER FEATURE is installed on the back wall. Bifold doors are fitted to open the courtyard to the house.
READER GARDEN
Sign Lite, hunzalighting. com, POA.
FLUSH FLOORS and toning accessories merge indoors with out. Vratza Limestone, from £65.52/m2 rock-unique.com
Maitanne’s tips for a small garden A SPACE TO LIVE IN
The courtyard was finally finished in November, just in time to test out the dramatic garden lighting. “We used signage fittings, usually used to illuminate road signs, which stick out quite far in order to downlight the plants,” says Maitanne. “I also added several rows of fairy lights tucked within the foliage of the living walls to add depth and create a sense of mystery. A few pieces of colourful garden furniture add a fun touch, and that’s all that was needed!” The garden may be tiny, but every element in it has been carefully considered to ensure that it earns its space and gives maximum benefit for the minimum footprint. “We spent time looking for the perfect rose to grow up the
house – it had to be long-flowering for nine months of the year, so we chose ‘Aloha’, which blooms repeatedly and has nice glossy foliage and rose-pink petals,” says Maitanne. With the indoor and outdoor areas so closely connected, it was vital that they worked well together. “It all flows seamlessly,” says Sally. “Maitanne’s idea of pretty lighting makes the space connect to the kitchen in winter, and I love the floor – the pebble inserts look so stylish, and it uses all the same tones as indoors.” The difference this tiny area has made to the lives of Sally and her daughters is immense. “The garden is a pleasure,” Sally says. “It’s lovely sitting outside during the evenings with all the twinkly lights on.”
Don’t be shy! The smaller the space, the more dramatic the decor or arrangement has to be. With all the exotic foliage and lighting, this green wall is a full-on experience that generates wow-factor and makes you forget the size of the courtyard. Use large-scale materials such as big paving slabs to immediately enlarge the feeling of space. Match your imagination with practicality and be realistic about the possibilities. All plants need light, water and space to grow, and a little love! Link your garden with your house, like we did here with the flooring, as it will make the garden part of a bigger entity and so seem larger.
5 6
4 THE LIVING WALL is planted up. The plants are grouped vertically, so they don’t overshadow what’s growing below.
THE SEDUM ROOF IS PLANTED on the first floor, hiding the boring grey asphalt, and fairy lights are threaded through the living wall.
NESTBOXES AND BIRD HOUSES are added to the living wall to welcome wildlife to this serene city sanctuary. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 41
SIMPLE PROJECTS
Natural
HIGH
Add a living wall to your garden and transform a bare, vertical space into a CURTAIN OF COLOUR and life
W
hen you’ve filled your garden to bursting point with new plants, furniture or garden accessories, you might be wondering where you can go next. The answer is up! Blank fences and house walls offer unique potential for modern planting with a living green tapestry of foliage, flowers or even food. A green wall can be a happy home for many easy-care plants, so it can tie into whatever garden style you have: lush and tropical, sleek and simple, cottage-garden gorgeousness or a larder of grow-your-own goodness.
LUSH CANVAS
Planters, £9.99, dobbies.com
Unlike growing a climbing plant, which will often become bare at the lower reaches and concentrate its leaves and flowers towards the top, a green wall creates a much more balanced display. The planting pockets mean the foliage and colours are evenly distributed across the whole surface, from top to bottom and side to side, so you can effectively create a permanent picture with your plants. Adding a living wall takes a bit of planning, so this month is a good time to start setting one up, ready to add the plants in spring, when they’ll quickly knit together with a rush of growth.
ESSENTIAL KNOW-HOW
, e e r h t t s a e l t a f o ups o r g n i t n a l P P I n T w o d r o s s o r c a aves w d n a s e n i l e k a ts n or m a l p t n e r e ff i d g n usi s a v n a c g n i v i l r you
You can create a living wall to fit your space and budget, from a small but impactful pictureframe-size panel to an extended green curtain that runs the length of your plot. Whatever the dimensions, the key to getting it looking right is to pack the plants closely together. For this, you’ll need to fix an array of pockets, pots or other planting spaces closely together on your wall or fence. You can buy pre-made kits that help you get the spacing spot on, or you can try a more DIY approach. Each has its pros and cons, but the main work will come in setting it up. Once a living wall is planted, it doesn’t take any more maintenance than a ground level border – perhaps even less, as weeds are less likely to squeeze in. It will need NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 43
➣
CHEAP & CHEERFUL Pick up a free wooden pallet from gumtree.com and give it a coat of leftover outdoor fence paint. Divide up existing plants in your garden and use them to fill the pockets. We used a range of herbs and edible flowers.
FAST FIX Fill pockets with evergreen ivy for instant fullness and interest all year-round.
plenty of watering though as the small pockets of soil, lifted up and more exposed to wind and sun, will dry out fast. So, if you don’t love your hosepipe, then install an irrigation system when you’re setting it up.
LIVING WALL SYSTEMS
A preformed and engineered kit will create the most spectacular and easy to maintain living wall, but will cost the most to buy. But, if you have a small budget, you can start off with a few modules and add to them to increase the size of your wall as you can afford to. Modular systems have an integrated irrigation system or are designed so water can evenly trickle through the whole structure when poured in at the top. Once set up, they are long-lasting and sturdy, and they can either be attached to a wall or set up as a free-standing structure, which is ideal if you have a very uneven stone surface or a weak fence. They’re also by far the quickest and easiest to water. There are a few products on the market but PlantBox is a stackable system of troughs, each with a reservoir that holds enough water for up to two weeks. The reservoir and wicking-felt mean that plants take up water as they need it so you don’t need to worry about over-watering either. A set of five will create a 60cm wide and 100cm tall planting area, for £95, from growingrevolution.com.
PH OTO : M A RI A N N E M A J E RUS. G A RD E N D E S I GN : M ATT KE I G H T L E Y
Japanese
PERFECT POCKETS
A more affordable option is hanging pockets, which are made of a lightweight but strong fleecy material. You’ll need a sturdy vertical surface to attach them to and they don’t come with integrated irrigation, so watering is more time consuming and can be fiddly, as you’ll need 44
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
a h t i w p m a d m o r ll f a w r o e c n e f e h ll t a t w g n i v i l e h TIP Protec t d n it a n e e w t e b e n a r b aterproof mem
w
to make sure each individual pocket is properly wetted. The benefits of pockets are the ease with which you can put them up with a few strong hooks and their value for money. They are affordable but aren’t as long-lasting as a rigid modular system, and eventually the fleece will degrade and tear, especially if the plants grow large. So, do factor in the cost of replacing the pockets as necessary. Primrose.co.uk sells green 70cm x 55cm planter pockets for £11.99/6.
TRELLIS WITH HOOKED POTS
An elegant way to make a DIY living wall is with a panel of trellis or slatted fence (try Venetian Fence Panel, from £59.10/61cm x 1.83m, jacksons-fencing.co.uk) and hanging pots. Buy three or more hooked Elho balcony planters (£10.99, bakker.com) or look for similar
pots with hooks online (try Amazon and Ikea for lots of affordable options), and hang them closely together on the trellis or fence. They won’t create the dense coverage of the modular systems but the plants are easy to move around to get the look you want and can be taken down and stored in winter, leaving the smart woodwork behind on view.
PURSE-FRIENDLY PALLETS
Wooden pallets are perhaps the cheapest and easiest way to make a living wall. It will be too heavy to attach to a wall, so rest it against one at an angle and plant up with trailing ivies and grasses to get as much coverage as possible. Find a pallet that has gaps between the slats, rather than a solid surface. Make each slat into a plantable trough by screwing timber to the
SIMPLE PROJECTS
3
buys to make it easy
g p y £19.99 therange.co.uk
g
Keep pockets or DIY living walls hydrated with the Hozelock Automatic Micro Drip Watering Kit, £30.99 screwfix.com
tool will help you remove cheeky weeds without disturbing your plants. Homebase Weeder, £3.95 homebase.co.uk
undersides. Watering will also be relatively simple, as it’s just a case of pouring water into each trough.
PLANTED PICTURE FRAME
Get more creative with your living wall options by upcycling an old, large picture or mirror frame into living wall art. Build a 10cm-deep wooden box that’s the same size as your frame. Paint with waterproof garden paint and staple wire fence mesh across the back of the frame to cover the aperture. This can be planted through with plug plants and will stop them falling out when it’s lifted vertically. Screw the box to the frame, plant up and leave it flat on the ground until the plants have established and started to fill out. Then lift the frame and attach it to a wall using hooks or brackets. ➣
PRETTY AS A PICTURE It may be smaller than the other options, but this echeveria and sempervivum frame is packed with wow!
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 45
SIMPLE PROJECTS
Modern combinations for a stunning living wall
ALPINE STRAWBERRIES
Producing small but super-sweet strawberries, Fragaria vesca is leafy but neat, making it ideal for spilling over the edges of a living wall. £5.99/9cm pot crocus.co.uk
Pretty fairy dell
BUGLE ‘BLACK SCALLOP’
This low-growing and mat-forming Ajuga reptans will create a near-black carpet of leaves against which flowers will sparkle. £7.99/2L pot jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
Verdant jungle
HARDY FERNS
Any hardy variety will add authentic jungle vibes to your wall, but glossy hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) will look particularly good. Fern Hardy Collection, £14.96/4 jparkers.co.uk 46
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
✽ Make a feast-able living wall in a sunny or partially shaded position with herbs and fruit that you can graze on every time you walk by.
OREGANO
Tasty and fragrant oregano has long, slightly trailing stems that will cover the wall with a network of small green leaves. £3/9cm pot hettysherbs.co.uk
‘LOLLO ROSSA’ LETTUCE
Create splashes of colour with tightly curled, copper-red, edible leaves. Harvest leaves from the inside of the rosette to keep them compact. £5.99/20 plug plants brooksidenursery.co.uk
✽ Create a sense of magic with delicate starry flowers in an enchanted forest of foliage on a shady wall. Split 2L potted plants into handful-sized plants to save money.
FOAM FLOWER
Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ has gorgeous, delicately starry spikes of flowers that shoot up from pretty palm-shaped leaves with purple stripes. £14.99/2L pot crocus.co.uk
LESSER PERIWINKLE
The trailing stems of green and yellow leaves of Vinca minor ‘Illumination’ will trail around the wall. Starry, light blue flowers speckle the plant April-September. £14.99/2L pot rhsplants.co.uk
✽ These plants need constant moisture, so use this arrangement for a wall in semi-shade, out of the wind – but the lush effect is worth all the watering!
HEUCHERA
‘Mahogany Monster’ is fully hardy and evergreen and the large purple leaves look like something straight out of a rainforest. £15/1L pot heucheraholics.co.uk
GOLDEN CREEPING JENNY
Wandering Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ will weave your tapestry together with its strands of golden leaves and bright yellow buttercup flowers. £6.99/9cm pot rhsplants.co.uk
F E ATU R E: M EL I S SA M AB B I TT. PH OTOS : D O B B I ES, A L A M Y, S H U TT E RS TO CK
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PH OTO : S HU T T E R S TO CK
Think your garden is gorgeous enough to be in MODERN GARDENS? If you love your outside space, we’d love to hear from you! Whether your plot is big or bijou, designer or DIY, perfect or a bit higgledypiggledy, do share your modern garden with us, and let us know how it reflects your life and loves. Have you tailored your garden to fit your lifestyle? Perhaps you love to travel or have a busy career so your outside space needs to be low maintenance, maybe you’ve got a bloom-chewing dog and grow everything in raised beds, or is your outside bar the hub of your party plot? Does your plot reflect your personality – a bold, dynamic space for entertaining, or a calm, soothing haven for escaping? Or perhaps your garden showcases your sense of style, whether that’s sleek, straight lines or billows of cottage-garden blooms. Whatever! We’re looking forward to seeing your lovely gardens!
48 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
your garden too!
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Please email a few photos of your garden to moderngardens@ bauermedia.co.uk, along with your name, location and a few sentences telling us why you ove your garden, what you use it for and why it’s just right for you. If you can take a quick snap of your plot from an upstairs window, showing as much of your plot as possible, we’d really appreciate
Helen and Tom Orderockck’s glamorous gin
Simon and Rachael amazing all-weatherLovett’s haven
totally s ’ e n a l r a F c HannahtrMopical escape
Neil and Daw fabulous fonliaHarwood’s ge feast
P HOTOS : HE L EN O R RO C K , H AN N A H M C FAR L AN E, L AN DSCA PI A & CL I EN TS, S I MO N LOVATT, J OAN N E W I L LCO C K S (J OA N N E W I L LCO C K S.CO.U K )
Your kind of beautiful
Selina’s garden
STYLE AUTUMN BRIGHTS Stylist & book author SELINA LAKE shares her on-trend styling ideas & glorious garden buys
Selina 50 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Plot to plate
We have an abundance of homegrown carrots at the moment, so I’m taking inspiration from @chef_ ben87 on Instagram for some recipe ideas, roasting and pureeing our glut. I love the colour contrast they make on my pretty pink plates, £30 each suepryke.com
Trending
now
Be inspired
I’m excited that my book, Winter Living Style, has been relaunched with a cosy new cover. It’s an inspirational guide to decorating your home and garden for autumn and winter including lots of colourful ideas for styling snug spots.
We are craving joy and happiness right now and jolly tones can bring us that. More time at home means more styling opportunities, so take inspiration from the season and add some autumn brights to your plot.
WI N TE R L I V I N G S TY L E B OO K, £ 1 9 99, RY L A N D PE T E RS COM
O
h November! I love to take tonal hues from the season and use them to forage, style and munch my way through this month. Think throws and blankets in rich warm tones, tasty root veggies served on pink plates and masses of seasonal foliage quickly adding charm to an underwhelming planter. I’m sharing an autumn styling idea from my book Winter Living Style. I enjoyed jollying up a rustic seating spot with heather pinks and hot mustard hues, and it’s an idea you can easily adapt for your own garden. Use a base of earth-tone items to style your outdoor table, wooden bench or arbour, and then add a few items to give unexpected pops of colour. I’m thinking cushions, throws, flowers, lanterns and terracotta pots planted with vibrant pink heather. This is my go-to plant this month as it quickly adds a colour update. Invest in a pot or two to add to your windowbox or hanging basket so you can enjoy it even on wet weather days. If your summer tubs and planters are now looking a bit bare, turn the planter into a seasonal floral installation. I usually champion cutting flowers from your garden to make decorative posies, but this idea involves sourcing flowers from your local florist; don’t worry, the expense will be worth it because the flowers will last ages outside in the chilly air and the bright autumn colours will keep you smiling.
OUTDOOR LIVING
Instagram @selinalake
Rustic snug
PH OTO : I S L A M I D DL E TO N
This garden shelter offers a cosy spot to sit and pause with its built-in corner seat. I’ve added a zing of colour and texture, combining mustard velvet and moody florals along with a collection of earth-tone cushions. Overhead, pink heather cuttings attached to a herb-drying chandelier gives another hit of autumn brights.
Shed art
Adorn your shed or garden room wall with this lovely linocut Autumn Foraging Illustration (49 x 70cm) of seasonal favourites by textile designer Isla Middleton. £18 islamiddleton.co.uk
Forage for foliage and bracken along with twigs and branches, and source flowers from your local florist. Hydrangeas, Chinese lanterns, pussy willow, berries and carnations will all work well and last for ages. Snip all the stems at the bottom, then plunge them into moist compost in a bare planter to make your floral installation. If there’s still space, fill the gaps by weaving heather between the stems for an Insta splash of colour.
P HOTO : J U L IA CU R R I E S TY L I N G : S E L I N A L A K E
Autumn installation
NOVEMBER 2020
@ NEXT MONTH: PRETTY FESTIVE
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 51
SMART IDEAS TO STEAL ADD LINES OF POLES painted in your favourite colour to flowerbeds. BUILD A SIMPLE FRAME of sleepers and fill with pebbles to house your firepit. PLANT GRASSES amid a mix of rounded stones and pebbles for an easy-maintenance, beach-inspired bed.
THE GRAVEL PAVING is permeable and eco-friendly. Old English Self Binding Gravel, £128.34/850kg mainlandaggregates.co.uk
A CORTEN STEEL WATER FEATURE bubbles away providing a peaceful background sound. Round Water Pool, from £1,000.95 worm.co.uk
SLATE PAVING defines the area. Nordus slate paving, £39.43/m2, 2 granite setts, £94. turnbullsonline.co.
READER GARDEN
Makeover
T H E OW N ER S ’ N AM E S H AV E B E E N C H A N G ED TO PROT EC T P RI VAC Y
“It’s great to go outside without having to put our wellies on!”
52
Carol and Jan Cole have turned a boggy new-build plot into an ALL-WEATHER SPACE with clever accents of their favourite shade
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
READER GARDEN GOOD IDEA!
CLIMBERS such as honeysuckle and jasmine add colour to the uprights of the loggia that frames the back of the
g in s u s a e r a g in k n li d s an y a w th a p g in m a r F P TI est r te in l a c ti r e v s d d a s freestanding pergola
F E ATU R E: M EL A N I E W H I TE H O US E. PH OTOS : DA RRE N RUD G E ( DA R R E N R U D G E.CO.UK ) / C A RO L CO L E
T
here was nothing inspirational about the rectangular, flat garden that Carol and Jan Cole inherited when they bought their new arts and craft-style house. With standard fencing down each side, turf in the middle and a small patio outside the back doors, it was typical of any new build anywhere in the country – but the potential to create something gorgeous was all there. “When we moved here in 2017, the garden was just mud,” recalls Carol. “We had to wear wellies every time we went outside!” But enjoying life outdoors means a lot to the couple, so creating a functional outside space was top of their priority list. “We wanted a pretty garden with various patios to make the most of it being south facing,” Carol adds. “We wanted to be able to have parties, drinks and barbecues outside with friends, and we needed a pergola to break up the flatness of the house across the back. Previously, we’d had a very small back garden and it was paved but still lovely, with an
acer and an old brick wall, and we wanted something like that again.” Knowing the task was too big for the two of them to tackle, Carol found garden designer Darren Rudge (darrenrudge.co.uk) online. “He had a nice friendly face and I was impressed with his horticultural knowledge,” says Carol.
THE COLOUR PURPLE
Darren, a BBC radio presenter known as ‘The Laughing Gardener’, was instantly aware of certain problems that he would have to overcome in his design. “The brief was to create a space that made the garden seem bigger, cut out some of the views because the clients felt overlooked and apply a theme of wildlife, recycling and sustainability,” he explains. “The view is dominated by the rear fencing, so the aim was to draw the eye away from this, giving a journey through the garden and creating the illusion of it being wider than it is,” Darren adds. “The design featured a few seating
BEFORE
The garden was a bare rectangle, laid to lawn and overlooked areas linked by pathways leading to and from the main patio areas. Planted areas situated on both sides of the pathways would give an illusion of space and soften the hard landscape elements of the garden.” It was agreed that Carol’s favourite colour purple was to be reflected in the planting and other materials. And this was the inspiration for the ripple of purple poles that run across the garden, linking the different areas and adding to the widening effect. “As the poles progress through the garden in a regular pattern, they cross pathways, unifying zones and drawing the NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 53
➣
eye across the space, inviting you to explore the spaces created,” explains Darren. “I had a bespoke purple paint mixed for the poles that I call ‘Carol’s Purple’!”
WORK BEGINS
Carol and Jan Colenewwhehon mtheey moved into their
OUR GARDEN PL AN LOCATION Shropshire
THE LOOK Contemporary, reclaimed and recycled with an element of shabby chic SITE & SOIL Size 12.5 x 11.5m Faces South Soil Heavy clay OUR BUDGET Paving £7,500 Raised beds £800 Pergola £250 Turf £300 Plants £4,500 Water feature £1,100 Lighting £900 Purple poles plus paint £250 Labour £4,000 TOTAL: £19,600 HOW LONG IT TOOK Paving 3 weeks Raised beds 1 week Pergola 2.5 days Planting 1 week Water feature 1 day Lighting 4 days Turf 1 day TOTAL: Just over 6 weeks
HOW WE DID IT...
Time to grow When you use young plants to fill a new garden, it may look a little sparse for the first year, but it’s a far cheaper way to get a plot filled with colour, shape and texture. Think about where it’s worth spending a little more to get a mature, larger plant, such as a tree for instant privacy. When you’re using young plants, it’s important to consider what effect you want to achieve once they’re fully grown and position them accordingly. “Some planting schemes are open and loose and others close and compact, while here the eventual scheme was for the plants to blend in naturalistic waves,” explains designer Darren. “It pays to do research and find out a little about how the plants will grow.”
Heavy clay subsoil was causing the ground to become waterlogged, so horticultural gravel and fresh topsoil were brought in to ensure the planted areas wouldn’t flood. Darren and his team began work in late September, with the patios, paths and paving going in first. The main patio is made from slate paving, from which pathways radiate out using Breedon self-binding gravel and reclaimed granite set edgings. The Breedon is a softer paving material, which is sustainable and permeable, allowing rain to pass through, so it fitted in with the garden’s eco-friendly theme. The raised beds, pergola and lighting were added next, with simple, adjustable spike lights in all the borders to uplight foliage. “The vertical sleepers around the seating area create a place to sit that’s not overlooked by properties to the side and rear. It also adds a greater feeling of protection,” says Darren. The industrial-style Corten steel water feature followed – a big, heavy drum, which took a lot of manoeuvring into place. “The shape reflects the curves and angles of the garden and the rusty, weather-worn style complements the Corten firepit,” says Darren. “I like the use of texture throughout – all the different pebbles, pavers and gravel,” Carol adds, “and the timbers used around the seating area and on the raised beds are weathering well.”
macrophylla), lady’s mantle and penstemon are all magnets for bees and butterflies, while heuchera and grasses such as stipa, fescue and miscanthus provide sheltered nooks and crannies for insects. The pergola links the house with the garden, and clematis, honeysuckle and jasmine are trained up against the poles. One of these poles runs into the raised sleeper bed, adding to the flow from the house into the garden space.
PLANTS FOR WILDLIFE
BONFIRE NIGHT PARTY
A contemporary planting style morphs into a more wildlife-friendly theme around the edges of the garden. A cherry and a golden false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) tree became focal points, and shrubs including rhododenrons, azaleas, witch hazel, buddleia, red and golden stemmed dogwood (Cornus) and bamboo provide birds with nesting sites as well as offering the couple the privacy they wished for. Foxgloves, Siberian bugloss (Brunnera
The finish date was coincided to time with November 5th, when the garden was officially opened to family and friends with a big party. “My favourite bit is the seating area around the firepit, which gets the evening sun and is a great place to relax with drinks,” says Carol. “The lighting looks lovely at night and everyone thinks it’s beautiful. What’s more, it’s great to be able to go outside without putting on my wellies!”
2 3
1 THE LAWN IS DUG UP and some of the heavy clay soil is removed ready for new topsoil and horticultural gravel. 54
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
PATHS AND PAVING are laid to create the structure of the garden. Vertical sleepers help to add privacy and a sense of protection.
SUBSTANTIAL RAISED BEDS are built, including one to house a firepit in the squared seating area, and the turf is laid.
JEEPERS CREEPERS, just look at these sleepers! Upright timbers create a secluded seating area.
READER GARDEN Discover new ways to use sleepers in your plot on p57
Strictly Lamps Adjustable Spike Light, £25, ebay.co.uk WINTER WARMTH
THE SWEEPING LINE of wooden poles were painted in a bespoke Dulux shade mixed especially for Carol.
A BEACHY MIX of pebbles in various sizes surround the water feature.
5 6
4 A WATER FEATURE in rusty Corten steel is installed, sitting nicely with the industrial style of the sleeper beds.
THE OPEN PERGOLA is built and the poles are in, creating a linking device that lures the eye through the beds.
THE PLANTS GO IN, with grasses, shrubs and trees carefully chosen to complement the colours and textures of the hard landscaping. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 55
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andina ‘Firepower’ is hardy, tough as old boots yet immensely pretty too; with its clumps of bamboo-like canes holding lush foliage that is present all year round, changing colour from yellow-green through bonfire-orange, to deep purple-red in autumn, in a glorious show of winter colour! What’s more, you’ll get pretty white summer blossom and lovely red berries in winter too! Perfect for a pot on a patio or balcony, it also makes a perfect addition to any shrub border, giving much-needed structure and colour even when many plants have long faded. Supplied as a 25-30cm tall plant in a 3L pot. Eventual height 1.2m.
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EASY IDEAS
Trend alert!
Smart
P H OTO: M A RI A N N E MA J E R U S
Pinch these DESIGNER IDEAS and use chunky timbers to bring a creative edge to your outside space
N
ovember is the perfect time to make structural changes in your garden, so take a tip from some of the hottest designers and try out the latest looks with timber sleepers. But forget raised beds – there are far more creative ways to celebrate the beauty of these chunky hunks of wood in a modern garden. Whether you choose to sink some stripes into the ground, stand posts in an open line to make a stunning
divider, create a cocooned seating area or add a couple of stately monoliths to hang a comfy hammock, there’s an idea here that will suit your plot perfectly. The sheer size of these timber beauties is bound to impress, but use them in a creative, on-trend way and you’ll add an extra level of drama to your outside space. Best of all, you can install them yourself with basic DIY skills, so you can make a big impact for relatively little outlay. ➣ NOVEMBER 2020
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g n i d n a t s n e e w t e ps b a g l l a m s e v a e L TIP d n a l l e w s n a c d o timbers so the wo splitting shrink without
SLEEPING BEAUTY A pair of oak beams makes an attractive support for a hammock, underplanted with hostas and swaying grasses in a sea of foliage. For maximum strength, set them to lean outwards at a slight angle. New European Oak Sleeper 100mm x 200mm x 2400mm, £34.44 howarth-timber.co.uk
F E ATU R E: J I L L MO RG A N . PH OTOS : A L AM Y, G AP PH OTOS / N I CO L A S TO C K EN /J E N N Y L I L LY/ L EE AV I SO N
NEW SLEEPER TRENDS
There’s a strong trend among garden designers to use timber sleepers vertically at the moment. Standing up, loud and proud, these upright pillars demand attention and show off the natural tones of the wood. Place them shoulder to shoulder to create a textural backdrop for a seating area, in an open line to zone a part of your plot or flank a path, or singly as a simple, modern statement. Align the tops neatly for a smart, contemporary feel, or try a smooth curve with a gently sweeping top line for a sculptural feature perfectly suited to a coastal-style retreat or dry, gravel garden. Alternatively, try staggering the heights of adjacent sleepers for a bold look reminiscent of beach groynes and castle battlements. This is a great technique for blending al fresco living zones with surrounding planting, creating a divider that’s not too harsh or constricting. Play with the different heights: an alternating pattern of two different levels will create a more formal feel, a random mix gives an edgier feel, while gracefully undulating tops offer a relaxed look. If you’re planning to install an open line, then remember that groups of odd numbers look best, and place them in ‘ribbons’ no more than 1m apart. Think too about echoing the line in a different part of the garden, perhaps with a single stately timber placed a short distance away. And don’t be too fixed in your idea of a ‘line’ – they look fantastic dotted in a very loose, s-shaped row among leafy shrubs, swaying grasses or bloom-packed borders, weaving through the plants.
ESSENTIAL KNOW-HOW
Depending on the project and the look you want, installing timber sleepers is pretty straightforward. Lifting and cutting them can be heavy work, so it’s best to enlist help with larger tasks. If you are intending to build any retaining 58
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walls or complex structures that involve supporting heavy weights, call in a professional landscape gardener or builder. Most jobs can be done in a day and cost approximately £200 plus the cost of materials. Most new timber sleepers come in standard lengths 1.2m and 2.4m, though many retailers offer cut lengths in increments of 60cm. When deciding what you need, remember that a fair proportion of this – around 35% for maximum stability – will sit in the ground. If possible, try and inspect sleepers before you buy. Look for timbers that are free from obvious knots and splits and avoid any that are at all waney (wavy) in shape. Reclaimed sleepers may have good and bad sides, depending on the grade – check your chosen supplier’s grading system – so always examine them closely before buying and installing. Cutting bulky timbers is relatively easy if you have the right tools. Softwood can be cut using a sharp, universal hand saw or powered handheld reciprocating saw, though you will certainly build muscle if you have lots to cut. For hardwood or large quantities, you are better off using a circular saw. Try to cut as near to your installation site as is practical to save on lifting and carrying these heavy materials.
HOW TO INSTALL
The fixings you need will be dictated by the type of wood. Hardwood will require stainless steel fixings as the natural tannins can corrode other metals over time. Holes will also need pre-drilling with a smaller drill bit, so the screw head can be sunk below the surface of the sleeper. Softwoods suit most wood screws but there are specialist sleeper fixings available that are especially designed to reduce resistance and prevent the wood grain from splitting. To install standing sleepers, the traditional method is to sink one third of the sleeper into the ground and use a timber stake either side of the sleeper, below the ground surface. Aim to drive 60% of each stake into the ground and then drive a screw or carriage bolt through each, into the sleeper itself. You can reinforce this further by setting the stakes and sleeper in a 10cm deep bed of concrete. Alternatively, you can use lengths of metal rod. Drill two or four holes in the base of your sleeper, the depth of each hole should ideally be around a quarter of the sleeper’s height, and insert a rod in each, leaving 60cm protruding. Once the rods are secure in the timber, turn it over and place the sleeper in position, hammering it down until the rods are completely sunk into the ground.
EASY IDEAS SWEEPING STATEMENT
Yes, banquettes are back! This dramatic seating area was constructed using hardwood sleepers, the upright back boards adding further curves as they rise and fall. Garden design by bravolandscapes.co.uk.
TRY THIS!
Paint sleepers a vibrant shade to double their wow factor DRAMATIC ENTRANCE
THAT’S CLEVER!
Lines of low-growing thyme create living shadows
Th se hefty square timbers line a path to a front r. Spaced at regular intervals and stepping wn in height to exaggerate the perspective, y make this tiny area look much bigger than Green Oak Beams, 200mm x 200mm x 0mm, £93.90 uksleepers.co.uk
AKE SHAPES
w-standing sleepers draw graceful lines in garden, elegantly dividing it into zones. se irresistible timbers have silvered with age, eloping cracks and dimples that ooze coastal m. Teamed with fine gravel, pale paving, rd-like palms and airy verbena, it’s a subtle way to get the seaside effect.
Don’t be baffled by technical terms! ✽ ROUGH SAWN Cut to size using a circular saw, surfaces left untreated. ✽ PLANED Timber that is passed through a four-sided cutter to straighten and smooth all four sides. ✽ SANDED Sawn timber where each plane has been finely ground using a fine grade sandpaper to leave a smooth surface. ✽ CHAMFERED Right-angled corners trimmed to a 45-degree angle down the length of timber. ✽ WANEY EDGES Naturally undulating or wavy edges. ✽ SHOU SUGI BAN The process of strengthening and treating timber by charring the surface followed by brushing and treating it. ✽ GREEN TIMBER Freshly cut timber that hasn’t had a chance to harden and dry out naturally, so will shrink, crack and warp over time.
G A R DE N D ES I G N : R EB ECC A WI L SO N , E A RT HWO RK L AN DSCA PE A RC H I T EC TS
Jargon buster
GOOD IDEA!
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What type of timber is best? There are three groups of sleepers to choose from. Base your decision not only on the look you want, but the cost and upkeep you are prepared to take on.
light brown but gradually fades to an elegant silver-grey, while iroko begins yellow and turns a rich red-brown. Treat these timbers to preserve their natural looks rather than staining or dyeing them a different colour.
SOFTWOODS
HARDWOODS
Oak, iroko and other tropical timbers are all suitable for outside use. Slow growing, with dense fibres, they are heavy to manoeuvre and more expensive. But they’re tough enough to weather the elements for longer, lasting approximately 30 years untreated or for centuries if well cared for. Full of moisture, they’re prone to natural cracks and may split or warp, adding to their natural charm – but they do need to be tightly secured. Each species has its own distinct colour and grain, which can alter over time. Freshly cut oak starts as a creamy,
RECLAIMED SLEEPERS
Traditionally, wooden sleepers were used to support train tracks but as they’re replaced with concrete versions, lots are now sold to use in landscaping projects. Full of gnarled character, super strong and rugged, they are hugely
LEAD THE WAY It’s easy to add shape to a gravel area by bedding timber sleepers into the ground. Look for timber with a dense grain for a smooth, long-lasting result.
PH OTO : G AP PH OTOS/ LY N N K ED D I E. D E SI G N : A RTH U R N O RTH COT T, J OH N G UT TE R I DG E
The most affordable and widely available timber sleepers are those made from softwood. Fast-growing trees such as spruce, pine and larch are mostly grown in Northern Europe to produce a sustainable, easy to cut and relatively light to handle timber. With a high moisture content and relatively open grain, these timbers need extra protection to cope with being left out in the elements. Most softwoods intended for outside use are tanalised or pressure treated before sale to extend their life. This involves placing the trimmed lengths into a sealed cylinder with a preservative such as Tanalith E, which is absorbed into the wood fibres. Air pressure is used to maximise the chemical take-up and ‘harden’ the fibres before any extra is drained and vacuumed away. This process usually leaves the pale wood with a green tinge, which will fade over time, or, if wood dye has been added to the preservative, the timber will be a rich brown tone. If properly maintained and regularly resealed with preservative, softwood can last for up to 15 years. Any newly cut ends should always be brushed with an end grain wood treatment before installation.
popular and will last for up to 30 years. Many can ooze tar or creosote in hot weather, the latter being a chemical that is legally banned in the UK from being used where it can come into contact with the skin, so use in a spot that won’t be often touched. If you want to go down this route, then it’s important to source your sleepers carefully. Talk to your supplier and always check in person before buying to be sure of each sleeper’s condition. Reclaimed sleepers tend to be graded A, B or C indicating the varied degrees of wear and tear.
WHAT’S YOUR BUDGET? REDWOOD
Ideal for a rough and textured look, this softwood comes pressure treated. Relatively light to move, it’s often available rounded with some tree bark remaining and will last 20 years. Rustic Redwood Treated Sleeper, 10cm x 20cm x 2.4m, £25.14 alsfordtimber.co.uk
MODERN GARDENS
Generically referred to as softwood, these are fast growing. Easy to cut and drill into, the timber is mostly sold pretreated, but it will require regular coats of preservative to prevent rotting. Its lifespan untreated is 2-3 years and, treated, 15 years. Small Garden Sleeper, 10cm x 20cm x 2.4m, £27.59 woodensupplies.co.uk
9 5 . 7 2 £
14 . 5 2 £ 60
SPRUCE, LARCH OR PINE
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OAK
Slow growing, strong and dense, this hardwood silvers beautifully over time when exposed to the elements. Likely to develop cracks and splits as it ages, the timber has a fine grain. Untreated, it will last 30+ years. Oak Timber Sleeper, 10cm x 20cm x 2.4m, £34.15 travisperkins.co.uk
15 . 4 3 £
EASY IDEAS
TRY THIS!
The dense, silvery foliage of Senecio cineraria ‘Silver Dust’ is the perfect match to highlight woody tones Try methin ifferen
Treat me!
Choose from a huge spectrum of finishing techniques to get the look you want. ✽ WOOD DYE This will penetrate the wood’s surface and colour the timber fibres underneath leaving a translucent finish. It’s great if you want to darken the colour of a pale softwood. ✽ WOOD STAIN This colours the wood’s surface but does not penetrate far into the timber. It gives a stronger, vibrant colour where you can still see the grain. ✽ WOOD PAINT Designed primarily to colour the wood’s surface, this treatment
CHARRED BRUSHWOOD
This softwood has undergone labour intensive processes to improve its strength and durability. Exposed to fire, the wood’s surface is left smooth and soft to the touch with beautiful, distinct markings. It will last for around 20-30 years. Charred Brushwood Treated Sleeper, 12.5cm x 25cm x 2.4m, £39.99 sure-green.com
99 . 9 3 £
BLACK LOCUST
Also known as Robinia pseudoacacia, this sustainable and relatively fast-growing hardwood is dense and durable with natural rot resistance. Fresh timber is greenish yellow, developing into a deep russet-brown. It lasts for 30+ years untreated. 9.5cm x 9.5cm x 2.4m, £45.84 dylangroup.co.uk
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HIDDEN MESSA
Add a personal touch wi engraved quote sunk into easy to achieve with a Dr (£20, argos.co.uk), best do smooth, close-grained tim the message can be easil
will also protect the timber from water penetration and UV rays. ✽ TEAK OIL Usually solvent-based, teak oil can be used on soft or hardwood to help protect from UV rays and water stains and will slow down natural weathering. You’ll need to recoat once or twice a year. ✽ DANISH OIL Made from a mix of polymerised linseed and tung oil, this treatment sinks into and feeds the wood fibres, enriching the natural colour. It also forms a protective hardened surface with a natural sheen and will slow down natural weathering of the wood.
eroon, it’s prone to warpi planed on four sides with s aces, freshly cut timber starts as a w and deepens to rich, darker brown co . Its lifespan is 50-60 ears minimum. 10cm x 20cm x m, £79.37 daviestimber.co.uk
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Britain’s
BEST LAWN
This gorgeous CARPET OF GREEN is the winner of our competition!
M
eet Mark Hutchinson and partner Zoe Padgett from Whitkirk near Leeds, West Yorkshire. Their fabulous lawn sits at the heart of their Mediterranean garden, with paving slabs sunk into the turf to create a stepping-stone path between the two paved seating areas. Although the garden has been designed to be low maintenance, 37-year-old Mark loves looking after the lawn. “It needs mowing two or three times a week in order to maintain its neat appearance, and any weeds are eradicated upon daily inspection using a small screwdriver!” he says. “The lawn provides a lovely green focal point between the two entertaining areas, and it’s perfectly level so makes for great picnics. We love the clean lines and sharp look of the lawn against the raised borders – it’s not artificial although we often get asked if it is!” A modern stone border prevents gravel spilling onto the lawn.
ore lux ess fuss
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STIHL lawnmower com Marh Hutchinson and peZtition winners oe Padgett
Meet our ompetition winner!
COMPETITION The simple but smart rectangle of grass is our idea of lawn perfection.
THATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CLEVER!
Using the same tones for paving and fencing makes the lawn look extra lush!
Happy mowing!
Mark keeps the edges of the stepping stones neat with a trimmer.
Mark and Zoe win a STIHL lawnmower worth ÂŁ539. The STIHL RM 448 TC is packed with clever features to make life easier this mowing season. Part of an extensive new range of petrol lawnmowers, the RM 448 TC features one-speed drive, which self-propels the mower for easier cutting of lawns up to 1200m2. 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 easily be folded for compact storage. With an engine that delivers maximum efficiency, reduced emissions and fuel costs, ReadyStart technology means the lawnmower can be reliably started up with minimal effort, both from cold and during mowing. And with six easy-toadjust height settings, you can cut your grass to the perfect height.
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GOOD IDEA!
Fill your home with on-trend TRAILING PLANTS that are super-easy to look after light), so they make excellent privacy plants for hanging in windows with no window treatments. ✽ Light Bright to medium indirect light. ✽ Water Allow the top 3-5cm of compost to dry out between waterings. Leaves will begin to look soft and droopy when it needs water. ✽ Compost Use rich, well-draining compost, such as all-purpose potting mix with perlite, orchid bark or coco coir chips mixed in.
Room with varying light levels
SATIN POTHO ‘EXOTICA’
The silvery, sage green colours of Scindapsus pictus make them stand out among other green hanging plants. There are other varieties, but ‘Exotica’ is the most tolerant of medium light levels. ✽ Light Bright to medium indirect light. ✽ Water Allow the top 3-5cm of compost to dry out between waterings. Leaves will begin to curl under when the plant needs water. ✽ Compost Use rich, well-draining compost, such as all-purpose potting mix with perlite, orchid bark or coco coir chips mixed in. 64 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Room with varying light levels
EASY IDEAS
Bright & sunny room
Hoya o
Variegata’
WAX PLANT
as have such a diverse range of leaf es that they make an interesting ay when many species are hung in a They can be slow growers, but your nce will eventually be rewarded wit some truly interesting flowers that almost look like they’re made out of porcelain or sugar. @ Light Bright indirect light. @ Water Allow compost to dry out three-quarters of the way down between waterings for most species. Look for slight puckering or wrinkling of leaves as a clue it’s time to water. @ Compost Use a rich, fast-draining mix, such as all-purpose potting mix with orchid bark mixed in.
Does it like direct sun?
th i w s t n a l p h g i h up r e t a w o t r e i s a e h , g n o l a s TIP It’s muc a h t a h t an c g n i r e t a w r o o d a n in n a c e h t f o e s a b the narrow spout at
In the world of plant care, ‘direct sun’ occurs when the actual sun (not just light) is visible through the window and so the sun’s rays hit your plant. ‘Indirect light’ occurs when ambient light is present but the sun is not directly visible through the windows that let the light in. Window treatments that allow most of the light through can also filter the direct sun into indirect light. A shadow test will give you a general idea of whether your light is direct or indirect. Simply place your hand about 30cm away from where you want to put a plant – does your hand create a defined shadow? You likely have direct sun there. Do you see a softer, less defined shadow? You have indirect light. ² NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 65
Room with varying light levels
DEVIL’S IVY
Though there are a number of common varieties of Epipremnum aureum, the all-green J‘ ade’ or green with marbled yellow ‘Golden’ tolerate medium light levels best. They’re fast growers and, given something to climb, the leaves will grow very large, and as they mature will take on a new shape and even develop fenestrations (the technical term for splits and holes in plant leaves), similar to many Monstera species. ✽ Light Bright to medium indirect light. ✽ Water Allow the top 3-5cm of compost to dry out between waterings. Leaves will begin to look soft and droopy when it needs water. ✽ Compost Use rich, well-draining compost, such as all-purpose potting mix with perlite, orchid bark or coco coir chips mixed in.
Time for a trim! To reshape a plant, redirect growth or restart a languishing plant, use clean and sharp secateurs to cut above a new leaf or node at a 45-degree angle. Houseplant Snips Pruner £2 25 homebase co uk
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STRING OF HEARTS
Ceropegia woodii will grow super-long in a flash, so find a spot with lots of room to trail, like the top of a bookcase or hanging in a bright stairwell, so you aren’t constantly needing to trim it. ✽ Light Bright indirect light to partial direct sun. ✽ Water It has succulent leaves, meaning water is stored in the heartshaped foliage, so allow the compost to dry out about three-quarters of the way down the pot between waterings. ✽ Compost Use a fast-draining potting mix, such as cactus compost.
ts. r a e h f o g n i r t s m fro s t n a l p e e r f t e g d o e p a h s lr a e p e TIP It’s easy t h of t e n o e v o b a t s u j e Simply cut a vin ce in compost in a new pot tubers and pla
EASY IDEAS
GOOD IDEA!
u
Bright & sunn room HANGING SUCCULENTS
Hoya
of beads
Hanging succulents make excellent curtains and will fill in empty space nicely. They can take some direct sun, just make sure they’re not in full sun all day long, as they will start to look sad. @ Light Very bright indirect light to partial direct sun. @ Water Do this when compost is dry almost all the way to the bottom of the pot. If leaves start to look puckered/ slightly shrivelled, it’s probably time to water. Always check compost first though, as even just one overwatering can doom these plants. @ Compost Use a fast-draining potting mix, such as cactus compost.
SPIDER PLANT With popularity spanning from the Victorian era to the 1970s, all the way to today, Chlorophytum comosum adds a fun element to any room but looks especially at home paired with vintage furnishings. They’re self-propagating, producing little babies on the ends of stalks that fan out from the mother plant. You can leave them on the mother or remove them to root. They can even be rooted into compost while still connected to the mother plant, then removed once roots are established. @ Light Best in bright indirect light; can adapt to medium light, but variegated varieties will likely revert back to green. @ Water Allow compost to dry out threequarters of the way to all the way down between waterings. Leaves may turn very pale and appear extra limp when watering is overdue. @ Compost Use a quality all-purpose potting compost mix.
BUY THE BOOK @ Adapted from
Bright & sunny room
Houseplants For All by Danae Horst. Copyright © 2020 by Danae Horst. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. NOVEMBER 2020
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Flower-filled
STILL LIFE Create an autumnal WORK OF ART to brighten up your home, with renowned floral designer Jane Scott
Jane’s floral faffery lo and is easy and thriftyoks stylish to create
S
o in the blink of an eye, we’ve seen most of the year fly by. The time has come to pack away our garden furniture, sweep up leaves and dig up our dahilas. And that chill in the air means we have permission to wrap up in comfy old cardies, drink hot chocolate and loaf around on our sofas! If, like me, you can’t sit still for long, budgetfriendly flowery help is at hand. Drawing inspiration from classical still life paintings, this decoration is perfect perched on a hearth, mantelpiece, table or shelf. It’ll be your very own masterpiece without the scary price tag! Using an old enamelware jug, I’ve displayed a few bright blooms along with garden foliage and feathery grasses. Bramley apples, imperfect pears and flavoursome figs add artsy ambience, while other simple props help to complete the composition. As daylight fades, enjoy it by candlelight for even more of a painterly feel.
FEATURE & PHOTOS: JANE SCOTT
Jane
Work out your layout. I’ve put my jug centre stage for maximum impact. The basket of pears sits on the right, adding weight and drawing your eye down to the cloth, apples and scissors. The bowl of figs brings a touch of symmetry, and the metal dish adds a sparkle at the back.
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Begin with a little bit of research. An online ‘still life painting’ search will bring up a ton of inspiration. Next, pick your art space – somewhere to showcase your work, such as a table, fireplace or windowsill. Think about the non-floral props. I recommend classics like baskets, jugs and simple dishes.
Think about what greenery you have in your garden. I grow a handful of interesting shrubs for cutting and one of my favourites is ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’, above). With its rich red stems and green leaves, it adds lovely leafy interest from late spring to late autumn.
It’s November, so I’ve had to keep my choice of flowers simple, but it can still be colourful! Sunflowers, gladioli, montbretia (Crocosmia) and silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis) are my stars. For texture and gap-filling, I’ve used verbena, eupatorium, eucalyptus and smoke tree (Cotinus) stems.
Half-fill your jug with cool water and add the greenery and filler flowers. Next, imagine a triangle shape over your arrangement and place your biggest, brightest blooms (here, sunflowers) at the three points. Pop in the rest of the flowers to fill any gaps, keeping the tallest stems at the back.
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Instagram @janescottflowers
blog janescottflowers.com
SIMPLE PROJECT
Your kind of beautiful
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BRO WN S. GAR DEN DES IGN: KAT HY PHO TO: MAR IANN E MA JERU
We LOVE this!
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WALL ART Got an ugly, boring wall? Transform it into a Mondrian-inspired art installation with exterior masonry paint. You can use B&Q’s paint-mixing service with Valspar 15 Year Masonry Paint (£25/2.5L, diy.com) to get the perfect colour combo, and it’s rainproof in 30 minutes so great for a November project!
Winter
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SPEEDY UPDATES
WOW!
Inject a DASH OF DRAMA into your outside space with these quick and easy adds HIGH LIGHTS Add battery- or solar-powered outdoor fairy lights to your hanging baskets.
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Bargain alert! DERN GARDENS
HOT DATE Love candles but hate that they blow out? Use oil-fuelled torches instead. Bamboo torches are a bargain – a pack of three 90cm-high Natural Bamboo Torches costs £3.49 from partyrama. co.uk – and the fuel is cheap too (try Bartoline Lamp Oil, £2.99/1L, yorkshiretrading.com). NOVEMBER 2020
TIP Make a fe w
and create a gall er y wall. Old tools a nd dried seedhea ds look fab framed in this way too!
EASY IDEAS GOOD IDEA!
COLOUR ME PRETTY Give old bottles a coat of translucent glass paint and they become beautiful candle holders. The Pebeo Glass Paint Pack contains 12 shades that are fully mixable, so you can create your own bespoke autumn hues. £19.95/12 x 20ml pots bakerross.co.uk
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cabbage
RETTY ATTERNS Use a stencil and leftover exterior paints to update an old nest box. For a great selection of modern natureinspired stencils, try buddlycrafts. com, from £4.49.
No green fingers required! 4
IN THE FRAME Hang a picture frame protected with a coat of exterior paint on a shed wall, and use garden twine to suspend a pot planted with violas and ornamental cabbage. Gorgeous!
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TILE STYLE Add mosaic tiles to a bare wall. For a longlasting result, it’s best to use a thinset bonding mortar, a type of sticky concrete available from most building suppliers, but, if it’s a vertical wall where water won’t collect, then an exterior adhesive such as UniBond No More Nails Exterior Grab Adhesive, £4, diy.com, is fine. NOVEMBER 2020
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PH OTO : C L I VE N I C H O L S. G A RD E N D E S I G N : A N A SAN C H E Z- M A RT IN . MOSAI C A RT IS T: C E L I A G REG O RY
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PH OTO : G A P PHOTOS / MAT T EO CAR AS SAL E – MA DA F LOWER D E S I GN, MI L AN
CINNAMON WHIRL Use thin copper wire to attach a stack of cinnamon sticks around plant pots. Buy ones designated for craft rather than culinary use, and they’re much cheaper. Try Dried Cinnamon Sticks, £4.87/250g littlecraftybugs.co.uk
JUST ADD SUNSHINE A coat of yellow paint will turn your winter pots from drab to fab in an afternoon! RustOleum Sun Yellow Painter’s Touch, £5.49 sprayster.com
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LIGHT YEARS AHEAD Add groove to your garden glow with these fab new Twinkly Smart App Controlled Lights, from £62.99/8m string, lights4fun.co.uk. Controlled via an app on your phone or voice-operated using Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, you can choose from 16 million colours! Team with the Twinkly Music Device (£31.99), and they’ll pulse to the beat of your favourite tunes, too.
EASY IDEAS
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OWN IT! Hang up some cheer with this bright Mum’s Garden Sign, £20 notonthehighstreet.com
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Crank up the tyle dia
GO DOWN A STORM Brighten up a rainy day with these Molly Mid Height Wellies, £44.95 joules.com
CHEERY SPLASH This Bobb Indoor Outdoor Rug is the perfect antidote to November gloom. £33.99/ 120 x 170cm wayfair.co.uk
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PATIO GLOW Illuminated furniture is a huge trend this winter, and this range starts from £190, limitedabode.co.uk. Get the look without the outlay by putting a solar-powered spotlight or string of festoons or fairy lights under your garden sofa – just make sure the solar panel is angled directly towards the winter sun.
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WINDOWBOX WISHES Adding a windowbox planter means you’ll enjoy the contents from inside as well as out, and they’re a great addition to run along a section of bifold doors that won’t be opened over winter. If you don’t want to add to your garden jobs, then fake it with a faux planter from bloomingartificial. co.uk, from £49. M O D E R N G A R D E N S 73
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WING IT Suspend netted nuts and fat balls from hanging baskets and bring a flurry of bright feathers to your high planters.
THAT’S CLEVER!
P HOTO : MI C HA E L A MCC A RT H Y @ HO US E _O F _ CH E S T E R
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PAINT THAT DOOR! Whatever your favourite shade, your shed door needs a coat of it right now!
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METAL MAGIC These recycled metal blooms don’t even need watering! Bluebell Garden Sculpture Set of Two by London Garden Trading, £44.95 notonthe highstreet.com
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GO FAUX For the ultimate lowmaintenance blooms, stick sprays of artificial flowers into bare pots – just check they’re UV resistant so the colours won’t fade. Susufairy Artificial Flowers, from £3.44 amazon.co.uk
OUT OF THE BLUE A pot of blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Intense Blue’) will instantly turn up the style dial in your garden and looks amazing in a freshly frosted garden. For maximum drama, keep the surrounding tones in muted pastels to let the blue hues shine out.
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20
MERRY BERRY Prickly heath (left and back) and checkerberry (centre and right) need next-to-no looking after and you’ll find pots of it in your local garden centre right now. Mix and match berry colours for maximum cheer. 74 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Add panache to your plot!
19
EASY IDEAS
22
INDOOR OUTDOOR Adding a roof to your pergola and enclosing two sides with planks is a project easily completed in the short daylight hours of winter and creates a cosy corner where cushions and rugs can be left out. Outdoor Living Space created by Timberman & Co, timbermanandco.org NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 75
F E AT U R E: E MM A K EN D E L L . P H OTOS : TH E J OYO FPL A N TS.CO.U K , S H UT TE RS TO C K , G A P PH OTOS / V IS I ON S / F RI E D R IC H ST RAUS S, F LOR A PRE S S
OOD IDEA!
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GIFT WORTH
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This set of garden essentials comes as a beautifully boxed gift set. Included is a traditionally crafted trowel with a painted handle bearing a botanical design by Brie Harrison, handy-sized colourful snips to keep your plants looking their best and a metal plant label to add a flourish to your houseplants.
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Our mission is to help you create your perfect outside space without it costing the earth or requiring green fingers! Every issue, we bring you ideas and must-have buys to make your garden more stylish. We’re packed with reader gardens, easy ideas, simple upcycling projects and shopping trends. If you want to make the most of your garden this winter 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 garden set worth £20!
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THE BEST EASY-GROW PLANTS TO BUY NOW
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Water pot plants with care
Container plants don’t need as much water at this time of year, but winter winds can dry them out. Check them once a week by pushing your finger 5cm into the compost. If it’s dry, give it a water; if not, leave for another week and check again.
Abies na ‘Dark Hill’
What to do in your Simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month 78 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
EASY IDEAS
Clean pots and trays
On a sunny day, wash pots before storing them away for winter. Remove dried compost using a stiff brush, wash in warm, soapy water, rinse well and leave to dry in the sun.
Amaze with amaryllis You’ve just got time to pop some of these huge bulbs in pots indoors now for a sparkling Christmas display. They grow quickly and can produce wowfactor, trumpetshaped blooms six weeks after planting. From £8.99 each, jparkers.co.uk
Save tools from frost
Love leaves
Freezing temperatures can damage tools as well as plants, so now’s the time to move them under cover. Before storing spades and forks, brush off any soil, wipe down with a damp cloth, dry and spray with WD-40 (£1.75/100ml, wilko.com) to prevent rust.
Sow some trays of tasty micro leaves on your kitchen windowsill. The leaves of coriander, basil, rocket, radish and mustard will add a colourful and flavoursome kick to winter salads. From 99p, nickys-nursery.co.uk
Avoid the big freeze
Empty your hosepipe and store it in a shed or garage so it doesn’t split. If you can, turn off your outdoor tap at the mains and empty any water still in the pipe.
Add fiery foliage
Many large shrubs come into their own at this time of year and will brighten up your plot with stunning foliage. Rhus typhina ‘Tiger Eyes’ (£23.99/3.6L pot, thompson-morgan.com) is particularly wow with its red, orange and yellow leaves. Plant one now and its roots will have plenty of time to sink into the ground before the frost arrives. ➣ NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 79
EASY IDEAS
10 MINUTE SORT OUT
✽ REFRESH DISPLAYS Keep deadheading autumn/winter pot plants such as violas to encourage new flowers.
Fill containers with little bulbs such as scilla, fritillaries and grape hyacinths (Muscari, above). In late winter, bring them indoors for early flowers to put a spring in your step. Try wilko.com, from £2/15 bulbs.
Dry chillies
Pick any remaining chillies and dry by threading onto string and hanging in your kitchen or airing cupboard. Or, move the plants somewhere warm, bright and frost-free, and they’ll keep cropping right up to Christmas.
Garden notebook
Find your simple guide to all you need to know to get started outside at moderngardensmagazine.co.uk
80 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
✽ SNIP CLIMBING ROSES Cut off any long, whippy stems by about one third before winter sets in. This will stop the wind from pulling at the top growth, which can damage roots and stems.
✽ MIST HOUSEPLANTS Now the heating has been switched on, the air in our homes can become very dry. Use a mist sprayer on the leaves to ensure they get sufficient moisture.
F E ATU R E: A N G E L A K EN N Y PH OTOS : G A P P HOTOS / F RIE DR I C H S TR AUS S / N ICO L A S TO C K E N , AL A M Y, S H UT TE RS TO C K
Plant cheery pots
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...divine
ECT P X E PAY TO 3L pot 9/ 9 . 5 1 £
DWARF BUDDLEIA
Add this compact beauty to your plot now, ready to lure CLOUDS OF BUTTERFLIES next summer
FEATURE: GEOFF HODGE PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS/FRIEDRICH STRAUSS, THEJOYOFPLANTS CO UK
A
82
s we head into winter, it’s good to put plans in place that’ll have you dreaming of next summer. And the promise of a mini buddleia bush in full bloom, buzzing with bumblebees and fluttering butterflies supping up the rich nectar, will bring joy to your heart. If you’re picturing a sprawling shrub with huge, untidy stems, think again! The majority of older varieties tend to be tall, up to 3m high, and take up lots of precious room, but there are several newer dwarf, more compact varieties, that are perfect for modern gardens. Grow one in a container and you’ll have a fabulous summer centrepiece. Our favourites belong to the ‘Buzz’ series: compact varieties of Buddleia davidii, which put on an amazing show in the smallest of spaces. While the blooms are just as big as those on their taller cousins – around 15cm long – the plants themselves are half the size, growing to just 1.2m high and wide. They flower all summer long, and the short, bushy stems are smothered with sweetly scented, highly fragrant blooms from June to
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
October. Plus, they come in a great range of hues, ensuring there’s something for every colour scheme. Those of ‘Buzz Magenta’ are a striking purplish-red; ‘Buzz Indigo’ drips with dusky, deep blue blooms; ‘Buzz Lavender’ blooms are a rich, romantic violet-lilac; ‘Buzz Candy Pink’ is bubble-gum pink and ‘Buzz Sky Blue’ has powdery blue flowers. If you need something even tinier for the front of a border, the ‘Chip’ series is shorter still, reaching just 60cm high and wide, and is smothered in fragrant blooms from June to October. There are varieties with either lilac, blue or white flowers.
✽ PICK A HEALTHY PLANT
You’ll find some dwarf buddleias in bigger garden centres and nurseries, but for the widest choice, head to an online supplier. If you can, choose a bushy plant with numerous strong, healthy stems, and avoid those with a few, thin or damaged stems. If possible, slip off the pot and check there’s a good mix of roots and compost – if it’s got lots of circling roots, pop it back on the shelf!
Add a touch of velines PLANT ANYWHERE!
You can use pretty much any container with drainage holes to show off your baby buddleia, even a basket! Just make sure there’s room for the rootball and at least double the volume of compost. Add water-retention gel (£4.99, marshallsgarden.com) to the compost and you won’t have to water it as often.
✽ KEEP IT ALIVE
Your new buddleia isn’t fussy and will grow in a sunny position or semi-shade. But it’ll flower better in a sunny spot, produce sweeter blooms and so be more of a magnet for bees and butterflies. It enjoys fertile, moist but well-drained soil, so dig in lots of compost or soil improver when you plant it. In a container, use John Innes No3 Compost.
✽ HELP IT THRIVE
Once it’s had a season to grow its roots, a buddleia growing in the ground won’t need much watering, except during prolonged dry summers. Water one in a pot regularly in spring and summer, though. In spring, give it lots of energy to grow those blooms with a feed of a controlled-release fertiliser such as Miracle-Gro Rose & Shrub Continuous Release Plant Food (£6.50/1kg, homebase. co.uk). Cut back the previous year’s stems to approximately 2cm long in spring, too, and if it’s growing in the ground, add a thick layer of compost or mulch around it.
➣
BEST BUYS
The est plants to buy NOW!
PATIO PERFECTION
When you buy your new plant, choose a pot for it that’s roughly twice the diameter of its rootball. While any good potting or multi-purpose compost will be fine, your buddleia will thank you with more blooms if you use John Innes No3 Compost (£5.95/35L, homebase.co.uk) or a multi-purpose compost with added John Innes.
GET THE BUZZ
From top to bottom: ‘Buzz Sky Blue’, ‘Buzz Magenta’, ‘Buzz Candy Pink’, ‘Buzz Indigo’ and ‘Buzz Lavender’.
best e h t e r a r e t n i w nd a n m u t u a e t a L TIP ia e l d d u b a t n a l p times to
DID YOU KNOW?
BERRY DELICIOUS
d i m n i t n a l p w ne r u o y f o s p i t e h t th w o r g TIP Cut back y h s u b e g a r ncou e o t g n i r p s e t a l to 84
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
The British native spindle, Euonymus europaeus, isn’t just an autumn treat for us, it’s a reliable larder for garden birds including robins, blackbirds, song thrushes and tits. Robins will often defend it, making it part of their territory, and the tree is called ‘robins’ bread’ in some parts of the UK.
T C E P EX AY TO P pot L 2 / 7 1 £
Spindle wood is easy to shape into wreaths, but wear gloves as the sap can cause tummy upsets.
Try methin ifferen
opping
SPINDLE TREE
Create a standout autumn show with GLORIOUS PINK PODS opening to reveal bright orange seeds inside
L
ove autumn? Then you seriously need a spindle tree in your outdoor space, as it embodies the breathtaking beauty of the season. Most are varieties of Euonymus europaeus, a British native, and you may have passed it by on summer walks, in hedges and forest edges. But come autumn, its spectacular riot of jaw-dropping, fiery colours will stop you in your tracks. Its dark green leaves turn a blazing scarlet or buttery yellow but it’s the fruit that steals the show. The summer clusters of small, yellow-green flowers explode into vivid pink, geometric shapes, the four lobes gradually peeling apart to reveal bright orange seeds inside. The crazy combination of colours is a real talking point, especially when autumn’s low sunlight shines through the branches. In the wild, this deciduous shrub grows to 3m high in 20 years, but you can tame it into a more compact size in your garden. Left to its own devices, it’ll grow in a bushy shape, but you can easily remove lower branches in February so there’s plenty of room for spring bulbs and summer blooms beneath. If space is tight, then Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’ is a good option, as it’s more compact, growing out to 2m, and it has fabulously bright red autumnal leaf colours.
spectacular autumn leaf colours, position it in a spot that gets full sun.
✽ HELP IT THRIVE
Feed your spindle tree in spring with a controlled-release fertiliser such as MiracleGro Rose & Shrub Continuous Release Plant Food (£6.50/1kg, homebase.co.uk). Mulch around its base with a thick layer of compost or bark in autumn or spring.
✽ PICK A HEALTHY PLANT AUTUMN DECOR
To keep a wreath looking good for as long as possible, cut the stems before the pods open to reveal the orange seeds. Mist regularly to hydrate, too.
Spindles should be available from many garden centres and nurseries, or buy from an online supplier. Choose a bushy plant with several strong, healthy stems.
✽ KEEP IT ALIVE
ICED GEMS
These jewels look even brighter after a frost or snowfall.
Improve your soil by digging in lots of planting compost or Verve Soil Improver (£4.37, diy.com). Although it will grow well in a lightly shaded position, for the most NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 85
FEATURE: GEOFF HODGE PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK, FLORA PRESS
RING OF GARDEN BLING
BEST BUYS
➣
Fringed tulip ‘Vincent
‘Queensland’
MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
One of the big trends for 2021 is creating stunning black and white borders or parts of the garden. Start late-spring off in style with this chic coupling – white ‘Honeymoon’ and the dark, scented ‘Vincent van Gogh’.
COLOUR BURST
...fanciful
T C E P EX AY TO P bulbs 0 £10/2
For maximum blooms in a pot, plant the bulbs as closely together as possible but not touching each other.
FRINGED TULIPS FEATURE: GEOFF HODGE. PHOTOS: VISIONS, SHUTTERSTOCK, GAP PHOTOS/VISIONS
Loud, proud and OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVELY, these plump bulbs need to be nestling in their new home by the end of November, so get cracking!
86
W
hile snowdrops are cute and daffodils are dainty, tulips are the flamboyant stars of the spring-flowering bulb clan. But the latest stunners on the tulip scene take their showstopping flair to a whole new level! Fringed tulips couldn’t be any more gorgeous, the ragged, ruffled edges of their cup-shaped flowers looking like someone has painstakingly trimmed them with a pair of pinking shears. They’re great for a modern garden too, being fairly compact and most growing to 45-50cm high, and flop-proof, with flowers held strongly on sturdy stems from April to May. Plant a potful for your patio, squeeze into borders and enjoy! There are some glorious colour combinations to choose from. If you want bold, then ‘Glasnost’ has brilliant red flowers edged with yellow and ‘New Santa’ is scarlet-red with a beautiful pure white fringe. The flowers of ‘Fancy Frills’ are a far more subtle option, beginning a pure white before MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
the upper part of the petals turns pink, with a white fringed edge; or try ‘Oviedo’ with lilac-pink blooms and a white crystalline edge. Or for a bright pop of spring colours, go for ‘Brisbane’, a double tulip in tones of orange, peach and pink, or ‘Sunset Miami’ in a blend of iridescent pink, apricot and magenta. It’s like having a tequila sunrise cocktail growing in your garden! We’re also big fans of ‘Carrousel’ and its red flashes on cream to soft yellow petals, which reminds us of raspberry ripple ice cream. The interesting textures of fringed tulips make them fab additions to an all-white garden, too. ‘Honeymoon’, ‘Swan Wings’ and ‘Snow Crystal’ are all pure white, with petals looking like they’re tipped with ice crystals.
✽ PICK HEALTHY BULBS
You can buy dormant tulip bulbs now from garden centres, DIY stores and online suppliers. If you can, give the bulbs a very gentle squeeze to make sure they’re firm and
healthy and check there are no signs of mould. Ideally, they should still be surrounded with their brown tunic.
✽ KEEP THEM ALIVE
Tulips need a warm, sunny, sheltered position in well-drained soil. Dig in lots of compost or other organic matter, such as Levington Organic Blend Soil Conditioner (£9.99, amazon.co.uk). On very heavy clay soils, add a 2-3cm deep layer of sharp grit under the bulbs. Then plant them 15cm deep and 10-12cm apart, pointy end up.
✽ HELP THEM THRIVE
Tulips are super easy to look after. When the show’s over next year, all you need do is remove the blooms once they’ve faded and then feed once a fortnight with a potassiumrich liquid fertiliser such as Levington Tomorite (£4.49, crocus.co.uk) until the leaves begin to yellow. Once they’re brown, the leaves can be carefully removed.
BEST BUYS
Plant heaven
‘Cummins’ STOP THE FLOP
TIP Bulbs hav
before winter beg e to be in the soil ins, as the colder weathe r kick-starts the gr owing process
To prevent cut tulips from flopping, you need to make it easy for them to keep drinking plenty of water. Cut the stems at a 45-degree angle, then snip off a further 2-3cm and change their water every other day – they’ll still look gorgeous when the stems are super-short! NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 87
G
bion
3 5 . 3 £28
abions, or galvanised landscaping cubes, contin top the list of the most-wan gardening building materials around. Their industrial appearance instantly brings a modern edge and you can fill them with whatever you want to match your garden style. Don’t restrict their use to such mundane things as building walls and boundaries, liberate them and think outside the box – well, cube – to use them to create fabulous garden furniture. The silver galvanised metalwork and dark brooding granite of this gabion bench and table make the perfect contrast to the warmer tones of the wood. The table has an in-built planter inserted in the centre, so it’s perfect for next year’s predicted big trend of bringing your garden onto your patio. While you can make the table now, it’s best to wait till next year and the last of the frosts before planting it up, but then use your imagination – succulents would be a stylish choice, or use fragrant plants for an added bonus of a scent sensation. The sturdy bench and table set needs very little maintenance. Just give the wood a coat of wood preserver, stain or paint every couple of years. Although we’ve used new granite setts and scaffold boards, you could reduce the cost by sourcing these from your local reclaim yard.
BENCH
Bring INDUSTRIAL CHIC to your outside space with this seating set
Day 1
MAKE THE GABION BENCH
F E ATU R E: G EO F F H OD G E. PH OTOS : G A P P H OTOS /F RI ED RI C H S TRAU S S
Position the cubes exactly where you want them before you fill them as they’re heavy! YOU WILL NEED ✽ 2 x Gabion Galfan cubes 50 x 50 x 50cm, £13.88 each gabionbaskets.co.uk ✽ Tape measure and pencil ✽ Granitestone Setts, £32.35/m2 travisperkins.co.uk ✽ Scissors ✽ Heavy-duty Weed Control Fabric, £27 diy.com ✽ Sharp Sand Bulk Bag, £38 diy.com ✽ Shovel or spade ✽ 2 x 1.5m Scaffold Boards, £9 each scaffoldingsupplies.co.uk ✽ Spirit level ✽ 100 x 60 x 2.4m timber, £5.33 abbeydirecttimber.co.uk ✽ Saw, ideally an electric jigsaw ✽ Stainless steel wood screws ✽ Screwdriver – preferably battery-powered ✽ Drill and drill bits ✽ Safety goggles and gloves
88 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Texture treat WHAT TO DO 1 Construct the two gabion cubes and put them in position, 50cm apart, making sure they are completely square to each other. 2 Place the first two rows of setts around the sides of the cubes. Then cut the weed control membrane to size to fit the base and closely within the inside edges of the setts. 3 Fill the lower level of the cube with sand. Build up the edges of the cubes, layer by layer, ensuring the weed control membrane remains in the right place, and continue to fill with sand. 4 When full, finish off by laying a level of setts on top of the sand, over the weed control membrane.
5 It’s a good idea to check that the tops of both cubes are perfectly level with each other using a spirit level, making any adjustments by adding or removing sand, to ensure the seat will be level to sit on. 6 Place the scaffold boards on top of the cubes, and mark the inner edges of each cube along the scaffold planks using a pencil. This will show you where to place the timber battens. 7 Cut the battens to size, screwing them onto the underside of both scaffold planks so they fit between the gabion cubes. Drilling pilot holes for the screws first will reduce the likelihood of the wood splitting.
SIMPLE PROJECT
Done in a
WEEKEND
TRY THIS!
Fill the gabions with wine bottles instead and save a fortune!
WHAT IT COST ✽ Gabion Galfan cubes £41.64 ✽ Granitestone setts £129.40 ✽ Weed control fabric £27 ✽ Sharp sand £38 ✽ Scaffold boards £28.20 ✽ Timber batten £5.33 ✽ Plant £5.99 ✽ Hoop irons 96p ✽ Wood preserver £13 TOTAL: £283.53
l a t e m h t i w s d r a bo d l o ff a c s e s o o h C ill TIP w h c i h w , s n o r i p hoo s a n w o n k , s e t a l p age m a d m o r f s e g d e help protect the
Day 2
CONSTRUCT THE TABLE
Now you know what you’re doing, making this cute cube table won’t take long! YOU WILL NEED ✽ Gabion Galfan cube ✽ Granitestone setts ✽ Scissors
✽ Heavy-duty weed control fabric ✽ Sharp sand ✽ Shovel or spade ✽ Spirit level ✽ Plant pot ✽ Tape measure & pencil ✽ Saw, ideally an electric jigsaw ✽ 2.4m Scaffold Board, £10.20
scaffoldingsupplies.co.uk ✽ 2 hoop irons, 48p each lsengineers.co.uk ✽ Timber batten ✽ Stainless steel wood screws
✽ Screwdriver – preferably battery-powered ✽ Drill and drill bits ✽ Sandpaper or sanding discs ✽ Cuprinol Clear Wood Preserver, £13/1L wilko.com ✽ Safety goggles and gloves
WHAT TO DO 1 Make up the cube as per the bench, but insert the plant pot in the centre. Fill around it with sand, packing it down as you go. 2 To create the wooden tabletop, measure and cut the scaffold board to size, taking into account the overhang you’d like over the edges of the cube. You need two long pieces and two shorter pieces, with the central gap more-or-less the size of the pot the plant is in. Add hoop irons to the board ends that don’t have any. 3 Measure and cut two battens to use to hold the four pieces of the tabletop together and screw the battens perpendicular to the long scaffold board sides. 4 Sand all the wood on both bench and table to remove any potential sharp edges and splinters, and treat with a preservative or stain. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 89
Try omething different
Plant a
FIREWORK FIESTA W CORNER Every month we give you easy ideas for creating a special corner in your garden
What to buy
SIBERIAN DOGWOOD
Falling leaves reveal the fiery drama of bright crimson-red Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ stems. For best colour, plant in full sun and cut back in March. Height and Spread 2.5m. £8.99/9cm pots rhsplants.co.uk 90 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
SEDGE ‘FISHER’S FORM’
With compact clumps of narrow, arching green foliage with contrasting cream margins, this easy-going Carex morrowii looks good all year round, with minimum care. Height 50cm Spread 30cm. £4.50/1L pot macplants.co.uk
hen your garden is looking a little dreary with falling leaves, hibernating plants and increasingly inclement weather, wake it up with a blast with this brilliantly bold border! A moody backdrop of tawhiwhi (Pittosporum tenuifolium) provides the perfect foil for vibrant dogwood (Cornus) stems shooting skywards like fireworks from a bed of evergreen sedges (Carex). It’s bright enough to enjoy from inside or to seduce you outdoors and feel rejuvenated with some time spent in the garden.
TAWHIWHI ‘TOM THUMB’
The striking black stems of this Pittosporum tenuifolium hold small, wavy, dark purple leaves, providing a striking contrast to lighter coloured plants. Height 1m Spread 60cm. £11.99/2L pot hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk
EASY IDEAS
Three more fiery displays to liven up your plot kyrocketin COLOUR
MOYES ROSE ‘GERANIUM’
Large, fiery red hips, lasting well into winter, follow on from orange-red flowers in summer. Favours a fertile soil in a sunny border, where it will shine. Height 2.5m Spread 1.5m. £10.74/bareroot plant ashridgetrees.co.uk
OREGON GRAPE ‘WINTER SUN’
NERINE BOWDENII
GOLDEN-TWIG DOGWOOD
IRONWEED ‘MAMMUTH’
CORAL BELLS ‘FOREVER RED’
ALPINE TOTARA ‘RED EMBERS’
An architectural evergreen, this Mahonia will brighten up any shady border with its slender spikes of fragrant, bright yellow flowers from November to March. Height 4m Spread 2m. £9.99/2L pot mailordertrees.co.uk
‘Mister John’ will ease you into winter with its exotic looks. Clusters of bold magenta, lily-like flowers start to appear atop tall, clean stems in autumn. Height 45cm Spread 8cm. £10.99/5 bulbs thompson-morgan.com
Floral
OUNTAI
The avalanche of rosy-pink pompoms with sunny-yellow eyes is a very welcome sight come November! Grow in any soil in full sun. Height 75cm Spread 60cm. £5.20/9cm pot claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk
Saving its best for winter, Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ sheds its orange-red leaves to reveal bright, yellow stems. For the brightest colour, plant in full sun. Height 1m Spread 1.5m. £7.99/2L jacksonsnurseries.co.uk
Vernonia arkansana produces clusters of small, intense purple flowers in November, followed by fluffy seedheads that turn a rusty orange colour and hang on into winter. Height 2m Spread 60cm. £5/1L pot macplants.co.uk
irecracke
FOLIAGE
RED HOOK SEDGE
Colourful and vividly variegated bronze leaves with bright red margins, Uncinia rubra ‘Everflame’ dazzles in the sun throughout winter. Height 30cm Spread 40cm. £8.99/9cm pot jparkers.co.uk
The zingy, glossy, fiery red foliage of this Heuchera is brightest in autumn when the temperatures drop and in spring with the new growth. Plant in full sun. Height 35cm Spread 45cm. £7.99/9cm pot crocus.co.uk
A chameleon of the plant world, this Podocarpus nivalis changes from orange-red, becoming greener before turning maroonpurple after the first frosts. Height 70cm Spread 1m. £14.50 burncoose.co.uk NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 91
F E AT U R E: C L A R E WA L K E R PH OTOS : A L A M Y, G A P PH OTOS /J OAN N A KOS SA K/ J O H N G LOV ER M AI N PH OTO G A RD E N D E S I G N : S I R H ARO L D HI L L IE R G A RD E N S
CHRYSANTHEMUM ‘MEI-KYO’
SIMPLE PROJECTS
Yes you Upcycle these humble store-cupboard staples into CLEVER MAKES for your garden
W
hen you’re busy eating up all those tins of tomatoes you panic-bought back in the spring, don’t fill up the recycling bin with your empty cans – wash them out and use them to add some industrial chic to your outside space. From pretty planters to tealight
RUSTIC WREATH
P H OTO : G A P PH OTOS / MA RC US HA RP UR. G A RD E N D E S I G N : S E A N M UR RAY. S PO N SO R: ROYA L H O RT I C ULTU R AL SO CI ET Y
This is such an easy way to give your garden a cool industrial vibe! YOU WILL NEED @ Around 100 clean tin cans, lab l removed @ Drill with me tha
8 9 . 5 £
er
lanterns, insect hotels to modern sculptures, there’s not much you can’t do with a tin can! As they slowly rust, they’ll bring that loved-bydesigners Corten steel look to your plot, too. Don’t forget to share your upcycled results on our Instagram or Facebook page – search for ‘Modern Gardens Magazine’. WHAT TO DO 1 Squash the end of each can (the easiest way is just to step on it!). 2 Use the drill to pierce a hole all the way through each flattened end. 3 Feed one end of the wire (leaving a 20cm end) through the tin cans. Bunch the tins together tightly, aiming to fit a flat end next to a fat end, but try not to be too neat. Bend them into shape to fit be using the pliers. 4 Cut the end of the wire le 20cm. Bend and shape into 5 Use the pliers to fold and two ends of wire together t anging loop.
A lust for rust ² NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 93
HERB FENCE-POT Fix just outside your back door for easy pickings.
YOU WILL NEED ✽ Large, clean tin can, top and label removed ✽ Can opener ✽ Pair of tin snips, try Multi Purpose Tin Shears, £8 wickes.co.uk ✽ Pliers ✽ 8 nails and hammer ✽ Compost and herb plant WHAT TO DO 1 Use the can opener to cut one third of the way around the bottom rim. 2 Cut down the side of the can to meet the centre of the cut bottom rim using the tin snips. 3 Open up the two sides of the can (see photo), using the pliers, then cut out zigzag shapes using the tin snips. 4 Bend the bottom of the tin can up to create a lip/back and make a couple of holes using a hammer and nail to allow for drainage. 5 Fix the hanger to a fence by hammering nails throug then fill with compost and your favourite herb. We used
£8
! E E FR
FREE!
TEALIGHT DI Transform empty tins into
YOU WILL NEED ✽ Salvage piece of metal similar metal object ✽ Hammer and nail ✽ Collection of small, clean tin cans, labels removed ✽ Length of wire ✽ Tealights 94
MODERN GARDENS
2 Use the holes around each of the cans allow the light to shine through. 3 Make a hole in the tin can rims. Cut lengths of wire and feed into the holes, then fold and bend them to create loops and hang.
NOVEMBER 2020
UTIQUE BUG HOTEL
No need to fork out on a ready-made insect house when you can easily build this little beauty. YOU WILL NEED ✽ Clean tin cans, labels removed ✽ Old garden canes, or try Bamboo Garden Canes Strong Thick Quality Support, cut to size, £5.99/50 gardenersdream.co.uk WHAT TO DO 1 Stack up the cans in-between a couple of fence or wall posts. 2 Fill some of the cans with canes.
PH OTO : G A P/J O W HI T WO RT H. G A R D E N D E S I GN : S E AN M UR RAY. S PO NSO R: ROYA L HO RT I C ULT URA L SO C I E T Y
So simple!
TIP These pret ty
SIMPLE PROJECTS
va s es make great Christmas presents
flake
£5.69
COSY VASE
This sweet display will make you feel warm and snug during the cold, wintery months. YOU WILL NEED ✽ Clean tin can, label removed ✽ Old sock ✽ Large nail and hammer ✽ Heavy-duty adhesive, try Unibond No More Nails, £5.69 amazon.co.uk ✽ Sharp scissors
H
Hyd
2 Tu end of the sock. 3 With the tin still upside down, push the sock downwards to expose the bottom of the can. Put glue around the outside edge of the tin – you’ll need plenty to stop the sock from unravelling. Pull the sock up over the glue and press down. 4 Trim any excess sock so the vase stands upright.
PERSONALISED HOUSE VASE
Adorn this posh pot with your house number or name. YOU WILL NEED ✽ Large, clean tin can, top and label removed ✽ Leftover exterior metal paints in two contrasting colours ✽ Paintbrush ✽ Thin craft paintbrush ✽ Plant/flower cuttings of your choice
Chin
antern
F
! E RE
WHAT TO DO 1 Paint the can all over in one colour, leave to dry and apply another coat if necessary. 2 Use the thin craft paintbrush to paint your house number or name on the can. 3 Fill the can with water and add your favourite cuttings. Position where neighbours will see it! ✽ To turn your tin can into a planter, use a hammer and large nail to make drainage holes in the base.
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 95
➣
SPARKLY STAKE LIGHTS A super cheap and easy way to light a path or flowerbed.
YOU WILL NEED ✽ Clean tin can, lid and label removed ✽ Felt pen ✽ Hammer and nail ✽ Pair of tin snips, try Multi Purpose Tin Shears, £8 wickes.co.uk ✽ Thick and straight broom handle, cut in half ✽ Long screw and screwdriver ✽ Tealight WHAT TO DO 1 Draw a couple of simple motifs on the can. Use the hammer and nail to puncture a hole in the middle of each motif, and cut out the shape using the tin snips. 2 Turn the can upside down and make a hole in the base using the nail and hammer. Turn upright and place on the branch end, hold and screw into place. Add the tealight.
H
SUCCULEN
eek
£9.99
If you go for non-hard move them inside bef
YOU WILL NEED ✽ Old galvanised metal tray or similar ✽ Collection of different size tin cans, lids and labels removed ✽ Hammer and large nail ✽ Your choice of succulent plants, try 5 x 5.5cm potted sempervivum plants, £9.99 thompson-morgan.com ✽ 50/50 mix of compost and grit ✽ Handful of gravel or small pebbles
£8 TOOL T Keep the look cheap-as-chips
FR EE !
YOU WILL N ✽ Strong glu ✽ Different h labels removed ✽ Leftover garden twine, or try Everlasto Assorted 10 Pack of 50m Jute Twine Spools, £12.59 rope-source.co.uk
WHAT TO DO 1 Apply the glue all around each can, starting from the bottom. 2 Press the twine firmly into place as you go. 96
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
WHAT TO DO 1 Turn the tray and the tin cans upside down and make several drainage holes in each using the hammer and nail. 2 Fill each tin can halfway with the compost mix, add a plant and top with compost. 3 Scatter a few pieces of gravel or pebbles over the top of the compost to help with drainage. 4 Position the tin cans on the tray, place in a sunny spot and make sure the tray doesn’t get waterlogged.
TIP Apply the gl
ue in 2 to 3cm sections to allow you to wind roun d the t wine without th e glue dr ying out
TIP Suspend a
few smaller cans on longer wires for a dded drama
SIMPLE PROJECTS
TRY THIS!
Half-fill a tin with sand and push in long candles to create a super-simple holder
Easy wow!
GLO HANGING LAN
FRE E!
CAN CAN CHANDELIE Create a living showstopper to hang over your outdoor garden table. YOU WILL NEED ✽ 20-30 tin cans, mini zinc buckets or metal containers in different shapes and sizes, lids and labels removed ✽ Leftover exterior metal spray paint ✽ Drill with metal bit ✽ Straightened wire coat hangers or lengths of strong wire ✽ Pliers ✽ Sturdy S hook, nail or screw ✽ Compost and plants of your choice
FRE E! p newspaper and paint, then leave t 2 Use the drill to make a hole in the bas and at one side near the top rim. 3 Cut the hanger wires to approximately 40cm. Feed each wire through a tin can top hole and twist with pliers to secure. 4 Gather together all the lengths of attached wire and use the pliers to twist them together and create a large loop. Fix in place on an S hook, nail or screw that’s strong enough to take the weight. 5 Fill the tin cans with compost and plants, and water – make sure you do this after hanging the chandelier in place as it will be heavy. You may need to use a stepladder.
YOU WILL NEED ✽ Tin cans, lids and labels removed ✽ Felt tip pen ✽ Hammer and different size nails ✽ Lengths of wire and pliers ✽ Tealights, small pillar candles or mini battery-operated fairy light sets WHAT TO DO 1 Fill the tin cans with water and put them in your freezer until frozen – this makes it easier to create the pattern, rather than knocking into empty space. 2 Draw patterns and shapes on the tin cans and use the hammer and nails to create the pattern. Make a pair of additional holes each side on the top rim. When the ice has melted a little, tip it out. 3 Cut a length of wire long enough for a handle and thread through the top holes. Use the pliers to fold and bend the ends over so they don’t come loose. 4 Pop in your preferred lighting choice and hang from branches, stakes or hooks. NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 97
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 I V IN G 4 M ED IA , G AP P HOTOS
hese are so simple to create, you could mak enough to fill your garden in one afternoon!
love
Each issue we bring you easy ideas and quick makes. This month, we help you STYLE UP YO AUTUMN GARDEN
60 MINUTES
FAIRY LIGHT UPDATE
Cosy up an old string of fairy light bulbs with a new set of cupcake-case lampshades.
£8
YOU WILL NEED ✽ Cupcake cases, for similar try thecakedecoratingcompany.co.uk £2.50/25 ✽ Clear lacquer spray, try wilko.com £5.50/400ml ✽ Sharp knife or scissors ✽ Battery-operated outdoor fairy lights
F E ATU R E: A N G E L A K EN N Y PH OTOS : L I V I N G 4 M E D IA
WHAT TO DO 1 Place the cupcake cases on newspaper and spray with the lacquer to give them a waterproof coating. Leave to dry. 2 Using the knife or scissors, make a small x in the base of each cupcake case. 3 Lay out your fairy lights and carefully push a bulb through the holes you’ve made in the cupcake cases. 4 Hang your fairy lights on the side of your shed or along your fence.
se Metal u r o s g in tt fi g n ti is Drape oversex, £4.77/20, amazon.co.uk Q-Hanger 98 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
n a to s s e in s o c d n a mth TIP Add extra wa r nkets a l b d n a s w o r th y r r autumn deck with fu
SIMPLE PROJECTS
SUPERFAST MA PAINTED ACORNS Squirrel away some acorns collected on crisp autumn walks and when you have a good collection, wash and dry them before giving each a coat of craft acrylic paint (£8/20, theworks.co.uk). Scattered on a table, along with some golden leaves for coasters, these painted acorns make a colourful d ration. Just add a hot t
£8
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, Fiona Cumberpatch, Geoff Hodge, Katie Masters, Jane Scott, Jill Morgan, Jules Barton-Breck, Melanie Whitehouse, Melissa Mabbitt, Selina Lake ADVERTISING Phone 01733 366404/366411 Group Commercial Director Nicky Holt Commercial Director Iain Grundy Key Accounts Lawrence Cavill Grant Display Sales Lucy Baxter MARKETING Phone 01733 468209 Brand Manager Susan Rogers Product Marketing Manager Sophie Lee Direct Marketing Manager Julie Spires Direct Marketing Executive Raheema Rahim Head of Newstrade Marketing Leon Benoiton Newstrade Marketing Manager Stacey Risk
4 1 . £23
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 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
LEAFY GARLAND MOBILE
Make the most of the season’s rich tones with this decoration. YOU WILL NEED ✽ Collection of flat leaves ✽ Flexible, waterproof clear acrylic sealer, try Mod Podge, £18.65 amazon.co.uk ✽ Needle and thread
✽ Branch and screw eyes ✽ Craft wire, try amazon.co.uk £4.49 WHAT TO DO 1 Sandwich a single layer of leaves between two paper towels. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until they feel dry. Repeat for all your leaves. 2 Lay the leaves on newspaper and spray all over with the sealer. Leave to dry. 3 Thread the leaves together using the needle. 4 Tie to the branch and hang using wire and screw eyes. Mould leaf shapes from the wire and attach to the bottom of each garland.
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
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 99
Q&A
GOT A QUESTION? We’ve got the
answer, whether it’s about a plant a tricky spot or a produ
WHAT’S THE WAY to move m ‘Gertrude Jekyl to another spot in the ga Guy Smith, Buckinghams
Q
November is the perfect t rehome your rose. Cut the top growth to approx 1m and dig up the plant with as much root as possible. Use secateurs to tidy any damaged roots and replan watering in well.
Q
For a lovely natural finish, try a decorative stone liner with real gravel. This one from Oase looks fab and is UV-resistant. It comes in colours sand or granite grey. £85.20/40cm x 5m water-garden.co.uk
I’M LOOKING FOR LABELS that I can add my family’s names to and place on the branches of a growing monkey puzzle tree. Any suggestions? Steven Casson, via email
Not only are these Porcelain Herb Marker Labels by Carys Boyle Ceramics super-cute, they can be personalised and come with a length of twine, so they can easily
CO M PI L ED BY: A N G EL A K E N N Y. P H OTOS : S HU TT E RS TO CK , G E TTY I M AG E S
Q
I WANT TO MAKE my new pond look more natural – I think black plastic looks awful! What’s a good option? Shane Bailey, Gwent
be tied to the branches of your tree. They’re made of frostproof porcelain and they measure 3.5cm. £3 each or £25 for 10 notonthehighstreet.com
Q
MY ACANTHUS hasn’t flowered. Why? Jessica Davis, Yorkshire
Acanthus should produce tall spikes of white or lavender t nsure the plant is growing in full sun. by feeding with
Q
WHAT TREE IS BES Julie Flitcroft, Norfolk
Rowans (Sorbus) are a good choice for exposed plots, especially Sorbus aucuparia (£71.99/10L pot, ornamental-trees.co.uk) as it is wind- and frost-resistant. It produces wonderful bright red berries in autumn, which can be used in jellies. It grows to 6m x 4m in 20 years and it’s said to be a wildlife magnet. Plant it in a well-drained spot, in either loamy (a mixture of clay, sand and silt) or sandy soil.
OVER TO YOU
Try omethin ifferen
I HAVE STAINS on my porcelain patio from my plant pots. What can I clean the tiles with? Claire Lowe, Aberdeenshire
Q
Stains can be caused by compost residue running out of drainage holes or over the sides when watering as well as rusty water running off metal pots. There are a few products you could try. Topps Tiles Residue Remover Extra Strong (£15.74, toppstiles.co.uk) can be used to remove pot stains as well as general winter residue – simply mix it up as per the instructions, brush it on, leave for the designated amount of time and then rinse it off. Lithofin KF Intensive Cleaner (£14.41/1L, tilingsuppliesdirect.co.uk) is also suitable for removing stubborn dirt on all polished and unglazed porcelain tiles.
In winter, wait until the compost gets asonably dry before watering. Stephanotis, £19.99/12cm pot, waitrosegarden.com
Q
yellow and falling off. I’ve just repotted – what did I do wrong?! Darren Evans, Essex
PH OTO : A L A N K E N N Y PH OTO G RA P H Y COM
PRO DUC T ONLY AVA ILAB LE WHI LE STO CKS LAST. POT NOT INCL UDE D
Bradstone Dark Grey Mode, £139.83/m2,
Q
ng
When repotting houseplants, it’s best to avoid putting them nto too large a pot because the compost can remain wet for too long, allowing the roots to rot. Stephanotis also needs an acidic (lime-free) compost such as Westland Ericaceous Planting Mix, £5/25L, homebase.co.uk. Water yours carefully from now on, adding an ericaceous plant food (try wilko.com, £2/1L) to the can once a month throughout winter.
MY TALL PATIO POT palm is very heavy and awkward when we need to move it. Any suggestions? Michelle Bradshaw, Wiltshire
You need a heavy-duty plant caddy on wheels that’s going to be strong enough to take the weight of your plant and not buckle or snap. You’ll find one on amazon.co.uk sold by Dewel (£53.51), which will take up to 200kg. We like it because it looks quite stylish, so once you’ve manoeuvred your pot onto the caddy, you can leave it be, locking the brakes in place until you want to move it. You can also adjust its diameter to fit pots up to 50cm. 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 NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 101
Ask the DESIGNER
Each month we help sort out a reader’s problem garden with clever advice from the best experts in the garden design world
1
My garden is tiny and the perimeter Q boundaries are very high. How can I maximise the light and space? Hannah Naylor, Buckinghamshire IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW SMALL OR ENCLOSED YOUR outside space, clever design can help you maximise the area and make the most of what you’ve got. This compact garden of a new development townhouse in Teddington, south-west London, looks far bigger than its 7 x 4.5m measurements. “Several design choices were made to visually extend the size of the garden and seamlessly connect it to the house as an additional room,” says Filippo Dester, Residential Garden Design Manager of Garden Club London (gardenclublondon.co.uk).
A
✽ Light
tones
“The colour palette is a range of off-whites and neutral greys, both for the painted surfaces and paving choices,” explains Filippo. Combining different textures in these similar hues means there’s still plenty of interest, with evenly toned Heath Sandstone paving, raised beds painted in Farrow & Ball Hardwick White No.5 and planters with a stony white finish. “Adding interesting details, texture and different materials is an exceptional tool for small gardens,” says Filippo. “Splitting the paving in two different areas helps create different rooms, and, while the large format stone provides a seamless transition from the smooth indoor floor, the permeable clay brick paving in the background adds character and enhances the proportion of the garden.”
Tones and textures are also key to th planting in various shades and shapes o green, with the focus on foliage and jus a few muted blooms complementing the calm, bright feel of the space.
✽ Perspective
tricks
Boundaries have been clad with painted timber battens of alternating size, creating strong horizontal lines that visually extend the sense of perspective, making the garden look much longer than it is. At the end of the plot, common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) box head trees were planted in a deep raised bed, the clean trunks and foliage crowns makin them look taller than they are. “The high boundary wall at the rear of the garden wa a challenge,” says Filippo. “But this negative factor was transformed into an asset with trees that compare to the scale of the wall. The formally pruned crowns grow more slo y than standard trees and are a great option for a small garden where trees won’t have much space to grow wide canopies – just make sure the raised bed is deep enough to provide enough root space for them to thrive.”
✽ Big
beds
Choosing to use so much space with such a large raised bed is a bold but clever move.
FILIPPO DESTER, DESIGNER
“
Clever tricks of perspective can make a garden look far bigger than it is
1 02 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
”
Before
urtyard The large wall of this co stark garden felt imposing and “It may seem counterintuitive, but skinny raised beds all around aren’t the best solution to make your garden look bigger, even if it feels like a way to fit more plants in the space,” says Filippo. “And few will be happy in a 20-30cm wide border. Building a deeper raised bed at the rear of the garden with substantial space allows planting to be layered, with larger shrubs or climbers, such as star jasmine, at the back and smaller herbaceous plants in the foreground. This enhances perspective and pushes the hard boundary at the back further away. “The same applies to the sides of the garden – by having a raised bed only on one side of the garden, more planting can fit and freestanding planters can be used to add vegetation without taking up as much space.”
OVER TO YOU
Bay Dwarf
Pittosporum tobira m’
3 2 4 6 5
@ Layers
of green
A generously sized raised bed sits quite close to the bifold doors, planted with a large cloud-pruned Japanese holly (Ilex crenata). “This helps break the view from the house and adds further layering to the space. It also creates the perfect corner for an inbuilt bench, saving space for the dining area,” says Filippo. A small garden can always be seen in its entirety, so planting needs to look good year round. The solution is compact, evergreen shrubs including Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’, dwarf mountain pine (Pinus mugo) and common thyme for structure year round, while blooms such as hydrangea ‘Annabelle’, anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’, holly-leaved hellebore (Helleborus argutifolius) and common foxglove add gentle drifts of seasonal interest.
7
Easy ways to get the look 1 PLANTS Cloud-pruned Japanese holly, £150/70-90cm plant paramountplants.co.uk and hornbeam box head tree, from £249.60 shop.instanthedges.co.uk 2 DINING SET For similar, try Kettler Classic Garden Savita Chair, £71.10 each, and Extending Mesh Toop Table, £664.05 gardenfurnitureworld.co.uk 3 PAINT Farrow & Ball No.5 Hardwick White, £85/5L farrow-ball.com
4 CHAIRS For similar, try Giardino Sydney Rattan Armchair, £339 each manomano.co.uk 5 BRICKS Vande Moortel Salvia Septim A Clay Paver, £102.53/m2 countrysupplies.uk.com 6 PLANTERS Urbis Design Drum 70, Stony White Finish, £699 each urbisdesign.co.uk. For similar, try Lotus Stone Composite Planter, from £173.99 primrose.co.uk 7 PAVING Heath Sawn Sandstone, £52.20/m2 londonstone.co.uk
WANT SOME DESIGN INSPIRATION? Email us, including a picture of your garden, at moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 103
F EAT U R E: EM M A K E N D EL L , A N G E L A K E N N Y. PH OTO : J OAN N A KOS SAC K
nly o t o n d n a e v ti c e fl e r e mor e r a s r u o l o c t h ig o L ls P a t TI u b , r e g r la g in e b den r a g e th f o n io s lu il e give th ms o o r g in k o o l r e v o y n a brighten up
” n e d r a g e h t n i “I’m This month, we take a peek over the fence at Sam Burrows’ sleek outside space in Nottingham * I share my garden with…
my husband Kev, 12-year-old daughter Roxy and 23-year-old son Sammy. Teddy, a British Shorthair kitten, has just joined us and is just getting used to the garden. Herman tortoise Frank has been part of our family for approximately 15 years now. He loves being around people and bathing in the sunshine on the patio area. We also have five koi fish, with one that will feed from your hand.
* Our garden is... our little oasis.
Kev built the raised plant borders, with sides clad in slate
It was just a plot of land 16 years ago where we built our family home, so we really did have a blank canvas to work with. We’ve split the garden into three different levels: from the patio
with the corner sofa and potted herbs, you step up onto a grassed area with raised flowerbeds, then it’s up another level to the oriental spa retreat with the two-toned stained decking and our take on a Japanese teahouse that overlooks the koi pond. It’s taken a long time, but it’s finally looking how we want it – with a few more tweaks to come, of course!
* Our inspiration is... our travels to Hong Kong, Bali, Singapore and Thailand, with our own modern twist. Kev liked the idea of a sunken koi pond and it all started from there. We built the decking and teahouse around it, and we haven’t stopped since!
F EAT U R E: E M MA K E N DE L L
Enjoying Modern Gardens in my favourite reading spot
104
MODERN GARDENS
NOVEMBER 2020
A cosy sheltered spot, perfect for autumnal days
GARDEN MAKEOVER
Our Japanese teahouse behind lattice fencing
We get a full view of the garden from the seating area on the patio * We use our garden for...
relaxing. Having friends round for drinks and sitting by the firepit on a nice evening is lovely, listening to the crack of the wood with a cold beer in hand after a hard day.
The firepit is ready for cool evenings * Current obsession
I have just planted two different varieties of elephant ears, Colocasia rubra and esculenta.
* Best buy
Spring always does it for us, watching everything start to come alive and into colour.
Last year I bought two acers from my local supermarket costing £3 each! They’ve tripled in size and are doing very well alongside the ferns, grasses and bamboos.
* Favourite area
* Favourite plant
* Best garden moment
I love to sit just inside the teahouse with a fresh brew of coffee. Sometimes I’ll read my Kindle or the latest copy of Modern Gardens, finding ideas while looking at our own garden and thinking ‘maybe we could do that!’. Or, when it’s raining, I’ll just watch the water trickle down the copper rain chain. I love listening to the rustle and sway of the ‘Black Pearl’ bamboo and the windchimes hanging from the teahouse – it’s so calming.
* Latest project
Kev and I both enjoy gardening, so we like to do projects together. At the moment, we’re cleaning and oiling the cedar wood shingles on the teahouse roof. We’re also putting new dark grey slabs around our koi pond to give it a sleeker look. Next year we’re planning to replace the deck boards with composite – it’s hard work every year to keep them looking good. And we’re thinking about updating the rendered walls…!
Teddy our new kitten
I love the big leaves of the bananas, and the new fronds of the soft tree fern when they uncurl.
* Our top tip
Our five koi are so calming to watch
When buying new plants, always read the advice on the labels!
* What our plot means to us
It’s ours, and we’ve put in all the hard work to achieve it. After a long day, we can relax in the calmness – there’s not even a lawn to worry about cutting since we installed artificial grass last summer. It’s great to sit back, look around and think, ‘We did that!’.
Frank our tortoise
Get in touch Tell us all about your garden by emailing moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 105
OVER TO YOU
PAWS
& WHISKERS...
...FINS AND FEATHERS. We love to see
your pets enjoying your gardens too!
Funny bunnies
Lola (right) and Bucky never fail to make me laugh in the garden. Lola loves climbing and she regularly sits with us on the furniture, and the pots are definitely a favourite to play in! They ‘help’ us put in new plants, throwing pots around and jumping on compost bags! Millie Chapman, email
Pigging out!
Polly and Dolly get lots of slugs as a reward while helping me weed, so we all win! Janet Powell, email PET IN A POT
These are our lawnmowers looking after our garden – they’re very environmentally friendly, all the grass is cut (eaten) down level and is then fertilised! Once eaten, we move them to the next section! Karen Mcglade, Facebook
Benji’s daily walk has gone to pot! Vicky Crocombe, Facebook
YOUR PRIZE!
F EAT U R E: AN G EL A K E N N Y
✽ Benji wins a comfy and secure
DOG’S DINNER Lola loves helping herself to our ve pots and we often find her ball in flowerbeds! Jane Shenton, emai
Much like me, Pip doesn’t want to come in from the garden! Jenny Comper, Facebook
machin Orthop £49.99, with co layers t pressur relieve strain on pets limbs.
Post your photos to facebook.com/moderngardensmagazine or email moderngardens@bauermedia.co.uk 106 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
O D N E SA C LE EM N BE O R VE IS M SU BE E R 25
✽ ORDER YOUR MAGAZINE ONLINE AT GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK A D ENJOY FREE DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR!
PH OTOS : SA M H O L L IN G S WO RT H , M ATA L A N , L I V I N G 4M E D I A , E M M A J ON E S, G AP PH OTOS
In next month’s issue...
with d e k c a p s r e v o e k a m n Garde ideas for you to pinch
ds ir b n e d r a g r u o y t a e r T to a festive feast
rn tu to s e u iq n h c te t r e p Ea s y ex ations r o c e d b fa to in e g a li fo
ous e h r e m m u s r u o y n r u T n e v a h r te in w y s o c a into
as tm is r h C n r e d o m a e Mak space e id ts u o r u o y r fo e e tr
PLUS, HOW TO MAKE A MODERN WREATH, QUIRKY STOCKING FILLERS YOU’LL LOVE AND FESTIVE ZOOM BACKDROPS!
D
PH OTO : M A R IA N N E M A J E R US. G AR D E N DE S IG N : AM I R SC H LE Z I N G E R/ M YL A N DSC A PE S
on’t let these dark evenings drive you back indoors – light your garden and turn your plot into an outdoor space you can use all year round. And you don’t need to spend a fortune or dig up half the garden to do it! These savvy lighting ideas all work together to layer up the light for a cohesive, designer glow but without the eye-watering cost. And we’ve chosen winter-happy solar and battery-powered options to make it really easy to get the look this weekend. Clever lighting not only tempts you to venture outside through the winter months but you’ll get the bonus of being able to enjoy your garden from inside, looking out. With magical lighting that creates interesting shapes and shadows, you’ll get a snug and cosy feeling while also breaking that indoor/ outdoor barrier. So there’s no need to shut the curtains on the outside world – open the back door and step outside to a magical night garden instead. What are you waiting for… it’s time to impress the neighbours!
LIGHT YOUR NIGHT GARDEN
for under £400 Add these speedy updates this weekend and enjoy your outside space from DUSK TO BEYOND
BIG PROJECT
DRAW LINES OF LIGHT Even the smallest garden or courtyard can recreate this modern designer-garden look with the clever use of solar LED strip lighting. The key to getting the look right is to keep the lines straight and not go OTT – you don’t want to make your plot look like an airport landing strip or a seafront spectacle! So try highlighting both sides of a straight path or the edge of a deck or raised bed. Make sure the solar panel is in a south-facing position for maximum light once night falls. Try Solar-Powered 16ft Waterproof LED Light Strip, £18.99 starkingdomstore.com
TRY THIS!
LED
8 9 . 7 £3
To create cheerful overhead dining lighting, wind wire around the tops of glass jars, pop in tealights and hang from strong wire stretched between posts
UPLIGHT SHAPELY FOLIAGE wever bare your garden in late autumn, a few e-in-the-ground uplighters will transform to a sculpture park of sensational shadows at night-time. Position the spotlights in beds or large planters in among evergreen plants, poking them deep in so the light is as flush as possible with the soil. Try Atlas Solar Spotlights, / k l k
£39.9 9
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➣
5 9 . 8 £2
Foliage net lights
Fairy lights aren’t just for summer evenings – if you drape them over large evergreen shrubs or plants that are next to a wall, you’ll create a magical backdrop. The easiest way is to use a net of lights that you can just place over the shrub or plant, such as Fit & Forget 240 Warm White Multi Function Net Lights, £28.95 worm.co.uk
Lights4fun Outdoor Solar LED Moroccan Hanging Lantern, £31.99 on.co.uk Solar
9 9 . 9 £1 One of the reasons that modern gardens look so fabulous when lit up is that their straight lines and strong shapes are accentuated by areas of light and dark. Whether you’ve got shapely pots, slatted fencing or sharp raised beds, use pop-in pop-out solar deck lights to highlight them. Deck lights look great in gravel too! Try Solar Up Lights, £19.99/3 pack glow.co.uk 110
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TIP It’s worth s
pending a little m or lights with the la test solar technol e on og y that will make the mo st use of weak wi nter sun
BIG PROJECT
TRY THIS!
Get out your festive fairy lights early and brighten up bare beds in an instant
DOWNLIGHT PRACTICAL AREAS Having pretty lighting is all very well, but sometimes you just want to be able to see! Strategically placed overhead lights will help you get more use out of your outdoor kitchen or barbecue on dry evenings. As well as creating a lovely ambient, fan-shaped illumination, they’ll ensure you can see exactly what’s cooking and what’s not! Go for battery-operated ones for longer lighting periods, as they don’t rely on sunlight to make them work, and motion sensors so they only turn on when you need them. Try Mr. Beams MB314 Wireless Battery Powered LED Spotlight with Motion-Sensing and Light-
9 9 . 9 3 £
PH OTO : K ATE BOWL I N T ER I O RS K AT EB OW L IN TE RI O RS.CO.U K @K AT E B OW L I N T ER I O RS
9 9 . 1 3 £ CAST INTRICATE SHADOWS Interior designer Kate Bowl brought some designer magic to her exterior living space with a collection of lanterns. These cast a low light to illuminate at ground level, and, if you choose a fretwork lantern that casts a pretty pattern of shadows, you’ll bring gorgeous as well as glow.
➣ NOVEMBER 2020
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9 9 . 7 1 £
Stylish festoons
ADD INDOOR STYLE Just like wall lights or tablelamps add a cosy atmosphere in a living room, you can create this mood-lighting effect outdoors with hanging bulbs that mimic the ones used inside. These solar festoons bring a subtle glow and, along with the inviting sofa and rugs underfoot, make this the perfect outdoor room with indoor style. For similar, try Battery Filament Effect Warm White LED Festoon Lights, £17.99 festive-lights.com
PH OTO : L I SA DAWSO N @ L I SA _ DAWSO N/ F E S T I VE- L I G H TS.CO M
MAKE A COSY CANOPY Stringing fairy lights above a seating area will instantly make you feel safer, providing you with the reassurance of a ‘roof’ to protect you from the darkness. Just remember the golden rule – when it comes to fairy lights, more is more is more! Try 200 Warm White LED Outdoor Battery Fairy Lights On Green Cable, £21.99 lights4fun.co.uk
P H OTO : L IG H TS 4 F U N .CO.UK
BOUNCE LIGHT AROUND Now you’ve added all these pops of light to your garden, why not reflect it all around for double the effect? To make an old interior mirror weatherproof for outdoor use, all you need to do is repaint it in an exterior finish – try Wilko Quick Paint Tester Pot (£1.25/75ml) painted over with Wilko Clear Outdoor Varnish (£6/250ml, both wilko.com). Prop it up against a fence with lanterns at its base. And try positioning a second mirror opposite, for infinite reflections!
5 2 . 7 £ 112
MODERN GARDENS
Upcycled mirrors
NOVEMBER 2020
Sol rburst Stake Light, £22.99 each, glow.co.uk
BIG PROJECT TRY THIS!
9 9 . 1 2 £
Fairy light strings
PH OTO : @ I NS I D E _ NO _ 8
Light up the top of a wall, or steps, with pillar candles in matching terracotta pots
ADD DRAMA Outdoor lighting isn’t only about helping you to see things in the dark, you can use it to create a bit of theatre, transforming your garden into a magical space when dusk falls. Adding a dramatic piece of lighting will grab your attention, especially if you pop it in an otherwise unlit area of your plot. Use just one or a group
1
2
5 more ow-factor li ht
F E ATU R E: J U L ES B A RTO N - BR EC K. P H OTOS : G AP P HOTOS / V I C TO RI A F I R MS TO N / B RE N T WI L SO N / N ICO L A S TO C K E N / PAU L D E B O I S / S U E H EATH /J O H N G LOV E R
4 9 . 7 £13
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Growing, making, upcycling or SIMPLY ENJOYING. We love to see what you’re up to in your gardens
What a screen saver!
That’s cl
I was sick of staring out of my kitchen door window onto the boring, dull view of my neighbour’s fence and now it’s far from that! It’s now an eye-catching vertical planting design with attractive leaf screen in the middle. Catherine Pooley, Facebook
Before
Flower tower * F O R F UL L T ERM S A N D CO N DI TI O N S, V I SI T W WW. B AU E RL EG AL .CO.U K/ COM PE T IT IO N -TE RM S. H T M L
LIVING THE DREAM!
This is what me and my kids have been up to over the past month. We used over 30 pallets, and pulled most of them apart to make the floor, walls and bar, and polycarbonate sheets for the roof. The timber pergola is painted using Ronseal One Coat in Tudor Black Oak. I also made a bench from an old cot and a piece of wood I found in the street. I turned some old foam I had in my caravan into seat pads and made covers for them from a duvet cover. The coffee table is my daughter’s old desk, cut down with pallet wood over the top. The fridge and stools came from family members. I have been dreaming about this for so long and I did it on a budget of £400. We really enjoyed making this, it’s kept us all busy and now we have somewhere nice to sit and have barbecues! Leighanne Harrison, Facebook
This is my effort at a freestanding pot stack inspired by an idea I saw, and loved, in Modern Gardens magazine.
Gail Wilkinson, email
YOUR PRIZE
✽ Congratulations
to Leighanne for sending us the best letter of the month. She receives a set of outdoor fairy lights worth £14.99.
I love my upcycled wine rack. It looks blooming lovely! Sue Warner, Facebook 114 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
OVER TO YOU
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve turned a 1930s enamel bidet into a mosaic bird bath. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hoping the birds like it as much as I do! Suzanne Trew, Facebook
A new lease of light!
My succulent garden looks lovely in an old Belfast sink. Trish Middleton, Faceb ook
My old chandelier looks great upcycled into a planter. I sprayed it with Colour It in Beautiful Blue then added a kalanchoe plant. Carolyn Bell, Facebook
When we built our gazebo, we found that the roof was too high above the fence, so I made a new flat roof using decorative panelling and put the old roof to good use as trellis. I also cut out a heart to brighten up our shed. Vicky Prendergast, Facebook
Teatime treat
This is my bird feeder, made using an old teapot, spoon, cup and saucer. Kate Emery, email
GET IN TOUCH
Ways to share your modern gard ns id as and pro ects with us...
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NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 115
CO M P IL E D BY AN G E LA K E N N Y.
Bring the roof down
How to toast
THE PERFECT MARSHMALL W Get ready to take this garden treat to a whole new level of DELICIOUS BLISS 116
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ping p li s p e e k s w o ll a m g TIP If your meltin ute ib tr is d to s r e w e k s o off into the fire, use tw m firmly impaled the the weight and keep
OUTDOOR LIVING
O
nce upon a time, intrepid souls in ancient Egypt would slink through the dawn mists rising off the River Nile, braving banded cobras, freshwater crocodiles and aggressive hippos to search for the velvet leaves of the prized marsh mallow. Its roots were boiled in honey and the thickened sap used to make sweet treats so good that it was a crime for them to be eaten by anyone other than a pharaoh or a god. Centuries later, today’s vanilla-flavoured fluff may not feature any of the original plant extract, but it’s still a heavenly morsel when toasted over a garden firepit – especially when you know all the secrets behind roasting the perfect one! Before we begin our marshmallow masterclass, let’s finish the story of how the plant turned into its present form – it’s a good tale to tell around the flickering flames. The marsh mallow was also in demand among the Romans and Greeks as a medicine, the key ingredient in inflammation-reducing salves (its name Althaea officinalis comes from the Greek ‘altho’, meaning ‘to heal’). In the 18th century, those healing properties led to the development of a marshmallow paste called pâté de guimauve. This French concoction of sugar, eggs and mallow extract, beaten into a foam, was used to treat coughs and sore throats. Confectioners discovered they could make a similarly tasty treat by replacing the mallow extract with gelatin, but the name stuck. So, while the modern marshmallow doesn’t have the healing properties of its plant-derived predecessor, it still has the power to bring maximum joy to your early-winter evenings. Ready to toast your way to golden-brown confectionary nirvana? Then let’s get gooey!
Marvellous mallows to try The world is your marshmallow playground. Standard vanilla fluffs from the supermarket work just fine, or you can make your own, buy vegan (try anandafoods.co.uk) or deep-dive into a ballpark of exciting flavours from online stores. Th is yours – just make sure that y medium to large marshmallow the too-small-for-toasting min For an evening treat that’s just grown-ups, try these: ✽ Hazelnut Liqueur Marshmallows, £6.95 cloudninemarshmallows.co uk ✽ Elderflower and Gin Gourmet Marshmallows nakedmarshmallow.co.uk ✽ Spiced Tomato and Vodka Gourmet Marshmallows, £7.50 themarshmallowist.com NOVEMBER 2020 MODERN GARDENS
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TWO-PRONGED APPROACH If you’re toasting mallows to add to a hot chocolate, then a two-pronged fork will allow you to toast them a little longer for a richer flavour. Set Of 2 BBQ Forks, £18 gardentrading.co.uk
F E ATU R E: K ATI E M AS T E RS. P H OTOS : G E TT Y I MAG E S, S TO C K F O O D
WHAT HEAT SOURCE IS BEST?
First things first: you can roast marshmallows over any type of firepit or firebowl, whether it’s wood-fuelled or gas-powered. You can also use your gas or charcoal barbecue. But opting for heat from wood or charcoal makes the Way of the Marshmallow an easier path. For a start, if you toast over gas, you’ll need to make sure you clean off any sticky marshmallow fluff that drips onto the burners. But, the roasted results from a wood fire is also better. The smoke and flames gradually reduce down to hot, heat-radiating embers, which push out warm air and generate little pockets of heat, so your mallow is held in a mini oven of all-round toastiness. If you’re using gas, the process is going to involve more flames, which makes perfecting your technique a bit trickier as their intensity can quickly turn a fragile marshmallow into blackened gloop. It’s still possible to toast fabulous marshmallows, but you’ll have to pay a little more attention!
COOKING CONDITIONS
A marshmallow is largely made of sugar, and that sweet treat is highly responsive to heat. All you need to kickstart the chemical process that turns a fluffy marshmallow into a lightly caramelised mouthful of happiness is consistent warmth. With that, the bonds between the sugar molecules break. The marshmallow starts to crisp on the outside and turn into liquid goo in the middle. Like so many things, marshmallow-toasting is all about timing. If you’re cooking with wood, light the fire approximately an hour before you want to toast. Sixty minutes in, it will be perfect 118
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THE LONG BURNER Try adding a Lekto Night Briquette to your firepit for a longer and slower burn, up to eight hours. It will crumble and glow, rather than roar, and it’s chemical-free too. £22.95/20kg lektowoodfuels.co.uk
for your skewer. Let your marshmallow bask roughly 15cm above the embers. If you’re using gas-fuelled fire, then make the flames as low as possible. Then hold your marshmallow on its toasting stick in the comfortable warmth above the flames. The convection currents caused by the heat will cause hot gases to stream straight up from the fire and they can be hot enough to char your mallows, so, if your first attempt frazzles, hold the next one higher. Think slow, gentle melting, and not a fast burn.
2 1
STICK TRICKS
When it comes to skewers, wood beats metal hands-down. That’s because, for marshmallowtoasting-purposes, metal is too good at conducting heat, so the skewer will melt the mallow around it, putting it at risk of sliding off to sizzle in the flames below. And, if you try to
3
OUTDOOR LIVING
TRY THIS!
GOOD TO KNOW!
If you’re toasting marshmallows over your barbecue, the Kona 360º Clean Grill Brush (£15.95, Kona at amazon.co.uk) makes postfeast cleaning much easier
MALLOW CCINO e-and-chocolate a warming sensation! ENJOY YOUR GARDEN MORE!
5 buys for extra marshmallow-ness
k Aged Chocolate m, £24.99 aramel, £1.80 our own
4
olate ws
1 This Handmade Marshmallow Gin is a tasty aperitif,
£33 handmadegin.com 2 Pop a potted marsh mallow plant on your patio table, £2.95/7cm pot victoriananursery.co.uk 3 Toast multiple mallows for a round of hot chocs with this three-pronged extendable toasting fork, £7.99 amazon.co.uk 4 Put dips and toppings for your toasted mallows in these Camila Ceramic Tray & Nibble Bowls, £32.50 oliverbonas.com 5 These 30cm Marshmallow Bamboo Roasting Sticks are 5 our go-to favourites, £12.99/120 Netvic at amazon.co.uk
nd the Carnation Caramel/dulce de leche in a mug. 2 Warm the milk. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stir until melted, then put back on the heat to re-warm. 3 Remove the chocolate milk from the heat, pour into the mug and mix well, then top with the marshmallows.
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OUTDOOR LIVING eat a marshmallow off a metal prong, you’ll burn your mouth. So, wood rules. For best results, soak the skewers in a bucket of water for at least 20 minutes before using, to prevent them charring or catching alight. Extra-long skewers are best, both to allow you to easily reach the perfect spot above the embers, and to keep you a comfortable distance from the heat. If possible, it should be of the chunky, chopstick size to prevent smouldering. There are plenty of marshmallow utensils on the market, but it’s also easy (and satisfying) to make your own. Find a long stick in your garden or on a walk and use a potato peeler to whittle one end to a point. It’s best to choose a freshly cut stick, rather than dry, seasoned wood, as it’ll be less likely to burn. Most sticks will do, but it’s important to exercise some caution. Don’t choose one that comes from a tree or shrub that’s too resinous, such as pine, as these will release sticky deposits that you don’t want to eat. And definitely don’t pick a stick with toxins in its bark. Key twigs to avoid include yew, laburnum, buckthorn and oleander. Safe options include apple, pear, oak, birch and alder.
“Watch for a gentle plume of smoke to wisp off one side” EXPERT TOASTING
The key to perfect marshmallows is to think slow and steady, with regular rotation. Toasting the ultimate mallow can take four or five minutes over low embers, so kick back, relax and think of yourself as a patient confectionary-fisherman. Position yourself a foot away from the fire, keep the mallow 15cm above the embers, and never – ever! – touch a flame. If you’re sitting down, and your fire source means it’s safe to do so, you could position a solid, fire-safe object such as an old housebrick to rest your stick on. This will help you to maintain a consistent height as you turn your marshmallow. Some people like to keep their skewer rotating ever so slowly. Others prefer to toast one side at a time. Both are equally effective but, if you’re in the one-side-at-a-time camp, keep your eyes on the prize after each turn for
the first gentle plume of smoke to wisp off one side of the mallow, which indicates that this area is done and it’s time to twist again. Check your first mallow as you cook it, regularly lifting it from its toasting position to take a peek at the fluffy delight developing on the end of your stick. This will help you to judge how long it’s taking to tan the sides with whatever level of heat the fire is producing. You’ll also be able to see just how close to the edge of perfect golden-brown sides and gooey centre you can push your mallow before it burns or collapses. All done? Harness all your willpower and wait 60 seconds to let your mallow cool down. This not only lessens the risk of you burning your mouth, but your tastebuds will be able to experience a deeper flavour sensation without the searing, just-cooked heat. But then – enjoy!
TRY THESE!
TOPPINGS AND TWISTS Bonfire Cloud Sticks
Skewer marshmallows onto kebab sticks between strawberries. Toast, then drizzle with homegrown mint sauce. S with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
A little bit of eaven
Tipsy Mallows
Dunk toasted marshmallows into a glass of creamy Baileys or smooth Kahlúa for a boozy taste sensation. Be warned, it’s impossible to stop eating these!
Salted Caramel Marshettos
Squidge a couple of perfectly toasted marshmallows onto an ice-cream wafer and drizzle with salted-caramel sauce. Try Jude’s Salted Caramel Sauce, £2, sainsburys.com.
DIY Wagon Wheel
Dip your toasted marshmallow into a bowl of melted dark chocolate, then roll it in a dish of biscuit crumbs. To make the crumbs, put digestive biscuits in a zip seal bag and bash with a rolling pin.
Winter-spice Fluffs
To make an aromatic spiced dip, mix 1 tbsp of honey and 1/4 tsp cinnamon into 250g of half-fat crème fraiche.
Mallow Nibbles
Let your toasted marshmallow cool a little, then use the end of a teaspoon to open it up and push a few salted peanuts into the centre. 120
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e l p p a e n i p h s e r f of s k n u h c g n i d d a TIP Tr y o o t , s r e w e k s y w to thes e ma ll o
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JUNEBERRY
This SWEET SUPERFRUIT is the ultimate tree for a modern garden and November is the time to plant one!
W
ant a bountiful crop of the most deliciously tasty fruit, as well as a pretty tree that provides fabulous colour but doesn’t grow too big, or need much looking after? Meet the juneberry! Also known as the saskatoon and serviceberry, the juneberry can be grown as a small tree or large shrub, depending on how it was trained at the nursery. It reaches a height of only 3-4m, but can easily be pruned to keep it smaller, yet will produce up to 4.5kg of fruit a year! And, unlike many other types of fruit tree, it’s self-fertile, so you only need to grow one. Plant one now and the show will start in spring, when new leaves emerge a delightful bronze colour. As they turn to green, a billow of white flowers appears in April. The fruit is produced in late June or early July, turning from pink to deep purple as it ripens. The spectacle finishes with a
blaze of fiery orange and red foliage in autumn, leaving just a tracery of bare branches backlit by low sunlight throughout winter. Juneberries look very much like blueberries, but they have the flavour of a sweet blueberry crossed with a cherry, with just a hint of almond. They’re a superfruit, too, higher in antioxidants than blueberries, rich in vitamin C and E and an excellent source of protein, iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. They’re incredibly versatile – in Canada, it’s common practice at all Canadian state banquets to incorporate saskatoons in every course! While delicious eaten straight from the tree, they make amazing pies and crumbles, cakes and muffins, smoothies and syrups. For bumper crops of the largest, tastiest fruit, grow a named variety of Amelanchier alnifolia – see below for our favourites.
BUY IT! ✽ Amelanchier alnifolia
F E ATU R E: G EO F F H OD G E. REC I PE S : H O L LY C AM M A RATA- H A L L . P H OTOS : S TO C K F O O D G A P P HOTOS / F RI E D RI CH S T RAU S S
‘Northline’ produces superb quality fruit with a wonderful deep flavour, £19.99/3L pot crocus.co.uk ✽ ‘Smoky’ is the sweetest flavoured variety, a reliable heavy cropper of high-quality fruit, £27/7L pot kenmuir.co.uk
YOUR GARDEN LARDER 122 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
EASY IDEAS
HOW TO GROW
Juneberries thrive in any well-drained, moisture-retentive soil, preferably in a sunny position. Or grow in a large pot. YOU WILL NEED ✽ Spade and garden fork ✽ Juneberry tree ✽ Planting compost such as Verve Soil Improver, £4.37/50L diy.com ✽ Westland Bone Meal Plant Feed, £4.60/1.5kg diy.com ✽ Sledgehammer or lump hammer ✽ Timber Tree Pole 1.5m, £6.98 diy.com ✽ 2 Tree Ties, £4.49/2 crocus.co.uk ✽ Saw ✽ Watering can or hosepipe
r r ie e b e n u J ? W O N DID YOU K ms u l p r a g u s d e l l a c also
s are
WHAT TO DO 1 Dig the soil thoroughly to break up any large clumps. Remove the roots of any weeds and add compost to the soil. 2 Dig a planting hole at least twice the size of the plant’s rootball, adding compost and fertiliser to the excavated soil. Bang the tree pole stake into the hole at one side. 3 Thoroughly soak the tree’s rootball before planting. Place the tree in the hole, with the trunk up close to the pole, adding compost if needed so that the top of the rootball is at the same level as the surrounding soil. Fill in the hole with the soil/compost/fertiliser mix, firming the soil as you go with your heel or fists. 4 The tree only needs a stake 60-75cm above ground level, so saw it down to size. Secure the tree using one tree tie near the top of the stake and the second halfway between the first and ground level. Water thoroughly with at least 10 litres. ➣ NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 123
MIX THEM!
JUNEBERRY OAT BARS INGREDIENTS ✽ 175g unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing ✽ 150g light brown sugar ✽ 50ml honey ✽ 175g juneberries ✽ 300g porridge oats ✽ 50g sunflower seeds or chopped almonds Makes 12
WHAT TO DO 1 Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 10 x 8in baking tin. 2 Place the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and melt over a low heat. Add the berries and a pinch of salt. 3 Remove from the heat and stir in the oats and seeds. Spoon the mixture into the tin and press into an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, remove and cut into bars.
TIP Before pla
cing in the oven, score the surface into 12 bars to m ake it ea s ie r to cu t whe n baked 1 24 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
EASY IDEAS
TIP Full-fat Gr
eek yogurt can be us ed instead of s oured cream
BAKE THEM!
JUNEBERRY LOAF WITH LEMON ICING & ROSE PETALS INGREDIENTS ✽ 175g unsalted butter, at room temperature ✽ 175g caster sugar ✽ 3 eggs ✽ 100ml soured cream ✽ 1 lemon, zest and juice ✽ 215g self-raising flour ✽ 200g juneberries, plus extra for garnish ✽ 150g icing sugar, sifted ✽ Edible dried rose petals Serves 8-10 WHAT TO DO 1 Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin. Set aside. 2 In a freestanding mixer, or using an electric hand mixer, cream together the unsalted
butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. 3 Add the eggs one at a time incorporating each one fully before adding the next. 4 Mix in the soured cream, the lemon zest and half the lemon juice and combine well. 5 Fold in the flour before adding the juneberries. 6 Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake is risen and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. 7 When the cake is cool, mix the icing sugar with 2 tsp of the remaining lemon juice. Stir until thick and glossy then pour over the cake. Decorate with the dried rose petals and a few juneberries.
BURST THEM!
INDIVIDUAL JUNEBERRY CHEESECAKES INGREDIENTS ✽ 200g juneberries ✽ 100g icing sugar plus 1 tbsp, sifted ✽ 100g chocolate biscuits ✽ 50g unsalted butter, melted ✽ 50g chopped hazelnuts ✽ 225g full-fat cream cheese ✽ 175ml double cream ✽ Edible flowers, to garnish Serves 6
om .c n a g r o m n o s p m tho TIP Check out s r e w o fl e l b i d e f o for a list
WHAT TO DO 1 Place the berries in a pan over a medium heat with 1 tbsp of icing sugar and a splash of water. Heat until the berries soften, burst and begin to breakdown.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. 2 In a food processor, blitz the chocolate biscuits into crumbs. Mix in the butter and hazelnuts and divide into six glasses creating a layer on the bottom. 3 In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, 100g icing sugar and the cooled fruit. 4 In another bowl, whip the double cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold two thirds of the double cream into the cream cheese and fruit mixture and combine thoroughly. Divide among the glasses creating a deep layer on top of the biscuit. 5 Top each glass with a spoonful of double cream and a few edible flowers.
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 125
FREE* SPRING-FLOWERING BULBS TO
PLANT NOW!
Enjoy a DAZZLING DISPLAY of blooms next year with this must-have mix
T
his month, you can claim 100 spring-flowering bulbs for FREE*. You’ll receive a mix of daffodils, for a bright and cheery spring shoutout February to April, and allium ‘Violet Beauty’, for globes of violet stars in June. Perfect for pots, beds and borders, these blooms make wonderful cut flower displays allowing you to enjoy them in your home too. They’re also very easy to grow – simply dig a hole, add the bulbs, cover them up and leave them alone! They’re happy in light shade but prefer free-draining soil. Leave the bulbs in the ground after the flowers have died back, and they’ll reward you with bigger, better displays, each year for many years to come. Plus, save £4.99 on springflowering tulip, crocus, daffodil and grape hyacinth bulbs when you buy three for the price of two.
100 * FREE spring bulbs for every reader
* J U S T PAY £ 6 .9 9 P OS TAG E
Daffodil mix LEAVE THE DAF foliage to die back naturally after flowering as this will allow as much energy as possible to go back into the bulbs for the following year. Only cut back the leaves once they have turned yellow or brown. Emma, editor Modern Gardens
126 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Allium ‘Violet Beauty’
READER OFFER
3 FOR 2 – MIX AND MATCH ON ANY OF THESE SAVE £4.99 Tulip ‘Carnaval de Nice’
Tulip ‘Double Pink’
HOW TO ORDER
✽ GO ONLINE yougarden.com/RMG134 ✽ CALL 0844 502 0050 quoting code RMG134. Calls cost 5p per minute plus your phone provider’s access charge.
✽ 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.
This giant peony-like bloom will add an extended splash of colour to your spring garden. It’s easy to grow and its pretty, eye-catching, double-cupped blooms will come back year after year. £4.99/12 bulbs.
Tulip ‘Gavota’
A beautiful double-flowered tulip, it’s perfect in pots on your patio with large gatherings of the same variety or mixed up in beds and borders with other varieties. It makes a special cut flower too. £4.99/15 bulbs.
Large-flowered crocus ‘Striped’
Code
Description
Price
Qty
Total
100 spring bulbs FREE for every reader
FREE
1
FREE
600033
Tulip ‘Carnaval de Nice’
£4.99
600040
Tulip ‘Double Pink’
£4.99
600012
Tulip ‘Gavota’
£4.99
600086
Large-Flowered Crocus ‘Striped’
£4.99
600098
Daffodil ‘Tête-À-Tête’
£4.99
600117
Muscari latifolium
£4.99 1
£6.99
Postage (per order)
£6.99
Total
£
ORDER FORM
Modern Gardens, Reader Offer RMG133, YouGarden, PO Box 1468, Peterborough PE1 9XL Title ............................................................. Initial ............................... Surname ................................................................................................
This striking bicolour tulip is perfect for adding dramatic contrast. Combine it with other spring-flowering bulbs or early flowering perennials and shrubs. £4.99/15 bulbs.
Daffodil ‘Tête-À-Tête’
With beautiful striped petals, with a soft purple accent, these blooms are happy in shady spots, so perfect for planting under shrubs and trees. £4.99/20 bulbs.
Muscari latifolium
Address ................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................... ........................................ Postcode ..................................................... Email .......................................................Tel.......................................... Payment details I enclose a cheque for £.............................. made payable to YouGarden with my name and address on the back. Or debit my Visa ■ Mastercard ■ Card Number..................../..................../..................../.................... Start Date................/................ Expiry Date................/................ Security code...................................................................................... Signature .............................................................................................
Daffodils blowing in the breeze are a true sign that spring is approaching. Brilliant in pots, this variety produces lots of pretty, golden-yellow flowers from late February. £4.99/30bulbs.
These striking, two-tone blue, cone-shaped flowers will look stunning against their long deep green leaves in early spring each year. Plant under trees to create a beautiful woodland feel. £4.99/50 bulbs.
T&CS: Orders dispatched within 10 working days. Contract for supply is with YouGarden Ltd, Eventus House, Sunderland Road, Market Deeping PE6 8FD. Offer subject to availability, and in the event that it is oversubscribed, we reserve the right to send suitable substitutes. UK delivery only. Delivery surcharges may apply for the following postcode areas: AB, BT, DD8-11, GY, HS, IM, IV, JE, KA27-28, KW, PA20-80, PH19-50, TR21-25 and ZE. Images show mature plants. See website for photos of plants as supplied. Full terms and product details at www. YouGarden.com. Offer closes 30 December 2020.
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 127
CREATE WOW WITH
MODERN FAVOURITES
Get a FREE PEONY plant when you order any of these fab contemporary collections!
O
rder from the collection on these two pages, and you can claim a FREE peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ bare-root plant worth £8.49. With ruffled, flamingo-pink, double blooms that open from large, rounded buds in June and July, this peony is renown for its flower power. It grows slightly taller (90cm) than many other peonies, so plant it towards the back of borders where its blooms will rise above a clump of dark green foliage. The flowers look beautiful in a bouquet if you can bear to cut them! Plus, save £15.99 when you order 18 bare-root alstroemeria plants for £19.98, save £6.99 when you buy 10 bare-root Helleborus niger plants and save £1.99 when you buy 10 bare-root hosta plants for £19.99.
FREE PEONY
worth £8.49 with every order
SWEET PEONY PETALS are edible, so why not use them to pretty up salads, garnish cocktails or float in punches? Emma, editor Modern Gardens
128 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Order all four collections for a stunning display all year round!
READER OFFER
Alstroemeria ‘Garden Hybrids’ SAVE
TO ORDER 15.99 HOW ✽ GO ONLINE thompson-morgan.com/TM_MGR24
Fill your home with freshly cut alstroemeria flowers picked from your garden. ‘Garden Hybrids’ produces exotic, lily-like blooms that provide a parade of colour over the summer months and into autumn. They’re easy to grow and perfect for adding a bright splash of late summer colour to modern-cottage garden borders and patio containers. Plus, these Peruvian lilies will continue to grow in your garden for many years to come! Height 75cm Spread 60cm. Buy 6 bare-root plants for £9.99, saving £2, or 18 for £19.98, saving £15.99.
✽ CALL 0844 573 1686, quoting code TM_MGR24 (Calls cost 7p per minute).
✽ BY POST Fill in the form, cut it out and post it to the address below with your payment. Code
From only 10.9
Hosta Collection Grown for their decorative foliage, in a multitude of shapes and colours, hostas make superb ground cover. Keep slugs under control and these easy-grow plants will reward you with a show of fresh colourful foliage each spring, lasting right through to autumn, along with upright flower spikes in summer. The collection includes: ‘Francee’ with foliage that is deeply ribbed and edged in jagged, cream margins. Height 55cm Spread 100cm. ‘September Sun’ has golden leaves with irregular dark green margins that still look good towards the end
of summer. Height 60cm Spread 100cm. ‘Marmalade on Toast’ has corrugated, heart-shaped, blue-green foliage with gently wavy margins. Height 60cm Spread 100cm. ‘Brim Cup’ is a compact variety with dark green foliage edged in a broad creamywhite margin. Height 30cm Spread 60cm. ‘Frances Williams’ is relatively slug-resistant with blue-green foliage and bright golden margins. Height 60cm Spread 100cm. Buy 5 bare-root plants for £10.99 or 10 (2 of each) for £19.99, saving £1.99.
Description
Price
15977
6 bare-root alstroemeria plants
£9.99
KB1835
18 bare-root alstroemeria plants SAVE £15.99
£19.98
82101
5 bare-root hosta plants – 1 of each
£10.99
82102
10 bare-root hosta plants – 2 of each SAVE £1.99
£19.99
14192
5 bare-root hellebore plants
£11.99
KB6688
10 bare-root hellebore plants SAVE £6.99
£16.99
Qty
Total
FREE OFFER Yes, I’ve ordered another item. Please send me my FREE Peony ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (15998) bare-root plant [ ] P&P (per order)
£4.99
1 Total
£4.99 £
ORDER FORM
Please fill in and send (with your payment) to: Modern Gardens, Dept TM_MGR24, PO Box 162, Ipswich, IP8 3BX Title ............................................................. Initial ............................... Surname ................................................................................................ Address ................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................... ........................................ Postcode ..................................................... Email .......................................................Tel..........................................
‘Francee’
‘September ‘Marmalade ‘Brim Cup’ Sun’ on Toast’
Helleborus niger
‘Frances Williams’
SAVE £6.99
These snow-white, saucer-shaped blooms are flushed with green and pink and slowly deepen in colour as they age. With glossy foliage, they’re a stunning addition to shady borders and winter containers and will delight year after year. Height 30cm Spread 45cm. Buy 5 bareroot plants for £11.99 or 10 for £16.99, saving £6.99.
Payment details I enclose a cheque for £.............................. made payable to T&M with my name and address on the back. Or debit my Visa ■ Mastercard ■ Card Number..................../..................../..................../.................... Start Date................/................ Expiry Date................/................ CSV code..................................... Signature .................................. T&CS: Items will be despatched from November onwards. All orders will be acknowledged with a despatch date in writing, by letter or email. If, in the event of unprecedented demand this offer is oversubscribed, we reserve the right to send suitable substitutes. Your contract for supply of goods is with Thompson & Morgan, Poplar Lane, Ipswich, IP8 3BU. Terms & Conditions available upon request. All offers are subject to availability. This product cannot be delivered to the following postcodes: GY, HS, IV41-IV56, KW15-KW17, PA34, PA41-48, PA60PA78, PA80, PH40-PH44, TR21-TR24, ZE1-ZE3. Images for illustration purposes only. Savings are based on multiples of the cheapest pack sizes. Please tick here if you prefer not to receive offers from any company other than T&M [ ]. Offer closes 29 November 2020.
NOVEMBER 2020
M O D E R N G A R D E N S 129
GARDEN MAKEOVER
OUR GARDEN CRUSH We’re feeling a little frazzled by Christmas shopping and wishing we could escape to this RESTORATIVE HAVEN
A
h, what we wouldn’t give to be snuggled up in this swinging chair with a G&T right now! The Silent Pool Gin Garden was designed for last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show by David Neale of David Neale Landscapes as a stress-relieving outside space that could absorb the pressures of everyday life. “Designing this garden for the show allowed me to create a space that can transform your feelings and emotions through planting and hard landscaping,” David says.
HEALING PROPERTIES
The plants have all been chosen for their health and wellbeing benefits and include roses (antioxidants), elderflower (used to treat swollen sinuses), juniper (a known digestive aid) and chamomile (sleep-booster). Many are also highly scented, their aroma acting on the five million receptor cells in the human brain and affecting emotions, behaviour and long-term memory. “The plants allow everyone to enjoy a sense of calm,” says David. The canopy is designed to partially hold in the aroma, as well as provide shelter from the weather. Garden visitors also enjoyed the soothing sounds of the Surrey Hills, with sensors attached to the plants picking up their electrical energy to create a variable soundscape. These sounds of nature have been scientifically proven to decrease the body’s fight-or-flight response and increase its ability to relax.
A water wall creates additional sound and movement, drawing you into the space. “The light will shimmer and dance on its botanically patterned surface as the water travels down,” says David. “This is even more impactful in the evenings with the internal lighting creating a magical glow.”
ECO-FRIENDLY ENERGY
The energy needed for the light and sound was ingeniously generated within the garden. “I am working alongside the University of Surrey and Plant-e to generate energy by using living plants’ waste matter suited particularly to roof spaces,” explains David. “We hope this will emphasise the obvious need for new renewable energy but also make people think about the usable and currently wasted spaces that we have; in particular, the many bare rooftops across the country.”
es many of the The garden includin g botanicals used gin makin
The hanging cha a nod to the copper used in gin distilleries.
130 M O D E R N G A R D E N S N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0
roof not only highlights and makes use of space that may otherwise be forgotten, but also generates electricity to power lights.
F E ATU R E: E MM A K EN DE L L . P H OTOS : A L A M Y. D E I SG N : DAV I DN E AL E L AN DSC A PE S.CO.UK
Virginia creeper
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EXCELLENT
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NE DESI W ONLIGNS NE
Not just 100% squirrel proof
The Metal seed tube lid also acts as a large baffle to prevent aerial attacks from squirrels.
ALSO
PEST PROOF
Large capacity seed tube
• INDIVIDUALLY spring loaded feeding ports only
let the songbirds feed, not pests as these are too heavy and will close the feeding port. • AUTOMATICALLY pest proof straight out of the box - No setting or spring calibration to adjust - So simple to use. • VERY LARGE CAPACITY and so easy to fill, simply open the lid. • WEATHER PROOF - No more seed clogging. Woodpecker friendly and also baby Anti rust stainless steel squirrel proof! plates prevent squirrels from gnawing into • FOUR VERSIONS of PestOff bird feeders the feeder. available to suit all different seed types. • EASY TO CLEAN - simply 'clicks' apart, no bolts to remove and replace. A
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PORT OPEN
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SAVE WHEN YOU BUY TWO
Keeps Seed Dry
Secondary baffle feature protects birds and seed from elements and also prevents squirrels sliding down the feed tube to access the food ports Bird seed not included.
GUARANTEED
PATENTED
Designed in the UK
Simply post to: FREEPOST HOMGAR
Please send me the following:
INDIVIDUALLY SPRING LOADED
ARCH WINDOW BIRD FEEDER
Please order from our website at www.homgar.com or return the coupon using our free post service to: FREEPOST HOMGAR.
Item Price Qty TM 1 x Roamwild Pest Off Bird Feeder £25.99 TM 2 x Roamwild Pest Off Bird Feeders £46.99 TM 1 x Roamwild Arch Window Feeder £25.99 2 x RoamwildTM Arch Window Feeders £46.99 TM 1 x Roamwild Seed Scoop £7.99 Please add £4.99 postage to complete order TICK TYPE REQUIRED A B C D Grand Total £
Total
£4.99
I enclose a cheque (payable to Homgar)
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or charge my Mastercard/Visa/Maestro/Switch Card account
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