Tag Archives: garden

Entertaining in the Garden

Entertaining outside – our guide

Hosting in the Holidays

You have inevitably spent the past few months labouring over your garden and making it look beautiful. As the weather continues to be fine into July, finally it is time to reap the benefits of your hard work.

Summer is the perfect time to host dinners and parties outside with friends and family. Follow these tips to create a warm, inviting and enjoyable space to share with people this summer!

The garden essentials

  1. Clear up; although it’s an obvious step, it can make a huge difference! Simply sweeping away leaves, removing any rubbish and hoeing out a few weeds in the patio can smarten up the whole space. If you have a pressure washer it would be great to use that on a patio area or dirty walls, although a sponge and hose will often do the job. Small things such as washing the dirt and muck off pots with warm soapy water will also help!Trimming the hedges

2. Shape up; trim hedges or any overgrown plants to make them look tame. Be sure to clear any pathways to prevent any unwanted trips or slips!

3. Lawn care; hopefully the effort that you have put into your lawn this year has paid off! In this weather it is necessary to mow the lawn regularly, as often as twice a week. This will keep it in good condition and ready for any spontaneous entertaining! Now is also the perfect chance to add a summer fertiliser feed to your lawn to promote high quality growth.

4. A lick of paint; does your fence, furniture or wooden patio look a little bit worse for wear? A lick of paint or varnish can give it a new lease of life. However it might be time to treat yourself to a new set of garden furniture!

Planting

5. Add some colour; if you don’t already have sufficient colour in your garden, why not simply add a few roses. These are always attractive and should last you through the summer! Another instant solution for patios is to fill some nice pots with colourful bedding plants that are in flower at the moment. We have a huge range of these and a variety of colours to choose from in store.  These can also be planted along borders to add colour without pots!

6. Go bold and make a statement; maybe your garden is lacking interest this year. A great way to add another dimension and really make a statement is to add a large or unusual ornament! Alternatively you could plant an interesting plant in a pot as a centrepiece. We would recommend a stunning Japanese maple (acer) that your guests won’t be able to miss!

Creating the perfect space

Everyone wants their garden to be a sanctuary in summer that they, and equally their guests, love to spend time in.

1. Furniture; furniture is of course an essential if you want to host and even spend time in your garden. Pick furniture that suits your garden and has the capacity to seat your usual number. Pair your furniture with an umbrella and create a space that can be used both in the heat of the day and then later on in the evening.

2. Accessorise; it is a much better idea to buy sturdy and long lasting furniture over flouncy and flimsy furniture. However this doesn’t mean that it can’t look great! The addition of cushions and throws can quickly make a simple furniture set look elegant and colourful!

3. Atmosphere is essential; lights in the garden add so much ambience. Invest in some solar lights, these really are an investment as they are completely free to run and there’s no cost of buying batteries! Place these strategically to light areas of interest, maybe beneath your favourite tree and along paths to guide the way!

4. Night scent; are you hoping to spend evenings in your garden? Plant some honeysuckle which is fragrant through the night!

5. Bringing your kitchen outside; another great idea for a BBQ fan is to fun to plant some herbs near the BBQ area. They create a brilliant aroma and they are within reach to try some interesting herb combinations on the BBQ.

6. Make it fun! Read our blog post about our high quality fun lawn games that you can play with guests!

Bird Box with baby blue tit inside

Wildlife in May

Wildlife in May

The beauty of May and it’s wildlife

A bee inside a flower

May holds a place in everyone’s heart- if it isn’t the excitement of the new leaves and greenery, the colours of the fresh flowers or the promise of warmer weather then it must be the birdsong and buzzing of bees that epitomises May. Make sure that whilst you give your garden all the TLC that it may have missed out on over the winter that you don’t neglect the wildlife as it is the whole ecosystem that gives May the feeling that we all love.

 

Looking out for wildlife and how to help

Bird feeder with a garden robin perching on the edge

A little garden Robin feeding from a bird feeder.

  • – Check your hedges and shrubs for nesting birds before you trim them
  • – Maybe give your bird bath a spring clean.
  • – Making sure that your garden offers clean drinking water and food will attract birds who are trying to feed their young at this point, for this reason we recommend not filling the bird feeders with anything too large such as peanuts (which can act as a choking hazard for baby birds)
  • – Also regularly cleaning the bird feeder to avoid the risk of bird pox.
  • – To really offer birds a luxury stay in your garden it is nice to also provide nesting material, for example fur from any long haired pets will be gratefully picked up or hair from your hairbrush, so just ball it up and leave it on the lawn or in a fat ball holder.

Night time Wildlife

The beauty of May’s wildlife seeps into night time and bat watching at dusk can be a great activity.  Unfortunately the bat population is coming under threat in the UK due to loss of habitat and pollution yet encouraging bats to come to your garden can benefit you as they feed off several unwanted insects such as mosquitoes and midges. Encourage bats by turning off your garden lights when they’re not in use, growing some plants that will attract moths overnight and by avoiding using pesticides where possible. If you want to build a bat box, the best placement for these is somewhere undisturbed and with some sun as bats love warm places.