March Digital Sampler - Modern Gardens

MODERN GARDENS I MARCH 2018 I ISSUE 24 CREATE YOUR PERFECT OUTSIDE SPACE – NO GREEN FINGERS REQUIRED!
100s
OF EASY
IDEAS!
MARCH 2018
ISSUE TWENTY FOUR
£3.99
NEW!
Create your perfect outside space - no green fingers required!
READER GARDENS | EASY IDEAS | SHOPPING
537
INSPIRING
NEW IDEAS
TO TRY
Including
YOUR GET
OUTSIDE!
THE ENJOY BEST YOUR OF
OUTDOOR
GARDEN
NOW
LIVING
✽ Stunning pots of jewel-bright tulips
✽ Quick (& cheap) fixes to perk up your patio
✽ Genius tips to make gardening easy
✽ Plants on wheels! Clever moveable planters
✽ 18 smart ways to add style with sleepers
MARCH ISSUE 28 FEBRUARY - 27 MARCH
BUY ME!
Garden makeovers
“MY MULTI-LEVEL GARDEN
IS SO EASY TO MANAGE”
Outdoor living
THROW A CURRY PARTY
BOLLYWOOD STYLE!
Easy ideas
SIMPLE STEPS TO
ADD A GARDEN PATH

Inside this
MONTH...
14
34
Reader garden
makeovers
14 “Our space is relaxing not
relentless!”
A tricky waterlogged plot is transformed
into a striking suburban retreat.
30 “My multi-level garden is
so easy to manage”
A sloping garden combines different
areas for relaxing and entertaining.
Simple makes
& projects
40 Modern wall planter
Create a stylish display with a mix of
herbs and flowers in a brass container.
82 We love to make
How to create cheap and cheerful
containers for your spring displays.
84 Up the garden path
Give your outdoor space a practical and
stylish edge with a smart new walkway.
90 Charm the birds
It’s so easy to make this sweet little bird
bath for your garden.
102 Bollywood party
Throw a fun get-together with colourful
decorations and a spicy curry.
Easy ideas
19 Are you sitting comfortably?
Light, durable and easy to store, metal
chairs and tables work in any style garden.
24 Time for tulips
Create the perfect spring update with
these stunning plants.
34 Levels of loveliness
How to make an impressive visual impact
with different levels.
44 Add style with sleepers
Versatile, sturdy and hard-wearing,
railway sleepers can make a statement.
56 Refresh & revamp
Breathe new life into your patio and
decking with our easy spring spruce-up.
66 All about wallflowers
Create an early burst of spring with
a froth of these confetti-like flowers.
72 Plant a white corner
Refresh your garden with the uplifting
colours of crisp white and lush green.
82
We
LOVE
this!

42 106
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
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SMALL
GARDENS
BIG
IDEAS
118
6
75 Clever planters on the move
Containers on wheels let you grow what
you want, where you want.
98 Plant icons
15 reasons why we love bluebells.
108 Genius ways for easy
gardening
Get those jobs done quickly and easily
with the latest tools and gadgets.
Best buys
42 10 buys...
To add a splash of sunshine.
Grow & eat
113 Garden to glass
Mix up your own teatime tipple.
118 Chamomile
Make mini buttermilk cakes, honey panna
cottas and season roast chicken with this
soothing herb.
Regulars
6 Earthy pleasures
Top ideas for what to buy, make and do.
12 Blooming lovely
Plants and shrubs to buy now.
22 Celebrate spring
Stylist Selina Lake on how to get the look.
50 What to do now
How to keep your plot looking good.
54 Upcycle with style
Make a pretty colander container.
64 Paws & whiskers
Enjoying your garden with your pets.
80 We love outdoor living
Your garden highlights.
93 Reinvent the wheel
Upcycled tyres and wheels can add a
whole new perspective to the garden.
106 Subscription offer
Sign up now and get the next six issues
of Modern Gardens for only £9.99.
114
Q&A
Got a question? We’ve got the answer.
122 Fruity colour for your patio
Save money on beautiful roses.
124 Plant an easy floral display
Money off perennial blooms.
126 Garden notebook
All you need to know to get started.
130 Our garden crush
The garden of our dreams!

A SHADY SEATING AREA
is perfect for a relaxing cuppa
before a busy day.
2
GARDEN ART
helps to personalise a
space. Theo made this
limestone sculpture
with a deceptively
simple shape but you
can find similar at
garden centres.
3
PLENTY OF PRETTY
TULIPS such as purple ‘Jan
Reus,’ punchy orange ‘Prinses
Irene’ and ‘China Pink’ soften
the hard landscaping.
1
EXTREME
Makeover
WORDS: FIONA CUMBERPATCH. PHOTOS: PHILHIRSTGARDENS.CO.UK
“Our space is relaxing
not relentless!”
Theo and Sarah Quant transformed a tricky sloping plot
into a STRIKING SUBURBAN RETREAT
14 MODERN GARDENS MARCH 2018

READER GARDEN
BEFORE
HARDWOOD DECKING,
such as Western Red Cedar,
is rot resistant and therefore
perfect for a damp garden.
4
Theo and Sarah inherited an uninspiring
garden with a soggy lawn and borders.
OUR GARDEN
PL AN
LOCATION
“Our 1960s semi-detached house in
Lodge Moor, Sheffield, has a
low-maintenance, grass-free garden with
raised beds at different levels, gravelled
areas and decking.”
THE LOOK
A structured suburban space with
pretty planting.
SITE AND SOIL
Size 30 x 11m
Faces North/north-west
Soil Clay, prone to waterlogging
OUR BUDGET
Design services £1,500
Landscaping £9,500
Plants £1,000
TOTAL: £12,000
HOW LONG IT TOOK
Hard landscaping 4 weeks
Planting 3 days
TOTAL:
AROUND 4 WEEKS
WOODEN WALKWAYS
encourage exploration of the
garden and give it a modern look.
MARCH 2018 MODERN GARDENS 15
➣

Celebrating
SPRING
Stylist SELINA LAKE is the author of eight
best-selling books. Here, she shares her inspirational
styling ideas, glorious garden buys and on-trend,
easy craft projects with you every month
There’s certainly a spring in my step
this month as there is so much to
celebrate what with the Easter
festivities to come and the launch of
my latest book, Garden Style. At this time
of year, it’s the spring flowers that bring us all
joy after a gloomy winter. It’s great to see my
garden flourishing and my boarders filled with
swathes of my favourite daffodils, including
ivory-white ‘Thalia’, softly scented ‘Sweet
Smiles’ and tazetta, with white petals and
almost neon-orange trumpets.
I planted extra bulbs last year so that I’d
have plenty of flowers to display indoors. I’ve
arranged them in recycled bottles along with
sprigs of blossom and magnolia flowers cut
from our trees.
Being surrounded by pretty blooms will
definitely get you in the bank holiday party
spirit if you’re planning a family gathering to
celebrate Easter. If you want to make your
home and garden even nicer for the season,
set the scene by displaying pots and
containers filled with flowering bulbs, adding
a little moss to prevent the bulbs from drying
out. Gathering flowers from your garden
allows you to create spring displays that
are unique, organic and budget-friendly.
Cut some blossom-laden branches to
show off in vases on a dining table or
mantelpiece. Above all, take time to enjoy
all the great things about spring.
Selina
PHOTO: DAISYPARK.CO.UK
Circle of life
Gather a mix of
flowering spring bulbs
to make this jolly display
on a cake stand.
Water-soaked oasis is
used on the base with
grooves carved out to
hold bulbs upright. The
oasis is covered with soil
and a few of the bulbs
roots are left to do their
own thing. I love this idea
for a table centrepiece.
Bird spotting
Taking time to relax outdoors
and enjoy a cup of tea served
in this cute Garden Birds mug
by Emma Bridgewater (£19.95,
daisypark.co.uk) makes a perfect
garden moment.
Trending
now
On trend this month are
all the joys of spring, it’s as
simple as buying yourself
a bunch of your favourite
daffodils to celebrate
the season.
PHOTO: MINNA MERCKE SCHMIDT, BLOMSTERVERKSTAD.COM
PHOTO: GARDEN STYLE BY SELINA LAKE IS PUBLISHED BY RYLAND PETERS & SMALL (£19.99), OUT MARCH 13
22 MODERN GARDENS MARCH 2018

ON TREND
Instagram
@selinalake
Pots of inspiration
My latest book, Garden Style, features
styling tips for decorating your garden
using containers, recycled items and
vintage gardenalia. Look out for an
exclusive extract in next month’s issue.
Bottle it!
I’ve brought the season
inside this month with
a mantelpiece display
of spring flowers from
my garden arranged in
recycled LemonAid bottles
(£1.59, ocado.com), which
double as vases.
PHOTO: SELINA LAKE
PHOTO: SELINA LAKE
Easter ideas
Displaying simple decorations
on branches of crab apple
blossom is my take on an
Easter tree. I have a collection
of vintage seed packets
featuring botanical
illustrations that I bought
from a French flea market
a few years ago – you
can find similar
on eBay. I
attach mini
brass bulldog
clips to the
top of the
packets and
hook them onto
the branches.
✽ NEXT MONTH:
PAINTERLY STYLE
MARCH 2018 MODERN GARDENS 23

SIMPLE STYLE
You’ll never lose
this bold Orla Kiely
Watering Can in
the shrubs. £39.95
cuckooland.com
1
10 buys...
TO ADD A SPLASH OF
SUNSHINE
42 MODERN GARDENS MARCH 2018

BEST BUYS
WALK ON SUNSHINE
Add bright vibrant colour to any
area in your garden, with this
durable, easy-clean Vitaminic
Yellow Indoor/Outdoor Rug.
From £82.99 wayfair.co.uk
4
2
IF THE SUN SHINES...
...Have an impromptu barbecue with this
portable Jamie Oliver Park BBQ (36cm wide
x 48cm high), £55 woodlandsgc.co.uk
3
HANDY STORAGE
This colourful Whitstable ‘Beach
Hut’ Garden Shed is so practical
and stylish, it’ll take pride of place in
your garden. £264.99 primrose.co.uk
7
SHOW STOPPER
Add lots of yellow blooms
for maximum impact. Yellow
Planter on a wooden stand.
£14 sainsburyshome.co.uk
5
YEAR-LONG COLOUR
Whatever the weather outside, these
artificial daffodil bulbs in jars will fill a
windowsill with joy. £6 each tch.net
TOTALLY TROPICAL
This eye-catching Pineapple Drink
Dispenser is the perfect excuse to
head outdoors for drinks – just add
rum. £12 george.com
9
8
SPLASH ABOUT
These Deck Wellies,
with extra thick
insoles, are so
comfy you won’t
want to take them
off, even when the
rain has gone. £35
seasaltcornwall.co.uk
6
DOUBLE DUTY
This lightweight Tea Cup Stool,
which doubles as a table, is
easily moved around the garden
so you can relax in the sun with
a cuppa. £155 redcandy.co.uk
10
SMART SEAT
Made from weather-resistant
plastic, this colourful Green
Decor Arabian Nights Pouf
can be used indoors or out.
£149 worldstores.co.uk

We love to make...
Each issue, we bring you easy ideas and quick makes. This month,
we create cheap and cheerful SPRING CONTAINERS
30
MINUTES
GEOMETRIC
BOWL
Bold patterns are bang
on-trend and will show off
your plants in style
£4.25
YOU WILL NEED
✽ Plastic mixing bowl
✽ Blue Hawk Quick Set Cement
Bucket, £3.25/2.5kg homebase.co.uk
✽ Empty yogurt pot
✽ Fine sandpaper
✽ Masking tape
✽ Wilko Emulsion Paint Tester Pot Jelly
Bean, £1/75ml wilko.com
✽ Paint brush
WORDS: EMMA HOWCUTT-KELLY. PHOTOS: EMMA HOWCUTT-KELLY, LIVING4MEDIA
WHAT TO DO
1 Grease the bowl with cooking oil.
2 Mix up the cement following the instructions
on the packet, making sure it’s smooth and free
from lumps.
3 Put the bowl on a level surface and pour in
just enough cement to cover the bottom of the
mixing bowl.
4 Place the yogurt pot in the centre to create
a hole for planting and fill the gap around it with
the remaining cement.
5 Leave the cement to set overnight. Once
dry, remove the plastic bowl and pull out the
yogurt pot. Sand off any rough edges.
6 Using masking tape, mark off a geometric
pattern of triangle shapes.
7 Paint the unmasked areas. Once dry, peel off
the tape.
8 You’re now ready to add your plant of choice.
We’ve used pretty double-flowered kalanchoe
with moss around the edges.
TIP Greasing the inside of
the bowl with oil will make
removing it easier
4
82 MODERN GARDENS MARCH 2018

SIMPLE MAKES
SUPERFAST MAKE FOR UNDER £3!
MODERN RUSTIC PLANTER
£6.50
This natural bark planter will
add rustic charm indoors or
out. Simply attach some
bark squares (£2.95/10,
bakerross.co.uk) to a plain
plant pot using PVA glue,
ensuring they overlap
each other, then allow
to dry. For a wow-factor
display, group together
several planters filled with
Helleborus niger.
£3.94
15
MINUTES
TIN CAN
HOLDERS
60
MINUTES
LOLLY
STICK POT
Your spring blooms will look
chic in this fun and easy to
make lolly stick planter
YOU WILL NEED
✽ Wooden Lolly Sticks, £1/50 wilko.com
✽ Wilko Emulsion Paint Tester Pot in
On Deck, £1/75ml wilko.com
✽ PVA glue
✽ Pine Dowel 15mm (900mm), £1.94
homebase.co.uk
One of the side panels
complete with dowel and ready
to attach to the other four.
WHAT TO DO
1 On a flat surface, lay out eight of the sticks.
Add some PVA glue to three other sticks and
attach them vertically to the row of sticks. One
in the middle and one at each end.
2 Repeat step 1 four more times so that you
have five panels.
3 Cut the dowel into four 10cm-long pieces.
Run some glue down the edge of them. Attach
one side of a panel to the dowel and repeat
this until four of the panels are stuck together.
Attach the bottom panel with glue.
4 Paint and leave to dry. Line with a plastic bag
and it’s ready for your plant of choice. We’ve
used daffodil bulbs and moss.
Hang these pretty herb pots
with pride then move them
inside once winter comes
YOU WILL NEED
✽ 2 tin cans
✽ Wilko Emulsion Paint Tester Pot in
On Deck, £1/75ml wilko.com
✽ DecoArt Patio Paint Latin Inspiration
Stencil, £4 hobbycraft.co.uk
✽ Gold Metallic Home Craft Acrylic
Paint, £1.50/60ml hobbycraft.co.uk
✽ Paint brush
✽ Garden string
WHAT TO DO
1 Clean the tins and remove the labels.
2 Paint both tins with the On Deck white
paint and leave to dry.
3 Position your chosen stencil in place and
using a small brush, dab on the gold paint.
Leave to dry then peel off the stencil.
Repeat on the other tin.
4 Hammer a nail into the top of each tin
to make a hole. Thread through the string
making a loop. Fill with potted herbs –
we’ve used sage, mint and basil – and hang.
MARCH 2018 MODERN GARDENS 83

What to do in your
GARDEN NOW...
Simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month
Start watering
As you start to feel
the first hints of early
spring sunshine, so will
your plants. Containers
of plants, such as this
primula, viola, sage,
oregano and thyme
mix, need to be watered
enough to keep the
compost moist to the
touch. About half a can
once a week should
ensure the compost
doesn’t dry out.
50 MODERN GARDENS MARCH 2018

EASY IDEAS
Prune bushy roses
When small green buds start
to sprout, cut each stem down
to about shin height, just
above a shoot. Sprinkle a bit
of plant food around the base
while you’re there, to get it
off to a flying start.
Scatter
poppy seeds
Californian, opium
or ladybird poppy seeds
are easy to find in garden
centres. Scatter a packet
over freshly weeded
and raked earth. They’ll
soon sprout into plants
with feathery foliage and
orange, purple or red
flowers in June.
Cut back
climbers
Honeysuckle, rambling
roses and other climbers
will be overgrown by now.
Prune them back to just
above where new shoots are
showing. This will tidy them
up and stimulate new growth
that will produce the best
flowers. Honeysuckle can be
cut back to 60cm tall, and will
flower again in late summer.
Get more from
snowdrops
Dig up clumps as the flowers
start to fade, and split them into
smaller parts of just a few plants
each. Replant them and they’ll
soon grow into bigger clumps,
flowering again next spring.
Beat the slugs
Slugs are on the move, munching tender
new leaves, so sprinkle slug pellets
around vulnerable plants such as hostas,
delphiniums and dahlias.
Put in plant supports
Support tall plants with long stems
and top-heavy flowers such as
echinacea, peonies and shasta daisies,
before they get big and floppy. If you
don’t, as soon as there’s a windy day
they will topple over. You can push
a bell plant support (£55.99,
waitrosegarden.com) into the ground
over the plant to support their weight.
➣
MARCH 2018 MODERN GARDENS 51

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