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MODERN GARDENS I JANUARY 2018 I ISSUE 22 CREATE YOUR PERFECT OUTSIDE SPACE – NO GREEN FINGERS REQUIRED!<br />

100s<br />

OF EASY<br />

IDEAS!<br />

JANUARY 2018<br />

ISSUE TWENTY TWO<br />

£3.99<br />

NEW!<br />

Create your perfect outside space - no green fingers required!<br />

READER GARDENS | EASY IDEAS | SHOPPING<br />

500<br />

FRESH IDEAS<br />

AND BRILLIANT<br />

NEW BUYS<br />

Including<br />

YOUR<br />

TRANSFORM<br />

THE YOUR BEST OF<br />

OUTDOOR<br />

GARDEN<br />

IN 2018<br />

LIVING<br />

✽ Beautiful ways to add value to your garden<br />

✽ Clever updates with the key trends for 2018<br />

✽ Plant a pot of jewel-toned heathers<br />

✽ Our inspiring makeovers of the year<br />

JANUARY ISSUE 28 DEC - 30 JAN<br />

TRY ME!<br />

Garden makeovers<br />

“OUR EASY GARDEN<br />

LOOKS LUSH ALL YEAR”<br />

Easy ideas<br />

BRIGHTEN UP DULL SPOTS<br />

WITH A POP OF PINK<br />

Outdoor living<br />

HOW TO HIRE A CINEMA/<br />

PIZZA OVEN/HOT TUB


Inside this<br />

MONTH...<br />

14<br />

42<br />

Reader garden<br />

makeovers<br />

14 “Our garden looks good<br />

in every season”<br />

Clever design means this outdoor space<br />

transforms from winter to summer in style.<br />

28 “It’s such a great place to<br />

have fun”<br />

Vivid colour and atmospheric lighting<br />

make this garden sparkle at night.<br />

Simple makes<br />

& projects<br />

38 Floating leaf wall art<br />

Bring the beauty of winter leaves indoors.<br />

74 We love to make<br />

Get creative with your plant displays.<br />

87 Revamp and refresh<br />

Upcycle items you didn’t love in 2017 into<br />

pieces you’re proud of for 2018.<br />

96 Adding value to your garden<br />

On-trend ways to make the most of your<br />

best asset. Your home.<br />

108 You’re hired!<br />

You can have a pizza oven, sauna, hot<br />

tub... just hire one for the weekend!<br />

Easy ideas<br />

20 Create the look<br />

Add an island bed to your garden and<br />

make it look instantly modern.<br />

24 Stack in style<br />

These modern log stores will keep your<br />

firewood neat, tidy and handy.<br />

34 In the pink<br />

Make a stylish statement and add<br />

welcome warmth with a hot hue.<br />

42 15 garden updates we<br />

loved in 2017<br />

Our favourite bold and beautiful ideas for<br />

transforming your outdoor space.<br />

52 New year, new ideas<br />

Update your garden with the key trends<br />

and best buys for 2018.<br />

60 All about witch hazel<br />

The tiny flowers warm up the winter<br />

months with sizzingly bright colours.<br />

74<br />

SMALL<br />

GARDENS<br />

BIG<br />

IDEAS<br />

We<br />

LOVE<br />

this!


40<br />

106<br />

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!<br />

6<br />

✽ Subscribe to <strong>Modern</strong> <strong>Gardens</strong> and<br />

get a set of tea light holders worth £12.95<br />

118<br />

66 Plant a frosted pink corner<br />

Bring spring to your garden early with a<br />

dusting of sugar pink blossom.<br />

68 Our 2017 favourite gardens<br />

Inspirational makeovers that really caught<br />

our attention.<br />

76 Winter bells<br />

Sparkling with frost or glowing with<br />

colour, make heather your <strong>Jan</strong>uary star.<br />

82 Designing with houseplants<br />

A look you’ll love for the kitchen.<br />

92 Plant icons<br />

14 reasons we love paperwhites.<br />

Best buys<br />

40 10 buys...<br />

To dress up your windowsill.<br />

Grow & eat<br />

113 Garden to glass<br />

Mix up your own Prosecco cocktail.<br />

118 Lemons<br />

Make sweet and savoury dishes with<br />

these zingy fruits.<br />

Regulars<br />

6 Earthy pleasures<br />

Top ideas for what to buy, make and do.<br />

12 Blooming lovely<br />

Plants and shrubs to buy now.<br />

22 Fresh garden office<br />

Stylist Selina Lake on how to get the look.<br />

48 What to do now<br />

How to keep your plot looking good.<br />

51 Upcycle with style<br />

Make a felt pennant.<br />

58 We love outdoor living<br />

Your garden highlights.<br />

81 Paws & whiskers<br />

Enjoying your garden with your pets.<br />

106 Subscription offer<br />

Sign up for a year’s supply of <strong>Modern</strong><br />

<strong>Gardens</strong> and get a set of tea light holders.<br />

115 Q&A<br />

Got a question? We’ve got the answer.<br />

122 Enjoy sweet perfume<br />

Make your patio a fragrant paradise with<br />

our reader offer.<br />

124 Add winter colour<br />

Save money on our selection of vibrant<br />

heather plants.<br />

126 Garden notebook<br />

All you need to know to get started.<br />

130 Our garden crush<br />

The garden of our dreams!


We<br />

LOVE<br />

this!<br />

1<br />

MAGICAL MINI POND<br />

Put a layer of gravel in a metal<br />

container, fill with rainwater and<br />

add a pond plant such as purple<br />

loosestrife plus an oxygenating<br />

plant such as scirpus to keep the<br />

water clean, then pop in several<br />

floating candles.<br />

15 garden<br />

updates we loved<br />

IN 2017<br />

Check out our favourite BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL<br />

ideas for transforming your outdoor space<br />

WORDS: JULES BARTON-BRECK. PHOTOS: TORIEJAYNE.COM,<br />

PLAINPICTURE, GAP, FLORA PRESS<br />

2<br />

ARTWORK FENCE<br />

Make a plain picket fence an<br />

eye-catching feature by painting<br />

it in two contrasting colours, rather<br />

than just one solid colour. Choose<br />

colours that will highlight the blooms<br />

in your garden. To create the look<br />

seen here, try Proteck wood stain in<br />

lilac, £8.50 protekwoodstain.co.uk<br />

HORIZONTAL CLIMBER<br />

Climbers don’t have to go up, they can go<br />

along too. Fix two to three rows of vine eyes<br />

to a wall, then thread garden wire through<br />

them and pull taut. Plant the roots of a<br />

clematis about 30cm from the wall and tie<br />

the stems along the wires using twine.<br />

3<br />

42 MODERN GARDENS JANUARY 2018


EASY IDEAS<br />

4<br />

PRETTY IVY TRELLIS<br />

Measure and mark out a diamond-shape<br />

grid, then fix eye hooks to the fence. Cut<br />

lengths of garden wire and feed them<br />

through them the hooks. Position pots<br />

of ivy at the base of each point and wrap<br />

stems around the wires.<br />

EASY CHIC<br />

Paint your fence<br />

grey or black<br />

for an<br />

on-trend look.<br />

TIP Use a drill to create a<br />

small hole before trying to screw<br />

in the eye hooks for your trellis<br />

JANUARY 2018 MODERN GARDENS 43<br />


Earthy<br />

PLEASURES<br />

DREAM PLANT GROW PICK MAKE BUY


PERFECT MATCH<br />

In a lovely range of jewel-like colours, these ink<br />

bottles look beautiful teamed with delicately<br />

scented irises. Choose your favourite colour<br />

from navy, amethyst, dark green or purple,<br />

£6.50 each, or buy one of each colour as a set<br />

of four, £22.95, sarahraven.com<br />

INSTANT<br />

COLOUR<br />

PHOTO: JONATHAN BUCKLEY<br />

Dress the<br />

table<br />

Winter is the time for friends and family<br />

to be gathered around the table, so set<br />

the scene with gleaming glasses and<br />

twinkling lights. These rose gold metal<br />

leaf lights look wonderful intertwined<br />

with seasonal foliage and make a great<br />

centrepiece. £14.99 lights4fun.co.uk<br />

WHAT A HOOT!<br />

These handmade glass<br />

vases are certainly quirky.<br />

Choose from three sizes in<br />

smoke, amber or fig.<br />

From £14 magpieline.com<br />

WORDS: CLARE HOWCUTT-KELLY. MAIN PHOTO: GAP<br />

We<br />

LOVE<br />

this!<br />

FEED THE BIRDS<br />

This enamel bird<br />

feeder comes in green,<br />

white or blue and can<br />

be fixed to a fence,<br />

wall or tree. £8.95<br />

dotcomgiftshop.co.uk<br />

SITTING PRETTY<br />

Wood and metal<br />

come together to add<br />

rustic glamour to your<br />

outdoor space. £35<br />

sainsburys.co.uk<br />

TOOL BOX BBQ<br />

If you’re looking for<br />

a mobile outdoor<br />

barbecue, get the right<br />

toolbox for the job. £67<br />

smithersofstamford.com<br />

➣<br />

JANUARY 2018 MODERN GARDENS 7


EVERYTHING YOU NEED<br />

TO KNOW ABOUT…<br />

Witch hazel<br />

Like GLOWING EMBERS, tiny witch hazel flowers warm<br />

up the winter months with their sizzlingly bright colours<br />

WORDS: MELISSA MABBITT. PHOTOS: GAP, FLORA PRESS, SHUTTERSTOCK, VISION IMAGES<br />

W<br />

itch hazel blooms are like<br />

fiery filaments that curl and<br />

twist against the bare stems<br />

of this elegant winter shrub.<br />

Each flower is a cluster of delicate threads<br />

in shades of molten gold, copper or glowing<br />

ruby, creating welcome bright colour during<br />

the darkest months. The orange varieties<br />

look almost like pinches of saffron, while the<br />

yellow types look like clusters of spun gold<br />

in the low winter sunlight, clustering along<br />

slender, outwards-reaching branches that<br />

form a beautiful ‘V’ shape.<br />

Like most winter-flowering plants, witch<br />

hazel have delicious scent. On a cold day<br />

you might need to cup a flower in your hands<br />

to warm it up and release the rich and spicy<br />

clove perfume. But if you cut a stem and<br />

bring it indoors it will soon scent the room.<br />

The golden varieties such as ‘Boskoop’ and<br />

‘Jermyns Gold’ have the strongest scent.<br />

The ‘witch’ part of the name may come<br />

from the fact its long flexible stems were<br />

once used for water divining. It’s also known<br />

for its healing qualities, with witch hazel<br />

ointment used to treat spots, stings and<br />

burns. You can simply gather a few of the<br />

flowers and mix them into an unscented<br />

moisturiser to make your own.<br />

It’s called a hazel because in summer it has<br />

almost identical rounded leaves to hazelnut<br />

trees. But witch hazels are much smaller<br />

shrubs, so easy to find a space for even in<br />

small gardens. They can eventually grow up<br />

to three metres tall and wide, but this takes<br />

over ten years. If you buy one as a plant a<br />

couple of feet tall, it won’t take up more than<br />

a metre in height and spread for a few years<br />

yet. The larger they get though, the better<br />

they flower, so if you have the space and the<br />

budget, it’s worth buying one that’s at least<br />

waist height.<br />

3 of the best for fiery colour<br />

‘JELENA’<br />

Combines yellow, orange and red<br />

for a molten lava effect.<br />

£21.99 jacksonsnurseries.co.uk<br />

Add a<br />

touch of<br />

loveliness<br />

HINT OF<br />

SPRING<br />

Buy white<br />

anemones from<br />

a florist’s shop to<br />

team with lemon<br />

witch hazel. Place<br />

the anemones<br />

in the centre<br />

bottle of a group<br />

of 12, and a twig<br />

of witch hazel in<br />

each one round<br />

the edge.<br />

‘ORANGE BEAUTY’<br />

Long yellow petals are flushed<br />

copper at their heart, creating a warm<br />

glow. £39.99 ornamental-trees.co.uk<br />

‘DIANE’<br />

Deep scarlet flowers shine in a<br />

sunny spot with plenty of shelter<br />

from wind. £25 burncoose.co.uk<br />

60 MODERN GARDENS JANUARY 2018


TEAM PLAYERS<br />

Red ‘Diane’, ‘Orange Beauty’<br />

and yellow ‘Arnold Promise’<br />

work together in a group of<br />

three to make a dazzlingly<br />

fiery display.<br />

EASY IDEAS<br />

TIP Ivy and moss planted on the<br />

container surface gives witch hazel<br />

a relaxed woodland look<br />

➣<br />

JANUARY 2018 MODERN GARDENS 61


LEMONS<br />

Sharp and zesty, lemons add a<br />

MOUTH-WATERING TANG to<br />

a range of sweet and savoury dishes<br />

WORDS: MELISSA MABBITT. PHOTOS: STOCKFOOD, SHUTTERSTOCK,<br />

GAP, JOHN PAUL URIZAR & WILLIAM MEPPEM/BAUERSYNDICATION.COM.AU<br />

Refresh your palette this month with zingy<br />

lemons. These handfuls of dimpled<br />

sunshine will wash away the excess of<br />

Christmas with their fresh flavour and<br />

zesty fragrance. Every part of the lemon has a<br />

unique quality and use, from the thick skin that<br />

can be grated for slivers of tart rind, to the juice<br />

that’s an ideal ingredient for lightening creamy<br />

sauces and desserts. A simple slice of lemon is<br />

both a brilliant garnish in drinks and an easy way<br />

to add a lift to fish and meat dishes.<br />

Although they are a fruit that you might<br />

associate with sunny holidays in the<br />

Mediterranean, lemons are actually a winter<br />

fruit, coming into season in autumn. The trees<br />

have fragrant white flowers that bloom in late<br />

winter followed by fruits that take up to a year to<br />

ripen, and we can grow them in the UK. They<br />

last a long time on the tree once they mature, so<br />

a tree can be adorned with glowing fruits for<br />

months at a time.<br />

Most lemon trees don’t like freezing<br />

conditions and need a space to grow indoors for<br />

winter. The good news is they make a beautiful<br />

POT IT!<br />

Grow your lemon tree in a<br />

container so you can easily<br />

move it in and out of doors<br />

between the seasons. Sit it on<br />

your patio in a sunny spot<br />

from April to October, then<br />

bring it indoors for the rest of<br />

the year. They don’t like<br />

sudden changes, so put it in a<br />

south-facing window indoors<br />

and when you take it outside<br />

in spring, put it in a shaded<br />

spot for a couple of days<br />

before moving it into the sun.<br />

A terracotta pot will give your<br />

plant a Mediterranean vibe<br />

and lets water evaporate from<br />

the compost quickly, giving<br />

the lemon the drier conditions<br />

it needs. A pot-grown tree<br />

stays naturally smaller, only<br />

growing to about 1.5m tall.<br />

houseplant. Move them indoors in October and<br />

put them somewhere bright but cool. An<br />

unheated conservatory or porch is ideal, but the<br />

windowsill of a cool spare room will also be fine.<br />

Just don’t keep them in your lounge or kitchen,<br />

which will be too warm.<br />

Hardier lemon varieties ‘Eureka’ and ‘Meyer’<br />

can grow outdoors in the ground all year round<br />

if you live in the south and have well-drained<br />

soil. They will thrive even given a touch of frost,<br />

so are great for city and town gardens that have<br />

lots of buildings around providing shelter.<br />

The other trick to a happy and thriving lemon<br />

tree is to water all year round, pouring on<br />

enough to completely soak all the compost in<br />

the pot, which will usually be at least half a<br />

watering can full. Don’t let the pot sit in a saucer<br />

of water, let it completely drain away. And<br />

before you water again, let the top of the<br />

compost dry out. Drop a capful of liquid citrus<br />

feed (such as Westland Concentrated Citrus<br />

Plant Food, £3.99/250ml, marshalls-seeds.co.uk)<br />

into the watering can every couple of weeks<br />

from March to October.<br />

1YOUR<br />

GARDEN<br />

LARDER<br />

118 MODERN GARDENS JANUARY 2018


GROW AND EAT<br />

HOW TO PLANT<br />

If you can’t find citrus compost at your<br />

garden centre, just mix half a bucket<br />

of horticultural grit into multi-purpose<br />

compost to improve the drainage.<br />

TIP Slicing your lemon lengthwise<br />

rather than crossways will give you<br />

much more juice when you squeeze it<br />

YOU WILL NEED<br />

✽ Pieces of broken pot (crocks)<br />

✽ 1 x 30cm terracotta pot<br />

✽ 1 x 12-litre bag Verve citrus<br />

compost £2.50 diy.com<br />

✽ 1 small lemon tree<br />

WHAT TO DO<br />

1 Cover the drainage holes in the<br />

bottom of the pot with the crocks<br />

to stop compost escaping.<br />

2 Fill the pot with compost, leaving an<br />

inch gap at the top to allow water to<br />

pool on the surface when watering.<br />

3 Carefully take your lemon tree out<br />

of its pot. If it’s tricky to get out, tap<br />

sharply on the pot, but avoid pulling<br />

on the stems.<br />

4 Make a hole in the compost and<br />

stand the lemon roots inside, making<br />

sure the stems are straight and<br />

upright. Position it at the same height<br />

in the compost as it was growing in its<br />

original container, adding a little more<br />

or taking some out as necessary.<br />

5 Fill any gaps around the roots with<br />

more compost and press it down with<br />

your hands to firm the plant in.<br />

6 Water with a full can. Support the<br />

pot on feet to allow good drainage.<br />

➣<br />

JANUARY 2018 MODERN GARDENS 119


We love to make...<br />

Each issue, we bring you easy ideas and quick makes. Here, we<br />

show you how to GET CREATIVE with your plant displays<br />

30<br />

MINUTES<br />

RUSTIC ROPE<br />

SHELVES<br />

Display your pots wherever you<br />

fancy with these floating shelves.<br />

£17<br />

YOU WILL NEED<br />

✽ Saw<br />

✽ Wooden pallet fence 24.1 x 33cm, £5<br />

hobbycraft.co.uk<br />

✽ Drill<br />

✽ Sandpaper<br />

✽ Darice 4 ply jute twine, £5<br />

hobbycraft.co.uk<br />

✽ Ronseal crystal clear outdoor varnish clear<br />

matt, £6.99/250ml homebase.co.uk<br />

WORDS & PHOTOS: EMMA HOWCUTT-KELLY<br />

WHAT TO DO<br />

1 The wooden pallet is made up of seven slats.<br />

Saw off and discard one slat, then saw the<br />

remaining pallet into two shelves of three slats.<br />

2 Drill two holes in each end of both shelves,<br />

making sure they’re big enough to fit the twine<br />

through. Gently sand the shelves to get rid of<br />

any rough splinters of wood.<br />

3 Apply the varnish to the panels, following the<br />

instructions on the can. Leave to dry.<br />

4 Cut four pieces of twine to your desired<br />

length. Thread it through each hole on your<br />

bottom shelf and tie a knot at each end. Decide<br />

where you want your second shelf to go, then<br />

tie a knot in each bit of twine at equal lengths<br />

just below this point.<br />

5 Thread the twine through the top shelf, so<br />

that it sits on your four knots, gathering the ends<br />

together in a final knot. Now you’re ready to<br />

hang your shelves and decorate it with plants.<br />

TIP Hang your shelf<br />

planter in a sheltered spot<br />

to stop the pots from<br />

being blown over<br />

4<br />

74 MODERN GARDENS JANUARY 2018


SUPERFAST MAKE!<br />

BRICK SUCCULENT DISPLAY<br />

You wouldn’t normally put<br />

a brick on display, but plant<br />

it with succulents and it’s<br />

transformed! Simply dust<br />

off any excess dirt and line<br />

the holes with pieces cut<br />

from a bin bag to stop soil<br />

falling out. Push a succulent<br />

(£3.99/3, homebase.co.uk)<br />

into each hole, fill any gaps with<br />

potting compost and voila!<br />

£3.50<br />

SIMPLE MAKES<br />

15<br />

MINUTES<br />

PRETTY<br />

IN PINK<br />

15<br />

MINUTES<br />

STAR JAR<br />

Turn a glass jar into the star<br />

of the show.<br />

YOU WILL NEED<br />

✽ Sandpaper<br />

✽ Piece of wood 30 x 15cm<br />

✽ Cuprinol Garden Shades seagrass wood<br />

paint, £1.97/tester diy.com<br />

✽ Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch white spray<br />

paint, £4.50 diy.com<br />

✽ Fresh embossed clear glass jar 490ml,<br />

£1 hobbycraft.co.uk<br />

✽ Leather strap cut from an old belt<br />

✽ Wood screws & nail<br />

✽ Gorilla wood glue 118ml £3.20<br />

homebase.co.uk<br />

£13<br />

✽ Rustic wooden stars, £2/21<br />

hobbycraft.co.uk<br />

✽ Plant of your choice – we’ve used<br />

a cyclamen<br />

WHAT TO DO<br />

1 Lightly sand the wood. Apply the wood paint.<br />

2 Spray the jar with white paint and leave to dry.<br />

3 Place the jar towards the bottom of the piece<br />

of wood and secure it in place with the leather<br />

strap, attaching it to the wood with the screws<br />

and cutting off any overhang.<br />

4 Put a small dab of wood glue on the wooden<br />

stars and stick them to the top of the wood.<br />

5 Make a small loop with a piece of the leftover<br />

leather and nail it to the back of the planter to<br />

create a hanger.<br />

6 Add some small stones to the bottom of the<br />

jar to help with drainage. Add soil and your<br />

plant, and it’s ready to hang.<br />

Bring life to a small space<br />

or bare corner with this<br />

macramé plant hanger.<br />

YOU WILL NEED<br />

✽ Scissors<br />

✽ Pink macramé thread, £3.50<br />

spellboundbead.co.uk<br />

✽ Tape measure<br />

✽ Plant of choice with pot<br />

WHAT TO DO<br />

1 Cut the thread into eight 60cm lengths.<br />

Tie all the pieces together in a strong knot<br />

at one end.<br />

2 Lay the pieces of thread on a flat surface<br />

and fan them out so you can see each<br />

strand individually. Starting on the<br />

left-hand side, gather together the first<br />

two strands and tie a knot 10cm up from<br />

the first knot. Repeat this process with the<br />

other strands.<br />

3 Fan out the now double strands. Starting<br />

from the left take the second pair, measure<br />

8cm up from the knot below and tie to the<br />

one to the right. Repeat with each pair.<br />

4 Place your potted plant into the<br />

basket-like structure, resting on the big<br />

knot at the bottom. Gather the ends<br />

together at the top and tie a knot to make<br />

a loop for hanging.<br />

JANUARY 2018 MODERN GARDENS 75


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