ENJOY YOUR GARDEN THIS SUMMER!
How to get the most out of your plot this season
The lazy, balmy days of summer are upon us and, filled with flowers and promise, the garden is tempting us outside.
Scents wafting through the window and tasty crops crying out to be nibbled call to us to down tools and enjoy the fruits of our labours. But once outdoors, it can be hard not to tinker. After all, there’s always weeding to be done, plants to water or something that needs potting up and just can’t wait.
Yet perhaps we would do better to make this the season to take relaxing seriously. Break out that deckchair and quite literally make time to smell the roses. The longest days of the year are upon us, so let’s use them well!
Welcome in the wildlife
Who needs telly when you can sit in the garden and watch the birds and beasts go by? Include nectar sources, such as Verbena bonariensis and borage for bees, hoverflies and butterflies, and don’t get too hung up on weeds – edit the thugs that threaten to overwhelm the garden, but leaving wilder patches will help support a wide range of natural species, both plants and animals. Summer
refuges are important – the damp
underside of a log (or pile of logs) will provide a summer home for frogs and newts, as well as a breeding ground for beneficial beetles. Meanwhile, a mixture of bird foods and a few dense thickets to perch in will ensure a regular supply of avian visitors – which will also help deal with garden pests while you snooze. Finally, a small pond or even a dish of water will provide a timely drink for everything: birds, insects and even smaller mammals such as hedgehogs.
Ideas for summer living
Sleep under the stars Abandon that stuffy bedroom and head to the garden on hot nights. Camping out isn’t just for kids!
Floral ice cubes Pop a few edible flowers, such as borage, pelargoniums, violas or lavender into an ice cube tray and treat yourself to a long, cold and ultimately glamorous drink!
Cheat the look If you’re relaxing in your garden and you notice a gap in the border or something unsightly, just get a nice pot of flowers or a dense evergreen, plonk it in the space as a screen or filler and carry on. Nobody will ever know!
Create a festival feel
Celebrate summer in style by stringing up some pretty bunting or streamers or drag a sofa outside (an old one is probably best!), chuck a cheerful throw over the top and pour everyone a drink!
Use cut flowers
Decorate an outdoor dining table with a fresh posy of blooms from the garden, or if your houseplants are already having a holiday outside, press those glamorous succulents and cacti into service as a centrepiece.