TEA FOR TWO . . .
. . . Or champagne, if you prefer. St Valentine is on his way with an invitation to meet — where else but in the garden?
text LAURIAN BROWN photography © GAP PHOTOS/SUZIE GIBBONS/DESIGN: GAYE WILSON, © GAP PHOTOS/J S SIRA, © GAP PHOTOS/S & O, © GAP PHOTOS/ELKE BORKOWSKI, © GAP PHOTOS/MARCUS HARPUR, © GAP PHOTOS/FIONA RICE & © GAP PHOTOS/JULIETTE WADE
FLOWERS, fragrance, birdsong: just three of umpteen good reasons why gardens have always been the romantic rendezvous of choice. History, poetry, film and popular song are littered with secret trysts and snatched embraces with only the rose and the gentle dove to see.
The grand gardens that usually provide the setting for film and TV costume dramas are able to provide delightful seclusion via shrubberies, hedges, walled gardens and seductive summerhouses. But how to create a romantic rendezvous in today’s tiny plots?
This is not really as difficult as it sounds, if you simply think of your whole garden as a year-round romantic hideaway, which is what every private garden should be anyway. Think of it specifically as a place to spend time together away from the house, the tablet, the TV, the SMS.
A romantic garden doesn’t have to be all roses; it could be Provençal, Moroccan, cool woodland, hot tropical and more. It all depends on your climate and your style.
You need at least one or two plants to go wild — cascades of jasmine or rambling rose, curtains of wisteria, billowing carpets of nasturtium, a riot of bougainvillea.
Within this controlled abandon, you also need a destination, an arbour and a seat of some kind as a focal point; tantalisingly framed or glimpsed — a partial, not a complete view, if space allows. There should be a little anticipation, a sense of adventure in getting there, even if it’s only 10 paces from the house.
Strictly speaking, an arbour is a shelter or an arch of metal or wooden lattice work covered in climbing plants, but there are many ways to create a romantic enclosure. An over-arching tree and a few lush evergreens can frame a pretty seat or a simple built-in bench in the corner of a boundary wall.
A summerhouse — good in cooler, windy regions — is easily adapted from a standard Wendy house design. Or it could be a classic wrought metal or trellis gazebo, suitably garlanded with plants.
A fountain is a good idea too, especially in small gardens, because it will provide you with music (and foil eavesdroppers).
All these charming features, however, need time to order, build and grow into their setting, and St Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.
The good news is that there are quicker solutions: read on . . .