INSIDE OUT
TAKE HOUSE PLANTS AND FURNISHINGS OUTSIDE TO CREATE A BOHO FEEL
MID-SUMMER is a busy time in the garden – green growth is exponential and plants are vying with each other to produce blossoms that will attract pollinating insects and ensure their reproductive success.
It’s not always easy to keep up with the many jobs of weeding, watering and deadheading but it’s great to spend so much time outdoors.
Here are some ideas to make you linger and enjoy your garden or balcony space in the summer days and nights that lie ahead...
Admire your blossoms from the comfort of your garden sofa
I love those movies which show outdoor porch living in the southern states of America. Old rocking chairs and old couches set under the shade of a covered verandah set the scene for relaxing times, watching the world go by.
And we can have a hint of this at home – moving indoor furniture outside adds a touch of bohemia to a place.
So rather than doubling up on garden furniture, pick up your comfy two-seater and move it out to the sun!
Bring your indoor plants outside now for a houseplant holiday
Indoor plants really enjoy the fresh air, sunlight and rain of the outdoors and can lend quite an exotic feel to your space.
The weather from now through to the end of August should provide their optimal growing conditions. Place them where they won’t receive the full brunt of the sun. Too much sunlight can cause your houseplants to go into shock and the sun can burn their delicate leaves. So start your plant off in a shady spot then where it gets sun, but not directly.
Even very light breezes will dry out your plants so you’ll need to water them more often... perhaps even as often as once a day.
Lay down an old Persian carpet or rug outside
A recent trend in outdoor design and garden styling has seen rugs brought from inside the house outside, laid on wooden decking or a terrace. It can create or add to a bohemian look. We have a covered deck and use some Persian rugs outdoors during the summer months.
These style of rugs were often made for nomads and sometimes depicted garden scenes. Some were laid on clay floors. So, if they are kept out of the sun and the rain they may help to transform your garden space for an event or the entire summer season.
New outdoor rugs in contemporary patterns are available and are produced with a backing material of either polypropylene or another synthetic fibre, which helps reduce damage from water, bugs and sunlight.
Set the mood with lighting
Lighting sets the mood like nothing else and need not be elaborate. Plug in fairy lights and drape through shrubs and pots. Use scented candles to keep flies at bay and float tea candles in shallow bowls of water.
Home-grown flower and foliage table arrangements
It’s always fun from spring to early autumn to take a trip through the beds and borders, snipping bits of foliage or stems of flowers which are looking good in that moment!
Whether it’s the simplest dandelion or daisy, or more dramatic foxgloves, alliums or ferns, a collection of home-grown botanicals set in small milk bottles or large glass jars will really set off an outdoor dining table.