Summer's here - get your garden ready!
- Fiona Lydon
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
I was asked to come up with some ideas on getting your garden ready for summer for an article in The Guardian last week. They wanted some ideas that would be simple for novice gardeners and maybe those with not much space. Being a small garden specialist, I was very happy to oblige. Here's a link to the article and also some more tips on plants, furniture and essential kit:
Make a meadow
Meadows can be mini and be incredibly effective, but they do need looking after in a particular way. A scythe is the best way to take down a meadow at the end of the season and isn’t as hard to use as you might think. Plus you get to pretend you are Death.
Tool up
A hori hori knife is a lovely versatile tool, great for planting small plants and bulbs and also weeding in tight spaces.
Sustainability essentials
To maximise space and time, get hold of a hotbin rather than an open compost heap. These insulated bins don’t require as much space or a sunny spot and can turn garden clippings and food waste into compost in as little as 3 months. I put one in every client’s garden if I can.
Plant a tree
Where space is tight consider a large shrub instead of a tree which might outgrow it’s spot. I use Viburnums for this purpose, V. Burwoodii has amazing flowers and the birds love it. V x carcephalum is highly fragranced and can be pruned as a multi stem to look very elegant. Pistacia lentiscus is also wonderful in sheltered city gardens.
Grasses
Garden centres often stock grasses where the roots are too big for the pot and have started to grow out of the holes at the bottom. Where you see this, these plants can be carefully cut up with a bread knife into thirds, giving you three plants for the price of one.
Gardening tips
Great gardens need great structure. Clean edges to a lawn give crispness and definition and allow you to be wildlife-friendly and natural in other areas without looking scruffy. A half moon edging tool used with a string line can really neaten up the beds and lawn.
The Wolfgarten multi tool range is excellent:
Comfortable seating and furniture
Metal seating with cushions that can be brought out means you don’t have to have blocky covers on furniture out of season.
Something as simple as a nice wooden table next to the BBQ can give the space an outdoor kitchen vibe without the expense. Ikea also do a really good value range;
Versatile tables
These ceramic stools double as occasional tables for a drink and bring a welcome pattern to the patio
I love these from Anthropologie
https://www.anthropologie.com/en-gb/search?q=ceramic stool&sayt=true
Easy garden lighting
This new range from In Lite means you can plug outside lights into an outdoor socket without needing an electrician to rig up for you. Just be mindful of the need for skies to be dark - use sparingly and don’t be tempted to uplight. Downlighting works nicely if you have a tree you want to show off without disrupting wildlife as much.
Outdoor living
Cushions and rugs that live outside that are made of natural fibres tend to quite quickly become smelly and marked with mould. Weaver Green make lovely cushions and rugs that are made from recycled plastic so they’re much more hard wearing. Soft furnishings that were traditionally only for the inside can transform an outdoor lounging space.
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