Green Tropical Palm Outdoor Rug | Outdoor Planters & Decor

The first step was to call in Henry (my brother, the gardener) for a quick makeover, so we could at least have some patio to sit on.  He trimmed back all the evergreens on the right-hand side and cleared out all the remaining greenery to make the space bigger. So, we had a bigger space, but not much of it usable.

But as we are thinking of moving house, we didn’t want to spend too much transforming it.   And so it stayed like this until we had the idea to install a DIY gravel patio at the bottom to extend the seating space, and gravel down the left hand side for plant pots and seating.

The bottom of the garden was now an empty flower bed which we wanted to turn into a gravel patio.  As it was stepped up, we decided to put sleepers along the edge of the existing patio as a retainer, and then levelled the soil and flattened it with a tamper to create a solid base.  Next up we laid a weed membrane and pinned it in place across the patio and down the left-hand side of the garden.

We wanted a pale colour for the gravel to make the space seem bigger so we chose Cotswold cream from Wanlip Sand and Gravel.  We enlisted the help of my brother Henry for some extra muscle and within a day, we had barrowed the gravel in and then raked it over the weed suppressant.  This is the result after our day of labour.  Doesn’t it look amazing?

The beautiful cream gravel made the patio look even grubbier so we pressure washed it the next day and, surprise surprise, the patio is cream as well.

All it needed now was the addition of a sofa on the bottom raised patio and a selection of potted plants and we now have an amazing outdoor space.

Green Tropical Palm Outdoor Rug | Outdoor Planters & Decor

This is the finished courtyard garden and we absolutely love it – we sit outside most evenings when we get in from work.  It really is a joy to be in, and all for a couple of day’s work building an easy DIY gravel patio.  The outdoor rug from Audenza really finishes off the whole Mediterranean courtyard feel.  What do you think?

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Statement Yellow Glass Vase | Frida Kahlo Print | Velvet Mirror

1. Forget the Rules

Be creative and don’t worry about rules – rules are made to be broken aren’t they? If you want a riotous bunch of clashing colours go for it! If you prefer a few twigs and leaves then so be it. We all have different tastes and different ideas on what is visually appealing so don’t worry about what others think. Flowers and foliage are to be enjoyed and bring happiness not create stress. Experimenting with different vases and containers helps you to understand which shapes suit best. If the proportion doesn’t look right try adding foliage that gives height and or width. Think about contrast – a simple bowl of tulips interspersed with twigs makes a stunning arrangement.

Etched Green Glass Vase

2. Condition your Flowers

Condition your flowers and foliage by trimming the stems and letting them stand in a big bucket of water for a few hours for a good drink. Add flower food to the water or a dash of bleach and change the water regularly. Remove all leaves below the water line otherwise they will rot and smell. Some flowers like hellebores need the ends of their stems dunked in boiling water for a minute before going in a vase. If necessary use florist foam, marbles or a flower frog to keep flowers in place. Another good way to hold flowers in place in a wide vase is to crisscross washi tape or sellotape across the top in a grid and slot the flowers into it.

Zebra Vases

3. Add Foliage

Add foliage for contrasting texture and colour. Think about the colours and shapes of the flowers and how you can enhance them with added foliage. Ivy is great for trailing down the side of a vase and to add width, and ferns and grasses are wonderful for adding height and some spikiness. Foliage such as fennel and alchemilla mollis makes a fabulous frothy arrangement.

Faux Pink Protea Stem

4. Mix in faux

A great way to add lusciousness to a vase of flowers is to mix in some faux flowers and foliage. By doing this you get a really luxurious bouquet without spending a fortune. A bunch of flowers can be turned into something really special and eye catching with the addition of a few faux pink protea stems or faux blush eucalyptus sprays, and they last for years.

Looking at images on pinterest is a great way to see what it is you like and try copying it so that you get a feel for what works for you. Even a few flower heads in a selection of small containers grouped together makes for an interesting display and is quick to do. Above all enjoy and experiment!

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 Photo: @Theresagromski

This snapshot of a patio couldn’t be simpler to achieve. Helped of course by the backdrop of hedging to soften it all. Throw a few outdoor rugs down, add a table and deckchair, a few potted plants with a vase of flowers and string a few solar lights up… et voila! In a palette of black and grey, it’s a beautiful space you want to inhabit, with a few potted plants for seasonal colour. And even the least green fingered amongst you can manage a few pots of summer colour as you only need to water, and add the occasional dash of tomato feed.

Photo: @Stellaandthestars

Another seriously effective seating area.  Okay, so this is a balcony in Dubai, but you can still recreate an effect like this in good old blighty.  In a restrained colour palette again, with a backdrop of greenery for an enclosed secret space feeling which looks oh so chic.  Evergreens would give year round coverage; I like the idea of lollipop bay trees, underplanted with pittosporum golf ball and other similar small shrubs.  Simple to maintain, but very stylish.  The decking is by Ikea and by all accounts, very hardwearing and easy to self-install. It was actually laid over the top of the existing brick patio. You can read all about this particular project here: Stella + the Stars Garden Reveal.

Photo: @Oxfordone

Colour, glorious colour! And it’s all in the accessories here. Vibrant pink chairs, orange and pink pots, and a fabulous rug with colourful pompons lifts the whole setting into a fab smorgasbord of sweetie colours. It doesn’t need anything else. Gone are the days when all you could buy was brown wooden furniture – the choice is endless now so no excuse for you colour lovers not to be brave and go for it.

Photo: @naptimestyle

Another one for you colour lovers and, again, the colour comes from the furniture and textiles which gives a continental feel to the space against a calm backdrop of green.

Photo: @Patirobins

Black looks fabulous in the garden for fencing and sheds etc.  I’ve just painted my summer house black and can’t think why I waited this long to do it, although it took a bit of courage, as I thought if I don’t like it it’s going to take a lot of covering to get rid, but I’m absolutely in love with it – it gives a real sense of the dramatic.  And this is one dramatic seating area!  The black fence creates a stunning backdrop to simple chairs and an array of tables with potted greenery and candles.  A very simple idea which is very effective in its simplicity.

Photo: @Artynads

I had to include this one purely for being a feast for the eyes.  Not what most of us could achieve with it being a large covered space but it’s so fabulous I thought I would let you drool over it too!

That was just a small selection of outdoor spaces that are simple to achieve (well, bar the last one, obvs), without needing to be a green fingered goddess, so decide what you like and go for it.  There is so much choice in outdoor accessories now that you will be spoilt for choice.  And if you want a few pots for colour, be it green, or vibrant, there is always something that’s easy for non-gardeners.  Box topiary are easy to care for and just need a clip twice a year, or pots of cosmos and pelargoniums for some summer colour.  Throw down a rug, grab a couple of chairs, pull up a table, hang a string of lights, crack open a bottle, and enjoy!

Jacqui x

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1.   Lighting

Grey Bistro Set | Antique Gold Moroccan Lantern | Aged Green Garden Urn

Hang lanterns from brackets on walls or fences or place them on tables to create atmosphere for summer evenings with the twinkle of candlelight glowing in the dark. There are also lots of solar lights available now, from jam jar lights to hang in trees to strings of lights to go on a fence or archway.

2.   Rugs

Monochrome Outdoor Rug | The Marseille Garden Bench | Gothic Arch Outdoor Mirror

Who would have thought we would have outdoor rugs? I think they are a wonderful idea and a great way to create a focal point on your terrace and add a bit of colour and pattern to hard landscaping. Put one in front of a bench or under the garden table and it instantly feels like a summer dining room.

3.   Mirrors

Decorative Garden Mirror | Round Chedworth Zinc Planters

Mirrors work in the same way outdoors as they do indoors by reflecting light and creating a focal point. Hang a mirror on a wall, fence, or shed to increase the sense of space and let the reflections enhance the view. It also makes a nice surprise to turn a corner in a garden and see a mirror, something normally associated with the indoors.

4.   Seating

The Lille Garden Bench | The Sophia Garden Bench

A table and chairs is essential for an outside room to enjoy alfresco dining with friends and family, or for a glorious sundowner on a warm summer evening a little bistro set in a sunny spot. Depending on the size of your garden it’s a good idea to have various types of seating in different areas. A bench placed where you can sit and have a natter with a friend, or a solo seat just to stop and perch for a minute and admire the view.

5.   Pots and planters

Round Chedworth Zinc Planters | Zinc Effect Planter with Stand

Fill spaces with an array of planters filled with evergreens for backdrop and then add drama with seasonal displays of colour. Unify the scheme by using planters of the same colour or material and then vary sizes so you have a more interesting vignette. A planter on a stand is a great way of adding height to a display or standing alone in a small space (much more interesting at waist height than sitting forlornly on the ground). It’s so easy to ring the changes with the seasons as well so that you have year-round interest. If you are unsure what to plant a quick visit to the garden centre will show you what is flowering at that time of the year for a quick fix of colour.

Well I hope that’s given you a few ideas on how to create the perfect outdoor room. It doesn’t matter how big or how small your garden is, a small courtyard garden looks just as fabulous as a big garden when you add a few indoor bits outside amongst the planting. Even on a chilly day you will want to throw a rug around you and sit outside – so therapeutic to be out in garden with a cup of tea or a glass of wine rather than closeting yourself indoors.

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui & Amelia Brooks

Have you ever sat in traffic jams surveying people’s front gardens? I do it regularly because: a) I can’t abide sitting in traffic and always look around me at the view to try and decrease my irritation and b) I’m nosey about other people’s houses and gardens, and it’s always pots dotted about in isolation that I notice the most, and itch to liberate from their lonely solitude! And it’s so easy to rectify and so easy to create a pleasing and harmonious display. By grouping pots of similar materials, but varying sizes, you create a vignette that draws the eye. By using pots of similar colours the group becomes harmonious so that no 1 pot stands out, and by varying sizes the eye roves over and around the display thereby creating a larger more interesting vignette.

White Stone Plant Pots

I have various groupings of pots in my garden – on the top terrace that gets more shade there is a range of various black ceramic planters from very large to medium for shrubby evergreens, with a group of Audenza smaller white stone plant pots and green aged plant pots on the table nearby for planting with a splash of summer colour. Even small pots need to be varied in their sizes for an interesting display, otherwise it’s all just flat and boring and the plants mingle together without contrast.

Round Chedworth Zinc Garden Planters

On the bottom terrace, I have a selection of turquoise ceramic pots that have been added to over the years for bright seasonal displays, and the walkway to the back of the summerhouse is lined either side with terracotta pots (to create a more organic feel) filled with hostas and ferns. My dilemma now is where can I squeeze in our new range of zinc plant pots? I love the shapes, from oval to round, and even a zinc effect planter with stand, I love the range of sizes, and I love that even though they are based on old wash tubs, they look just as good in a sleek modern garden as they do in a romantic country garden.

Oval Chedworth Zinc Garden Planters

I’m not sure how I’m going to manage it but those zinc beauties have got my name on them! Amelia, as always, despairs as she has the job of watering my pots when I’m away, but even she has her eye on them. So watch this space!

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui & Amelia Brooks

Zebra Vase | Golden Wing Bookends | Ulysses Butterfly Taxidermy Art

He is such a handsome chap this zebra vase, that he doesn’t even need flowers to make a statement, but he certainly creates real wow factor when filled with floral loveliness. It’s fun to play about with different types of arrangement to see what suits, and in this case the zebra vase lends itself to so many styles and almost anything goes. To give you some tips for flower arranging in the zebra vase we have styled him in 3 different ways so you can see how different he looks.

Super Easy

This small bunch of dainty chrysanthemum heads makes the zebra look like he is wearing a vibrant hat – or a dashing haircut- and it’s so cheap and easy to do with any small flower heads. It takes minutes to cut the heads and pop them in the vase, just enough to make a compact covering of the opening.

Intermediate 

He is perfect for a simple bunch of tulips, which are literally just plonked in the vase – we’ve added some fronds of greenery for extra height but they aren’t necessary – we just had them to hand so added some. As the tulips continue to grow when in water they droop beautifully over the sides of the vase.

Pro

For a real show stunner of an arrangement fill the zebra vase with an assortment of flowers of varying heights, and fill around with lots of greenery to give more height and depth. Because the vase only has a small opening it doesn’t take a lot to fill it and create a really lovely display. Some of the foliage in this arrangement is faux which is a great way to fill out your displays without buying fresh all the time.

What do you think to the different arrangements? Do you have a favourite? I really like the dainty chrysanthemums as he looks so cute!

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks/ Styling: Jacqui & Amelia Brooks

The book deals with different elements of floral design from where to take inspiration from – nature, art and design and trends, to creating a style – wild, from the garden, classic and structured and moves onto colour inspiration and seasonal palettes. The section entitled working with flowers goes into detail as to how to create various seasonal bouquets from flower shop favourites to garden favourites and there is also a section on creating displays with stems and foliage. There aren’t many ‘how to’s’ however as it’s more of an inspirational book guiding you through style, colour and shape.

As a taster of what’s in the book I have selected 5 inspirational flower arrangements to whet your appetite.

From the white palette is a beautiful arrangement of organic pottery vases of varying shapes and sizes that have been filled with molucella, dock, alchemilla mollis, zinnias, roses and seedheads.

I love this idea of exaggerating height by tying stems of chrysanthemums at successive intervals to a long stem. Very architectural!

Constance Spry vases by Fulham Pottery have always been a favourite of mine but they can be a bit tricky to fill as they are wide and shallow but there is full instructions on how to achieve this stunning arrangement.

Another interesting arrangement with the tall fritillaries for height, willow for abundance and width, and then a collar of hydrangeas for more visual impact.

Oh I do love seedheads in arrangements and these allium ones are very striking with the stems of Polygonum persicaria for added width, and the solely green colour palette gives a zingy refreshing look.

I don’t know about you but with spring on the horizon, and the days lengthening, I feel more inclined to fill vases and containers with flowers and foliage to welcome the new season and this a great book to inspire you to try something different with your arrangements.

‘Floristry Now, Flower design and inspiration’ by Paula Pryke, published by Jacqui Small, is available to buy here.

Jacqui x

Image credits: 1. Tim Winter | 2. Rachel Whiting | 3. Polly Eltes | 4. Sian Irvine | 5. Polly Eltes

1. Incorporate Symmetry

Garden Design & Image Credit: The Garden Builders

This is one eye catching front garden, and so sexy! Go for all evergreen in a very symmetrical design for a contemporary look that’s low maintenance and green all year round – what more could you want from a front garden? The geometric shapes of the paving and planted areas echo the tile and window shapes for perfect harmony in design. Using box topiary gives all round colour and visual interest, and the grass in the centre is possibly fake, which is becoming a viable option now with the exciting new developments in fake turf. The design is so simple but that’s the beauty of it, uncluttered geometry.

2. Create an Outdoor Room

Image Credit: Layer Home

A great look if you want to make your garden an extension of your home, especially if you aren’t green fingered – and don’t want the job of looking after plants. The mirrors and pictures on the walls in this picture don’t look like they are very outdoor friendly but there’s loads of options out there that are weather proof, in fact, we are launching some gorgeous outdoor mirrors for spring. I love the idea of a room divider, planted with box balls, that separates the dining from the lounging area. It’s a really good way to add interest and break up the space in a small courtyard garden.

3. Create a Private Oasis

Garden Design & Image Credit: Jenny Bloom Garden Design

This is a fabulous way to add height and drama to what is essentially a small courtyard garden, and the sense of privacy gives a feeling of a secluded oasis. The concrete slabs are used to make a retaining wall that is deep enough to be planted at head height giving the garden a real sense of enclosure and privacy. Imagine how boring it would be if it was all on one level with just a stark backdrop. Another great idea is to use contrasting fencing materials to give character and contrast to the hard landscaping.

4. Incorporate Raised Planting Beds

Image Credit: Boscolo Interior Design

All the hard landscaping in this garden creates a very modern, minimalist look, but interest is added by varying the heights and shapes of the raised planting beds to create a sense of movement. By raising the planting area, you get a feeling of being in amongst the plants, and there is lots of places to perch with a glass of wine while you admire the flowers, and of course maintenance is a lot easier at that height. Another good idea is the bench that runs along the back wall for yet more seating.

5. Create Impact with Tiling

Garden Design & Image Credit: The Garden Builders

And the last garden to drool over has a patterned tiled area beneath the coffee table that looks like a rug, even down to a border of contrasting tiles and then a border planted with succulents. What a cool idea – creating a border of living plants!   It’s a great way to bring impact to a small space and daw the eye to the lounging area. The raised planting beds add height and create visual interest, again without too much maintenance needed.

If you’re looking for more inspiration for a small urban garden the ‘Modern Gardens’ magazine has plenty of design ideas, with plenty of planting tips as well. As regular readers of this blog will know I’m passionate about my garden, and whilst there are more ideas to steal from my garden, labour saving it aint!   All these courtyards have one thing in common though – effortlessly chic but easy to maintain. I can imagine sitting there with a sundowner, enjoying the sun, no weeding, and certainly no grass mowing – what more could you want?

Jacqui x

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I’ve posted before about the progression in my garden from its conception and promised more photos for this season, so Amelia took a few shots for me of my favourite bits – mainly seating areas as I do like a vignette with a seat – even though I don’t sit down often as I’m too busy deadheading etc. When I do sit down its usually to decide how to change the planting and improve the vignette.

This is the terrace next to the house with box hedged borders that I change seasonally from tulips in spring to dahlias, and whatever else takes my fancy in summer. It’s quite labour intensive to do this but I love dahlias and tulips so much it’s the best way to really get my fill of them. And a lovely metal chair to sit and admire the view.

A close up of the garden mirror my mother gave me for my birthday – doesn’t it look fabulous with the flowers reflected in it?

The other side of the terrace with yet more seats! A bench for displaying my lovely cushions and a little grey bistro set for that morning coffee.

Further down the garden is the larger table and chairs for when we want to eat alfresco – or just sit with a glass of wine and enjoy the view.

Another chair hidden away at the bottom of the garden behind the summer house. You can’t have too many seats I say! There are more tucked away in the garden in odd places in case I want to sit and contemplate life for a moment. What do you think, too many seats or do you have even more? And what do you think to Modern Gardens? Even my girls enjoy looking through it for ideas and they are not gardeners so I think it appeals to quite a broad range of, shall we say, design savvy people.

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks

No cake provided but I think my mother’s garden is worthy of a mention here so Amelia took a few photo’s for you to peruse.  It’s a small plot and there isn’t any grass (my father hated cutting grass) but it’s lush and verdant and very stylish.  Lots of sitting places to admire the view with a glass of wine in the sun – which really is my mother’s main criteria for a garden! 

She’s a very well travelled lady, so picked up a fair few decor bits on her travels.  She bought the lanterns when she used to live in Hong Kong (which needless to say is how she came to get her nickname ‘Hong Kong Granny’ from the kids) and she’s often keen to let people know that apparently Prince Charles has the same ones!  

I think her garden is a fantastic example though of what can be done with a smallish suburban plot, don’t you think?

Of course, having that many pots to water is by no means low maintenance, so that’s definitely something to consider when designing your garden, but it certainly makes for a beautiful and peaceful place to sit with a glass of wine. 

Well hopefully you’ve enjoyed this little garden tour?  I’d love to know which is your favourite part in the comments below.  

Jacqui x

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Photography: Amelia Brooks