Bringing the inside OUT

How to create rooms in your garden.

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I believe in celebrating the changing of the seasons. As summer slowly glides toward autumn, there are subtle temperings in the tones, shades and textures our gardens reflect. I have a border filled with nothing but Hydrangea Paniculata Limelight. Its conical cotton-white blooms, like giant Mr Whippy ice creams, gradually drip into shades of pink, as if they’ve been doused with strawberry sauce. All they need is a chocolate flake and they’re almost good enough to eat!

I purposefully planted three different types of maples in my garden. To me, other than a Liquidambar Styraciflua, they are the best for showcasing the Fall Collection, with its crimson, vermilion, russet and mahogany tones. Like the hydrangeas, the leaves slowly, but surely reflect the time of year. They act as a reminder to us, making us acutely aware that we are all entering a new phase. As the leaves desiccate and fall to the canopy floor, their crunch under foot tells us that it’ll soon be time to put things to bed for winter, fetch those comfy throws and snuggle down.

As a keen gardener, it is generally quite easy to notice all these changes as I spend so much time out there weeding, pruning and titivating. I’ve also trained myself over the years, particularly since being diagnosed with lymphoma in 2010, to be mindful of what’s going on inside and outside of me. But, during the summer months particularly, I want to slow down and just enjoy the garden for what it is. There is absolutely no point in doing all that work if you never get to just “be”, luxuriating in all its beauty. There is plenty of time for hard graft and chores.

To me, other than my general love of gardening and horticulture, the garden is all about actually “living” outside, having fun and being in the moment with friends. No one ever gets to their death bed and thinks: “I wish I’d spent more time weeding.” It’s the special memories with friends and family that matter. In summer particularly, that’s invariably outside. Even if it is under cover!

Creating a garden that welcomes and envelopes you, that encourages you to sit and watch nature take its course, is key to a happy life. So, that’s why I wanted to make my first real essay, other than the introduction last week, to be about bringing the inside out. I want people to start to see their outside spaces, whether it be a balcony, a new build garden, or even acres of pasture land, as extensions to their homes. To me the two are intrinsically linked. Bringing the outside in and visa versa is imperative for a sense of wellbeing and peace.

My garden.

So many people make the mistake of thinking that their outside space is somehow different from their interior, it isn’t! The trick when designing a great garden, in my mind, is to think about it in exactly the same way as you would your home. You want it to have a natural flow and a journey just like that from your front door through to the hall, living room, dining space and patio doors beyond. It’s important that your garden makes people feel welcome, relaxed and comfortable, just like you would want them to inside. If you can imagine your garden as a series of outdoor rooms and connecting passageways then you won’t go far wrong.

Where is the heart of your home? It’s usually the kitchen/diner. Second to that would be the living room, I’d say. It’s the places where people congregate, share food, conversation and laughter. It’s where life happens. So, it inevitably follows that the key areas of your garden should also be the spaces where all the fun is. The herbaceous borders, trees and fences are your walls. Just as the blooms, leaves and climbing vines are your paint and wallpaper.

The problem is though, a lot of us think that all we need to do is plonk a garden table and chairs on the patio and fire up the barbie. No no my friends! Come closer and I will reveal all.

Your garden entertaining space needs to have all the creature comforts that you would want inside your home. Structure, texture and colour are just as important outside as they are in. All you’re doing is swapping paint for plants. There is no reason why a balcony, courtyard or terrace, should be any less inviting than your living room. It should entice you to want to spend time there, relax and unwind, just as if you were settling down for a cosy night in front of the telly with a big bag of your favourite sweets to share.

Other outdoor rooms I’ve created

A really successful outdoor entertaining space not only has considered pieces of furniture, but also everything you need to delight the senses. You should be thinking about all the senses, including sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Your seating/dining area should say: “Hey, come sit by me for a spell, pour a glass of wine and I’ll tell you all the juicy gossip!”

To illustrate what I mean by all of this, I thought it might be an idea to show you what we did in our garden. We have a Victorian walled garden that is roughly 150 feet long by about 50 feet wide. It’s a big space, although a huge downsize from our previous garden, which was over an acre.

Only last February, the garden was a mass of brambles and overgrown shrubs, with very little in its favour, other than the thick historic brick walls that surrounded it. There were two long rows of old bricks embedded into the ground, which created a huge V shape. The tip of which just so happened to be in the very centre of our house and an original set of french doors that leads onto the garden.

I decided to design the entire garden around this V shape, mirroring the diagonals throughout the space in the herbaceous borders and the new raised deck.

Our garden when we bought it and during the renovation

To the right of the garden was a single storey extension that used to be the kitchen, but is now a utility room, loo and reception space. To the left of the garden, it was open and quite overlooked by our neighbours. We came up with the idea of putting a summerhouse, shed and garden canopy there, which would mirror the shape of the single storey extension opposite, thus creating a private courtyard. In the centre of the courtyard we would build the raised deck to house an intimate dining area.

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Alfresco dining

One of the most important things for me in a garden is socialising. I truly believe there is no point having a beautiful garden unless you share it with other people. What better way to do that than over a delicious meal and copious amounts of champers? I chose a large square wooden garden table that seats eight. Overall, I prefer a round table, it’s much more conducive to happy guests and no one being left out. But, the square shape suited this garden design better. I positioned it on the diagonal, so that the corner of the table was directly in line with the point of our V shaped deck.

The first thing I wanted to do was delineate the space by adding rattan planters that would act as dwarf walls. I wanted to fill them with as many plants as possible that had fragrance by using herbs and heady scented blooms. The bees love it! Rosemary, lavender and thyme are a few of my favourites as well as lemon verbena and Helichrysum Italicum (curry plant). White roses are also another favourite of mine, particularly as a backdrop to lavender. Our wedding flowers were Munstead lavender, white roses and Bay.

You may not have a lot of space, but there is always room for a planter or two. Plants should be more than decorative, particularly if you only have a choice few. So, look at plants that have a fragrance as well as colour. Consider their texture. A prickly-leafed specimen might not be the most alluring of choices. Herbs have beautiful soft muted colour, but also smell amazing. Every time you brush past them you will be transported to the sun-scorched hills of Tuscany. What’s more, you can use them in your cooking too!

Lighting is also key because if you get the design right, then you and your guests will want to stay there chatting away till it gets dark. Solar lights are a great option here as you don’t need to worry about wiring or electrics, particularly if your dining table is far from an outdoor socket.

Our walled garden and our previous home.

Another way to create a feeling of relaxation in an outdoor space is to add a water feature. The constant trickle of soothing water has a calming influence on the soul. It can also distract you from other less comforting sounds around you, like road noise, or screaming children (don’t get me started!). Do make sure whatever you choose has a soft, subtle flow though. There’s nothing worse than listening to something akin to a horse pissing on tin!

When you design a room you don't just think about the floor surface, you use the walls and even sometimes the ceiling! You hang artwork, shelving, create gallery walls. You think about colour and texture, layering and contrast. The same goes for your garden. Don’t just design horizontally, think vertically!  All of your boundary walls can be used to create beauty. Fences can be painted any colour you like, hang outdoor artwork - why not? Think about hanging baskets, living walls, trellising, screens, arbors, archways, pergolas and raised beds clad in crisp white render if that’s what really melts your butter.

Right, now all that’s very lovely, but what about when it rains? It’s been the strangest of summer’s around the world. You’ve either had temperatures so hot that it’s practically impossible to be outside. Or, like us here in the U.K, it has pretty much poured down every day.

Our latest outdoor room

In our current garden (yes, we move house a lot) I wanted a chill out space that could protect us from both sun and rain. I’ve never quite understood why us Brits aren't more partial to a covered outside space. Verandahs and porches are so popular all over the world, but no, a parasol will do us fine! Never mind if it’s blowing a hoolie, someone can stand and hold it and be grateful.

In our previous home, which was a weatherboard New England style dream that I miss beyond belief, we created a covered outdoor balcony. It was an absolute game changer! It meant me and the hubster could sit out there come rain, or come shine and we did! I love nothing better than being outside in the rain, but not getting wet. There’s something rather smug about it!

We were planning to put a summerhouse in the walled garden we have now. However, one evening over a glass or three of Chablis, I asked Mr C why we were doing that. After all, we never really used the last one we had. Why not instead have a smaller summerhouse that could be used as a home office and then a larger covered canopy attached to it? That way we would get the best of both worlds and we’d also get what we used to have with the covered balcony. It was agreed and the alfresco wheels of another outdoor room were set in motion.

We positioned the summerhouse and canopy so that it faced almost due west for fabulous sunsets. One of the most important design features is the colour of the ceiling. I wanted this space to be our little slice of Key West/Cape Cod, but in England. A lot of the ceilings in the verandahs and porches of these parts of the world are painted in a colour called Haint Blue.

There’s a reason for this. Historically, it’s to ward against Haints, or bad spirits. I’m not sure it does much of that, but what it does seem to do is stop bugs and spiders wanting to create their nests. There are many shades of the colour, but the closest to the Key West tone is Blue Ground by Farrow and Ball - they say it’s an optimistic and friendly colour, so that’s me to a T! 

The ceiling in our garden canopy (I decided the word porch didn’t quite do it justice) reminds me of summer holiday blue skies. It was important to me that whenever someone sat there, whatever the weather or season, they would feel like they had been transported to warm and sunny climes. It would become a chill out zone for relaxing after supper, or a place to run and take shelter from a sudden summer downpour.

I made the space feel as much like a living room as possible, complete with cosy rug and even curtains! An outdoor rug is a great idea as it anchors your design and can bring a colour scheme together. It also solidifies the idea that it’s an outdoor room, an extension of your home.

Almost everyone I know thought I was mad talking about curtains outside, but why not? I used white linen almost see-through curtain panels from IKEA, which give the canopy a coastal vacation vibe. They also provide privacy when needed and shade from the sun. Go on, try it! Do they get wet when it rains? Yes, a little, but who cares? Do I bring them in come winter? No, but I do change them out for a more seasonal tone!

Soft throws and comfy cushions added an immediate charm and a sense of luxury. For the lighting I mainly used candles and remote control faux candles, which are super handy by the way! However, we did also install sockets for a floor lamp and phone charging. One of the best forms of lighting for the canopy has to be the Alfresco cordless table lamps. You can take them anywhere, inside or out. They are waterproof and only need a charge once in a while, just like your phone does. They are perfect for any occasion too as they are dimmable.

I finished off the look in this room by using plants in pots and hanging baskets. Because of the Key West vibe, I opted for plants we would usually keep as houseplants in the UK, but that would be outside all year round in warmer climes. I have to bring them in come the frosts, but that’s ok.

So, there you have it. My little guide to creating outdoor rooms to enjoy and appreciate your garden throughout the seasons. Next weekend I’ll be turning it on its head and telling you all about how to bring the outside in. I can’t wait. I hope you’ll join me.

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