yardz

A NEW LOOK AT SEDUMS

 

This image of a roof top garden in central London reminded me of how useful sedums can be in these type of exposed situations.

Sedums are hardy and evergreen and come in endless variations of foliage and flower colour. They are reasonably priced and spread quickly so are great for filling containers.

 Sedum are succulent-leaved plants with large flat flowerheads. Their leaves often have a bluey-grey tint to them, and are attractively fleshy, the flowerheads are shaped like umbrellas. Each flower has a papery case around it, giving an interesting texture to the flowerhead.

    

www.crocus.co.uk

 

POP PINK GOES GREEN

It's very punk rock..........

From Adam Sherwin's coloumn in the Tuesday 11th November Times

'Pop artist Pink has green fingers. "I have an organic vegetable garden with four raised beds, I grow cucumbers, tomato, melons, jalapeno peppers, spinich, kale and chillis," she tells Q!."I also grow sunflowers, marigolds, and herbs like basil and marjoram. I like to get out there in my wellies." Sounds more Percy Thrower* than punk? "It's very punk rock to be out in a yard growing your own food."

* Percy Thrower was the first British television gardener!

SELF-WATERING WITH STYLE

 

Self watering pots for windowsills or on the patio tend to be rather functional in design. These from www.madeindesign.co.uk are far more stylish and interesting.

'In nature, plants draw up the water they need through their roots when they need it. The same principle is behind this functional and self-watering flowerpot which consists of two parts. On top a ceramic flowerpot, and beneath it a glass container, which functions as a water reservoir. Water is drawn up through nylon threads which hang down from the bottom of the pot, like extensions of the plant's roots. The Eva Solo flowerpot has been made to extend and improve the life of your house plants and indoor herbs. Just glance at the water level in the vase, and you will know immediately if the plant is thirsty... The vase reservoir can hold enough water for the plant to only need watering once a week, and possibly less frequently, depending on the circumstances.'

Available in white or anthracite and in two sizes.

WINTER NIGHTS IN YOUR OUTDOOR OFFICE

 

FOR THE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR WORKSTATION

Working in your outdoor space is becoming more and more popular with office style furniture now being produced for exterior use.

To complement this www.theglowcompany.co.uk supply this stunning Glow E L Keyboard for only £24.95. It's a practical solution to working in dimly lit conditions and also looks great with its cool blue lighting.

COOKING ON GAS

 

Firepits and firebowls are becoming more and more popular as an alternative to the standard BBQ. Because they serve a dual purpose, both for cooking and heating the patio, they tend to be a much better buy.

There are some great designs in firepits including the latest gas fired ones, not very ecofriendly but very stylish.

'The Squarestar gas firepit is constructed from heavyweight fibre concrete construction with stainless steel burner tray. Available with a matching cover to convert to a table when not in use.'

www.mode.co.uk       £300.00

LOUNGERS FOR OUR BRITISH CLIMATE

 

With our uncertain climate it is always great to discover great looking furniture that is both stylish and practical. I think the Outgang lounger and stool satisfy both these requirements.

XP chair
'Inspired by the original X Series, the new XP chair and accompanying footstool, has been redesigned to embrace the sculptural possibilities offered by rotational moulding. This has created a multi-functional design with a playful form, enabling the chair to be rotated into three different seating positions, providing maximum versatility from the one piece. The XP series is solid, tough and tactile with a facetted form which is visually dynamic and ergonomically friendly. Manufactured in the UK, using a minimum of materials and with an optimum level of recycled plastics, the XP Chair and Footstool are suitable for use indoors and out.

Eco-Friendly - The XP Series is manufactured using a minimum of materials and with the optimum level of recycled plastics. The blend of new materials with recycled product results in an aesthetically pleasing environmentally balanced product. The chair and footstool are suitable for use both indoors and out and are designed to last a lifetime. The finished product is 100% recyclable.

Colour Choice - The clever manufacturing technique allows the XP Series to be produced in a variety of colours. The product is available in Oxblood, duck, yolk, bone, graphite, moss and nite.'

www.gardenfurniture4u.co.uk

XP Chair £99.00  Stool £89.00

GREAT GRASS ALTERNATIVE

     

Lomandra longifolia Breeze is a stylish container plant that makes a good alternative to using grasses. It has superb yellow flowers that are held amongst the green spiky foliage.

It is semi-compact in growth, growing to a height and spread of 750mm. Lomandra grows well in full sun and semi-shade and its tolerance of wind makes it a great roof garden and balcony plant.

POWER PLANT

The Power Plant is a great indoor soiless gardening system that enables you to grow herbs, salads etc. indoors all the year round.

Plants are not grown in soil instead a nutrient rich solution is sprayed directly onto their root system which allows the plants to grow more efficiently than seeking those nutrients in soil.

It works on any type of seed, fits on a windowsill and only takes minutes to set up. It also looks very stylish.

www.oakthrift.com  from around £15 

It's just a pity that nobody has designed a larger version for using on balconies, patios,etc to grow salad crops through out the year.

YOUR OWN BAR FOR BONFIRE NIGHT

 

Fed up with buying lots of expensive cans for yard parties then why not try this idea.

'The 'Keg in a Box' system provides customers with a temporary draft beer solution that can be set up almost anywhere, in a minimal amount of time. The “Keg in a box” system is usually supplied as a complete package, however it is also possible to hire it without a product (i.e. you can use your own keg). You can choose from one of our product packages, they include everything you will need for your favourite beer or lager on tap, icy cold, pint after pint. They also include plastic glasses that are dispensed from within the “Keg In a box “ system.'

http://www.keginabox.co.uk/Producrs_&_Servicres.html

OUTERSPACE

   

Whilst spending the weekend in Leicester I visited the Wistow Rural Centre which is just outside the city in the beautiful Leicestershire countryside. It is composed of small retail units grouped around a small plant centre in an old walled garden.

The surprise of my visit was finding in one of the retail units 'Outerspace' a company that retails cutting edge products for outdoor living.

Their product range includes oil torches, gel burners, bird boxes, climate instruments and clocks, lighting for inside and out, utility items, metal signs, water features, sculpture, outdoor art, mirrors and gardening accessories.

Outerspacealso stock a contemporary collection of stainless steel water features that are easy to install.

 

One of the main finds was their range of outdoor art that is produced exclusively for them.  All of their outdoor art is laminated for extra protection against the elements. They have successfully been laboratory tested for water resistance and light fastness & can stay outside all year round. They would look fantastic attached to a fence or wall adding another dimension to your garden. They are also, I understand, perfect for areas of high humidity such as bathrooms & conservatories.

Outserspace have a great website where everything can be ordered online but I would recommend a drive out to this little jewel in the countryside.

www.outerspace-wistow.co.uk