yardz

ICE CHAIRS FOR A HOT SUMMER

Great style. Great Colours. Made from lightweight aluminium, these stackable Ice Chairs designed by Kasper Salto are perfect to use both inside and out. They are available in nine funky colours and are guaranteed to put colour on your patio even if the sun doesn't shine!

www.suiteny.com 

UP THE WALL WITH A KIIKKU PLANTER

Just love this Finnish Kiikku Planter. It's on the same lines as the Allotment Ladder that yardz. posted about last autumn. The Kiikku though has a lot more style.

The ladder is about 4'/120cm long and about 6"/15cm wide. It tilts gainst any wall and supports four black or white vitrous porcelain pots. In Finnish Kiikku means 'swing' and the pots do indeed swing upright no matter what angle you lean your ladder.

www.unisonhome.com 

OUTDOOR OVERSCALE FLAMES

Expanding on the popular Overscale Candles he designed for B&B Italia, Jean-Marie Massaud has designed his Overscale Flames. Taller and more sculptural, the Flames are designed to create ambience on the ground, not on the table. Use these ceramic, oblong forms to bring a flicker of light and a cool, modern serenity to your yard.

'This large vertical oil candle is made from painted fiberglass with an anodized aluminum nozzle. The outer is formed by several layers of fiberglass impregnated with epoxy resin.

The product is stove enameled with special non-scratch paints. Jean-Marie Massauds is well known for his collection of candles supported by a metal cage. The body is handmade with the help of a mould, there is a tank fixed inside the body for the fuel with a maximum capacity of 500ml.'

www.bebitalia.com

 

WARMING TO THE BUZZ

Inspired by a 'wheelie-bin', 'The Buzz' is the new way to heat your patio/deck. Designed by Dutch designer Kees Marcells, who wanted the focal point to be the flames.

The fire comes with ceramic logs and generates radiant and convected heat at an output of 9kw running on propane gas bottles.  

www.faberfireplaces.co.uk

BEING DIVIDED WITH SLATS

American Landscape architect Raymond Jungle designed this rooftop garden for a client in Miami.

The divider made from natural ipe wood slats is stunning. Making a feature of dividers within a small space is often better than trying to disguise any division with plants and climbers.

 

AUTUMN JUNGLE STYLE WITH FASCICULARIA

Why not put a bit of exoticism in your yard this autumn. Fascicularia bicolor is a terrestial bromeliad that comes from the coastal forests of Chile. It is hardy though in most southern areas of Britain.

They have spiky dark green foliage but their main feature is their stunning flowers formed by some of the leaves turning bright crimson around the central flower. They flower from late summer through autumn so would make excellent container bedding especially if combined with the bright colours of Miracle cyclamen.

 

PUTTING MOTHER-IN-LAW OUTSIDE FOR THE SUMMER

Photo:Chelsea Stickel

Plants shown are Sansevieria Futura Simplex, the gold one, and the almost black Sansevieria Nelsoni.

In the latest edition of the American Garden Design magazine, there is a feature on growing Sansevierias, known as 'Mother-in-Laws Tongue'. I gather in parts of the USA they are a favourite of garden designers as they grow like weeds when planted outside. Here in Britain we only know them as houseplants.

They can though be used as summer bedding in containers looking stunning tighly packed together. They need though to go back under protection for winter though I read that they will withstand temperatures down to 28F/-2C as long as they are kept under well drained conditions.

VERTICAL GARDENING MADE EASY WITH THE POLANTER

Just love the idea of the Polanter from www.polanter.co.uk

 'The Polanter takes vertical gardening to a new and exciting level. Why not replace your out-dated hanging basket or window box with a spectacular and stylish Polanter?  Wherever you would put a hanging basket you could pop up a Polanter. Simply hang on the wall using the provided brackets.

The Polanter is a vertical and modular planting system with an internal integral watering facility. Its modular design feature is easy to assemble and can be built into a variety of lengths to suit your personal requirements. By the use of carefully positioned holes its unique design allows for a host of year round planting possibilities from bedding plants, flowers, herbs, vegetables, salad, fruit, cacti, to heathers and alpines.  Its easy care design is ideal for the most novice of gardeners. Connect your garden hose to the base for just 60 to 90 seconds a day and watch your Polanter flourish. It even reduces the likelihood of weed problems too.'

Its available in a range of sizes and great colours - a real winner for the yard. From £21.99

EATING THE LAWN

'A glassfull of minerals' Chelsea Flower Show May 2010

I'm not a juice buff but I understand that wheatgrass is the top health giving juice ingredient. You see wheatgrass in juice bars in small trays in which they have been sown and the forced under artificial light. You can buy the grass in these trays ready grown and even by frozen wheatgrass ready to use. 

There is another way though. Grow the grass outside as an attractive alternative to a lawn, in a windowbox or hanging basket or just as a feature. Wheatgrass grown in the open is meant to be better for you with less simple sugars and carbohydrate and also less risk of mildew.

So instead of mowing the lawn being a chore - just snip a bit every morning for your heathy wheatgrass drink!
 

MINIMALISTIC OUTDOOR CHIC

Ceri Morgan designed this garden for www.outdoorchic.co.uk at the Tatton Park Flower Show last month. The design created a contemporary garden with low maintenance requirements, minimal materials and planting and a limited colour palette.The organically shaped sunlounger in lime green,from www.outdoorchic.co.uk , completed the design.

Just love the tulips! These are also from www.outdoorchic.co.uk and are available in a choice of colours and they also light up at night.

Those of us with small spaces can learn from this design. Especially the minimal use of colours and the careful restriction of types and varieties in the hard and soft landscaping. It is so easy to overload your yard with too many plants and too many different materials. Some designers believe that about 70% of planting should be of one variety to unify a small area.