Hardy - Small summer gardens: 35 bright and beautiful gardening projects to bring color and scent to your garden

small summer GARDENS small summer GARDENS bright and beautiful gardening
projects to bring color and
scent to your garden EMMA HARDY Published in 2018 by CICO Books An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd 2021 Jockeys Fields341 E 116th St London WC1R 4BWNew York, NY 10029 www.rylandpeters.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Text Emma Hardy 2018 Design, illustration, and photography CICO Books 2018 The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library. ISBN: 978-1-78249-550-5 eISBN: 978-1-78249-767-7 Editor: Caroline West Designer: Luana Gobbo Photographer: Debbie Patterson Stylist: Emma Hardy In-house editor: Anna Galkina Art director: Sally Powell Production controller: Mai-Ling Collyer Publishing manager: Penny Craig Publisher: Cindy Richards contentsCHAPTER 1
bright florals and scents CHAPTER 2
lush foliage CHAPTER 3
special occasion displays CHAPTER 4
fruits and harvests The garden comes into its own in summer, with such a wide selection of foliage and flowering plants looking their best. The summer months provide the perfect opportunity to spend time outside, enjoying the long daylight hours and, hopefully, some good weather.

This is also the perfect season for creating beautiful planters to brighten up your garden and home. Whether you have a large garden with sufficient room for entertaining or just a modest window ledge or doorstep, there are planting ideas to suit every type of outdoor space. Visit any garden center during the summer and the huge selection of plants on offer can seem overwhelming, so the idea behind this book is to provide ideas and inspiration so you can create your own special displays. I love using old containers, which can be bought in second-hand stores and online, for my planting displays. These usually have the added advantage of being relatively inexpensive, but there is also a wonderful array of new pots, window boxes, and planters available, all of which can look beautiful, too. The book features 35 projects for container gardens, from tiny terracotta pots packed with pretty flowers to large tubs that create the effect of an herbaceous border.

There are ideas for both indoor and outdoor gardening, as well as sections on edible gardening and foliage displays. A useful section on containers for special occasions offers more short-term planting ideas. Each project provides a list of plants to use (youll usually need only one of each plant, unless stated otherwise). You can either follow these plant lists like a recipe, or use them purely for inspiration for successful color schemes and planting combinations. You may find that some of the suggested plants are not well suited to your area or are difficult to get hold of (although I have tried to use plants that are relatively easy to cultivate). However, using alternatives in similar colors and sizes will work just as well.

There is a handy section on materials and techniques, which gives advice on how to get started. Hopefully, this will help you not only to create beautiful planters, but also to keep them looking good for longer. Before you start planting, it is a good idea to put together a basic tool kitif you buy the best tools you can afford and look after them well, they should last you for many years to come. There are so many beautiful plants available in the summer that creating fabulous planters is a pure joy, and one that can be enjoyed for many months. I have really relished putting together the planting schemes for this book, and I hope you will gain equal pleasure from them, whether you stick closely to the projects or use them as a starting point for your own ideas. Have fun creating fabulous planted containers and enjoy your summer garden! I always think gardening is more enjoyable when you just have a go, rather than getting bogged down with lots of advice, which can be a little overwhelmingespecially for beginners.

Having said that, it can be useful to learn a few basics before you begin to avoid making expensive mistakes. With this in mind, I have put together some tips and gentle advice to help you on your way. CHOOSING CONTAINERS There are pots, planters, troughs, window boxes, and hanging baskets available in a range of sizes, shapes, materials, and colors from garden centers and online. When deciding on a container, consider materials and colors that will offset your chosen plants well, or stick to classic terracotta, which looks good planted with just about anything. I love the look of old enamel and galvanized metal containers, which you can often pick up cheaply from second-hand stores and markets. Look out for old cans and boxes, as these make lovely containers, and also old pails (buckets) and tubs, which might not look very promising at first, but can be transformed by pretty planting.

PREPARING CONTAINERS Before planting up a container, there are a few simple steps you can take to get your new plants off to a good start. Making drainage holes An important point to bear in mind when choosing containers is that they should ideally have drainage holes in the bottom, as most plants do not like sitting in very wet soil. However, you can easily make holes in containers made from materials like metal or wood with a hammer and large, heavy-duty nail. Simply turn the container upside down and hit the nail hard with the hammer to make several holes randomly around the base. You can also use an electric drill to make the holes. Use a hammer and sturdy nail to make a few drainage holes in the base of suitable containers.Cleaning containers To help prevent pests and diseases damaging your plants, clean containers before planting. Use a hammer and sturdy nail to make a few drainage holes in the base of suitable containers.Cleaning containers To help prevent pests and diseases damaging your plants, clean containers before planting.