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Decorating the garden

© Lynda Jardinet

Late summer is the only time of the year I would rather not be in the garden. I can't bear to see my perennials flopping tiredly over the path. My roses have every disease and bug known to man, and the lawn is decidedly brown in colour. It hasn't rained in weeks and short of flooding the garden every night with the hose, there's not much fun to be had. I have even been reduced to buying bedding dahlias in the hope of coaxing some colour from the flower beds. (And let me tell you, dahlias are far from my favourite plant.) So what can we do to lift our spirits during the dry days of summer when the garden is more intent on survival than on show? I like to go garden shopping for gifts and goodies to decorate the garden.

I've always loved ancient urns and statuary in the garden, but my chequebook doesn't quite stretch to the genuine antique versions. So my partner Grant bought me this tiny urn, which we painted with iron and instant rust to give it an aged look. The plinth is a concrete block, painted black. A can of paint is probably the best value garden gift you can buy. Bright blue paint can transform tired chairs and tables - perhaps even the fence. Pots can also be painted to great effect. I've spraypainted lots of pots with silver paint this year, and they really do show off the greenery. Of course, container gardens generally are a quick and easy way to brighten a corner of the garden. This year I have been buying old galvanised buckets from a local second hand store and filling them with yellow rudbeckias and deep purple petunias.

Tiny potted topiaries are gorgeous in any garden. I made these 'hills in pots' for a small shelf on our back fence. You can find full instructions for these and other instant ideas at my topiary site, Postcards from the hedge.

If you're feeling creative, why not make your own trellis teepees from bamboo stakes? The design possibilities are endless. I used eight stakes and bound them together with plaited pieces of carex grass. You could weave old twigs or twisted willow for a more artistic effect. In the potager, you can also see the metal candle-lanterns given to me for a birthday gift. Candlesticks of any kind look great in the garden. And there's nothing nicer than to wander down the path at night, lit only by flickering candlelight.

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