Celebrating Garden Day UK with the help of Gardenesque

Garden day is the time to “Reap the rewards of your labour. No matter how big or small your garden” (https://www.gardenday.co.uk/) so you will find me reclining here, reaping my rewards…actually if it wasn’t for Gardenesque coming to my rescue, there wouldn’t be many rewards to reap. I managed to kill off all my Geraniums this winter (they have never suffered before from remaining outside..they liked it..they were use…ok, totally my fault, blimming cold winter mutter mutter) which meant no colour or joy in one of my favourite parts of our garden.

This is probably the most asked about space in our home (other than “Did the Hollyhocks actually eat Hermes Darren?”), it is the old stableyard which we hastily converted when our son’s passion for horse riding became a little bit more persuasive “please can we have a pony? We have stables and a paddock and it would save you so much money if I didn’t have lessons every week…”. The old stableblock quickly became spare bedrooms (and now fortunately an office) and the yard became a super cosy, out of the wind retreat.

We created a corner sofa out of old pallets and pull out our daybed mattresses to recline in style (these are part of Loaf’s Two Pack Daybed which we have in the old stables when guests come to stay). I hurl cushions in every direction for backrests and either light the Kadia fire bowl which has been a total blessing during these ‘you can see your beloveds but only if you actually freeze yourself so that you are incapable of movement for 2 weeks quarantine afterwards’ or fill the pallet table with feasts and wine.

I started thinking about how we will be using the area this year and I suspect that we will be sitting outside with friends long into the summer evenings. I have been reading the beautiful Arthur Parkinson’s “The Flower Yard” which covers all forms of container gardening and it made me think about our night time seating. The idea of sitting with friends, sprawling on cushions with lanterns lit, a chilled bottle of wine in the cooler and laughter in the air whilst the evening sounds begin to take over the garden (mainly the pheasants squawking actually) and the fragrant smells of night time flowers begin to fill the senses and you inhale the balmy evening scents (as long as the farmers haven’t been muck spreading) was utterly enticing (I may have been overdoing my Angela Thirkell novels allowance).

Gardenesque got in touch to see if I would like to work together on a collaboration and I jumped at their pots..the chance! This is an amazing company with a brilliant eye for beautiful garden necessities. Their pots are out of this world beautiful so that even when the nighttime joys are no longer flowering, the pots will still add interest and structure to this area.

Gardenesque is based in the beautiful Cotswolds so it is no surprise that all their pots and gardenware are stunningly beautiful. They encompass style and practicality with a wonderful ethos, taking their cue from the Gardenesque design movement which was introduced by Scottish botanist John Claudius Loudon in the early 19th century. This new garden style incorporated both formal and picturesque garden design techniques, marrying the two seemingly opposing styles.

In the late 18th gardening purely for ornamental purposes became popular, before this point, only the wealthy used traditional landscaping to accent their properties. The primary function of the average home garden was to provide food. Wealthy landowners, however, had the space and money to install garden beds that were purely ornamental. Advances in food production took some importance off growing fruits, vegetables and herbs in the home garden and many homeowners began to replace functional edible gardens, with purely ornamental gardens, craving the stature and appeal of the gardens of the wealthy.

The Gardenesque movement championed the garden as a work of art; this past year has seen many of us beginning to treasure our gardens in ways that had been forgotten and lost in the hectic hurly burly of life. we are again turning to our gardens for the provision of food as well as a welcoming retreat. Gardenesque’s gardenware is designed to accentuate the natural beauty of any outdoor space and is based on three key values: discovery, showcasing and naturalism.

I begged my resident garden expert @flowersandlifestylebymargot to help me pick the perfect fragranced plants for my night time soiree vision: “When selecting flowers and plants for my garden and bouquets, I always look at the scent description – purely to make sure it has one! For me, the scent of a flower and plant is so important and adds a whole new dimension to the enjoyment of a garden and an arrangement. I absolutely adore sitting out on a warm evening and breathing in the scents of the garden, as well as walking into a room full of scented roses – for me this is the beauty of nature. Some of my favourites are phlox, star jasmine, Nicotiana Sylvestris and David Austin’s Desdemona Rose – all seen frequently in my garden and bouquets”. www.flowersandlifestylebymargot.co.uk

With this in mind I bravely ventured forth and picked Phlox paniculata “Blue Boy”, Phlox divaricata lap “Chattahoochee” (how could you not pick something with such a wonderful party name?) and night stocks “Matthiola incana alba”. I picked the biggest, awe worthy pots and placed them right next to our seating area. I shall also plant some philadephus which will scent the area from day through to night.

Gardenesque very gently observed that although the seating area will smell delicious late at night, we might not actually be able to see each other so kindly sent me their amazing solar Edison lights which have created a gorgeous ambient light that the sunshine pays for as well as looking super festive during the day. This is a wonderful company who simply couldn’t have been more helpful or kind, they really know their stuff and by gum, the quality is astonishing. These pots are pots for life, they have lifted this area into something far more artful and structural, head over to their drool worthy website to ogle these beauties and they have sweetly given 10% off everything with code “COTTAGE10” https://www.gardenesque.com/

Have a wonderful GardendayUk, relax and enjoy all the work that you have put into your garden this past year and maybe treat yourself to one or two of these gorgeous pots as a big thank you to yourself and your garden. Happy Garden day. x