Garden style projects ~ 2

Hello ! I'm back with the second and concluding part of outdoor designs , to perk up your garden   and give it a dash of colour especially if it's not at it's colourful best at a particular time of the year . If you missed the first part of the post , you can find it here.

Keep re-purposing in mind when you look for ideas for your outdoor space. Containers, watering cans, galvanized tubs, buckets , pitchers all contribute in getting you the much needed garden look. Remember large baskets,wooden boxes, fruit crates and small wagons and wheel barrows to display your plants in style :) Today, I am especially focusing on all re- purposed things in my garden.

Plants are the key elements of garden style and it always helps to present them in an appealing manner. Terracotta figures when combined with greenery look amazingly decorative and soothing to the eye.

Open up step ladders to the possibility of new life as plant stands. Collect colourful pottery and pots to fill with  plants and look for a sunny/ shady spot on the floor.
This particular ladder cum high stool also acts as a conservatory for my plants, especially the ones that cannot stand the heatwave. Here I have grouped them together on this ladder and placed them in a shady corner under a canopy of green shade netting to protect my plants from getting scorched during the hot summer months.

Bamboo wind chimes and colourful lanterns from recycled paper will help adorn your neglected corners !

Re-purposed bottles make excellent plant holders. Insert a few stems of aqua friendly plants and decorate a bare wall with it. Here , I have also used a removable side of an old baby cot as a backdrop and a support panel to the bottles.

Some more terracotta figures among some greenery and an old worn bamboo railing to support them. I feel the weather beaten, aged look of the bamboo adds an 'old garden charm' here. Time mellows the garden and the combination of all things new and old become instrumental in creating a valuable feature :) In other words, I am just lazy to give it a touch of paint ;)

Garden finds ~This is a picture of my mother's garden that I really love to bits. An old baby pram ( almost an antique piece now ) has be converted into a container to grow flowers. I think it's such a great way to use stuff that otherwise go unnoticed and neglected in the store rooms of most homes. I'm sure we all have such treasures hidden somewhere in our homes. Don't you have something to convert into a container too ?  Go discover the joy of re using it in a totally different way in your garden :)

Here, a corner near my utility room on the terrace, gets a new look by adding some colourful cushions  , a mirror work fabric on the wall , a few plants and some terracotta stuff. It's great to spend time here while the clothes are in the wash. I get cozy here with a book as I wait for the buzzer of the washing machine to go marking the end of my reverie :)

Few pleasures in life exceed dining or relaxing in a shady porch or under a bright starry sky. From brunches to birthday parties to candle night dinners, or just a cup of tea with your favourite cookies
 all by yourself, a fresh air setting makes the occasion all the more memorable.

Make sure you pick up a container of your choice with a mix of blooms to give a nice garden effect.

Give your outdoors a whimsical look by grouping together the most unusual things. Fabrics have the ability to brighten up any space. Lots of cushions with floral or traditional prints, books and magazines, old chairs ( metal or wicker ) , lamps for reading, plants to add to the charm and fresh flowers ( in a milk can here , something that we hardly use) make an interesting corner. If you reside in India , do make sure you have a sufficient stock of mosquito repellents too ;)

Like much in the history of gardening, watering cans came into their own in the Victorian era where gardening was considered to be a fashionable hobby. The old metallic ones as are easy to find in flea markets or second hand shops . Here, I have used a recent one to hold some blooms. When they are nor used for watering the plants, they are used to hold some and look wonderful too :) I use this table with a distressed finish as a patio table because I love the way the seasons have etched their own imprints into this very simple piece.

With that, I come to the end of this post that I truly enjoyed putting together. Nothing gives me more happiness than spending time outdoors and decorating it with a few of my favourite things which results in making the place more enjoyable when the weather cooperates. Garden style decorating and entertaining is most of all, a state of mind. Try to incorporate as many things from your daily household items into your garden as you can, keeping it simple and  natural . Try to reflect the bounties of the season by keeping a wooden or pottery bowl brimming with autumn leaves or fall vegetables on your patio table in Autumn. In Spring, fill a tall vase or pitcher with branches ready to bloom. Pressed flowers and leaves can be framed and hung on the outdoor walls and the twigs, leaves and pine cones that you have been collecting during walks or travels can always come handy while doing up your outdoors. As I said earlier, when you decorate a space as open and informal as this, then imagination, not budget is the key in making it a pretty , inviting outdoor :)
Hope you liked the post and do share your own ideas too. I always look forward to your feedback and suggestions :)
Keep smiling, keep dreaming and yes, do keep decorating :)




( All images are mine. Please do not use them without my permission.)