Christmas sampler of Modern Gardens

MODERN GARDENS I DECEMBER 2017 I ISSUE 21 CREATE YOUR PERFECT OUTSIDE SPACE – NO GREEN FINGERS REQUIRED!
100s
OF EASY
IDEAS!
READER GARDENS | EASY IDEAS | SHOPPING
DECEMBER 2017
ISSUE TWENTY ONE
£3.99
For you
NEW!
Create your perfect outside space - no green fingers required!
416
Ways to make
your festive
garden sparkle
LOVE
YOUR
CHRISTMAS
THE BEST OF
OUTDOOR
GARDEN LIVING
Garden makeovers
“OUR MED-STYLE GARDEN
GLOWS ALL YEAR ROUND”
Easy ideas
BEAUTIFUL LIGHTING TO
CREATE MAGICAL SPACES
Including
✽ Easy ideas to add wow to your tree
✽ Wreaths and swags for a stylish welcome
✽ Create a winter wonderland in a crate
✽ Warm mulled wine on the latest fire tables
DECEMBER ISSUE 22 NOV - 27 DEC
Outdoor living
THROW A CHRISTMAS EVE
CUBAN BARBECUE

Inside this
MONTH...
SMALL
GARDENS
BIG
IDEAS
64
Reader garden
makeovers
16 “We enjoy Med-style
charm all year round”
Clever design and 60-year-old olive trees
give an exotic edge to this Bristol garden.
26 “We created our own
hacienda!”
Modern white walls and palm trees have
transformed this tired space in Droitwich.
Simple makes
& projects
32 Deck the holly
Decorate a holly tree with simple
homemade ornaments.
72 Miniature winter wonderland
Bring a little slice of your garden indoors.
80 We love to make
Add a personal touch to Xmas gifts.
82 Winter in bloom
Display red plants indoors for an
eye-catching Christmas centrepiece.
87 Christmas upcycled
Easy ideas to turn the ordinary into
enchanting decorations.
96 Christmas Eve Cuban BBQ!
Spice up the festive season with an
al fresco feast.
106 Create an Alpine retreat
Turn your shed into a tranquil hideaway.
Easy ideas
20 Ornamental olive trees
On trend and easy to care for, they’re
a simple way to add a touch of chic.
34 Gather round
Firepit tables are much more than just
a way of keeping warm.
40 16 ways to add Xmas magic
Spread the festive joy outside as well as in.
50 Welcome Christmas!
Wreaths and swags to decorate your door.
56 All about dogwoods
Conjure midwinter fire with these bright,
hardy shrubs.
74
We
LOVE
this!
40

100
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
38
✽ Subscribe to Modern Gardens and
receive an Arabian lantern worth £16.99.
118
6
62 Plant a sizzling stem corner
Beautiful combinations for winter colour.
64 Bright & beautiful
Sparkly lights to create a magical space.
74 Scent of the season
Choosing and decorating your tree.
92 Plant icons
14 reasons we love ivy.
102 Designing with houseplants
In the third part of our series on using plants
as accessories, we focus on the bathroom.
Best buys
6 Christmas gift guide
Modern garden-inspired treats.
38 10 buys...
To make Santa feel at home.
Grow & eat
113 Garden to glass
Mix your own blood orange margarita.
118 Cranberries
Add a tang to party-season sweets.
Regulars
14 Blooming lovely
Plants and shrubs to buy now!
24 Natural Christmas
Stylist Selina Lake on how to get the look.
37 Upcycle with style
Make a star light feature.
46 What to do now
How to keep your plot looking good.
54 We love outdoor living
Your garden highlights.
71 Paws & whiskers
Treat your pet this Christmas.
100 Subscription offer
Sign up for a year’s supply of Modern
Gardens and get an Arabian lantern.
115 Q&A
Got a question? We’ve got the answer.
122 Do-It-Yourself living wall
Create your own vertical garden with our
offer and save £360.
124 Trees for all seasons
The evergreen trees in our exclusive
offer will bring joy all year round.
126 Garden notebook
All you need to know to get started.
130 Our garden crush
The garden of our dreams!

1
FESTIVE FLOWERS
Reuse shorter stems that won’t fit in
a vase to create smaller bouquets of
your favourite winter blooms, such as
hellebores, roses and ivy fruits. They
will brighten up a window ledge or
outdoor table. Pop them in a lantern
with a candle or two to protect them
from the cold.
16 ways to
add Christmas
MAGIC
Spread the festive joy outside as well as in!
WORDS: RACHEL OGDEN. PHOTOS: FLORA PRESS, LIVING4MEDIA
SMALL WONDER
Layer Christmas spirit over
any plant with mini baubles,
which are especially effective
on these small conifers.
Large Vence window box
in zinc-plated steel, £50
gardentrading.co.uk
2
40 MODERN GARDENS DECEMBER 2017

EASY IDEAS
Happy
Holidays!
4
FRIENDLY GREETINGS
Welcome guests to your home with a cheery wreath,
ribbon or even a length of tinsel wound around your fence
or gate. Small garland with bow, which comes in a choice of
five different colours £15 garlandbow.co.uk
SET THE SCENE
3
Breathe new life into a spare corner of your
garden with mix and match trees and forest animal
ornaments, along with the warm glow of candles.
A by Amara antique tree candle holder £130,
decorative metal tree ornament £89, decorative
tree tea light holder £65, large antique deer
ornament £59, small £30, mini decorative tree in
jute bag £20 all amara.com
TAKE A SEAT
If you’ve recently upgraded your dining
table, you might be wondering what to do
with the old chairs. Simply decorate them
with branches, baubles, plenty of holly and
mistletoe for an unusual display.
5
DECEMBER 2017 MODERN GARDENS 41
➣

Create an
ALPINE
RETREAT
Rustic meets the cool of Scandi
is a trend that can be recreated
with just a few accessories,
turning your shed into a tranquil
hideaway for one
➣
106 MODERN GARDENS DECEMBER 2017

PROJECTS
TAKE
THE
INSIDE
OUT!
When you’re looking for ways to
enjoy your garden during the
winter, take a look at your shed.
It might be just what you’re after,
providing a cosy retreat to escape to with a hot
chocolate and snug blanket. With space at a
premium inside our homes, sheds are becoming
increasingly popular as an extra living space, and
one that offers a warm, dry and stylish place is
much easier to achieve than you think.
And you’re not alone in this quest for a
retreat, as Richard Frost of The Posh Shed
Company (theposhshedcompany.co.uk)
explains: “For the past couple of years, we’ve
noticed that people are looking for somewhere
to escape to and are turning to their sheds.
Long before hygge arrived in the UK, the
garden shed, traditionally used for storing
garden equipment, has rapidly become a
sanctuary to provide a break from the stresses
of life. Our customers are transforming theirs
into cosy hideaways, a place to shut themselves
away from the world.”
START WITH A CLEAR OUT
If you want to create an Alpine-style retreat,
then you’re going to need a clear out, as sitting
in a chair, surrounded by garden tools isn’t
exactly the look you’re going for! Tools, garden
furniture and outgrown toys will need a new
home – either sell or pass them on or buy a
tool shed or outside storage box. If you have to
keep a few things in the shed, then buy a
wooden chest that could double as a table.
Give the space a good clean and check the
condition of your shed at the same time for
damp or leaks. Check any guttering, roof felt
or shingles too, as you don’t want your new
interiour decor to get wet. Look at the path to
your shed – are slabs loose, or do you need
➣
RAW BEAUTY
Keep the shed walls natural
and add a hero chair as a
focal point and to inject
some warm colour.
WORDS: JENNIFER MORGAN. PHOTOS UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED: LIVING4MEDIA
DECEMBER 2017 MODERN GARDENS 107

Take
the
inside
OUT!
Christmas
gift guide

Rocking robin
This handcrafted chocolate robin
sitting on a hazelnut praline log is so
beautiful, you’ll want to buy one for
you and a friend! £9.99 aldi.co.uk
it’s a date
We love this quirky Rifle Paper
calendar. Each month features
a vibrant illustration.
£26 papermash.co.uk
Bee & B
A stylish concrete planter
combining a safe nesting
site for solitary bees with
space for pollinatorfriendly
plants. £45
black-by-design.co.uk
Get
creative
make your mark
For the craft lover, look no further than
this set of two stamps from Yellow Owl
Workshop, featuring conifer and pinecone
designs. £12.50 papermash.co.uk
Cherry pop
The fabric of this
apron is so cute,
we’d happily wear
it all day! £24
thornbackandpeel.co.uk
compiled by clare howcutt-kelly
Give it some
welly
A boxing day walk
is somewhat of a
tradition and these
are the perfect
boots to wear. £35
seasaltcornwall.co.uk
When life gives
you lemons...
Who wouldn’t want to sit down
and enjoy a gin and tonic in this fab
deckchair? £75 notonthehighstreet.com
➣
december 2017 MODERN GARDENS 7

Christmas eve
TRY
SOMETHING
DIFFERENT!
CUBAN BBQ!
Barbecuing is no longer just for summer so spice up
your Christmas Eve with an AL FRESCO FEAST
With its culture alive with
colour, energy and strong
flavours, Cuba is a fantastic
source of ideas for parties.
So why not spruce up your traditional
celebrations by taking inspiration from the
Cuban Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve
supper. Nochebuena literally means 'the
Good Night' and is the Spanish word for
Christmas Eve. In Spain, Latin Amercia and
the Philippines, the evening consists of a
traditional family dinner with marinaded
pit-roasted pig, or lechon, as the
centrepiece, as well as singing, dancing,
pinata smashing, gift exchanging and a
special midnight mass.
We've opted for a more manageablesized
fresh ham (see p99), and you can't
beat the flavours that a barbecue adds to
the meat. The weather is always going to
be the biggest issue when organising an ➣
LIMITED EDITION
In a festive red berry colour,
the weatherproof Weber
Master-Touch, which allows
indirect cooking of bigger
cuts of meat, is a must-have
for a Christmas barbecue.
£299 weber.com
WORDS:DEBBIE JEFFERY
96 MODERN GARDENS APRIL 2017

PROJECTS
THAT'S
CLEVER!
Choose a barbecue with
handles and wheels so
that you can easily move
it around your patio and
store it away
Party planning
✽ For safety, the route from house to
barbecue needs to be well lit with strong
lighting for the cooking area. Layer brighter
garden lights using decorative lanterns,
fairy lights and battery-powered tea lights.
✽ It might sound obvious, but dress
appropriately! Waterproofs, hats, gloves
and scarves will ensure your winter party
doesn’t fizzle out after an hour, and you
could provide a selection of blankets
and umbrellas for unprepared guests.
✽ If you’re cooking with wood or charcoal,
make sure that the barbecue is lit in plenty
of time, and if you need to close a lidded
barbecue, keep checking the food.
✽ Prepare as much as you can indoors
so that you won’t be standing around
cooking for too long. Write down the
time schedule and use a timer so you
don’t get distracted.
This outdoor oven and
grill stands on its own
table, with firewood
storage below.
ALL IN ONE
The wheeled Morsø
Forno Garden Set.
£1,695 morsoe.com

We love to make...
Each issue, we bring you easy ideas and quick makes. This month
we ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH to Christmas gifts
30
MINUTES
CHRISTMAS TREE
WRAPPING PAPER
Make your gifts stand out
with this simple yet stylish
printed paper.
£5.85
YOU WILL NEED
✽ Knife
✽ Potato
✽ Kitchen towel
✽ Almost Black Kraft Gift Wrapping Paper,
£3.85 pipii.co.uk
✽ Docrafts Artiste Pigment Ink Pad in black,
£2 thatscrafty.co.uk
WORDS & PHOTOS: EMMA HOWCUTT-KELLY
WHAT TO DO
1 Cut a potato in half and carve out a Christmas
tree shape to make the stamp. You could use
the other half of the potato to create other
Christmas shapes such as a star or holly.
2 Pat dry the potato with kitchen towel and
leave it to dry further for 30 minutes.
3 Cut the wrapping paper to size. Prepare
several pieces so you have plenty to hand when
you’re ready to wrap your Christmas pressies.
4 Lay out your first sheet of paper. Press the
potato shape firmly into the ink pad, making
sure the ink coats the whole shape.
5 Push the stamp firmly onto the sheet of paper,
creating the pattern. You will need to reapply
the ink after two prints so that you get a nice
crisp print. Repeat on the other sheets of paper,
leaving them to dry completely before wrapping
your presents.
TIP Complete the look
by using your stamp
to make a printed tag to
attach to your gift
4
80 MODERN GARDENS DECEMBER 2017

SIMPLE MAKES
SUPERFAST MAKE!
CHRISTMAS CARD
These gorgeous Christmas
cards double up as stylish tree
decorations. Using a cookie
cutter, simply create your
chosen shape in air drying clay
(£1, hobbycraft.co.uk), making
a small hole in the top for the
string or ribbon to go through.
Let it dry for a few hours then
draw or paint on a pattern. Attach
the ribbon, then stick to a card with a
small dab of PVA glue.
£1.20
15
MINUTES
POTS
OF LOVE
15
MINUTES
OLIVE BRANCH
GIFT TOPPERS
Turn gifts into decorations as
they sit underneath your tree.
YOU WILL NEED
✽ White paint
✽ Pine cones
✽ String
✽ Olive branch from a local florist
✽ Cinnamon sticks, £2 hobbycraft.co.uk
✽ PVA glue
✽ Gift tags, £3.49/10 pipii.co.uk
£5.49
WHAT TO DO
1 Dab white paint onto the pine cones to give a
snow-like effect. Leave them to dry.
2 Wrap string around the parcel as shown in the
above picture and attach an olive branch.
3 To add the cinnamon sticks, first tie three
pieces together with string, leaving a little
overhang so you can attach the bundle to
your present.
4 To add the pine cones, simply stick them on
with PVA glue.
5 Finally, attach a gift tag of your choice.
Add a touch of sparkle to
a potted present with a
personal message.
YOU WILL NEED
✽ Terracotta pot
✽ White paint
✽ PVA glue
✽ Anita’s Gold Modern Alphabet
Outline Stickers, £1.20 hobbycraft.co.uk
✽ Plant of choice
WHAT TO DO
1 Make sure the terracotta pot is clean
and dry.
2 Paint the pot with white paint and leave
it to dry. Give it a second coat so there is
no show through from the terracotta.
3 Once the paint is dry, stick on the letters
to create your personalised message.
4 Pop a plant of your choice into the pot,
and your personalised gift is ready to go.
DECEMBER 2017 MODERN GARDENS 81

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