Gear Up Your Garden For Summer
Thursday 1st May 2008 by Elizabeth Richards
 When it comes to serious summer time, loving your garden is less about getting your hands dirty and more about sitting back and enjoying it.
 So, with warm spells just around the corner (we hope), prepare to transform your garden into a relaxing outdoor space complete with comfortable furniture, luxe accessories and party opportunities galore.
Our favourite brands have taken outdoor living to their hearts, each year revealing their latest lifestyle essentials – ranging from the classic to the totally over-the-top, all to give our gardens a touch of something special.
If you’re still frantically preparing plants to fill your garden with summer colour and scent, take the strain out of potting with a sturdy table that allows you to work standing up.
 The Kitchen Potting Bench  (pictured right) at The Country Gardener has a large bin plus a sliding tray and a shelf for tools and pots.
Those with a large garden equipped with lawn, trees, decking and even a pool are lucky to be able to consider oversized designs which will suit the dimensions of the space but urban dwellers with simply a courtyard patio or rooftop terrace should dip into the ever-increasing range of garden furniture designed for the more compact space.
A dinky table and chairs – in metal, for true cafe chic – provides the perfect perching place for morning coffee or afternoon tea whilst twinkling tealights and oversized floor cushions take the space through to evening for intimate after-hours lounging: choose jewel colours for heady Moroccan charm or keep things chic with pure white.
 Garden furniture has seen a stylish makeover in recent years so whether you prefer to relax on a sofa, armchair, hammock, beanbag or swinging seat, there IS the perfect solution.
Unopiu has some of the most beautiful designs we’ve seen with the Adelaide (pictured left) range in cool classic rattan most definitely top of our list; prepare to lounge in style.
 A barbecue is a summer must-have and if you invest in the right design it’ll last you years. So choose something stylish – we’ve fallen for the clean lines and simplicity of the Danish-designed Outdoor Kitchen Barbecue
at Cox & Cox (pictured right).
Powered by charcoal and with a smart dome to protect the cooking area, it features a stainless steel preparation counter and a storage shelf to stash ingredients. It’s even on castors for easy portability.
Summer nights can quickly become chilly as darkness falls but a firepit will extend your outside hours. Choose the Bodie and Fou revolver design– easily the sexiest of this season’s selection – which in sleek stainless steel adds a modern edge and makes a striking focal point on decking, patio or lawn.
 If candles are more your thing than harsh outside lighting, stop by The White Company for their White Enamel Lantern (pictured left) which looks pretty hung from a pagoda or simply sitting atop the table.
A glass or two or something chilled is always a treat so protect your wine or champagne from the summer heat with this Vintage Metal Bucket (pictured top left) from Decorative Country Living. Filled with ice, it’s large enough to take two or three bottles of Rose for the ultimate in lazy afternoons.
 We all know the dangers of over-exposure to the sun so keep your skin safe and stick to the shade. No trees? Treat yourself to a beautiful parasol from the Indian Garden Company.
Choose from vibrant colours and decorative embellishment for a statement piece you’ll be drawn to day after day or stick to pure white for a calmer look and feel.
Finally, splash out on a couple of deckchairs – perfect for extra guests and easy to throw into the car for impromptu trips to the seaside. We adore these fringed deckchairs (pictured right) with their French striped cushions and comfy head pillows.
Forget going on holiday – look no further than your very own outside space!
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