With the weather seemingly behaving itself (for now) and World Cup season just around the corner, it’s understandable that more and more of you will be taking to your gardens for at least part of the next few months.That’s why it’s essential you make your garden as homely as you expect of your indoor spaces.Just like with your home interior, gardens follow their own garden trends. And while planting shrubs won’t make a huge difference any time soon, there are plenty of other ways to turn your garden into a delightful area to hang out and invite friends.

Here, we summarise the main garden trends to give you a steer in the right direction and guide your next trip to BBQ or the garden centre.

THEMES

Starting off with the right theme will help you make those important shopping choices.

• Living outdoors is where this nation is finding fulfilment. Perhaps it’s too much work, wanting to get away from computer screens (Anyone who has tried working on a laptop outdoors knows it’s just not worth attempting) or a desire to profit from the rare rays bestowed on our British soil, but people are taking the outdoor space to the next level, turning it into an extension of our indoor living room.
• Leaving symmetry aside, landscapers are being encouraged to play around with the garden layout, adding in maze-like walls to catch your eye and make the garden a fun place to be.
• Japan’s Wabi-sabi is hitting our shores. This is a laissez-faire approach to gardening, and an acceptance that nature is the best landscape architect. Enjoying that worn look on your metal finishes and moss on your rockery is in order so you can enjoy simply being in your garden.
• Growing your own foods is hardly a new concept, but one that is gaining ever more traction. You never know, it could be fun to try it, starting small and getting the kids involved.

COLOURS

Colours this year are governed by the “Verdure” colour palette produced by Pantone (yes, someone actually gave us a colour scheme for our gardens). In short, you want to add colours that wouldn’t look out of place on your forest floor: green hues, berry shades such as red and purple, and even egg shell blue (We suppose that’s the reflection from the sky?!). Metallic finishes such as copper are in, with extra points for a worn out, oxidised look.

Alternatively, you could ignore all that and add some dramatic pop art colours to your lawn furniture instead.

FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES

You remember we said that creating an outdoor living space was all the rage? If you thought we just meant a few sun loungers and a parasol, think again. Outside living now translates into kitchen and dining space besides a chill out space. Here are our essentials:

• Cushions and throws soften up your wooden furniture
• A full dining set to entertain or go small with a bistro set if it’s just a morning cuppa you’re after.
• Cosy up with a corner sofa for the patio
• Pergolas have morphed into a must-have for your patio in their new “smarter” incarnation. Perfect for sheltering you from the sun and keeping you warm at night, you can customise them with lights and they come in a variety of colours.
• Fairy lights….because…, well why not?
• Purple clay paint pots to contrast with your green lawn.
• Anything with a copper finish will stand out.
• Lots of planters to keep the green theme even on your balcony or patio.

With these suggestions, your home from home need not be more than a centimetre away from your house. And remember: when the winter weather comes, and you’ve finished having fun in the garden, Rent A Space will keep your outdoor furnishings safe, dry and spider-free.