With the new year arrived and the days stretching a little further than they were a month ago, I have started to notice something untoward outside, specifically with my apartment terrace. Our outdoor spaces have gained a new level of respect over the last couple of years as, more often than not, they were our sanctuaries and for some, continue to be. Providing us with space from the family, space from the news and, very importantly for me, some headspace.
Looking out at it now, I can see that my pots are looking poor, the decking is a disaster and the fencing is, quite frankly, of-fence-ive (pardon the truly obvious pun). Before we know it, spring will be upon us and I need to get ahead of things. So I am making it my mission to start the great terrace tidy-up, because I want a nice place to sit when the weather warms up. I also want nice things to look at and I want to have a space that I can socialise outdoors with friends, just to be on the safe side, in case the rules all change again!
Where to start though? Well, I have already ordered new screening for the balcony. The problem with my balcony is that it has open railings, but since my apartment has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors, it isn’t very private from the houses across the street. I did have some other trellis screens there for the last five years, but I decided it’s time for an upgrade, so I ordered some new screens in the winter sales and they are currently lining my hallway at the moment in preparation for installation outdoors.
That’s the first job ticked off the list!
The decking needs seeing to as it’s gone the inevitable way of being lined with lichen and carpeted in algae (treacherous when wet) so I have my trusty Wet & Forget ready to use on a dry day. That’s job number two ready to go.
What about the look of the terrace though? I need pretty things to look at to make it feel like a beautiful oasis, or, as my nephews and niece would say, ‘perfect for the ‘gram” (meaning Instagram, I assume?). So plants and furniture are next on the To Do List.
Is it too early to be planting up for the spring/summer season? Will any of the nurseries have what I need in stock now anyway? Should I just wait until spring?
The problem with that is quite often all the best plants are gone by then. Lucky, then, that we have a garden event coming up on the weekend of 5th and 6th February with a Today’s Special Value from Plants2Gardens!
Our gardening event is all about exactly what I am trying to do – looking forward and starting the new season clear-up! Tackling those outdoor jobs with our superb range of tools, plants and garden accessories and helping you along the way to be inspired by our stunning range of outdoor furniture, lighting and decor. Exactly what I need right now!
Like I said, we have a Today’s Special Value from Plants2Gardens to help bring some easy colour to the garden. It’s the Plants2Gardens Colour Combinations 10x 9cm Collection (728084), and you can choose between either pinks or purples.
These will be on Advanced Order, so you will be ordering them to arrive garden-ready, just when you need to plant them up. Remember when you order items on Advanced Order, you are simply reserving your stock, no money will come out of your account until they are actually shipped out to you. So it’s the perfect way to get ready for the season ahead. All you have to do in the meantime is start planning where you are going to place them for maximum effect!
I will definitely be using my Richard Jackson’s Flower Power and Richard Jackson’s Root Booster to get the best results. I’ve been using it on my patio and house plants since I started working at QVC and always get great results!
What about when I have everything planted up and blooming nicely? One of the best parts of gardening is sitting back and enjoying the fruits of your labour. Best to do that in style I think, which is why I have my eye on the incredibly popular cocoon chair. It comes in four colours, three of which are new this season and only available at QVC (Latte, Light Grey and Black). It is super comfy and the 130 five-star reviews will vouch for that.
It also comes in the double option, which is only available on our website, perfect for those of you who want a little more room for yourself or for someone else to snuggle up with you!
After that, I think all I need to do is set the mood with some lighting – perhaps the Luxform Set of 2 Kensington Solar Powered 1.3m Lamp Posts will do just the trick?
However you decide to design your outside space this spring/summer, we have it all covered with our great gardening event.
I’ll be launching things at midnight on Friday night (4th Feb) into Saturday 5th Feb. Why not join me and let me know what your planting plans are?
Until next time,
Miceal
One Response
Miceal I really enjoy your blog – hope your mammy is doing well xx