The Best Books For Small Gardens

Beautiful designed Modern Country small gardens have always stolen my heart. 

There's so much that can be done with a diminutive plot. Every inch can be smothered in love. See what I mean with any one of these gorgeous pretties....

Two of my favourite small garden books are Garden Designer veteran John Brookes' Small Garden....

...and Designing Small Gardens by Ian Cooke.

John Brookes' Small Garden is a more comprehensive tome but Ian Cooke's is perfect for popping in a bag, or reading on the way to work. 

Designing Small Gardens feels a little more comforting, as though someone in the know is holding your hand through the process, whilst Small Garden bombards you with fantastic information on every page.

Both books cover recommnded planting, hard landscaping and case studies but win very different ways.

Small Garden and Designing Small Gardens (click through to buy) are brilliant, yes, but even better when used together!

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Modern Country Garden at Christmas

I know it's the wrong time of year (though not for all you Christmas-crazy elves out there!!) but I simply had to show you how beautifully the garden in my last post transforms at Christmas time....

Oh my!!

I am officially in love with this Modern Country Garden at Christmas Garden....

Images via Atlanta Homes

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A Modern Country Garden With Beautiful Bones!

It's at this time of year that my thoughts particularly turn to winter structure in the garden. It's my mantra I share when producing designs for my clients who want beautiful Modern Country Style gardens: 

always remember the bones of the garden!

You see, for much of the year, the bare bones of the garden will be all that's on show. Almost all the summer glamour will be gone, gone, gone and, if you don't plant with those colder months in mind, then what will you look at, my loves, when you're standing at the kitchen sink, gazing out, is bare twigs and tatty foliage. Doom and gloom will your companions.

However, just look at this beauty as an example by Mike Hammersmith, who does this so beautifully.

Much of the greenery here is evergreen and so will take the owners right the way through the year.

Wouldn't it look gorgeous at Christmas? Wanna see?!

Images via Mike Hammersmith

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Book Review: Twilight Garden by Lia Leendertz

I've recently stumbled upon a little-known book that I found so inspiring, I simply had to share it with you. Its full title is The Twilight Garden: A Guide to Enjoying Your Garden in the Evening Hours by Lia Leendertz. 

It's all very well writing about lunching al fresco but the simple fact is that most people, most of the time, simply don't have that luxury, and that's were Twilight Garden steps in because what you do have, I hope, is some free time in the evenings to sit and enjoy being outside.

The book is divided into two sections: Part 1 is Making Your Twilight Garden Reality, which is full of really lovely ideas relating to design, colour, scent, lighting and water, plus a whole chunk on Entertaining Outside, which helps you to think of ideas for using your garden year-long, 

However, about sixty per cent of the pages are devoted to Part 2: Plants and Palnting in which Lia takes you thorough her specific top tips for choosing flowers and foliage. If you're not a confident garden designer, Lia Leendertz's way of diving plants into Star Plants, Supporting Cast and Backstage Beauties will hold your hand through the process, which I know can seem mystifying at first. Specific advice is given on each plant, along with lively text on why you should include it in your own Twilight Garden.

I love the quote that the intention of the book is to help you create a garden that 'Entrances by day and comes alive by night'. 

Whether your garden can be measured in acres or inches, if you want to fall in love with the idea ofenjoying leisurely evenings, and who doesn't, then The Twilight Garden comes highly recommended.

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Modern Country Style Boys' Bedroom Reveal And Resource List

The reveal of our Modern Country Style boys' bedroom....

is here!!

Here's what we started with...

Possibly the world's most epically colourful room...

Green, yellow, orange and white.

Not a touch of Modern Country Style in sight.

{A li'l bonus poem thrown in for free ;-) )

We started off by getting the bones of the room right.

Removing the dated glass above the door.

Replacing the door itself with a stripped pine beauty sourced from Oxford University made the most enormous difference. We've done this throughout the whole house and it was one of the best investments we made, and one I recommend to clients who live in period houses but have inherited ugly replacement doors. You'll be amazed by the difference.

We had the floorboards stripped, sanded, stained and varnished to withstand all that little boys can throw at it!! The built-in wardrobe doors were waxed, and the original fixing giving a good rub-down.

The bespoke shelves were put in by the previous owners and were way to good to rip out so we incorporated them into the room by painting the framework Dulux White gloss  (my go-to white). We left the inners as bare wood because I want to minimise chipping in the future.

The walls were painted in Farrow and Ball's Pale Powder (case study here) the softest pale duck egg you can imagine (click through for the full Colour Case Study) with the ceiling in Dulux White.

The large check duvet is from The White Company.

You can find full tutorial to make your own Patchwork Memory Quilt here...

Our gorgeous Union Jack rug is from Cox & Cox.

(image via Cox & Cox)

The red gingham curtains and lampshade are from The White Company. {These have been discontinued.}

Our boys loved being here.

Loved? Past tense?

{Gasp}

Can that be right?!

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