From humble shrubberies to outdoor offices, how the modern garden is inspiring one in three of us to work, rest and play outdoors

There’s nothing better than a summer’s afternoon spent pottering around in the garden, but now it seems our gardens have an even more important role to play in our lives than first thought.

New research released today shows over a quarter of us use our gardens as a retreat from the world, more so than any other area of our homes, while over a third say their outdoor oasis is where they find the opportunity to refresh and revive their spirits. Just under half de-stress best by enjoying the tranquillity  in  their garden as opposed to unwinding with a drink or chatting to friends and family.

It seems that as well as improving our mental well-being many of us are now treating our garden as a hot bed of creative and business inspiration with 29% saying they use their garden to get their creative juices flowing and to inspire new ideas.

Far from being a space for a bit of cricket and a cider on a summer’s day, portable technology is allowing a growing number of us to turn our gardens into an office extension, meaning the term ‘out of office’ no longer means being out of touch. Indeed, 15% of those surveyed claim that they now prefer to use their laptop outdoors instead of in their more traditional home offices.

Landscape gardener Kathryn Hibberd, fresh from collecting her Silver Gilt Medal award from this year’s Hampton Court flower show for designing Sadolin’s innovative Refresh and Revive Garden, says: “I am absolutely delighted with winning the Silver Gilt medal. People seem to really love the garden, and it is lovely to see people smiling and enjoying it. At Hampton Court, where many of the visitors are real gardeners, it is important to create a beautiful garden which people can envision in their own space, and I believe that is what we have created.”

And it seems we’re still a nation intent on keeping up with Jones’s, with just under a third claiming they are envious of their neighbours gardens, with nearly one in 10 making changes to their garden as a direct result.

For more information visit www.sadolin.co.uk

How to turn your garden into a home office

Listen to the following podcast for top tips from life coach Honey Langcaster James and landscape gardener Kathryn Hibberd on creating an outdoor office space

There’s nothing better than a summer’s afternoon spent pottering around in the garden, and wouldn’t it be great if, on those lovely hot days you didn’t have to head back inside to finish off your work?

For those of us who do work from home, the temptation to delay our work commitments to grab a few extra minutes or hours outdoors can often be too hard to resist. While this may leave us refreshed from some outside time, it can also result in us feeling guilty that we have put off important tasks

So what if you could do both? Enjoy the ambience of a lovely summer’s day in the garden, while getting your work done as well.

Well, life coach Honey Langcaster James and gardener Kathryn Hibberd believe it can be done and has teamed up with Sadolin to offer their top tips for taking your home office outside this summer.

Click here to listen

For more information visit www.sadolin.co.uk

How to make the most of your garden space

Listen to the following podcast for top tips from Landscape Gardener Kathryn Hibberd on how dividing your garden can give you space and character

We’ve all looked at our gardens in despair at one point in time, wondering how we can make our outside space look bigger. It can be hard not to look at the neighbour’s garden with envy wishing your green space could be as calm and well-maintained.

Well if you would like some new ideas on not only creating the perfect garden, but also organising it into a space that is easy to maintain and a breeze to care for then you might want to think about the new trend for creating separate spaces within the one garden.

Landscape Gardner Kathryn Hibberd has teamed up with Sadolin to share her top tips on achieving a multi use garden with minimal fuss.

Click here to listen

For more information visit www.sadolin.co.uk

• Top Tips for a Glorious Garden in the City - Charlie Dimmock offers advice on how to make the most of your outdoor space during Urban Gardens Week 2010Tweet ...
• Bring your garden into the 21st century - Two thirds of us only give our tired old gardens a makeover every five years despite spending an average of £982 annually on redecorating and updating our home’s.Tweet ...
• Summer Entertainment in the Garden - Summer has arrived and everyone has high hopes for a hot one. When the sun shines there are not many people who can resist the urge to invite friends and family round for a party or barbecue in the garden.Tweet ...

Is your garden stuck in a time warp of gnomes, crazy 70’s paving, 80’s rockeries and 90’s water features?

If so, you’re not alone with recent research by woodcare manufacturer Ronseal finding that two thirds of us only give our tired old gardens a makeover every five years despite spending an average of £982 annually on redecorating and updating our home’s.

But what about those of us who have no idea about how to turn our outdated garden into a modern oasis that can be easily updated, while making sure it’s simple to maintain and eco-friendly?

Well if you are after some expert tips then listen to the following podcast to hear Michelle Wake, one of the UK’s foremost garden design talents and lecturer at Inchbald College, the UK’s top school for Garden Design, give advice on creating a timeless ‘core’ design that will transport your outdoor space straight from the past into the 21st century.

Ronseal is also calling for people to send in photos of their best, and worst, garden features by emailing 1970@ronseal.co.uk for a chance to win a garden makeover kit.

For more information and to view Michelle’s vision of a 21st century garden visit www.ronseal.co.uk.

• Top Tips for a Glorious Garden in the City - Charlie Dimmock offers advice on how to make the most of your outdoor space during Urban Gardens Week 2010Tweet ...
• Summer Entertainment in the Garden - Summer has arrived and everyone has high hopes for a hot one. When the sun shines there are not many people who can resist the urge to invite friends and family round for a party or barbecue in the garden.Tweet ...
• Why Brits should consider taking their work outdoors - New research released today shows over a quarter of us use our gardens as a retreat from the world, more so than any other area of our homes, while over a third say their outdoor oasis is where they find the opportunity to refresh and revive their spirits. Just under half de-stress best by enjoying ...

Living in the city doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice being green. New research shows that half of the people living in towns and cities in the UK want to grow their own vegetable patches or herb gardens and live greener lives but they don’t believe they have enough time or money to do so.

Whether it’s a green thumb or a green consciousness, one in two people say they’d love to make better use of their urban space to plant edible greenery.

It seems that 80% of urbanites are keen to improve their gardens however a quarter say they haven’t got the space to do anything.

From balconies to back yards to roof terraces, there are many ways to take advantage of a small amount of space outside your home. Almost one in five Brits say they would prefer to make their small urban area more eco friendly, more than the one in seven who would prefer to de-clutter and make it as low maintenance as possible, according to the research by Ronseal.

Charlie Dimmock says: “City dwellers have a great opportunity to really improve their immediate environment – from a visual point of view but also in terms of reducing their carbon footprint.  While many people think making any major difference will cost a lot of money, be difficult or will take a lot of time, it doesn’t need to be like this.

“Urban Gardens Week 2010 is all about highlighting how easy it can be to make a positive impact by making lots of small changes, which collectively, can make a huge difference. Building a wooden compost area, establishing a recycling space in a shed, or growing your own herbs in a window box, are all simple steps that can make a real difference. All it takes is the right tools, and a little imagination.”

Charlie’s top tips to create a vegetable or herb garden:

• Get tooled up. Growing your own doesn’t mean you need to splash out on a lot of new equipment.  You can get started with a spade or a folk or trowel and a good pair of gloves.  Most vegetables are grown from seed and I’d recommend doing this yourself – full instructions on the side of the packet!!  It saves money as buying plants at a garden centre is expensive and you’ll have a much wider choice of veg.
• Choose and choose well. It’s worth choosing vegetables that take up a minimal amount of space and are relatively easy to look after. Relatively easy vegetables to grow include lettuces, beans, courgettes, radishes, carrots and tomatoes. As a beginner avoid celery, asparagus, cucumber and cauliflower which can be quite temperamental and difficult to look after.
• Size doesn’t matter. It’s a misconception that you need a huge garden in order to cultivate your own veg.  With some clever planning, you can create a growing space in even the smallest of gardens or balconies. You can grow vegetables and flowers together in a flower border, raised bed or container which is not only a great space saving solution but will look really pretty too.
• Window boxes. If you’re really stuck for space, then consider window boxes. These are a fantastic way to grow herbs, such as basil, chives and rosemary, cut and come again salad leaves and even chilli plants.  But what’s important here is to make sure they’re not too exposed, as strong winds or rain can damage them.
• Go organic. One of the advantages of growing your own vegetables is that you can avoid eating produce that has been grown using chemicals or pesticides.  Compost will feed and condition the soil which is great for your plants and the environment - not only does garden compost recycle your garden and kitchen waste but around 40 per cent of the average dustbin contents are suitable for home-composting so it helps cut down on landfill too.

For more information visit www.WoodlandTrust.org.uk/Ronseal

The research for Ronseal was carried out online by YourSayPays on January 29^th 2010 amongst a nationally representative panel resulting in 2071 UK adults.

• Bring your garden into the 21st century - Two thirds of us only give our tired old gardens a makeover every five years despite spending an average of £982 annually on redecorating and updating our home’s.Tweet ...
• Why Brits should consider taking their work outdoors - New research released today shows over a quarter of us use our gardens as a retreat from the world, more so than any other area of our homes, while over a third say their outdoor oasis is where they find the opportunity to refresh and revive their spirits. Just under half de-stress best by enjoying ...
• Summer Entertainment in the Garden - Summer has arrived and everyone has high hopes for a hot one. When the sun shines there are not many people who can resist the urge to invite friends and family round for a party or barbecue in the garden.Tweet ...

When the weather warms up and the sun shines there's nothing better than relaxing in the garden with friends sipping a nice cold glass of wine and enjoying some lovely food.

For your summer party make your table look as summery as possible with some wonderful tableware and accessories from Grand Illusions

Summer entertaining at its finest with their sensational new glassware collection inspired by the South of France of the Fifties, this coloured glass is truly sumptious and the glassware with engraved stars truly magical, perfect for summer parties in the garden.

These chunky hand-made glasses are one of their biggest selling products to-date - shown here in clear, they are also available in green. Perfect for wine or water.

Another hugely popular item, this hand-made glass jug is beautifully engraved with flowers and is just perfect for summer juices and drinking alfresco.

Cabana Glasses Set - These hugely popular chunky hand-made glasses are reminiscent of their Mexican originals. They come assorted in three colours, pink, green and turquoise and are available in two sizes. Perfect summer drinking.

There are many other beautifully crafted garden accessories available from Grand Illusions- see their complete range.

• Top Tips for a Glorious Garden in the City - Charlie Dimmock offers advice on how to make the most of your outdoor space during Urban Gardens Week 2010Tweet ...
• Bring your garden into the 21st century - Two thirds of us only give our tired old gardens a makeover every five years despite spending an average of £982 annually on redecorating and updating our home’s.Tweet ...
• Why Brits should consider taking their work outdoors - New research released today shows over a quarter of us use our gardens as a retreat from the world, more so than any other area of our homes, while over a third say their outdoor oasis is where they find the opportunity to refresh and revive their spirits. Just under half de-stress best by enjoying ...