Photo by Zolwick/Fotolia
The 75 minute garden facelift
Follow our quick guide to a fabulous outdoor entertaining space
It’s a perfect summer afternoon. Friends are joining you for an alfresco dinner in three hours. Your meal is under control so you decide to take a minute to enjoy the garden. You look at it lovingly and then see it through the eyes of your visitors. Yikes! The edges haven’t been tidied in weeks and the paths have grown weeds overnight. Here are a few quick fixes to get your garden party-ready:
**15 minutes: deadhead plants**
Don’t attempt to snip the dead blooms off everything. Focus on the plants at the edge of borders. If you have container plants, remove the dead leaves and spent flowers. **Tip:** Use a pair of disposable surgical gloves to keep your new manicure intact. **10 minutes: sweep visible areas**
Do a quick sweep of walkways and patios with a good corn broom. (Not all corn brooms are created equal; buy one that is stiff and heavy.) **10 minutes: zap weeds fast
There’s no need to bend, dig and pull—just boil a kettle of water and pour it directly onto weeds growing between stonework or gravel and watch them shrivel to nothing in a matter of seconds. **Warning:** Boiling water will kill any plant it touches so be careful where you pour! **10 minutes: freshen up edges**
Well-rotted compost or manure is as essential to a gardener as salt is to a cook. Keep a bag or two in the garage at all times and create the illusion of newly edged beds by adding fresh soil to untidy edges. The beds will look as though they’ve just been dug. If your beds are mulched, a fresh layer of mulch will create the same effect. **15 minutes: add mood lighting**
Place groups of candles around the dining area for a magical touch. Always be cautious of an open flame; try the new battery-operated candles as a safer option or tuck a string of white mini-lights around shrubs or festoon a small tree. **10 minutes: make it cozy**
Bring the indoors out by draping your favourite throw over a chair or stacking plush cushions on the grass. A small carpet or blanket under the cushions will add more comfort and protect fine fabrics. **5 minutes: do a quick spritz**
As a finishing touch before guests arrive, mist the garden with a gentle spray. It will rinse off dust and leave sparkling dewy drops on foliage and blooms.
(continued below)
Don’t attempt to snip the dead blooms off everything. Focus on the plants at the edge of borders. If you have container plants, remove the dead leaves and spent flowers. **Tip:** Use a pair of disposable surgical gloves to keep your new manicure intact. **10 minutes: sweep visible areas**
Do a quick sweep of walkways and patios with a good corn broom. (Not all corn brooms are created equal; buy one that is stiff and heavy.) **10 minutes: zap weeds fast
There’s no need to bend, dig and pull—just boil a kettle of water and pour it directly onto weeds growing between stonework or gravel and watch them shrivel to nothing in a matter of seconds. **Warning:** Boiling water will kill any plant it touches so be careful where you pour! **10 minutes: freshen up edges**
Well-rotted compost or manure is as essential to a gardener as salt is to a cook. Keep a bag or two in the garage at all times and create the illusion of newly edged beds by adding fresh soil to untidy edges. The beds will look as though they’ve just been dug. If your beds are mulched, a fresh layer of mulch will create the same effect. **15 minutes: add mood lighting**
Place groups of candles around the dining area for a magical touch. Always be cautious of an open flame; try the new battery-operated candles as a safer option or tuck a string of white mini-lights around shrubs or festoon a small tree. **10 minutes: make it cozy**
Bring the indoors out by draping your favourite throw over a chair or stacking plush cushions on the grass. A small carpet or blanket under the cushions will add more comfort and protect fine fabrics. **5 minutes: do a quick spritz**
As a finishing touch before guests arrive, mist the garden with a gentle spray. It will rinse off dust and leave sparkling dewy drops on foliage and blooms.
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