Create an outdoor lounge
From sofas and seating combos to egg chairs and armchairs, here's how to bring sitting-room style to your garden, whatever its size
"In summer our garden becomes an extension of our living space - we barbecue, eat and chill out there. Bringing the lounge outside for us means accessorising, and we always light a candle - Greenhouse is our go-to for a summery day-to-evening scent. Cushions, rugs, and throws soften up an urban garden and we use plant pots to zone the areas for cooking, dining, and lounging."
Paul Firmin, Earl of East co-creator
Family moments start here
A few family-friendly additions is enough to keep tots - and tired parents – smiling this summer
"The playful heads and vivid tones of echinacea are ideal to brighten up family areas. They bloom right through to September, and bees and butterflies love them. Line a path with a few in terracotta pots or create a larger flower-filled planter for a patio."
Lucy Felton, Content Coordinator, GW Magazine
Get your garden party ready
With the Platinum Jubilee upon us, these garden party styling add-ons are just the thing to ensure your festivities run smoothly
"Celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee long weekend this month by clinking glasses of homemade rhubarb cordial, infused with lemon balm and ginger. You can also add edible borage flowers-this herb is easy to grow from seed outdoors and pollinators will love you for it too."
Rekha Mistry, GW food and allotment columnist
Up the comfort factor
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A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Now, at the height of summer, Frances Tophill shows how to boost your plants' health and productivity with a timely cut
Hassle-free harvests
Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings
Bite-sized bounties
Glorious doorstep harvests can easily turn into gluts, so let Rukmini Iyer's recipes help you savour every last bit
Upcycled outdoor living
Create unique and stylish garden features for minimal cost using reclaimed materials and simple DIY skills. Helen Riches shares four step-by-step projects and more inspiring eco tips
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Buildings and landscapes can play a vital role in supercharging your space, as Nick Bailey demonstrates
Greening up a city balcony
Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
The dry and mighty garden
As we adapt our gardens to a more volatile climate, Alan Titchmarsh reveals how to create a drought-tolerant plot and picks his top plant performers
Nature knows best
Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there
