Six Steps to Creating a Lush Green Garden

Have you ever noticed how some gardens spring to life with flamboyance and bright colours, while others have the ability to make you feel more tranquil and relaxed? Different combinations, shades and hues can evoke a certain mood and atmosphere, inspiring those who embrace colour and creativity to their garden landscape.

And with the freshness of spring around the corner, green is one of the easiest colours to style as it naturally complements spring and summer flowers and foliage in a garden, patio, terrace or picnic table setting; creating a wonderful sense of calm and harmony.

By choosing the right flowers, leafy foliage, accessories, and design techniques when using green colour schemes around the garden, you can create stunning effects that will bring your garden's personality to life in no time!

Here are six steps to Creating your Green Garden Haven:

1. Choose a green parasol

Whether you're looking for a statement piece or a practical addition to your outdoor furniture, our range of handcrafted green parasols is sure to add a touch of style and elegance to your outdoor space.

A glamorous, luxurious and beautiful umbrella not only decorates your garden, but also provides a show-stopping feature and creates an inviting space underneath- inviting people to linger and enjoy the convivial atmosphere.

Our green garden umbrellas are available in different shades, from vibrant lime green to a more subtle olive such as the Wolfie, allowing you to choose the perfect match for your garden decor.

Each parasol is uniquely designed to suit a variety of tastes and preferences, from classic to modern. Our Green Aretha Octagonal has a canopy of green zig-zags, lined with rose pink. The exquisite Emma and Jane round bamboo parasols are perfect examples of vibrant green pieces that add a sense of summer and can be brilliantly combined with bright colours and pastel shades.

The glory of these lovely green hues is that they also work well with patterns and neutral settings, it’s a generous shade to style as everything works with it.

For a pretty way to decorate a garden and shade a seating area, our beautiful Balinese Grace parasol has an unusual green polka dot print with lime green threading inside. The white fringing offers a sophisticated touch with tassels and beading, a luxurious showstopper in either a modern or traditional garden setting.

Our Tracy design is an elegant and on-trend parasol. It’s easy to blend into a country garden with its combination of muted shades of greens and blues, accented with the beautiful gold hand-painted decoration.

2. Green backdrop

The easiest way to add greenery to your garden is by incorporating green foliage plants. Foliage plants come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny succulents to towering trees. They’re a great way to add texture and depth, and using calming, cool colours can help to blur the boundaries to make your garden space feel bigger.

Some popular green foliage plants include ferns, hostas, and boxwoods to create a lush, almost tropical feel. Or, go for something with a more delicate texture like lady's mantle or lamb's ear. But if you’re feeling more adventurous, there’s no denying that green walls are a fantastic way to bring a touch of nature to your outdoor space, especially if you have limited space and are looking to add height to your garden area.

Green walls are created by attaching plants to a wall, fence or trellis and you can use anything from ivy to herbs to create a stunning wall of natural colour and support climbing plants. Tall plants, shrubs and trees can also be the ideal design to screen unwanted views. Whatever your preference, the key is to mix and match different leaf shapes and sizes to create a visually interesting tapestry of green.

3. Green cushions

To create the ultimate outside living space, use furniture and accessories that are not traditionally associated with the outdoors, such as soft furnishings like cushions and blankets, that are both practical and stylish. These introduce a gorgeously luxurious feel.

Cushions can be used to add a pop of colour and texture to your outdoor living space, with prints and patterns that complement the surrounding environment or your personal style. And our gorgeous and colourful suzani patterned cushions in lime green, blue and pink do just that.

Our Lime Suzani cushion has a  lime green peacock print on one side and a fabulous pink motif on the other, all hand-printed in Jaipur.  It’s green handmade tassels and vibrant colours look fabulous with our green and pink boho parasol, Jane. Green and pink are one of the ultimate summer colour combinations, and work splendidly with additional colours such as yellow, orange or blue.

You can use soft furnishings to create a focal point in your outdoor living space or provide warmth on chilly evenings. For example, invitingly piling vibrant green cushions on a bench or chairs or creating a cosy seating area on the ground by placing cushions, sheepskins and blankets on grass or decking.

You can easily change the look of your outdoor space with cushions. They’re a fantastically simple way to swap colour and texture for patterns and prints- a few cushions to work with open up your styling options and can bring eye-catching variety in a plainer space. We recommend our vibrant block-printed daisy printed cushion, with a striped frill around the edge, which could be stunningly paired with the pistachio green leaves and dark green tassels of our dramatic Daisy octagonal parasol.

4. Green furniture

With the summer months approaching, it's time to start thinking about how you can make the most of your garden. From family get-togethers and alfresco dining to relaxing on a swing seat with a good book- how would you like to enjoy your outdoor space?

Incorporating green accessories into your garden design can really help to create a cohesive look. They can be anything from green pots and planters to green garden furniture and outdoor rugs. Use them to complement the greenery in your garden and tie everything together.

No matter the size or style of your garden, garden seating ideas will elevate your space, somewhere comfy to sit is a game-changer. The rattan peacock chair is  stunning piece and a classic style, perfect for indoor or outdoor use, and potentially at it's best in an orangery surrounded by tropical plants. This is the ultimate maximalist or boho piece, gorgeous when paired with our tasselled cushions.

Our cane chair is a modern take on 1970’s style, bringing retro vibes under a parasol. It traverses all eras and will become a staple in your household. Our chairs are made by hand in Bali and they are works of artisan art.

5. Green in contrast

As we all know, green is the colour of life and growth, and it can bring a calming and refreshing energy to any outdoor space. But if you’re concerned that your garden is looking unremittingly green, adding pops of colour can be the perfect solution.

Adding carefully chosen contrasting colours can transform your garden from a sea of green into a visually stunning and interesting space. By considering the colour wheel, tone of foliage, plant size and shape, and the overall look of what you want to achieve, you can create a garden that is both beautiful and cohesive.

Be mindful of the overall look you want to achieve. A garden with too many contrasting colours can look chaotic and overwhelming. Instead, aim for a cohesive colour scheme with one or two accent colours that stand out. For example, a garden with predominantly green foliage and explosions of purple and pink flowers can look sophisticated and beautifully put-together.

6. Green illuminated

If you're lucky enough to have an outdoor space, whether it's a small balcony or a large garden area, you know how valuable it can be to have an intimate place to relax and unwind in the fresh air. So why not try adding some lighting and see how it brilliantly transforms the feel of your garden, patio or decking.

Greenery will be beautifully illuminated at night by moonlight, but a few outdoor lighting upgrades are another way to enhance the ambiance of your outdoor living space, subtly adding light and illuminating your garden to create the perfect sanctuary.

When most people think of outdoor lighting, they think of harsh, bright floodlights or outdated fixtures. But lighting your garden space doesn't have to be a purely practical endeavour. With a little creativity and a few key pieces, you can transform your outdoor space into a magical, inviting, and stylish oasis.

One popular way to add lighting is with string lights or festoon lights, adding a soft, warm glow to your garden space. You can wrap them around trees or hang them from a pergola or parasol for a whimsical, fairy-tale feel. Lanterns or candles in jam jars could be placed on tables or hung from branches for added magic.

Lastly, consider adding some accent lighting to highlight specific areas of your garden. This could be a spotlight on a water feature or favourite flowerbed, or a soft glow around a seating area or walkway. By highlighting certain areas of your garden, you can create a sense of depth and visual interest.