The explosion of interior and exterior home improvement style programmes in recent years has led to unprecedented interest in garden design. As a result, the use of garden furniture – be it decking, an arbour or pergola or one of a number of other ‘in vogue’ constructions – has risen dramatically. Recent years have also seen rapid product development by woodcare manufacturers, highlighting and complementing the increased use of timber.
Another reason for the resurgence of wood in the garden is due to increased awareness of sustainability and environmental concerns and wood. for good has succeeded in raising the profile of timber to both homeowners and builders by highlighting the benefits and attractions of wood.
Protect and decorate
Trends in decorative fashion come and go in a relatively short period of time but, as has always been the case, it is clear that colour and style remain key to the appearance of a garden. Consequently, woodcare manufacturers such as ICI (encompassing the Dulux Trade and Cuprinol Trade brands) provide a wide range of paints and woodstains to protect and decorate wood in the garden. In fact, over 1,200 solid colours and shades are available from the ICI Opaque colour range.
Perhaps the main trend to come out of the increased attention to the garden is that it can be used as a retreat. Wooden features provide the perfect opportunity for this, offering far more harmonious integration into the natural space than plastic or metal furniture. The natural grain and colour of wood is ideal to seamlessly blend the man-made feature into the natural surroundings. Woodstains are ideal for use where a natural look is required. Available in many types and colours, they protect the wood while allowing its natural grain to show.
Home extensions
Gardens have become an extension of the home and, together with conservatories, are increasingly seen as an extra room in the summer. This has led to more variety and bolder colours. Mediterranean style gardens employing timber and stone remain popular and earthy, natural colours are used strongly with splashes of brighter colours to liven up the garden.
With the variety of wooden features available, the garden is becoming a place to show off as much as the inside of one’s home and the use of colour is vital to this. Green, white and yellow were in a few years ago but, while green is likely to remain consistently popular due to its obvious co-ordination with plants, shades of blue are increasingly being used in the more vibrant of gardens. A perfect example of this was the wood. for good sponsored Water Lily Garden at the 2004 Hampton Court Flower Show. Decorated and protected with ICI Woodcare products, it combined a bold yet sympathetic blue on the boathouse with a stylish natural timber pergola. The latter was stained with Dulux Trade’s Classic Select Woodstain Light Oak to give the wood a rich satin finish.
Holistic approach
Recent trends include a more holistic approach to garden decoration. As in the Water Lily Garden, plants and wooden landscaping features are combined more sympathetically than previously. The last few years have seen a renaissance in the importance of plants, and more subtle wooden features (such as a small decked area and perhaps a pergola) are used in harmony with the colour of flowered areas. For decking and fencing in the garden, natural wood colours are a safe bet; for other features soft greens and pastel blues are perfect.
Of course, naturally worn wood can look beautiful in the garden, but when using colours it is imperative that they remain looking fresh for as long as possible. Decorative coatings for timber have enjoyed dramatic improvements in recent years and many products made today guarantee to keep wood protected as well as decorated. Cuprinol Trade’s Landscape Shades, available in a wide range of colours, provides a highly flexible finish which allows the wood to breathe and ensures protection for up to eight years.
It seems that the colour used in the garden depends on the personality of the owner and the garden itself. However, whatever the fashion, it is clear that wood in the garden is here to stay.
