3 Quick Steps to a Secret Garden

 
First things first…the flowers

Before you go too mad sorting out the rest of your secret garden, begin with the basics. The basics in this case being the flowers. Choosing the right flowers, and picking the right placement for them, can work wonders to transform your garden, with minimal effort and upheaval.
 
Wildflowers work particularly well because of the varied colours and numerous species available, plus they are low-maintenance and hardier than some, more delicate perennials. They enrich the wildlife in your garden and add to the aesthetic in a charming way that cannot be recreated by neatly manicured plants.
 
To make the introduction of wildflowers into your garden even easier, consider using SeedBoms. These clever floral grenades make planting wildflowers as easy as throwing the soil grenade into the garden, watering the patch, and enjoying the view. Simple, effective, and stunning.
 
Next up…the features

Once the flowers are under control, you can start looking at what decorative features you can incorporate into the garden. More than pots and planters, these features could be anything from relaxing wind chimes to Alice-in-Wonderland-style pocket watches, hanging form a small birch or ornamental crab apple tree.
 
You might also want to consider making your secret garden a practical and enjoyable space for evenings too, either by hanging up energy-efficient fairy lights or by stringing up paper lanterns for a soft glow effect.
 
If yours is going to be a working secret garden, for example, with pots of fresh herbs and fruits growing, you might consider using our bamboo deli sticks as an eco-friendly way to label your produce. As for labelling parts of the garden, use natural slate chalkboards which can point your guests in the right direction for a tea party, just as easily as they can remind everyone to “Keep Gate Shut”.
 
For a further eco-friendly touch to your secret garden, remember to repurpose and upcycle. Pretty and coloured jam jars or glass bottles can make great decorations, and even work well as outdoor pots for cuttings. Old wooden crates and boxes are superb for displays or to be repurposed as planters. In fact, you can repurpose and upcycle almost anything you find lying around the house. Just think outside the box and imagine what you could discover in a ‘real’ secret garden.   
 
And finally…entertain in style
 
Last but not least, as wonderful as a secret garden is, you’ll find it is much more fun when you share it with friends and family. As such, you will need an appropriate way to entertain in style.
 
You will want tableware that looks the part in an al fresco dining situation, without requiring too much hassle and upkeep. For example, your finest china with a floral motif might look beautiful set against your secret rose garden, but it would be far less durable and far more work than, say, our disposable tableware,  which is not only ethically sourced, but also compostable (so no washing up!).
 
Birch cutlery, compostable cups, and bamboo or palm leaf plates all work a treat against a natural garden setting, and will give you an easy and environmentally-friendly way to entertain your nearest and dearest in your secret garden.
 
These three quick and easy steps will transform your patch into a secret garden you’ll want to escape to, every minute you can. Browse our site for more ideas on what you can incorporate into the design, or check out our Pinterest boards for some more inspiration.