For those of you fortunate enough to have a plot of your own, no matter the size, the great outdoors is but a few steps away, so when circumstances forbid a longer expedition you can be in the open air within seconds.
Sadly, though, too many gardens are besmirched by plastic furniture and containers whose owners wrongly assume represent good value and functionality.
For my money, natural materials are always far easier on the eye in the garden than synthetic ones. A small chip on an old ceramic pot is much more authentic than the smooth, polished top of a plastic one. Old-fashioned hazel pea sticks blend in, while regular green plastic squares never can. The list goes on.
Natural plant structures blend beautifully with the peas, beans, irises or delphiniums that grow through and largely conceal them. Fan-shaped branches provide a comfortable support, while rigid plastic of any kind can dig into stems and cause damage in the wind. What could be less useful to sweet peas than rigid tripods converging at the top? Once they reach this stage, plants become thick, dense and top-heavy and need wide, square or circular support rather than a narrow central point.
This weathered look is just as important for permanent features, and reused materials are hard to beat. Dressed sandstone blocks from a demolition site make perfect edgings. A few years ago I used some to build potager beds in the front garden. The blocks weren't 100% uniform so I cemented them together to keep them rigid, but that wouldn't be necessary with identical blocks.
Living high in the Border hills, I've been able to scavenge from derelict farm buildings, but you might find useful alternatives at builders' yards or demolition sites.
Perhaps the best bet is to visit a company specialising in reclaimed material, several of which carry items for the garden as well as indoors. Ben Kingstone of Glasgow Architectural Salvage usually stocks an alternative to my potager surrounds: decorative Victorian bed edging. It'll be easier and far less time-consuming to line a bed with these than to labour on your knees for many an hour, as I did.
My infatuation with stone has driven me to make three benches around the garden, all in prime locations to catch whatever sun there is. Stone can also be used instead of concrete for paths, and it's worth remembering that cement manufacture accounts for 12% of global C02 emissions, so stone is a more environmentally-friendly choice. By the same token, reusing slabs reduces the need for new ones.
Tommy Unsworth of West Coast Reclamation in Paisley can help out here. "I could be here all day telling you the items that come through our yard," he tells me. "Today alone we brought in slabs, sandstone, roof slates, French tiles and bricks. We sold a lady 20 two-by-two slabs for £40. She had been quoted £100 at the local builders' yard."
Most of us grow plants in containers and good old-fashioned chimney pots make an excellent feature. "At this time of year, people are interested in chimney pots to use as planters or features," says Kingstone. "They can come from a range of places, from houses to old hospitals. Usually we note on the website listings where they come from and we tend to always have a few in various styles."
West Coast Reclamation also has a good selection – hundreds, according to Unsworth – of chimney pots. Prices are generally between £30 and £85 – far less than what you might pay for an imitation one. These pots are ideal for the annual plantings you might use in hanging baskets.
Salvage firms such as these also have more unusual ideas for the garden. "All our stock is original, with the quality that you used to get when labour was cheap," says Kingstone. "It also means you're unlikely to see it in your next-door neighbour's garden."
His stock includes a stone puma from the Western General hospital in Edinburgh and a mid 19th-century decorative angel from an old church.
Whatever you choose, opting for the natural over the synthetic will leave your wallet and garden in a much improved state, affording you a better environment in which to enjoy al fresco living.
See glasgowarchitecturalsalvage.co.uk and westcoastreclamation.com.
Visit askorganic.co.uk. Email your gardening queries to da@askorganic.co.uk
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