Garden Tips with My Mulberry House

For many interior devotees, @mymulberryhouse needs little introduction. Romantic and steeped in history, the idyllic Georgian farmhouse is owned by Leah Lane, who fully embraces life in the Surrey countryside with her family. Filled to the rafters with four-legged friends, antique finds and the most stylish, timeless décor, Mulberry House also plays host to an outdoor space that perfectly complements its exquisite interior. Read on; for an insight into how Leah’s achieved it…

Leah, what jobs have you been focusing on this month in your beautiful garden?

We’ve let the veg patch go a bit wild lately, so I wanted to give it a revamp, whilst adopting a ‘no dig’ method. I’ve started by laying cardboard to suppress the weeds over winter and shortly I’ll be adding some aged manure and compost to enrich the soil before planting straight into this prepared bed, so we can enjoy some early varieties of vegetables in the spring.

When it comes to growing things, do you have any tips to achieve a good yield and create displays with visual interest?

I recommend adding structure and height by using arches, as leggy vegetables like squash and courgetti can be grown vertically, allowing for more ground space. I adopt this approach with certain flowers I’m growing too; recently I’ve added obelisks for my nasturtiums to wind around, as they tend to go a little wild and take over a bed.

What advice would you give anyone looking to make the most of their outside space throughout the seasons?

Go ahead and create that external ‘fifth room’ as soon as possible! On an autumnal Saturday night there’s nothing like toasting your own marshmallows on the fire pit and then snuggling up in a throw - under the stars - to watch Strictly Come Dancing.

Given all the work you’ve done in your garden so far, what are your go-to product recommendations?

If we start with the basics, a quality Fork & Trowel Set will get you far in your outdoor space. Mine are perfect for prepping plants and feature lovely traditional wooden handles and smart blackened finishes. In fact, I’ll shortly be purchasing another pair to gift to my Mother-in-Law on her birthday.

Creating height and structure in a garden is not only a great way of saving growing space, but it also easily adds architecture to a simple area. For that reason I’m a big fan of my aforementioned Arches and Obelisks, as they add different dimensions to my great outdoors and also allow me to showcase lovely garden foliage easily. Growing ramblers or gourd veg vertically feels whimsical and playful.

If creating an outdoor room, consider your layout and the look you want to achieve, taking care to select furniture pieces that serve as an extension to the style you’d go for inside your home, so it all feels cohesive when you step outdoors. I chose stylish Fulbrook Mirrors as they complimented the windows of Mulberry House. Featuring sleek steel lines, they add a touch of modern to the outdoor seating area, but equally the Georgian window style feels very in keeping for a period property.

Green Bistro Chairs bring a sense of nature to the table, whilst also providing a bold pop of colour. This creates a sense of fun but the hue of these versatile pieces also harks back to the grandeur of the classic Victorian conservatory, which I love.

There is nothing like elongating the amount of time you can spend outside, especially at this time of year, when we hold onto every moment. Whether we’re bundled up in coats roasting marshmallows under the soft glow of festoons, or enjoying a slow summer's evening with a good book, our Drayton Firepit is a warming focal point that provides an easy and relatively inexpensive way to romanticise those small moments year-round.