The Outdoor Dinner Party

Transcription

1 Episode synopsis Mel and Dave are an inner city couple who have decorated their terrace house with eclectic style, including vintage trinkets and furniture. Unfortunately their creative flair has not extended to their backyard. With their first baby on the way, they want to create a space that they can use to entertain their friends, family and neighbours. To get the garden in shape for spring, Charlie redesigns the backyard by recycling some of the existing features and creating a userfriendly entertaining space around the large tree that takes centre stage in the garden. To celebrate their new garden, Juliet works with the couple to pull together a Mediterranean style dinner party complete with pomegranate martinis, which in future will feature fruit from their own newly-planted pomegranate tree.

2 The Garden Charlie gives the following tips and tricks on how to lay a luscious lawn: Preparation is key to a great lawn so be sure to remove as many pebbles and stones as you can, and get the area as flat as possible. You re then ready to lay your lawn but be sure to follow these guidelines to keep it looking good all year round. Most grasses prefer sun but buffalo will tolerate some shade and there are some good new buffalo varieties. Couch is a good choice for the most drought tolerant lawn. It s important the soil can absorb water, so test the soil by seeing if the water penetrates quickly. If it doesn t, treat with Yates Waterwise Soil Saturator Hose On. Preparation is vital when laying turf, so spread and rake in Yates Dynamic Lifter Turf Starter, which is an organic manure and water crystal in one, to give your new lawn the best start. Lay the turf on the prepared soil, making sure you never start the roll at the same place, as this will promote more even coverage. Water well every day for the first few weeks until the lawn is established. Once established, mow the lawn at least once a week, never cutting more than 1/3 of the length and watering immediately afterwards to assist in recovery. Keep your mower blade sharp to ensure clean cutting edges. Otherwise you ll end up with a dried out looking lawn. Try mowing in different directions to combat compaction. Grass needs nutrients just like any other plants so fertilise with Yates Dynamic Lifter Advanced for Lawns at least twice a year to help grass grow evenly. Water regularly a good watering once a week will keep your turf adequately drenched. Add wetting agent, such as Waterwise Soil Saturator if your soil repels water. If weeds start to invade, do an easy clean up with Yates Weed n Feed granular, which kills the weeds and greens the lawn.

3 Large Trees Despite being both magnificent and beautiful, large trees can cause all sorts of problems mostly due to the shade they cast on other plants and parts of the lawn. To help other areas of the garden to grow, large, feature trees can be thinned out allowing more sunlight to penetrate. To thin out trees correctly and safely, contact a qualified arborist or a tree surgeon. To find one in your local area, consult: The Yellow Pages The internet The International Society of Arboriculture Tips on planting shrubs around a large tree To help soften the look of a big tree trunk in your garden, plant shrubs and plants at the base to help to naturalise the area and create a tropical feel. Charlie Albone has these hints and tips for planting: Before you plant around a large tree, prepare some water crystals such as Yates Waterwise Water Storage Crystals and incorporate these into the soil. These will store water and release it slowly, helping plants to survive future dry times. Dig some composted manure, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food, into to the soil for some non-burning starter feeding at root level. This can be reapplied every couple of months to maintain the nutrient levels within the soil. Finally, water the plants generously using Yates Nature s Way Seaweed Booster which will encourage root growth of the plants into the surrounding soil.

4 Potted herbs Herbs are a great starting point to begin growing your own produce at home. The easiest way to grow herbs is in pots and Yates Tuscan Edge Troughs are ideal. They re self watering, too, which means water gets through to the roots easily and there are no messy saucers to collect grubby water and breed unwanted pests. When planting herbs and seedlings in pots, make sure you follow these steps: Always use a quality potting mix such as Yates Professional Potting Mix which has added soil wetters, water-storing crystals and a natural biostimulant to accelerate growth. Remember to look for the Red Standards Marks on your potting mix bag - it s your guarantee of quality. Tease the seedlings out of their existing pots. Pot into the hole, ensuring you bed them down gently but firmly. Then water to remove any air pockets within the soil. Feed regularly with Yates Thrive Soluble All Purpose to encourage rapid growth. Control Snails and Slugs by sprinkling some Blitzem Snail & Slug pellets. Control leaf-eating grubs with Yates Nature s Way Caterpillar Killer Dipel as it has no withholding period (which means you can wash and eat your herbs straight away!) If your herbs start to get bushy, make sure you pick them to ensure they keep growing and pinch out any flowering stems. Otherwise they might go to seed and die. Potted fruit trees The next, natural step in growing your own fresh produce is to introduce fruit trees such as lemon, lime and pomegranate trees. Follow these simple steps to get your trees underway for the party season: Always use a quality potting mix such as Yates Professional Potting Mix which has added soil wetters, water-storing crystals and a natural biostimulant to accelerate growth. Remember to look for the Red Standards Marks on your potting mix bag- it s your guarantee of quality. Loosen the roots by teasing them out and place the plant firmly within the new pot. A great way to save on space and get the most out of your citrus trees is to grow them along steel wires as an espalier. This will aid with fruit production. Loosen the roots by teasing them out and place the plant firmly within the new pot. Fertilise all fruit trees with Yates Acticote for Fruit, Citrus, Trees and Shrubs, which has a 12-month controlled release fertiliser and added instant booster for fast and long term results. Pomegranate trees are prone to sucking pests, so it s best to keep a bottle of Yates Nature s Way Insect & Mite Killer Natrasoap close by. Remember to check all citrus trees for citrus leaf miner and spray with PestOil, a low toxic, highly effective control spray.

5 The Garden Maintaining paths and pavers Use BLITZEM! Ant Flea Tick Killer (Sand) to keep ants away from paving joints. Spray with Yates Zero Once a Year Pathweeder (RTU) for long term weed control. Recycling If you re planning on making over your garden, think about reusing things where possible to save money and keep an old style charm about your outdoor space: Recycle old bricks and lay them down in unusual patterns to level out ground for furniture and create funky and unique paving stone arrangements. Recycle old pieces of wood to create feature walls or benches.

6 Inspiration for creating the perfect outdoor dinner party You don t have to have a carbon copy of your neighbour s outdoor furniture to host a stylish party. For those who love a vintage and eclectic look inside the home, exercise your creativity, extending your interior decorating and design skills to your outdoor space. Buy old wooden chairs from op shops and markets and get creative by painting and varnishing them with your own designs. Make sure any furniture you do have is clean and tidy in time for the party season clean wooden and metal chairs and tables with a mild detergent but be aware that iron rusts. Be sure to sand the rust down, prime and repaint using rust resistant paint to help keep your furniture living longer. Auction houses, ebay, op shops and yard sales can be particularly fruitful when looking for anything from furniture to pots and sometimes it won t even cost you a penny. Try trawling top suburbs for things people have thrown out and discarded in the street just be sure to check for wood rot and other associated nasties! Creating the perfect Mediterranean dinner party When cooking for a number of people, it s a great idea to host a buffet style dinner. It s often easier to run things in and out of the kitchen onto tables in the garden than have a sit down meal your furniture may not accommodate the number of guests you have invited and your lawn may be uneven, creating havoc at a sit down dinner. Attach small, L-shaped brackets to small pieces of wood. Varnish to protect them from the element. Attach to a fence or wall at varying heights to create shelves to hold small tea lights and candles. The perfect way to create a romantic European twilight setting. Outdoor lighting Fill the garden with larger wax candles. These can be used all year round and don t need to be brought inside. Wax candles available from Stacks of Wax

7 Food Fill terracotta pots with olives, feta chunks, stuffed grape leaves, hummus and pita bread for a mezze-style starter. Recycle old tiles by painting in bright colours and use as place mats and to decorate the table. Pomegranate martini recipe Pomegranate martinis are the perfect cocktail to enjoy this spring at an evening garden party. In addition to tasting great, they re also good for you the fresh pomegranate juice is full of antioxidants so you don t have to feel too guilty! Preparation: Chill martini glasses and coat rim in sugar by dipping into water, then sugar crystals. Ingredients: 1 part vodka 2 part fresh pomegranate juice 1 teaspoon sugar syrup Dash of fresh lime juice Pomegranate seeds, for garnish Method: Halve pomegranates & scoop out seeds. Crush seeds in a mortar and pestle to create the fresh pomegranate juice. Make sugar syrup by mixing sugar and water over heat. Mix pomegranate juice, sugar syrup, vodka & fresh lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into pre-prepared martini glasses. Add a few pomegranate seeds to the glass as a finishing touch.