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It’s a Scorcher: Hot Garden Looks to Lure Buyers

Staying put or selling, make your backyard Instagram-worthy. We report on the outdoor accessories of summer 2018

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This vicarage in Frome, Somerset, is on sale for £2.25 million with Knight Frank

This vicarage in Frome, Somerset, is on sale for £2.25 million with Knight Frank

Hello, heatwave. How you are loved by makers of garden furniture. Habitat reports that it has shifted more garden furniture this year than in any other year in its 54-year trading history — 40 per cent more than last year. Dobbies, the garden centre chain, meanwhile, reports that sales of outdoor furniture and accesssories are up 49 per cent.

The exterior of the seven-bedroom vicarage in Frome

The most popular outdoor furniture lines have sold out for many retailers. Traditionally shops don’t stock so much garden furniture because the summer season is usually short. This year things have been very different.

And as we spend more money and time on our outdoor spaces, estate agents are finding that it can be the garden, and not the kitchen, that sells a home. We take a look at the latest in garden trends — useful if you’re hoping to sell your home this summer, or just enjoy the weather.

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The Instagram influence People are buying outdoor furniture and accessories that will enhance their Instagram pictures, according to John Lewis. Enter the rattan Tiki bar, which comes with two stools and two chairs and can be accessorised with a fake parrot on the roof, available for £575 from the retailer. Similarly the inflatable flamingo (£58) or lobster lilo (£50), which have also sold well. "It’s clear that our customers are sprucing up their outdoor space to create the perfect backdrop for their social snaps," says Vicky Angell, an outdoor living buyer at John Lewis.

The estate agency Russell Simpson notes the role that Instagram and nice gardens have in marketing properties. Bertie Russell, the director of the company, says: "A garden can be a home’s best selling point and, from a marketing perspective, Instagram is growing in influence. We now have lots of buyers following our Instagram page." He put an image of a south London home, Battersea House, with a large garden and outdoor pool, on Instagram recently. This led to a "glut" of viewings for the home, which is on the market for £10.5 million.

Shepherd’s huts Plankbridge, which makes luxury shepherd’s huts with French oak floors and Farrow & Ball painted walls, says that inquiries are up 20 per cent over the past 12 months. Its huts cost up to £35,000 for a "Living Hut", where owners can cook, sleep and shower. They are also used as yoga studios, home brew huts, music rooms and play spaces. David Cameron bought his hut from Red Sky Shepherd’s Huts for £25,000 and had it painted in the Farrow & Ball shades Clunch, Old White and Mouse’s Back (his wife chose the colours).

An eight-bedroom house in Fyfield, Oxfordshire, is on the market for £4.25 million with Savills

"As interest in growing edibles and creating sensory gardens continues to increase, we’ve created our first bespoke flower-arranging hut," says a spokesperson for Plankbridge.

Louise Ridings of Stacks Property Search says that treehouses are the latest outdoor status symbol, and they can be used as a spare room or to provide an Airbnb-style income. She adds that not all treehouses are built in trees, some are built on wooden stilts, and the cost starts at tens of thousands of pounds and can cost hundreds of thousands. Luxury treehouses feature double glazing, electricity and plumbing. Some people even host dinner parties in them.

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Porto Bistro table and chair set, £229, John Lewis

Small, foldaway and colourful George Home, the interiors range for Asda supermarket, and Habitat report that smaller furniture is selling well, especially furniture that folds up. Woven rattan, or rattan-effect, chairs and sofas are popular this year because you can see through them, so they don’t block out the light or the view of the garden. George Home is selling two pink woven chairs and an orange table for £89 as part of its Camden range.

Meanwhile, orange and yellow are two of the bestselling colours at Habitat. "We’ve seen particular success with bright patterns and prints across all ranges as outdoor spaces are seen as an opportunity to be a bit braver with colour, bringing more statement looks in a less permanent way than indoor furniture," says Katie Edmundson, a junior buyer for outdoor furniture at the store.

This seven-bedroom manor in Littlehampton, West Sussex, is £2.75 million with Savills

Garden rugs For homeowners with bifold doors and outdoor furniture that wouldn’t look out of place indoors, waterproof and washable garden rugs continue to blur the distinction between inside and outside. Sales of outdoor cushions are also up, by 64 per cent at John Lewis.

Angie Parker, who weaves textiles using Scandinavian techniques, has a range of outdoor rugs available on her website made from recycled plastic bottles, starting at £295.

Patricia Urquiola, a Spanish designer based in Milan, has made outdoor rugs for the high-end interiors brand GAN, which can be left outside and cleaned with a hose, then hung up to dry. They start at £350, from woven.co.uk and Heal’s.

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No-lawn garden We are moving away from lawns, which demand lots of water and maintenance to look good, says Matthew Reynolds, a senior landscape designer at the developer Countryside. "Gardens now are an extension to the home, so materials chosen should complement adjacent rooms, whether it’s paving, pots or planters," he says.

Artificial grass can be an alternative if you crave a greensward. For homeowners who want attractive low-maintenance plants that don’t need much water, Reynolds recommends acacias, junipers and tall grasses.

If you are going to have a lawn, have a wild meadow At the other end of the spectrum there are wildflower meadows, says Adrian Geary, the associate director at Jackson-Stops in Winchester, Hampshire. "They are popular particularly with buyers moving from London. Large gardens can be daunting and so the prospect of being able to transform half of their garden into a meadow that only needs to be cut twice a year is appealing."

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These meadows don’t need watering and are kind to wildlife. "They act as the ideal habitat for insects, including crickets, butterflies and bees. As well as being wonderfully picturesque, they also provide a great opportunity to educate younger members of the family about nature and wildlife." Additional reporting: Victoria Brzezinski

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