Bold colour and container planting have transformed this garden into an easy-to-maintain space that's a joy to entertain in

'When I moved to this house, the garden was huge,’ recalls Alison. ‘At 45m long and 7.5m wide, it was too big to manage, so when a developer wanted to buy some of the land, along with my neighbours’, I jumped at the chance to sell it.'

‘Once the sale went through,'' continues Alison, 'I was left with a huge, ugly paved patio, which had been done in the ’70s and wasn’t my taste. I knew I needed a shed for storage, and I decided to have a deck next to the house, with a paved section at a lower level, furthest away from the house.'

'I also wanted raised beds: one facing the house and two on one side. I employed a contractor to do all the heavy work, such as laying the decking, paving the patio, erecting the shed and building the raised beds. I found some railway sleepers in a salvage yard, which fitted with the vintage look I wanted,' she adds.

‘The raised beds are at eye level when you are sitting on the sofa on the deck,' says Alison. 'They’re a great way to bring in planting and colour that changes with the seasons, which I add to with pots on the deck. I painted the fence and shed black, and it’s great the way everything you put in front of it pops.'

'The wooden decking had to be replaced, too, so I chose composite decking in a lighter colour, which is easy to maintain. It has made such a difference and the whole area looks much brighter. It was expensive but worth it,' she says.

‘I chose a corner seating set to sit against the back wall of the house where the sun falls for a large part of the afternoon, and teamed it with shade from a parasol,' says Alison.

‘I wanted bold colours and patterns for a bright and colourful vibe. I bought the furniture first and everything followed from there.’

‘I found this metal sewing machine base at the local tip where there is a re-use shop and paid £25 for it. The colourful pots are from Anthropologie and Pow Pots – a favourite brand of mine.’

‘I’ve had the dining table for a long time and didn’t see the need to change it, but I covered it up with a wonderful floral tablecloth I had made for a job years ago – it suits the new colour scheme perfectly. 'I also added bright orange aluminium Tolix-style chairs in the dining area to add a punch of colour that ties into the sofa area.’

‘I have been collecting vintage signs for a while, but they have gone up in price massively. Each one has a particular memory of where I bought it. The flowerpots are ones I have had for ages when I wanted a more antique look, but are now filled with plants in my new colour scheme.’

'I’m really pleased with the new colour scheme; it’s so joyful and seems to fit with our increasingly hot weather,' she adds.

Get Alison's look