Warming up for summer: Great outdoors

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The weather may not be much of an inspiration for smartening up your garden at the moment, but the winning pubs in our Best Dressed Pub competition...

The weather may not be much of an inspiration for smartening up your garden at the moment, but the winning pubs in our Best Dressed Pub competition certainly will be. Sponsored by hanging basket specialist Chelsea Direct the contest was won by the Artichoke in Bristol, which took the town category, and the Swettenham Arms near Congleton, Cheshire, which topped the country pubs. Both received £500-worth of flower displays or the cash equivalent.

Best-Dressed Town Pub The Artichoke, Broadmead, Bristol

Judges' comments:

Proportionally well-balanced and interesting
Well-layered planting and extra height interest in the choice of trees and plants
Courtyard garden is a lovely tranquil oasis of green in the urban streetscape
Displays were well looked-after, well watered and fed
Topiary and plants were trimmed, neat and tidy
Driver and dray floral display was commendable.

The Artichoke's spectacular displays are a welcome sight amid the concrete of Bristol's Broadmead. "I think everyone here appreciates the effort we put in," says licensee Patrick Gomm. "The garden is a great attraction for our business and we have never had any problems with vandalism."

There is always an eye-catching centrepiece to the Artichoke's display. Currently it's a decorated horse-drawn dray, complete with floral driver, on loan from the local Courage Brewery - when it's not being used in shows.

Patrick hires the Blaze Castle nurseries to build his special figures, which have also included a scale model of The Matthew, a Bristol boat that took early settlers to Newfoundland, and cartoon characters Wallace & Gromit.

"Blaze Castle supplies the figures and does the floral design," explains Patrick. "It's not cheap, but it's professionally done and it's worth it. Keeping the garden maintained and watered is time-consuming but we've included it our staff's daily routine and that makes sure it gets done."

Best-Dressed Country PubThe Swettenham Arms, Congleton, Cheshire

Judges' comments:

Proportionally well-balanced
Good choice of plants, textures and colours
A pretty balance between pinks and greens
Displays were well looked-after, well watered and fed
Plants were trimmed, neat and tidy
Parasols were in proportion to the building and added an extra dimension.

The Swettenham Arms takes some finding, tucked away in the lanes of Cheshire. "People pass hundreds of pubs to get to us so you've got to give them an experience beyond what they expect," says licensee Fran Cunningham.

Landscape gardeners Howard and Stella Bailey have worked for Fran since 1990 and they not only plant and maintain the displays but build the window-boxes and tend the herb garden. For their next project the Baileys are planting a £5,000 lavender and sunflower field using no fewer than 6,000 plants which will create a spectacular backdrop for the weddings held at the pub.

"It costs us a lot of money but we've always set high standards in our 30 years in this business," says Fran. "If you care about the pub on the outside it shows you care about the inside, too." To prove the point, the Swettenham Arms is a Freehouse of the Year finalist in this year's Publican Awards. And Fran isn't finished yet. She has set her sights on a crocus and snowdrop walk for the pub's four acres that should prove an even bigger attraction.

Case Study: The Bell Inn, Welford on Avon, Warwickshire

Pub gardens have taken a step into the future with a £30,000 scheme at the Bell Inn at Welford on Avon, Warwickshire.

Created by award-winning local company Rock & Water, the Bell's "dining garden" is much more than a patch of grass with a few benches and umbrellas. At the centre is a circular paved patio with a four foot high water feature, and it is surrounded by imaginative plantings, pergolas and lighting that gives the place a completely different atmosphere at night.

As well as the more formal dining area, the 450sqm garden has more relaxed areas for those who just want a pint and a snack.

A second water feature has been constructed to diffuse noise from an air conditioning unit while unusual flora provide year-round interest.

Licensee Colin Ombler commissioned Rock & Water to design and build the new garden as part of an on-going refurbishment programme at the food-led pub.

"We want to make sure every aspect of the service we provide is top quality and, as the garden is the first and last thing people see when they come to the Bell, it has to be of the highest standard," he says. "The water features give a feeling of tranquility and relaxation that is vital to the right ambience for a good meal."

It's not just for the pub's customers, either. The new garden is acting as a showcase for Rock & Water.

Space solution

Heavy bases and central umbrella poles can be an inconvenience when you're trying to design an elegant garden, but Global Parasols claims to have come up with an alternative.

Its new Paraflex parasols aim to make it possible to put up shading over bar terraces where space is limited or poles could cause an obstruction. It's all thanks to a flexible arm that attaches to a wall and a tilting canopy that puts the shade just where you want it.

And with the addition of a telescopic pole you can mount up to five canopies at a single point, providing cover for several tables.

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