Introduce influences of spring into your home and garden using pastels of pink and green against a crisp white background.

One of the quickest and most effective ways to do this is by using textiles to refresh an area around your home.

The new Våren textile collection will bring a light and airy feel to the dullest of rooms and has been inspired by the wood anemone, one of natures early indicators that spring is on its way.

Featured here are just a few of the stimulating spring products on offer:

• Våren cushion 65×65cm in white and green £14.99.
  Varen round cushion in green pink or white £7.99.
  Våren knitted throw 130×170cm in green £13.99 (also available in
  white and pink).
• Varen Rug in green or white £39.00.
• Agen rattan chairs in white £19.99; stackable in order to save space when not in use.
  Complete with Agen chair pad with anemone design in white £9.99 for increased seating comfort.
• Agen round coffee table white £35.00; handwoven with extra utility surface e.g. for magazines; plastic feet; protect the furniture if in contact with a moist surface.
• Agen Triple Hanging basket set white, handwoven £13.99.

Web: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB

Tel: (0845) 355 1141

The Antique Chinese granite troughs now available from After The Antique the stonemasons, were a sell-out on the company’s stand at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

In rural China, for thousands of years, every household had one or more of these massive troughs, used for many purposes, including (as the holes in the troughs confirm) tethering their animals.

Migration from the land to the cities, has left these beautifully shaped and subtly carved pieces unused and liable to be broken up.

After The Antique is now buying these pieces of Chinese history and bringing them to British gardens – where they fit perfectly.

The troughs range in size from approx 120cm up to 240cm long, priced at £495 and £895 respectively.

Web: http://www.aftertheantique.com
Tel:   (01366) 327210

Haddonstone is probably best known for producing traditional and classical cast stone garden ornaments, but in recent years the company has expanded its collection of contemporary design products.

The range includes bold planters influenced by art deco, cubist and art nouveau styles, in addition to fountains, garden furniture and sundials.

Featured here are the large and small Highland Park Planters (A414) designed by Mark Salzman:

Large - Height: 415mm; Weight: 182kg; Width at top: 1016mm; At Base: 810mm. Priced at £410.00.

Small – Height: 355mm; Weight: 86kg; Width at top; 762mm; At Base: 635mm. Priced at £205.

Visit Haddonstone at BBC Gardeners’ World Live; also at the Daily Telegraph House & Garden Fair in June 2007.

Find more inspirational Haddonstone designs in cast stone online at:

Web: http://www.haddonstone.co.uk
Tel:  (01604) 770711

From the simplest seat to the grandest statuary, there is something in the Haddonstone range for every house and garden… whatever your budget.

All Haddonstone’s designs are manufactured from cast stone and include over 500 designs in traditional, contemporary and classical styles, including fountains, sundials, bird-baths, lawn edging, balustrading, chimney pieces and pavilions.
 
Prices range from a mere £65 for an Obelisk Finial to over £5,400 for an eye-catching Balustraded Temple.

For example, the imposing Raphael Seat featured, incorporates decorative panels, thought to be inspired by Raphael’s decorations in the Vatican, with both Etruscan and early English Renaissance influences. Priced at £3,200.

The Inspirational Haddonstone gardens and showroom are open to visitors from Monday to Friday - public holidays and Christmas period excepted - between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

See the full range in Haddonstone’s 200-page catalogue or online at:

Web: http://www.haddonstone.co.uk
Tel:  (01604) 770711

Wilstone House & Garden are specialists in original hand carved stone, wrought iron and unique architectural pieces to landscape designers, architects and gardening enthusiasts.

Over time they have established an extensive collection of over 45 carved sandstone urns, pots and planters for the English garden; they have now introduced several new designs for this season including the Cotswold Sandstone Urn featured here.
 
The attractive well-proportioned Cotswold Urn is inspired by a late 19th century design and hand-carved from one piece of natural sandstone.

The urn is suited to both contemporary and traditional gardens, stands 68 cms high and 54 cms wide and can be placed on the ground, or given more prominence on a Wilstone plinth.
 
The Wilstone designs are elegantly contoured and carved by traditionally skilled stonemasons from natural sandstone, which weathers, attracts lichens and ages to blend beautifully with the surroundings.

Retail price is around £600.

Web: http://www.wilstone.com
Tel: (01694) 771800 

Perfect for big and bold garden schemes, the new Haddonstone Large Elizabethan Jardiniere was created following demand for a new design to complement the existing Elizabethan and Small Elizabethan Jardinieres in the collection.

This versatile container features attractive strapwork decoration and would complement either a traditional or contemporary setting. 

Standing at 61cm high and with a width of 82.5cm across the top, the jardiniere provides a generous planting capacity and retails at £297.

Web: www.haddonstone.co.uk
Tel: (01604) 770711

Green Interiors was established in 1988 as an interior landscaping company specialising in providing live and artificial plants for corporate customers.

In response to an increasing demand from private clients for top quality plants, plant displays, and planters, not readily available elsewhere, they set up www.brightgreen.co.uk in 2001.

This is an interesting and stimulating website, where you can choose from a selection of live houseplants, wonderful silk arrangements, preserved roses, contemporary stems, grasses and planters for interior and exterior use.

The elegant Polystone Partner planters featured here, are composed of clay and resin, fashioned in moulds then finished by hand, creating the look, feel and durability of stone minus the weight.

Polystone is perfectly suitable for outdoor use and comes in a choice of stone or black.

Prices and sizes are as follows:
370×900mm     £155.99
500×1200mm   £278.01
670×1600mm   £497.99

Green Interiors is a family run company, who pride themselves on service and approachability. They also offer a planting and installation service.

Web: www.brightgreen.co.uk
Tel:  (01327) 262525

Here is a beautiful teracotta garden planter from the ceramic artist Maggie Curtis.

The planter was made as part of a bespoke commission for a house designed by Charles Voysey, the Arts & Crafts Architect (1857-1941). The whole commission included gate post finials, an ornate name plaque and planters.

Maggie is a freelance ceramic artist who makes client based bespoke Architectural Ceramics which include sculptural ridge tiles, finials and capitals, embossed tiles, friezes, garden sculpture, restoration and reproduction work. Her work follows the tradition of Victorian Terracotta.

The planters featured here were approximately 50cm x 70cm and 30cm high, and cost £450 each. Maggie can create a bespoke planter for you starting from £100, depending on size and design.

web: http://www.maggiecurtis.co.uk
tel: (01237) 476 887

If you want to add a splash of instant colour to your garden, or you don’t have much time for gardening, planters are the ideal solution.

This year B&Q have a large range of planters to enhance your garden or patio - from traditional stone planters with flower designs, to the Cyprus Jar handmade from natural white clay.

The picture shows the glazed boule planter which is available in large (51cm diameter) or in a set of three planters - 25cm, 19cm and 15.5cm diameter.

Traditional stone planters cost from £4.98, the Cyprus Jar costs £7.99, and the set of three glazed boule planters costs £16.98.

web: http://www.diy.com
tel: (0845) 850 0175