Mirrors are a great idea in gardens. They just are! Mirrors lighten dark corners and give the impression of extra garden rooms and make it seem there are flowers in places where there are no flowers.

Trompe-l’œil (French for ‘trick the eye’ it a way of making a 2D object look as though it is 3D. The term comes from the  Baroque period  but the idea can be seen in frescos from Pompeii. Trompe-l’œil trellis work was used in Baroque gardens eg to make trellis work tunnels look longer than they are by distorting the perspective.

Combining mirrors with Trompe-l’œil is a really good idea. My congratulations to the designer.

Download photograph of trompe l’oeil mirror

The Romans used to say: De gustibus non est disputandum (‘matters of taste can’t be disputed’) The English say ‘there’s no accounting for taste’. And since these ghastly items are being offered for sale, there must be people who like them. But, seriously, they are seriously bad taste: plastic pots, painted concrete garden statues, badly clipped box. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Gnomes are small and they live underground. Their name probably comes from the Greek genomos “earth-dweller”. So they are very respectable creatures with a longer history than the Americans.

The first garden gnomes were made in Germany in the mid-1800s and gnomes are still better-loved by the Germans than by any other people. Philip Griebel made terracotta gnomes for gardens because of their famous willingness to help with the gardening after dark.

If you have seen some ugly examples in gardens – please don’t blame the gnomes. Tell the owners to find better gnome suppliers and to treat them with unfailing kindness.

One other point: hide your gnomes in dark places. Do not put them the full, hurtful, glare of sunlight. Just don’t do it. 

The organizers of the Chelsea Flower Show have a ban on gnomes but their ancestry is perfectly respectable. The word comes from Latin, with a root in ancient Greek, and represents a belief, widespread in archaic Indo-European animist culture, that gods live in the Earth. Gnomes are therefore as decent as Venus and Diana, and any divinity can be represented in good or bad taste. Fashionable in Victorian Britain after Sir Charles Isham displayed figurines he had brought back from Germany in his rockery, the prejudice against gnomes results from their subsequent popularity with the working classes.

Download garden gnome photograph

“All purpose”? Surely it can’t be! Well, no it isn’t! They tell you that “Miracle-Gro All Purpose Growing Compost contains 40% more nutrients than ordinary multi purpose compost. Enriched with Miracle-Gro Plant Food – feeds for 3 months. Special water retaining agent – helps to stop plants drying out and makes watering easier.” But this is not what is wanted for sowing seeds or striking cuttings. The seeds will germinate but they will not flourish. The cuttings probably won’t bother to grow any roots. So they should re-name it Miracle-Gro Potting compost. The water retaining agent is a great help in pots.

Download photograph of Miracle Gro Compost

When I first saw duckweed, I loved it. Thinking I had found a perfect lawn I leapt in the air and landed in the water, too shocked to scream.

So there are three ways of getting rid of duckweed, two bad and one good. The worst way is herbicides. We don’t want nasty chemicals in our gardens and we don’t want to waste money on chemicals. The next way is mechanical removal. It easy and you really feel you are doing something. But the duckweed grows back in a few days. The best way is biological control. If you have a biologically balanced pond you will not have a duckweed problem. And to balance you pond you must stop fertilizers from leaking into the water. Then you make sure you have oxygenating plants and some nice fish.

Download garden pond duckweed photograph

Rattan garden furniture

We admire artificial resin-rattan garden furniture, of course, but there is much to be said for having the genuine article in your garden. It feels natural and it is natural. This range of rattan cane garden furniture is made from Indonesian Kubu rattan has been designed specifically for outdoor use. Chairs and sun loungers, with comfortable cushions, are available.

Too much garden pottery is backward looking. It is a pleasure to find elegant pastel coloured sculptural ceramics. The pots have clean lines which provide a pleasing and calming contrast with indoor or outdoor planting and foliage.

Tristen May metal garden furniture

The great thing about galvanizing steel, as a protection against rust, is that the process is tried and trusted. It is not a paint which can come of. The zing is applied electrolytically and bonds with the steel. You would have to chip or rub it off to let the steel start rusting. And zinc is a beautiful shade of grey. These examples are by Tristen May.

Oak glass house garden room

If you want a shed which is oh-so-much-more than a shed, we recommend an Oak Glasshouse. Both materials are of the highest quality and, with additional protection from a slate roof, will last for every while growing more beautiful year-by-year. Who cold ask for more? So much nicer than buying a trashy shed from your local garden centre to watch it rotting year-by-year, unless of course you risk your lungs by spraying it with poisonous chemicals year-by-year – and they will certainly kill any plants they touch.

Martin Duffy specializes in sensual garden sculpture. The colours are obtained by the use of different chemicals which are applied to the heated bronze. Martin works in collaboration with Angela Farquharson at http://www.thesculpturecollective.co.uk/.