Homegrown cut flowers are a lovely way to add colour and character to the house but out in the garden, shorn rows of stalks aren’t quite so pretty. The way to have plenty of blooms in both places, even if space is limited, is to use prolifically-flowering plants.

Terracotta pots are a good, inexpensive option for the garden but sometimes they can feel just a little bit dull. You can jazz them up with a coat of paint but if you want to create something really unique, why not have a crack at a collage. So find the scissors and glue and get started on a mash-up masterpiece!

If you’re looking for quick ways to tap this season’s trends, you could track down some new tableware; buy more bed linen or re-paper a wall, but you could also just add a few plants. With a bit of creativity, indoor plants can give life to any look and their benefits don’t stop there: they’ll also boost oxygen, cleanse the air and lower stress. Here’s a few ways to harness 2012’s hottest styles using house plants.

Window boxes are a great way to bring the scent and colour of flowers close to the house so you can enjoy them without even venturing outside. Replanting them every season can sometimes become a bit of a chore, but it’s possible to create window boxes that’ll keep on blooming through the spring, summer and autumn – the secret is to use bulbs.

Once the weather starts to turn wintry, many birds abandon the countryside for the cosier comforts of towns and cities. One way to give them a warm welcome when they arrive is to put out fat cakes which are full of the energy they need to survive the cold. You can buy ready-made ones but it’s cheaper, and a lot more satisfying, to make your own.

There’s nothing like a wreath to jolly up the front door at Christmas and if you make your own, you’ll really have a threshold to behold.

Add some sparkle and scent to the house this winter with a striking arrangement of paperwhite narcissi.

It might feel strange to start thinking about winter when it’s still sunny outside, but with just a little bit of preparation now, there’ll be plenty in the garden to cheer you through the dark days to come.

If you’re short on outdoor space, why not free up your floor by taking your gardening vertical. Wall planters take up hardly any room, will brighten up a boring fence or wall and used en masse will create a striking feature for your space.

t doesn’t matter where you look right now in fashion or interiors, the Seventies are back with a vengeance. So if you want to add some retro touches at home, forget prints and paper lampshades, there’s nothing that says Seventies quite like indoor hanging baskets.