5 Ways to get your garden summer ready with candles

Let’s talk about ways to bring candles into your garden to get it summer ready. I love candles in my garden and have them in my garden all year round. I almost burn them 24/7 in two large lanterns like these at the front door. The postman often comments and gives me feedback on the fragrance! I have just lit two and didn’t smell them before I lit them and now the garden is smelling of Christmas, not quite what I had planned on a midsummer evening!

Bug repellent I think the number one reason people light candles in their garden is for those little pesky bugs. Candles fragranced with citronella are very popular, you can find this nice looking one here. I am not a huge fan of the scent but if it dispels the midge (Scottish biting insect that fly around with a few million friends)

Alfresco dining – There is nothing like dining by candle light especially when you are outside it makes it all the prettier. Candle-scaping your table can take a while making sure there is ample room for all the food and taking precaution to ensure safety too when people are reaching over the table and passing food. Make sure the candles are on heat protective surfaces especially if you have a wooden table. Create a relaxing ambiance when the lights go down. If you want to learn how to refill your old containers with your own candles you can do that with one of my many courses here – www.jomacfarlane.com I prefer unscented candles on the table so as not to interfere with any of the delicious food aromas but if I had to choose a favourite it would be my own Japanese Plum. If I was using another brand I love St Eval and the Sea Salt fragrance being a beach bunny.

Light a pathway – lighting a way through your garden can feel almost magical, especially if it is winding. I used to buy these paper bags that had a gorgeous cut out pattern and place them up the garden path with candles in. You can buy those flame resistant bags here from Fruugo.

Relaxing Whether you are lying on your lounger during the day or at dusk with a book and a glass of wine by yourself I always light a candle. It’s like a little companion, a thing of life. I would choose a floral candle, one which I adore is my very own Misty Heather the epitome of the Scottish misty heather filled heathlands. Green floral, moss, amber Ylang, Jasmine, Rose & Lemon.

Celebration Who doesn’t like a garden celebration? Birthday, engagement or wedding candles are there to enhance the atmosphere. Stringing up twinkly lights, using paper pompoms, bubble making machine and colour co ordinating everything from cushions, flip flops and flowers. I love having a garden celebration, my son just had a surf themed birthday and I had so much fun decorating the garden, I do love decorating the house but have so much more frivolous fun with the garden. We have this garden sign post which has been used and repainted so many times from, Lord of the rings, Halloween, Easter and now surf theme.