Create a Mini Fruit and Herb Garden with Farrow and Ball Colours

At this time of year, the children and I like to plant together a few herbs and fruits ready for the summer, which we did at the weekend, and so I’ve taken the opportunity to show off these brand new paint colours from Farrow & Ball.

Strawberry plants are our ultimate favourite when it comes to summer fruit and whilst we have an old patch that brings a new crop each year, it was time to start off with some younger plants too. What better way to house them that with a wooden crate, painted up in the latest Farrow & Ball shades perfect for the spring and summer season.

Crates are a practical, rustic addition to the garden, but they can be made more contemporary by using the right colours. I have a set of two, one containing the strawberries, the other with some herbs of rosemary and parsley, which will perch nicely just outside the back door. Once the plants need a little more growing room, I’ll plant them up in bigger pots, but the crates still have plenty of space to accommodate the larger sizes.

Don’t worry too much about neat edges either in a project like this. I do love a bit of free hand painting, and your crates and pots are going to be weathered in no time at all, so if your edges are a little wobbly, all the better.

With a few extra pots we’ve had a little fun painting them up to show off these colours, and to adorn my newly freshened porch area. The hedera will grow down over the sides in the next few months, although the pop of coloured rim will still peek through, contrasting beautifully with the greenery.

So let’s take a more in-depth look at these Spring/Summer 17 colours from Farrow and Ball, and how you can use them both indoors and out.

Radicchio: Bright pink when you open the tin, but much redder when you paint onto a surface and in certain lights. This is an exceptionally striking, rich shade, particularly when paired against the crispness of All White.

Studio Green: Is it green or is it black? When brushed onto exterior surfaces, the rich pigments respond extraordinarily to all types of light and magically appear much greener. In many interiors, particularly darker spaces, the shade can appear almost black. Outside in the sunshine, this colour takes on many different guises.

All White: All White is exactly what it says! Unusually, it contains no other pigment except for white, creating the softest most sympathetic colour without the colder blue undertones of a brilliant white. Combined alongside the brilliance of Radicchio, it brings a minimalism and crispness to the setting.

Hay: A modest yellow named after the dried crop, Hay is both warm and dusty. Used here with Studio Green, it feels timeless, rich and warm. Paired against All White and the vibrancy of Radicchio, it looks striking and bold, contemporary and bang on-trend.

We are pretty pleased with the new additions to the garden and to our fruit and herb collection. I actually didn’t think the crates could look at contemporary as they do, so I’d definitely urge you to give them a go. Painted up in bold, contemporary colours like these from the Farrow and Ball ss17 collection, they can take on a whole new look.

Let me know if you’ve been giving your garden a mini makeover, or if you love to use crates for outdoor display. Show me your pictures on social media, and tag them #CrateOutdoors.

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