If this rain continues I will be forced to buy myself a pair of these stylish wellies from £24.99 from Wellie Art. They are determined to make this prolonged damp spell a bit more bearable with their wild and imaginative rain accessories. Your wellies and brollies can also be moving art with a selection of art impressions from Warhol to Degas embossed on your wet gear.

Or you could order an emergency pack of ten ponchos for £5.30 (in bold single colours) or this fetching George Cross poncho for £7 for a pack of ten (man thankfully not included). Not sure that Tescos will approve of them, but it could prove handy if you're watching the matches on an outdoor screen.

Posted by Carole

Are you thinking of keeping chickens, or need a new home for your rabbits or ducks, then you must look at the omlet website. It has a thorough and well presented guide/ starter kit for chicken rearing and stocks these wonderful eglus . Other pets will be green with envy when they see these modern, easy clean and purpose designed homes. They're not cheap at £300 -36, but as they've been developed with animal behaviourists input, they'll house up to 3 rabbits in guaranteed style, comfort and with the space for them to 'express themselves'. Not for those wishing to purchase a starter home, but for those with a paw already on the hutch ladder.

Posted by Carole

If like me you've found that the rain has brought out all the slugs to play and eat your entire garden contents, then you need a dose of Nemaslug killer. Your killer pest control is biological (using one living organism to control another) and offers a 6 week protection during those initial tender plant growing days. It costs £9.95 and is available from Harrod Horticultural a site for all you serious (or aspiring) gardeners out there.

As well as being expert bug killers, Harrod's also stock great furniture, lights, labels etc and an extensive range of organic seeds, plants, feeds and fertilisers. These onion shaped squash costs £1.50 for a pack of ten and are one of several unique varieties on offer. Can't beat the satisfying feeling of eating something you have grown yourself.

Posted by Carole

Bloomsbury Stores stock a great range of modern classics and contemporary products for indoors and outdoors. These eye-catching floral utility knives have 3 positions and cost £5.95. Once you have this pretty and useful tool you will have to buy the 6 -in -1 flowered up hammer, screwdriver, pliers, tape measure...the lot really. I love these and want them to brighten up my tool box right now.

Posted by Carole

If your child has got a bad case of football fever or fancies themself as a future Johnnie Wilkinson in the making , then you need to buy them this Inflatable football/rugby goalpost complete with balls for 16.99. It can be found on the new Mini Marvellous site which has been launched to cater for all your 2 -8 year olds needs. It has food tips, music links, a what's on guide and a toys reunited service!

Of course if your child is not the footy type, then they could always hide in this beautiful teepee and play cowboys and indians with their toys and probably me.

Posted by Carole

John Lewis is where you can find these gorgeous Ella Doran blossom picnic plates. They cost £6 each and can be complimented with matching bowls and tumblers. If a little too fussy for you, then they have some plain but vibrant aqua blue picnic plates and cups and a cheeky retro diasy number too. Time to recycle those tatty plain plastic ones you've had for something a litte more stylish. I'm sure your food will taste better eating off these too.

Posted by Carole

With the Bank Holiday looming it's time to tackle those weeds and plant those herbs. So take advantage of this offer - a 5 piece stainless steel tool set reduced from £24.99 to £19.99 at Homebase This offer is only available online and will take 2 days to deliver - so don't blame your lack of work on a lack of tools and get ordering now.

If lounging is more your thing, then their Poppy Arbour is reduced from £229.99 to £199.99 and will shade you from the sun or provide cover from the rain - which of course it will do as it's a Bank Holiday!

Posted by Carole

It's definitely worth spending a bit of money on your fencing and having a good look at what the options are as it frames your garden and can dictate the look and feel of it. This willow screen panel (look under the 'Fencing Panels' section and then click on 'willow') is from Fencestore which has an extensive range of fencing panels, trellis, gates, posts and clips, furniture and arbours. This willow panel is handcrafted with a dip treated frame and was £61.00, now £38.99 (this could be because the trellis above has been discontinued). Worth a look as there are lots of discounts to be had or if only to stop you rushing off to a big DIY store and buying bog standard and boring fencing. Think of the neighbours.

Posted by Carole

Iota is visually a refreshing and contemporary site, with some unusual and stunning water features, planters and outdoor art. This Stainless Steel sculpture is inset with transparent coloured acrylic panels and for £500 (per column) would add some instant colour and magic to your garden. Iota also have really vibrant orange planters and should your garden be a tad on the small side, fantastic sheets of polished stainless steel which will immmediately double it's size - for £95 that's a great size solution.

Posted by Carole

Forget your standard yellow tinged solar lights which you spike into the ground - which we have. Illuminate your garden border or table with these gorgeous globes, available in red, green, amber, blue or white. There's no wiring, they are solar powered by an energy-saving LED unit and cost £22 per globe.

These lights are one of many great and green products featured on Nick Pringles British eco site. You could also add a solar powered water fountain, chicken shed or organic rooster manure to your shopping basket. If greens your thing, then browse their Green experiences which cover a range of green, natural, country, heritage and outdoor pursuits.

Posted by Carole

The first UK ILVA store opens in Thurrock, Essex in July – exact date yet to be announced. The Danish answer to IKEA aims to offer speedy delivery of stylish stuff you don't have to spend all weekend assembling. A peek at their Danish site (they've been going strong there since 1974) shows a lot of very ordinary, if solid, furniture alongside some lovely things like these Mambo sun loungers. The Danes have a great tradition of top class furniture design and CEO Martin Toogood, formerly of Habitat aims to bring it to us at a reasonable price. Can't wait.

Posted by Ros

Inherited a concrete garden and haven't got the muscle to swing a pick-axe? Why not turn it into an open-air art gallery? Susana Grabowska has sent us these pictures of her artistic garden in Hastings. She has used old pots of paint to create the pavement art and turned discarded cuttings into statues. If you live in the area and would like her to liven up your concrete, you can contact her on sjgrabowska@hotmail.com.

Posted by Ros

If you have neither a tree, space or loads of money and your kids are begging for a tree house, this could be a solution. The Fort Rio from Dunster House is a 3.2 metre-tall hideaway on legs. I can think of all sorts of ways to customise it. A snip at £296, but the slide is an extra £95.95. If you have the space there are swings and all sorts of other thrilling bits to add to it.
Do you know of any better solutions for small treeless gardens? Please let us know.

Posted by Ros

There's not much that Suttons don't know about their onions and seeds. Established in 1806 by John Sutton they have gone onto being one of the most recognisable names and providers in the world of plant, vegetable, bulb, bush and horticultural products for amateur gardeners.

With over 1,500 products to choose from, you could start with this Wild flower seed collection that will entice the seed- eating and hoverflies into the garden. There are lots of choices and prices, for every packet sold they will also donate 5p to the Wildlife trusts, so good growth for everyone involved.

Posted by Carole

If you're off abroad this May bank holiday, then don't forget to bring this cute sun tent with you. This big-top style play tent costs £29.99, provides factor 50 UV protection, is lightweight and can be assembled in minutes. It's great for imaginative play in the garden or for providing respite from the midday sun whilst on the beach. While you're at the Urchin site take a look at their funky swim gear and garden games and then download their free party invites to your summer beach party.

Posted by Carole

It's not exactly bbq weather, but should the sun make an appearance then you need to be ready. This Weber Smokey Joe Gold Grill is a portable kettle grill , with a lid & bowl made from heavy -gauge steel with porcelain enamel to prevent rusting. It costs £60 and can be sourced from DealTime which also provides 5 reviews of the item as well as a price comparison check. The site has a seriously massive selection of appliances, hand and power tools - over 1,300 items popped up in the sheds and storage section! All a bit overwhelming, but also a good overview.

Posted by Carole

At the end of this month Wiggly Wigglers launch their first book about how they renovated a tired old garden at Blakemere into a fantastic haven for wildlfe. Bringing a Garden to Life reflects the ethos and materials which are sold on their site, composters, bug boxes and wild flower plants to name a few. You can meet the creators on June 1st at the forthcoming Hay Festival and see their theories in practice in the wiggly garden they are building on site.

Posted by Carole

My friend Clare was bemoaning the state of her not so green and tatty grass, so has adventurously ordered a roll of artificial grass. She got hers from eBay.co.uk, just type in artificial grass and lots of offcut pieces in a selection of sizes and prices will pop up.

If you want to do a bit of background research then log onto evergreens and get a great sense of how good it can look and how you could inlay some fun into it with a play-scene. Or check out other suppliers including NoMow, As good as grass, and Artificial Lawn. Have you already done this? It would be great to hear how you got on.

Posted by Carole

To make sure your summer is as much fun (bearable) as possible with the kids and the heat, then I'd recommend buying two outdoor items. Number One has to be a sand pit, this one has four little corner seats, a vinyl cover and costs £15. Early Learning Centre also have a dual-use table for sand and water play for £30, this would also make fantastic sand pies.

The other sanity essential has to be a pop up combo which can be used as 3 separate play areas or interlocked to provide a great tunnel run to escape monsters and mothers. It costs £30 which is a saving of £25 if bought separately. Whilst browsing I did note that they also had some great space hoppers, kites, croquet sets.....I shall stop there as most kids toys look good fun to me.

Posted by Carole

I have to confess to being yet another member of the fantasy house building brigade, so therefore addicted to Grand Designs. So this Live Show is the ultimate in house porn as far as I am concerned. If building your own house is a future project, then you always inject a little reality by looking at Grand interiors, kitchens, bathrooms, build (of course) and gardens.

They promise lots of inspirational outdoor ideas and Diarmuid Gavin is creating his own garden market and lecturing on how to design your garden. It takes place on June 4-6th at the Excel in London, tickets costs £12 in advance or £16 on the door. Go on grab a drink, relax in the Grand Gardens tapas bar and dream a little ...

Posted by Carole

If you have a conservatory then this could look pretty swish and stylish. It's a 4-piece set in an antiqued brown and copper finish and surprisingly sturdy, as it's made from tubular metal with polished cane tops. You can cheerfully chuck out your rattan as it's reduced from £299 to £129.95, carriage costs £30.

The Garden Factory have got some great reductions right now, with 50% off quite a lot of products, plus if you spend £100 you get a free multi-tool kit. I know it's a bit premature to mention this right now, but they also have a large range of furniture covers - for those of you who are very organised.

Posted by Carole

Let's face it a loft extension is going to cost you £30-40k, so if you've got the space in your garden, then a garden office/hide away/ work studio/ escape the kids place seems to make sense. This Garden retreat costs from £18,400 and has the added bonus of being made with eco-friendly materials - from the insulation to the cladding and cedar roofing.

Inside Out Buildings have clearly positioned themselves as people to provide you with outdoor working, leisure or practical spaces, with an emphasis all things green and enviable.

Posted by Carole

Don't complain about the neighbour's tree casting shade on your garden. Take advantage of one of his overhanging branches to hang a chair. Habitat have two varieties. The Chair Hammock costs just £40 and comes in black, purple or red. There's a kids' version too for £25. Then there's the altogether more classy Rattan hanging chair (£90). Have a swinging time.

Posted by Ros

This is the stuff dreams are made of. Someone had this fairy castle built for their children in the grounds of their country mansion by master treehouse builders Blueforest. It cost around £100,000, but Blueforest will undertake bespoke tree house projects for as little as £10,000. Still beyond my reach, but it gives me something to aspire to.

Posted by Ros

I never thought I would darken the doors of a Millets shop again as Ross has declared (on more than one occassion) that he doesn't do camping. But how anyone resist taking a peek at this
Cath Kidston tent? It costs £69.99 is fire retardant, has pre-attached guylines and can sleep 3 people. I'm sure he will find it too floral, so I will probably settle on buying one of their fantastically titled Kag in a bag . The kagoul has been reborn in a range of cheeky spots and stripes for a mere £19.99 (a current saving of £5 on the original price). If you're feeling really brave you could buy the Cath Kidson poncho, great for festivals as no-one will miss you in it! Well done Milletts.

Posted by Carole

These Penguin Book Deckchairs are perfect for summer days in the garden, lounging and listening to the cricket. They cost £59.95 each and are available in 4 designs, (I could do with Raymond Chandlers 'The Big Sleep' right now). The Arts Meets Matter site has a number of quirky objects which would make great gifts. Worth noting are their folding Factum range of furniture, wild but pricey rugs and of course some classic Penguin mugs and pencils.

Posted by Carole

If your space is small, folding furniture is the way to go. I love this weathered and French looking folding bench from Plantstuff. It's £189. Or buy the whole set – bench, table and two chairs for £499 pour le petit dejeuner.

Posted by Ros

Although they are Australian (I think) these remind me of eating out in narrow Italian streets. Colaroo shade sails from Forsyth4 (from £39.95) are an inexpensive and stylish way of creating a shady corner. You do have to pay out extra for fixing accessories though, and, unless you have fortuitously positioned trees, poles to attach them to.

Posted by Ros

Fergus, our nearly 3-year old, would be beside himself if he got this as a gift, especially as Fireman Sam is currently his hero. However he will not be getting this Deluxe Fire Engine as it costs £279 and I am too mean. If you are more generous than me, than take a look at Tots Cars who specialise in children's ride on vehicles, theme beds and play equipment. To be fair their tractors and diggers come under the £100 mark and they have a competitively priced range of chidren's playhouses. Meanwhile Fergus can keep on using wooden boxes as his fantasy fire engine.

Posted by Carole

Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden offers a really clean, simple and informed choice of plant and herbs to purchase. I suppose not surprising given that she lectures, appears on the telly, runs food & garden courses and when she has five minutes actually grows things too! These Alpine strawberries are large and very fruity, plus have the added delight of providing a huge amount of fruit in their first year. They cost £1.95 for 300 seeds.

If you fancy a day out combined with some plant, herb or seed gift shopping, then they are holding an 'Open Day & Food Fair' for £4 on June £17th at Perch Hill Farm (one hour from London). If that's too much of a faff then they are having an online clearance sale right now, with a lot of items reduced by 50%. Worth logging on if only to gaze at all the wonderful shrubs.

Posted by Carole,

I like garden water features, they have a positive and calming effect, especially when you arrive home all stressed from a difficult day in the office or several hours stuck in traffic. Ok, so it may be a bit ironic to be talking about water in the middle of a hosepipe ban, but your conscience is clear - all of these recycle the water.

So go ahead and buy this beautiful stainless steel sphere for a modest £89.95. If you want to really make a statement you could shell out £649.95 for a curved water feature, the type that Diarmund Gavin likes to stick in the garden. Either way, take a look at the stone, slate, granite, indoor, outdoor and solar powered creations at Primrose, London .

Posted by Carole

These vibrant beanbags are just the thing to lounge on this summer. If you forget to bring them in and we have some much needed rain, then don't fret. They have zipped covers which are tough and weather resistant.

They cost £99 from The Cotswold Company who are having a big spring clean with up to £200 off selected goods until May 31st. Bad news is the bean bags are not reduced, the good news is their fake trees are, they provide instant greenery and frankly don't care if they never see a drop of rain.

Posted by Carole

I just had to show you this planter as it caught my eye a few weeks back and then I noticed it pop up in Living etc and The Independents '50 Best Garden Buys'. This planters having it's little moment of fame - so why stop it now.

This roof tile planter is really rather special. It's made in France from - yes -original French terracoota roof tiles and measures 45cm by 25 cm wide. They cost £95 each and are 45cm high by 25cm wide from that lovely R K Alliston shop.

Meanwhile my planter dilemma has led me into the comforting arms of John Lewis where you can buy this Garden Sculpture planter for £22 and fill it with green foliage for a dramatic window look. You should also check out their vivid Green Resin planters too.

If like me you're just not sure, then throw caution to the wind and spend £1.99 on this attractive non rust, 3-pot set from Ikea. Who knows you might even be able to recycle it once you've finally made your mind up.

Posted by Carole

Go on admit it - when no-one's looking you've taken the fork out of the cutlery drawer and used it to turf out a weed. Ok - so it's not just me. Well now it's time to get some serious tooling done and DIY Tools has to be your first pit stop. It's when I realised on page 3 that I might as well have been looking at alien body parts that I had to admit to myself that I really didn't know my fork from my shovel. It's scary but enjoyable at the same time - go on and log on.

Posted by Carole

Airy fairy Leafy outdoor lights from Habitat can be added to the natural foliage in your outside space to add that bit of magic. Worth every penny of £30 for the atmosphere they create. But please Habitat, make your website more easily navigable.

Posted by Ros

I don't know about you but the amount of recycling our family can produce in a week is pretty staggering. So this wheelie bin/recycling box store will be pretty useful if you don't have a utility room for all your recycling stuff. Storage is an unglamorous but essential purchase and The Garden Factory has been a new venture into the world of garden storage for me. This site is worth a browse if only to see their dog ramps - a ' hardwearing folding wooden ramp, perfect for giving your pet easy access to the car, house door or anywhere he might be having trouble getting to'. To a non-dog owner, this was and is a revelation.

Posted by Carole

The best seller at Capital Gardens at the moment is cabbage. The new F1 Cabbage Kilaxy from Suttons Seeds is so resistant to the dreaded club root disease that it will produce a crop of healthy cabbages even on infected ground where other varieties of cabbage would fail. And cabbage is so very good for you. At £3.25 for a packet of seeds what are you waiting for?

Posted by Ros

Ok so it's another patio set, but I just have to remind you about the Greenfingers site as it's aim is to provide you with 'inspiration for your garden' and it does just that in a very practical and earthy way. This powder coated wrought iron
Beauchamp Patio set is surely a bit of a bargain at £99.00.

Green fingers also has a very practical and helpful advice. section, which is easy to access and understand. Meanwhile for all of you like me out there who fail the basic test of producing and maintaining a hanging basket, then quickly order your Hanging Basket Care Kit from them for £4.50 and pray for some rain.

Posted by Carole

I'm more of a decking girl myself, but if pavings your thing then Peytons Paving offer a good range of Indian sandstone, limestone, slate, travertine and marble paving. What's more you can visit their showroom in Cambridge and see what the actual finished result will look like. Do Not I repeat Do Not make my mistake of having the whole kitchen tiled and then deciding I didn't like it! Luckily it has grown on me. If you buy at Peytons you could also grab yourself a bargain, as they are offering 50% back on all natural stone purchases if England win the world cup. Probably best to calculate the prices at 100% cost price then.

Posted by Carole

What a fantastic, novel and affordable idea from Purves & Purves. Assemble 14 pieces of corrugated cardboard, weight the structure down with gravel, pour in 240 litres of soil, spread a nice even layer of seeds and hey presto you have your very own living grass armchair.

At £65 they are currently out of stock, but still worth placing a back order. Just one word of wording having created a telly tubby grass mound in our back garden, I forgot that I would also need to develop some topiary skills.

Anyhow, for more eco friendly, weird and wonderful stuff then take a peek at my current favourite browse. The hippy shopper site has a fantastic range of well selected and thought provoking products.

(If you're a Londoner, I'd also suggest that you get down to Tottenham Court Road where Purves and Purves are having a Massive Relocations Sale and shutting their store on May 29th. Bye-bye for now dear Purves).
Posted by Carole

So you've decided that you can afford a landscape gardener to turn your turf into a relaxation/play area, so where do you start? I found Scenic Blue an interesting site to begin with. They offer a level of entries to the gardening world - £25 buys you an interactive garden design pack, whereas for £295 you'll get their personal and professional opinion. Pay any more than that and they'll design and create it to Chelsea Festival standards.

Posted by Carole

This could be even more of a bargain if you can find one at your local bargain basement. I've seen them for a fiver (and got one in India for pound). But Habitat's Crysanthemum woven plastic mat has the tastiest colours. Use it to liven up your dull brown decking or sit on for picnics in damp fields. £12.50

Posted by Ros

Having a border dispute? I am. My husband dug up all the perennials I'd haphazardly planted thinking they were weeds, and chucked them out. As punishment I'm going to make him trudge round the Daily Telegraph House and Garden Fair at Olympia, 29 June – 2 July, where he can check out Helen and James Dooley of Crocus.co.uk's contemporary border displays for inspiration.

Posted by Ros

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry - there are only tickets left for 3 of the 5 days of the Cheslea flower feast at the Royal Hospital, in Chelsea. It's organised by the Royal Horticultural Society which is a club only you serious gardeners out there will be aware or a member of. Don't let me put you off, this is a great opportunity to get a fantastic garden fix and be inspired with lots of ideas of things to make and grow. The grounds are magically transformed into a plant paradise with thousands of spectacular blooms, show gardens and some serious shrubs. Take a deep breath, inhale and enjoy.

Posted by Carole

Now that I have comfortably seated myself and got the barbie sizzling, I need something to occupy the kids. I am currently blinded by the amount of playcentres out there, but this Connect More Playcentre seems to fulfill my brief of giving the kids somewhere to slide, hide and swing - it costs £399.98 from B & Q, is made of solid pine and will last my children from the age of 3-12. At this point I realise that I have not mentioned anything about sustainable wood, so may just sheepishly go off and buy myself a punchbag for £24.98 whilst I work up a sweat about what to do about it.

Posted by Carole

Your new furniture will only look the business if it has a worthy base, so B & Q have created their own reversible deckboard which comes in sets ranging from £285 to 120 pieces for £1258. The wood hails from the Finnforest (where is that?) and has a 15-year guarantee against rot and insect attack.

Mind you, I personally would not use the grooved side, as it seems a ridiculous invitation for dirt whereas the smooth side means less dirt but more slipping and sliding. What's a breakage when you have aesthetics at stake?

Posted by Carole

I like the look of these cool blue bistro chairs , surely you can't go that wrong when two chairs cost £19.96 from B & Q. This set can be extended to include a table, reclining chairs and even a foot stool. If blue is not your colour then you could select their Morocco Oak Framed chair which is made from American Oak hardwood with cream vinyl coated polyester seat. 2 for £56.

Posted by Carole

Who needs to get away if you have an outdoor lounging area like this? La Redoute's AM.PM has lots of exotic stuff like this Paco divan base (£239) made of hand woven water hyacinth (how exotic is that?) which would work just as well indoors.

Posted by Ros

This is where contemporary meets medieval. This stainless steel torch from Capital Gardens will burn for five hours between refills of paraffin, lamp oil or citronella oil. There's a tabletop version too for the same price of £9.95.

Posted by Ros

I would choose this minimal aluminium Groove outdoor furniture by artist Jennifer Newman to provide a stark contrast to my unruly wilderness of a garden. Apart from the groove, the best thing about it is that Jennifer will have it powder coated in any colour you choose. From £800 for a table.

Posted by Ros

I used to wonder why stuff with naff patterns cost less than nice uncomplicated plain stuff when it surely must cost more to produce. Habitat must have had the same thought in pricing this lovely Melamine dinnerware. Patterned Nancy plates cost £2.50 – 50p more than the plain version, beakers a whacking £1.25 compared with just £1 for plain ones. But think what you'll save on food. A little will go a long way.

Posted by Ros