The outdoor room - Irish style

CityLivingThemed gardens are catching on in the US, reports Edel Morgan

Passing the back garden off as "an outdoor room" can be a trial for us ordinary mortals. It's hard to sip Pimms on the deck with any style when the principal view is of a washing line full of underwear and when only blinkers will shield you from the looming spectre of the recycling bins.

Yet for those who can't afford to build an extension on to their home, the concept of an outdoor room can be intriguing. You get to create an alfresco living space at a fraction of the cost of an indoor one. A space where you can entertain guests by twinkling candlelight and serve them ice cool drinks under a cantilevered awning - well that's the fantasy. The reality in this climate is probably more akin to serving guests hot whiskeys as they huddle around the patio heater and try to avoid being splashed by the rain pouncing off the tarpaulin.

But, it appears, as a nation we continue to strive for the dream. Ireland's gardening market is now estimated to be worth in the region of €430 million a year and a look out your back bedroom window at your neighbours' gardens will confirm that few people are settling for the traditional lawn/vegetable patch/compost heap combination any more. Even the less adventurous will probably have a recliner ready for action should the sun appear.

Those who keep up with cutting-edge garden fashions will know that you can now uplight, downlight or spotlight your garden, or should I say, your outdoor room. Garden centres and DIY sheds stock everything from bamboo screening to block out the neighbours, elaborate water features, cement Buddhas, bug zappers, wind chimes, outdoor lamps, throws and cushions. For those who want to lead, not follow, the posse, I'm told splintery timber garden furniture is old news and comfy outdoor daybeds are in. The must-have for any self respecting fashionista are Hermes leather lined sculpted steel secateurs costing €530.

We are trailing behind the US where the trend in some parts is for fully accessorised with a theme. If it catches on here, instead of Prairie or South Seas themed gardens, we could maybe do Burren (think how low maintenance) or Newgrange. Apparently, the biggest mistake people make with their outdoor living space is not filling it with enough stuff, says Susie Coelho, the host of a US outdoor room make-over show.

While it is important to leave enough room for flow, "if you fill it with a lot of things, you will feel as if you're in your livingroom indoors". Which for some might defeat the purpose of being outdoors in the first place.

She recommends outdoor pillows and drapes in sheer fabrics to soften the ambience, mirrors to make the garden look bigger and more lush, floating candles in the pond, ironwork sculptures, painting the garden walls in an accent colour to complement cushions and throws, and, get this, hanging artwork from the fences.

This might represent a new way of looking at that patch of green out the back but it can be confusing for those of us who grew up in a world where the fixtures and fittings were kept indoors and the only outdoor water feature most people bothered with was a hose. Is it a case of consumerism gone mad? Is it because there is no space left indoors to cram any more paraphernalia so the garden gets the overspill?

Once the dream garden is created, will you be able to force the neighbours to co-operate? A space for reflection can be a bit redundant in the middle of suburbia when the people living on either side insist on waving at you manically over the garden fence or when your head is bursting after five minutes with the drone of a distant strimmer. Relaxing too much can also be a mistake. Deck conversation should be kept innocuous at all times because sound travels. It's best to keep conversation of a scandalous/private/intimate nature indoors. And, remember, the constant trickle of a water feature can play havoc with the bladder.

Margaret Atwood once said that gardening is not a rational act and it seems that more Irish people are coming to the same conclusion. Apparently, old-style gardening involving precarious ladders and the brandishing of potentially lethal instruments is on the way out. While garden centres and DIY sheds are doing big business, it is largely of the "instant gardening" variety. Hardscape gardens with the occasional fern or palm tree are becoming more popular as people gravel, patio and cobble over every blade of high maintenance grass. Only three out of 10 urbanites now grow any vegetables.

If selling your house, the power of a fabulous garden to sway a prospective buyer cannot be overestimated. But it's doubtful that Irish people are ready for the full-on outdoor room with drapes and gallery space just yet. A balanced approach might be best. An untamed haven of flora and fauna (ie overgrown with weeds) may alienate those looking for a low maintenance option while one tarred and gravelled to within an inch of its life will be a turn off for people with children. So it might be best to turn your back on fashion and go for the safe lawn and hanging basket approach.

emorgan@irish-times.ie