In his new book, Your Outdoor Room, designer and TV presenter Manoj Malde aims to equip us all with the tools we need to design a garden that truly meets our needs <\/p>
Manoj Malde<\/a> is an award-winning garden designer, television presenter and RHS Ambassador for inclusivity. His first book, Your Outdoor Room<\/em>: How To Design A Garden You Can Live In<\/em><\/a>, aims to equip us all with the tools that we need to create a garden that meets our needs.<\/p> You may also like<\/strong><\/p> Tell us about the new book and why you wrote it<\/strong>. What did you learn from writing it? <\/strong><\/p> Writing Your Outdoor Room<\/em> has allowed me to share my expertise and has deepened my respect for the editorial craft \u2013 a collaboration that has resulted in a book that I am proud to call my own.<\/p> If there\u2019s one idea you\u2019d like to share from the book, what would it be? <\/strong><\/p> Plan your garden on paper and avoid working on each area in isolation. This enables you to consider factors such as flow, balance and overall aesthetics, ensuring a harmonious and well-co-ordinated design.<\/p> I\u2019ll read anything about… <\/strong><\/p> I want to explore the richness, traditions and culture of India and learn more about my heritage. I find Crete captivating and hope to live there one day, but I also love other Greek Islands. I enjoy reading books about them, and fiction set there. I also love books that explore other cultures, wildlife and nature.<\/p> What books are currently on your nightstand? <\/strong><\/p> Uprooting<\/em> by Marchelle Farrell<\/a>: so much of what Marchelle writes resonates with me. Also, The Pigment Trail <\/em>by Debra Luker<\/a>, full of colour and inspiration from India.<\/p> What first sparked your interest in gardening? <\/strong><\/p> My childhood was spent in Mombasa, Kenya. Our large balcony<\/a>, adorned with jasmine, roses<\/a> and birds of paradise, and nurtured by my dad, sparked my connection with nature. We moved to the UK when I was six. My brother Nish played a pivotal role in sparking my interest in gardening by creating a vegetable plot<\/a>. The experience of tending to tomatoes and runner beans and the more exotic coriander, fenugreek, mooli and purple rat\u2019s tails became a poignant reminder of our lives in Mombasa.<\/p> What\u2019s your guilty gardening secret? <\/strong><\/p> Not composting<\/a> at home. I will soon be more sustainable, transitioning to one of those large hot bins<\/a> that convert green waste into compost in around 90 days.<\/p> What is your current garden like? <\/strong><\/p> In its infancy. We have a wide patio with a pergola<\/a> on one side, re-roofed with beautiful cedar shingles. The shed<\/a> is going to be screened off with vertical slatted trellis. At last, we will have a hidden space for a compost bin. We are blessed with a stunning weeping willow. The afternoon and evening sun are at the rear, making it the perfect spot for areas for outdoor dining<\/a> and lounging<\/a>. We want to introduce a wildlife-friendly<\/a> planting scheme, more planting around the seating area to create a cosy feel and some more trees<\/a> and evergreen shrubs<\/a> for structure and winter interest<\/a>. Borders<\/a> with tall ethereal plants will add movement and hazy screens, enabling the garden to unfold gradually.<\/p> Can you share your biggest gardening failure? <\/strong><\/p> Leaving two mature Aloe polyphylla<\/em> outside knowing that we were going to have heavy snow \u2013 I lost them both. A lesson learned \u2013 even plants accustomed to snow and cold in their native environments may not fare well in the same conditions in a different location.<\/p> What\u2019s your favourite landscape? <\/strong><\/p> There is a very special location in Crete called Octopus Bay. It is where I proposed to my husband Clive. The hillsides are adorned with Euphorbia<\/a> dendroides<\/em>, Phlomis lanata<\/em>, Cyclamen<\/a> graecum and Cyclamen creticum<\/em>.<\/p> What else are you up to at the moment? <\/strong><\/p> I\u2019m working on some exciting projects in Edinburgh and Cambridge and am eagerly awaiting approval for the next stage of works for a project abroad. I\u2019m also in discussions about a sensory garden for a medical clinic. And I still have a honeymoon to organise.<\/p> Your Outdoor Room: How To Design A Garden You Can Live In<\/em><\/strong> In his new book, Your Outdoor Room, designer and TV presenter Manoj Malde aims to equip us all with the tools we need to design a garden that truly meets our needs <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":34997,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting.jpg",1826,785,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting-300x129.jpg",300,129,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting-768x330.jpg",768,330,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting-1024x440.jpg",800,344,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting-1536x660.jpg",1536,660,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2024\/04\/manoj-malde-my-guilty-gardening-secret-not-composting.jpg",1826,785,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"In his new book, Your Outdoor Room, designer and TV presenter Manoj Malde aims to equip us all with the tools we need to design a garden that truly meets our needs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/34996"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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