Tired of you and your partner’s intimate exchanges being confined to the bedroom? If things are getting a little predictable, taking the romancing al fresco could be the answer. For this, you need high fences, uninquisitive neighbours (unless that’s your thing) and a truly amorous-inducing setting. So, as we peer into our garden and visualise things unwritable, here are 7 IDEAL ways to give your garden a romantic makeover.
Flowers, Herbs and Plants
Most of us associate flowers like red roses with romance and love, but did you know that some flowers have more romantic powers than others? Other that offering the visual cue of courtship, many plants have aphrodisiac qualities that induce feelings of sexual desire.
If you’re dining outdoors, consider cooking a dish that you can add handful of homegrown coriander to. It’s believed to stimulate the libido and help cure a low sex drive.
Eau De Pumpkin anyone? It may not seem the most alluring of plants but arousing it is. According to research by The Smell and Taste Treatment Research Foundation, the aroma of a pumpkin gets a man’s blood rushing more than any other smell.
The ubiquitous Lavender plant, found in most English gardens, has long been used to create sensual massage oils and for good reason. The smell has been proven to turn us on. Cut a sprig for your bedroom too, for good luck and good fun.
Mood Lighting
Just like in any space, the right lighting can make all the difference. You could string fairy lights throughout the garden, wrapping them around trees, a pergola or any other structure you may have outside. Candles are perennially popular when setting the mood but may not be practical with the temperamental British weather. Placing them (real or fake) inside outdoor lanterns to add some decorative and romantic lighting addresses this issue with flickering, fancified results.
Wooden Pergola
Adding a wooden pergola to your garden is an easy way to introduce more natural elements and dimension to the outdoor space. The structure can define a space in your garden, yet not be overpowering due to the warmth that wood carries. Adding a small table underneath to enable sheltered outdoor dining is a simple touch which will reap big rewards.
Water And Outdoor Spa
If your idea of a romantic space incorporates spa-like features, you can involve them in your own garden landscape if feeling a bit adventurous. A water feature can be installed; hanging chimes can be incorporated; a dedicated meditation space can be laid out. Anything can happen.
The Path To Passion
A walkway or simple garden path can be worked into your current landscape to give the feeling that you’re transitioning from the oppression of four walls to somewhere mystical and magical. Depending on the layout of your garden, you can incorporate a winding or straight pathway and use garden lanterns, hedgerows, and trees to line the way. Use pebbles, wood, gravel, brick, concrete pavers; whatever suits the vibe of the garden, basically.
Quiet Corner
Particularly for gardens on the smaller side, squaring off out a quiet corner will indicate a designated private, romantic space. This is where you can go all out in one area, perhaps with a bench and tall lanterns on the sides, fairy lights hanging through the trees and flowers surrounding. The primary objective here is contrast with the rest of the more functional, frugal garden space.
Outdoor living
An outdoor living space gives you a way to bring the indoors out and create a designated ‘resting’ place; the serenity of outdoors, the retreat of in – the best of both worlds, we think. If you enjoy resting or reading a book outside, a hammock is a snug place to cosy up in. Even with limited space, you can turn your porch into an indoor-to-outdoor space by partially closing it in with glass doors or hanging vines. Hell, you can take shelter in the shed if the mood so demands it. The world – sorry, garden, is your aphrodisiacally inclined oyster.