Compared to my house, my garden has always been a bit lackluster. I’m not a gardener you see, not that I wouldn’t like to be! I just don’t know where to start and it scares me a little if I’m honest with you.

We have grass, yes, but we even managed to kill that after paying the GDP of a small country to have a new lawn laid. We also had a new fence put in after our old one fell down when a cat tried to balance on it and some decking put in which wrapped around the house, but that was about it.

I knew it needed a bit of colour and had several Cuprinol Garden Shades testers lying around!

My love of color and pattern was completely missing from our garden. It was like my taste and style stopped at the bifold doors and I was always apologizing to guests when they came over, saying I liked the garden neat and tidy (devoid of character) and was going to let it grow wild (which was obviously a code word for I’m lazy!)

I painted our decking, but the rest of the garden needed a bit of color and character. We started off by getting rid of the pond and different layers of grass and stripped back the garden to give us a completely blank canvas. 

Cuprinol Garden Shades

During the Spring, I was invited to a Cuprinol event (the wood care partner of Dulux) as they were showcasing their Garden Shades range in the stunning location of the Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings in London.

We had a fabulous lunch whilst the Cuprinol (and Dulux) Creative Director, Marianne Shillingford, talked us through the latest garden trends and how their Garden Shades are inspired by nature.

Marianne explained how they liked to look at their colour shades as Nature’s Neutrals and Nature’s Brights, explaining that the “Neutrals” were best used on large items such as fences, decking, and sheds and the “Brights” were fabulous for furniture, plant pots, and other decorative items.

Marianne was extremely inspirational and it got me thinking about how I used colour in the garden.

For Your Great Outdoors

Cuprinol Garden Shades offer a beautiful and effective way to add colour to any outdoor space. These popular exterior woodcare products come in a range of attractive shades that can completely transform sheds, fences, decking, and other wood around your home.

Cuprinol Garden Shades offer elegance and vibrancy to bring dull garden features back to life. They provide rich, consistent colors that won’t peel or flake off. With multiple stylish shades like Spring Green, Honeysuckle, and Cornflower Blue, you can find the perfect hue to complement your garden aesthetic.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Garden Shade

Picking the perfect shade is crucial for achieving the look and feel you want for your outdoor space. The colour you choose will set the tone for your entire garden or patio.

You’ll want to consider factors like:

• The existing colours and materials in your outdoor area – the shade should complement existing features like stone, plants, wood decking, etc. Matching or contrasting shades can both work well depending on your goals.
• The mood you want to create – light, bright shades feel airy and calm, while bold saturated shades are dramatic and inviting. Neutral natural wood tones create a relaxed vibe.
• How much of the surface will be coated – A small accent fence or trim area can handle a bolder colour than a large shed or pergola. Make sure to pick a shade you’ll still enjoy seeing covering a large surface.
• Sun exposure – Lighter tints hold up better in direct sun over time than darker shades which can fade faster.

Take your time picking the perfect Cuprinol Garden Shade. A shade that flatters your space will enhance your enjoyment and refresh the look of weathered garden features.

The Best Cuprinol Garden Shades

Cuprinol Garden Shades offer a wide variety of colours and finishes to choose from. Here are some of the best options to consider and where to use them: 

Cuprinol Fence Paint Colours

We put a new fence up around our garden and after a few months over the summer, it was already showing signs of damage. The fence is pine and it desperately needed painting.

I wanted a dark backdrop to make the plants and flowers pop against it. I was drawn to Black Ash, Iris, and Sage to begin with. Once I received the testers, I set about painting the fence to see which color I preferred and was instantly taken with Iris!

I thought Black Ash was a little too dark and Sage wouldn’t have let the plants stand out like I wanted them to. Iris was a beautiful contrast to our lawn so I spent the next couple of days painting my fence while the weather was good.

Thankfully, I only needed to apply one coat as it applied really well and easily. We have concrete bollards holding up the fence panels and I did consider painting them as well, but in the end, I went with painting a pattern onto them with Iris to create a bit of a feature.

I am extremely pleased with the results and the plants and trees really do pop against the colour. It provides an amazing backdrop to our garden.

I then hung my Bugz Hotel from one of the trees to encourage wildlife to make a home in our garden, the children are fascinated by it!

The Best Fence Paint Colours

Urban Slate – The dark charcoal gray shade works well as a neutral that won’t clash with other colors in the garden. It blends in. Against a green garden backdrop, the darker gray hue will make the fence stand out and define the borders of the yard.

Urban Slate has an upscale, modern aesthetic. It gives a stylish, refined look to any outdoor space.

 

Country Cream – A versatile cream shade that makes a fence stand out. Country Cream has a fresh, crisp appearance that gives a neat, coherent look to a fence line and provides a clean, bright backdrop for plants.

The soft white tone complements just about any garden style, from traditional to modern. It won’t clash.

Willow – The pale sage green shade has a very soft, inviting look that complements gardens nicely without overpowering. Willow resembles the colors found in nature. It will give a fence a lush, earthy feel that blends into the surroundings.

The greenish-gray beige tone pairs well with bushes, plants, and wood structures in gardens of any style.

Olive Garden – If you don’t want to stray too far away from the wood shades of a fence, Olive Garden could work. The natural olive green tone perfectly captures the colors seen in nature. It has an earthy, organic look.

Against neutral house exteriors or stone, the olive green creates a noticeable contrast for definition.

Natural Stone – This is a light beige shade that works well as a neutral backdrop in any garden. It won’t clash with existing colors or features. The tone resembles real stone and gives a subtle aged, weathered appearance to a fence. This natural aesthetic works nicely in outdoor spaces.

Cuprinol Colours for the Shed

The colour of your garden shed can also make a significant impact on your garden. With the recent rise in garden rooms, she sheds and sun houses, our sheds are now more than just a potting area, so why not choose a brilliant colour to highlight its presence? 

Black Ash – Black, while perhaps not the first colour many think of for a garden shed, offers several benefits and can be an elegant and modern choice. It helps give a garden shed a sleek appearance and provides a neutral backdrop, allowing the surrounding plants, flowers, and features to stand out

Green foliage, in particular, can pop beautifully against a dark background.

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I was also asked by Cuprinol to add some colour to my garden by using their Garden Shades Nature’s Brights and initially, I was going to paint a little wooden bistro set that sits under our pear tree in Pink Honeysuckle. Unfortunately, our pear tree got blown over by the high winds at the beginning of August so I had to find another way of adding bright colours to my garden.

I had an unloved planter already in the garden that was painted a bright blue with paint not meant for the great outdoors, so hadn’t weathered very well. I decided to paint this Pink Honeysuckle and it looks fabulous sat on our grey decking!

I also managed to pick up a little storage bench which was perfect for our outdoor dining table and could house all our outdoor tableware that was taking up valuable space in my kitchen cupboards. Initially, I was going to paint it Seagrass but I preferred the more natural tone of Willow. Both the planter and the storage bench only needed one coat of Cuprinol and have already lasted well through several downpours.

So, there you have it! My garden is now full of colour and ready to use… for winter! Haha. I love the fact that even when the plants and flowers start to hibernate for the colder months, my garden is still a colourful little haven thanks to Cuprinol and their Garden Shades.

Mel x