Sydda Jean wrote, "I live in a 400-square-foot house that is amazing and cozy, and it has made me value my outdoor space more than ever. The star would look amazing ... I will be able to see it from inside as well."

Congratulations, Sydda Jean, and we hope the Moravian Star Pendant lights up many summer nights with a warm glow.

To read more about the contest, see Win a Moravian Star Pendant to Light Up Outdoor Parties.

The challenge: you've had the patio furniture—and the patio—for a few years now. So how are you going to make it summer-fresh and pretty, fast?

We drove to Home Depot and loaded up the car—it's a Mini, by the way, so we're not talking about an overwhelming expense, just a few planters and soil and mulch and six-packs of plants, plus a couple of tall flowering bougainvilleas that we jammed into the hatchback by lying them on their sides—and then we set to work. 

Photograph by John Merkl.

Above: The blank canvas; here's what we had to work with. Teak furniture—you probably have some—is good to set the stage because it's sturdy and has strong, simple lines to act as a backdrop to all the bright blooming stuff we planned to add. We also had a metal chair and table; as you can see, it's easy to mix and match outdoor piece.

Follow our DIY plan and you can transform any grouping of furniture into an outdoor room so irresistible that you will find yourself napping away July on the patio.

Our materials included white landscape roses, bougainvillea, succulents, and planters in a variety of colors and shapes (but all in the same color tone, to create a unified appearance).

Photograph by John Merkl.

Above: Our local Home Depot in Marin County, California, carries a big selection of succulents, those low-maintenance plants that you can pretty much ignore all summer long without paying a penalty. They don't want to be bothered by you; they just want a sunny dry spot.

Above: Each Home Depot nursery department has its own local selection of plants. This weekend, a Super-Six Pack of Annuals suitable for containers (such as Marigolds, Zinnias, Impatiens, and Begonias) is on sale for $5.88.

We stuck to succulents because impatiens (as seen above) is suffering from a mysterious outbreak of downy mildew that is killing the plants up and down the East Coast.

We planted succulents together to create a tabletop container garden, as well as a large planter to anchor one corner of the patio (see below, but only if you want to spoil the surprise).

Photograph by John Merkl.

Above: To create a couple of planters of mixed succulents, the first step was to remove the plants from the plastic nursery pots and gently loosen their roots. For each planter, we mixed succulents of different complementary colors, with leaf shapes and textures that would play off each other.

Above: In each container, we planted the succulents in an organic potting soil mix; you also can use Miracle-Gro Garden Soil and, if you'd like, put a layer of Earthgro Mulch (on sale at Home Depot for $10 for three bags) on the surface of the potted plants.

Photograph by John Merkl.

Photograph by John Merkl.

Above: The finished look. To establish a visual perimeter around the patio area, we grouped 4-foot-tall bougainvilleas from Home Depot in pots. For symmetry, we set matching pots of exuberant white landscape roses on either side of the teak settee. 

A tabletop container of succulents is on the coffee table, and other succulents in pots are grouped near the roses. We wanted the pots to "disappear" so the focus would be on the plants rather than the containers; we used a selection of black and gray-glazed ceramic containers.

Above: Do you need to trim the grass at the edge of your patio? If so, a selection of trimmers including a Ryobi Trimmer 715965 ($59.88), is on sale at Home Depot.

Sponsored by The Home Depot. Shop Memorial Day Savings Today.

Gray:

Above: Large stone pavers make a simple and dramatic impact on a gravel bed. Photograph by Evelyn Müller via Fifty Limited. For more of this garden, see "Design Sleuth: Pavers and Gravel."

Above: A 24-inch Gray Square Patio Stone (L); $8.49 at Lowe's and a bed of Blue Gray Pea Gravel (R); for more information, visit Bradsher Farms.

Above: The vintage patio table and wire chairs belonged to the clients. Image via Foras Studio. For more of this garden, see Steal This Look: Modern Brooklyn Backyard on a Budget.

Above: Bluestone Pavers (L), are $8.99 to $9.99 (depending on size), from DFM. Crushed stone prices vary. One yard of stone typically covers 162 square feet to a depth of 2 inches; to calculate, visit Bedford Stone.

Above: Square cobblestone pavers set in concrete in a potting shed; for more see Steal This Look: The Perfect Potting Shed.

Above: Under foot, 4-inch-square Granite Cobblestone pavers; they're $6.09-$6.49 per square foot, depending on quantity, at Build Direct.

Above:  Crushed blue granite gravel is often used on driveways and paths; for more information and prices see Soil Direct.

Brown:

Above: A layer of California gold gravel is spread on top of a weed barrier in a backyard. For more information about California Gold Gravel pebbles, see Bourget Bros.

Above: A complementary pavement: the brown tones of Crab Orchard Flagstone would work well with California gold gravel. Quarried from the Cumberland Plateau, Crab Orchard Flagstone is a particularly hard, weather resistant variety of sandstone because it contains high concentrations of silica. For information, see Stone Forest.

For more paving options, see Eco-Friendly Paving Solutions.

Above: Another example of Crab Orchard Flagstone, laid in a grid pattern. For more, see Steal This Look:Midcentury Mod Townhouse Garden in Brooklyn. 

Above:  Quarried from the Cumberland Plateau, Crab Orchard Flagstone is a particularly hard, weather resistant variety of sandstone because it contains high concentrations of silica. For another source, see Rocky Ridge.

Above: Pea gravel comes in a range of colors. Light colored stone, used in this project, has an environmentally friendly high albedo rating; it reflects sun and helps reduce temperatures, particularly in densely developed urban areas.. For more Decorative Gravel information and pricing, see The Stone Store.

Above: Above: A money-saving suggestion: Rather than paving an entire path with Arizona Pink Flagstone, you can set individual pavers into a bed of decomposed stone to create a walkway. Prized for its striking color, the desert-quarried stone is available in three thicknesses; for more information and pricing, see Bourget Bros.

For more, see Ask the Landscape Designer: Transforming a Tangle Into an Elegant Entryway.

Ready to install lighting? See 10 Easy Pieces: Pathway Lighting.

One garden that does stand out from the rest but was not an obvious contender for Best in Show was the Trailfinders Australian garden. With its roaring waterfalls and flowing billabong providing vertical and horizontal entertainment, with a spherical walk-in structure perched somewhere in the middle, it has the appearance of a vast space. There is so much packed in here that the insect hotel (below) and artfully fallen bird's nest were only visible by sneaking round the back. Posses of blazered and trilbied Australians roam the area.

Back to the familiar, there is plenty of topiary and herbaceous planting with wide, smooth stone flooring. Here are some of the gold medal-winners from gardens great and small:

Photographs by Kendra Wilson.

Above: Judges huddle in the RBC Blue Water Roof Garden. After several years of showing his pictorial meadow planting (developed at Sheffield University) Professor Nigel Dunnett finally attained gold, with water conservation as his angle.

Above: Shouting and singing and inevitably crying were part of the morning's events as exhibitors were handed a sealed envelope with their medal category inside. The loudest noise came from the Australian Garden which took Best in Show, with its landscape of Australian natives.

Above: Sustainability is a key word this year and the Australian garden uses integrated water management within a tamed version of the Australian wild, in a garden setting. Shown here, an insect hotel, not far from the human hang-out zone.

Above: Chris Beardshaw's Arthritis Garden. Pretty planting with smooth surfaces underfoot may be all that most spectators take away from this garden but like all the gardens it began life as a story, in this case the personal journey and emotions of a person who has been diagnosed with arthritis.

Above: Chris Beardshaw is a television personality and sometime judge who always does well at Chelsea. He seems fine with presenting workable gardens; if he's at all radical it is in showing deeply unfashionable plants like last year's yellow azaleas in a traditional cottage garden.

Above: Clover, bluebells and heartsease violas in the Artisan Gardens. This is the Garden of Magical Childhood and is intended to provoke happy childhood memories of tree houses and unstructured fun. The nostalgic planting is intentionally inelegant and untidy, just as children like it.

Above: A traditional "blackhouse" with turf and thatch roof features in the Hebridean Weaver's Garden. Set in the 1950s there is also a spinning wheel outside and a loom inside. Bolts of tweed would be left outside to dry in the wind.

Above: The section of garden just outside the house features plants used for dyeing, including nettles (shown here with white campion). Other useful plants around the garden are honeysuckle, bog myrtle, foxgloves and knapweed. A tiny vegetable patch has been squeezed in, with carrot, cabbage and onion also used for dyeing. A remarkable smell of the sea wafts around this pocket of the Hebrides in London, SW3. A pile of brown seaweed is sitting in a bucket and would be used as a mulch for feeding vegetables and to deter pests.

Above: Another part of the garden is inhabited by indigenous wild flowers like marsh marigold and cotton grass (nothing to do with the tweed-making process).

Above: The Digital Capability garden, with moving panels that respond to specific Twitter activity. The planting moves it away from mere gimmickry and, who knew, white plastic makes a really effective backdrop.

Above: Inside the white igloo of the Digital Capabilities garden lurk jungle plants, with big leaves. They are revealed in sections as various panels lift up after enough momentum gathers through the hashtag #RHSChelsea. Mad but good.

Above: Hurray, color at last in the Mindfulness garden. Oh, there's an explanation: "There is a random sensory bombardment of color from the planting scheme," explains Martin Cook Studio. "Inspired by the chaotic, uncertain times we live in, highlighting the need to focus."

Above: Back to the Show Gardens. Ulf Njordfell's tasteful Swedish planting for Laurent-Perrier. It is intended to bring together classic French and British style and the keyword is "romantic."

For more, see Celebrity Spotting at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The trend began in childhood. Growing up, my sisters and I had a small business selling flower bouquets from the end of our driveway. We’d pick daffodils in early spring, irises next, and phlox and tiger lilies and blue bachelor's buttons as the summer went on. A wooden cart procured for the purpose held rows of glass Veryfine Juice bottles which we filled with bouquets. Passersby tucked dollar bills into an old coffee can in exchange for our handiwork. Our mom toiled in the garden, we reaped the benefits.

Last summer I decided to change the dynamic. I wanted to try my hand on the growing side of things. So I dug in as much as is possible from a tiny apartment with no outdoor space to speak of. I bought a window box and filled it up with plants and soil. By some kind of miracle, there was something green outside my window all summer long. 

This year, I went one step further. With my farmer-sister’s assurance that it was possible, I started a tray full of plants from seed. 

I pored over John Scheeper’s seed catalog and chose three varieties of plants known for their sweet scents: heliotrope, salivia, and bright blue lobelia. 

By late February I was already entertaining dreams of a butterfly-filled Brooklyn summer.

I made tiny newspaper pots and filled them with soil and seeds, and then I waited. (For step-by-step instructions, see DIY Seed Starting: Newspaper Pots.)

Except more than waiting, I fretted. I moved the plants from sunny spot to sunny spot, I covered my radiator in a wet towel and put the seedlings on top to make them extra warm. I made sure to move them away before they could get too warm. I bought a clip light. I destroyed the paint on my wooden table by moving the clip light up and down its leg. I didn’t care, so long as I knew there would be sprouts.

Until a gloomy Sunday in April, when the sunniest spot in our apartment was our 4-foot-by-5-foot bathroom. Glad for the spot of sun, I perched my tray of precious charges on the edge of the bathroom sink to do their chlorophyl slurping. I should have backed away slowly, but instead I turned to leave and my right hip knocked the tray with precisely enough force to send the entire operation flying. After six weeks of waiting and warming and sunning, a half-second was all that was needed to dash my tiny seedlings to the bottom of the tub. A half-second more to register the shock and burst into tears. 

After cleaning up the mess, it took me a few days to decide what to do next. I considered starting fresh with new pots and seeds, but there was a part of me that was relieved to see the experiment end. If I'm being truthful, six weeks with a miniature nursery in my apartment had started to wear on me. I didn't think I had it  in me to start over again.

Still, I had butterfly-filled dreams to realize, and an empty window box to fill. A few weeks later, when the weather warmed, I did the rounds of Brooklyn nurseries and plant sales until I found the plants I was after. I swapped the bright blue lobelia for a coral nymph salvia. I added a trailing helichrysum petiolare in hopes that the silvery, licorice-scented leaves might cascade down the apartment wall.  I reminded myself—yet again—that maybe I don't need to do everything myself.

 And now, there's a window box, filled with plants nurtured from seed by hands more capable than mine. I'm just waiting on the butterflies.

For more stories about Erin's adventures in city gardening, see DIY: A Window Box Grows in Brooklyn.

Above: Bay Area architects Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello are modern day explorers of sorts, pushing the boundaries of materials and design. The aptly named Emerging Objects is their design and research company that specializes in developing 3D printed objects for the built environment using custom materials and processes. The Planter Brick is a favorite.

Above: The Planter Bricks are made using 3D printing technology (the architects teach a 3D printing studio at University of California, Berkeley). The bricks are modeled in 3D software, which is then sent directly to a 3D printer to be manufactured. This means that bricks can be customized to a client's particular application. 

Above: The finished product is a ceramic brick that is bisque fired and glazed (in white) to make it waterproof. Planter Bricks are also available in custom colors, and in a gray cement version. The ceramic brick is $400, while the cement version is $300.

Above: Like this idea, but looking for a DIY solution? Consider this succulent wall using cored clay structural bricks. Each brick has three holes that can serve as planting spots. Oldcastle Red Cored Concrete Bricks are $0.82 each at Lowe's.  Image via Upcycle That.

Above: The Succulent Source offers a huge variety of succulents, including a Fifteen 2.5-inch Succulent Collection for $35.

See our collection of Vertical Garden Features for more ideas.

"Flowers," notes artist Qi Wei Fong, "are indeed one of the most beautiful and complex structures found in Nature, designed specifically for the purpose of reproduction." In his Exploded Flower compositions, the Singaporean photographer lays bare the individual components of each bloom to reveal the hidden architecture—the structural complexity, and radial symmetry—of these botanicals. In so doing he expresses not only the rare beauty, but also the expressive dynamism, of flowers.

Above: Limited edition prints of "Lotus" and select others of Fong's Exploded Flowers Series are available for purchase on the artist's site.

Above: Disassembled, a simple "Cosmos" makes for a very expressive composition.

Above: The starburst petals of a "Chysanthemum" resemble the rays of the sun.

Above: Qi Wei's Exploded Flower Series are inspired by Todd McClellan's Disassembly Series, which reveals the inner workings of machinery.

Above:  "Hydrangea" is also part of the Exploded Flowers Series, which placed second in the 2012 International Photography Awards. 

Above: You can explore more of Qi Wei's photography including his Botanical Portraits on his website. 

N.B. Looking for more expressive florals? Explore more of our favorite botanical art.

As summer looms, we're preparing for any char-grilled flavor opportunity. (Did we mention roasted marshmallows yet?) Here is a roundup of ten of our favorite portable grills:

Above: Designed by Tools Design, a fireproof porcelain Eva Solo Table Grill has a handle to make it easy to carry along to the beach; available in white or black, it is $325 from LBC Modern.

Above: Easy to carry and designed to fit a small space such as a balcony, a wood-burning Ceramic Fire Bowl With Pan And Grill Frame is 158€ from Manufactum.

Above: A 12-inch-square charcoal grill with an ingenious design—the charcoal briquette fit into their own slots, like puzzle pieces—consumes 75 percent less fuel than similarly sized grills. To cook a dinner for four, for example, you need use only nine charcoal briquettes. The EcoQue Portable Grill is $125 from A + R.

Above: A black enameled Folding Portable Charcoal Grill comes with a carrying case so you can take along to the beach; $49.95 from Crate & Barrel.

Above: With a conical shape that promotes efficient burning, A Cast Iron Fire Bowl collects ash in the base and has a built-in air pocket from which the fire can draw; $465 from Design Within Reach. It burns wood or charcoal; an optional Stainless Grill Top is $110.

Above: A folding Pack and Carry Fireplace (L) comes in three sizes at prices ranging from $100.95 to $189.95 and will leave no trace if you are camping; accessorize it with a grate to burn wood or a Fireplace Grill Bridge (in three sizes, at prices ranging from $34.95 to $42.95); available from Snow Peak.

Above: With an adjustable height grill and a draft door to regulate heat, the Lodge Cast Iron Hibachi Grill is $145 from West Elm.

Above: The Bodum Fyrkat Picnic Charcoal Grill in red is $79.95 from Wayfair.  

Above: A Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill has a glass-reinforced handle and a lid that locks for carrying; $34.99 from Amazon.

Above: From HEAT, a collapsible Portable Charcoal Grill with adjustable grill height, a chrome grill, and handles is available in four colors including orange (shown) ; it's 59.95€ from Barbecues Winkel.

For more of our favorite outdoor cooking options, see World's Best Barbecue Grills.

But it's not that simple. With two hours a day of TV coverage for five days at least, the Chelsea Flower Show is not allowed to be just about flowers. We are given a list on press day titled "Celebrity Spotting." Those on the list will be found standing by show gardens waiting for their pictures to be taken, at the given time. With the exception of Dame Helen Mirren, who sweeps into the floral marquee to open Burncoose Nurseries' display, there is a very mild level of interest in the celebrities. Most people are there because they love gardening, whether they are exhibitors, press, judges, or Royal Horticultural Society grandees. And that's why it's such a good party.

Photographs by Kendra Wilson.

Above: Celebrated, in the gardening world. Cleve West, who won Best in Show for two years running, returns this year as a visitor, at the garden of Jo Thompson.

Above: Stop the Spread is the name of Jo Thompson's garden, which is intended to focus on the dangers to native species from infected imports. It features dead trees (providing a surprisingly effective foreground) and a beleaguered tiny ash tree, set in black. The herbaceous planting by contrast is soft and ebullient. There are more flowers here than in many of the show gardens which may be a surprise given the subject matter.

Above: Another demanding brief carried off with aplomb is the Sowing the Seeds of Change garden by Adam Frost. The sponsors were on hand to explain that this is an inter-generational garden, intended for old and young, where the former can relax and the latter can grow food and re-connect with the land. They also need room for entertaining... Many of the plants will be available at Homebase, though the delightful beehive, which took three weeks to make, is not yet scheduled for mass production.

Above: Jinny Blom in red and blue, being interviewed about the garden she made for Prince Harry's charity Sentebale. It's so confidently unusual that it will also do well.

Above: Large leaves are a feature this year. In Jinny Blom's garden, rheum contrasts with iris and claret astrantia.

Above: Iris is probably the most iconic Chelsea flower as it is guaranteed to be in bloom. Or is it? "The plants have been held back this year," says garden designer and past exhibitor Dan Pearson. "There has been a terrible struggle to get plants to bloom on time."

Above: The arrested development in the plant world is illustrated with Ulf Nordfjell's meadow of corn cockles for his Champagne garden. They may be in flower by the end of the week, but then again they may not.

Above: The Chelsea Flower Show is held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, home to scarlet-clad ex-servicemen the Chelsea Pensioners. To the right in this picture is the legendary Sibylle Kreutzberger, former joint-head gardener at Sissinghurst. She is wearing her Royal Horticultural Society Victoria Medal. "The number of medals available correspond to the years of Victoria's reign," she explains. "They only give them to people who will soon be pushing up the daisies."

Above: The keenly anticipated Telegraph garden from Christopher Bradley-Hole, multiple gold medal and Best in Show winner. Described as "gloomy" by more than one source, Sibylle here remarked, in a general way, "These gardens are looking very chaste." Dan Pearson came to its defense with: "It's very subtle. There's more and more to look at."

And now for something completely different. The winner of Best in Show at Chelsea 2013 is... Trailfinders Australian Garden, featuring a billabong and waterfalls.

Interior stylist and set designer Hilary Robertson opened the shop in Fort Greene last year after a space became available next to Gabriela de la Vega's namesake shop, where she sells a curated collection including clothing, home goods, and her own line of jewelry. Accessible through a doorway in Gabriela's shop, Mrs. Robertson hosts an eclectic blend of finds that Hilary Robertson has encountered through her own styling work and her previous role as Creative Director at Canvas.

Hilary styles the bright front window of the conjoined shops with a rotating collection of plants and antiques. 

Gabriela's mother, Deborah Stuart, makes the beautiful hypertufa pots and pressed leaves scattered between the two shops and available for sale.

It's Hilary Robertson's philosophy that antiques that might typically be relegated to use in the garden can also take up cheerful residence inside. She uses metal tables with wheels, giant urns, and metal garden benches successfully in both contexts.

In addition to keeping a stocked shop, Hilary Robertson also hosts pop-up sales. Lindsey Taylor, above, was the brains behind a plant sale pop-up at Mrs. Roberston earlier this month. A garden designer, garden writer, and floral stylist by trade, Lindsey brought together a truly stellar selection. Plants came from local nurseries as well as from Lindsey's personal collection. 

Rather than being a sale for people to come and stock their entire gardens, like the shop itself the sale created an opportunity for people to take home special finds. Passion flowers, abutilon, brugmansia, mature begonias, and geraniums were among the treasures.

Paired with unique pots from Mrs. Robertson, shoppers could come away from the sale with not only an unusual plant, but also with a one-of-a-kind pot to put it in. 

Plans are in the works for future plant popups, so keep your ears tuned. If you're local, be sure to pop by the store in Fort Greene in the meantime. And if you're local and up for an adventure, Mrs. Robertson will be taking the show on the road on June 15 and will be at the Garden Fair at The Madoo Conservancy on Long Island. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking a little trip to the South Fork is definitely in order.