Cabin fever: Alan Titchmarsh on creating a gorgeous gazebo

Herbaceous borders, lakes and lawns may have the “ooh” factor in spades, but today the big attraction for many visitors to grand gardens is the working areas behind the scenes. The potting sheds, equipment stores and head gardeners’ offices are now among the hottest must-sees among visitors to stately homes. 

It is sheer curiosity, of course. Everyone wants to know what has been hidden behind the “keep out” signs all these years. So we boggle in amazement at racks of perfectly cleaned and oiled tools hung up in the right place and the neat stacks of pots arranged in size above bulk bins of sterilised loam, broken potsherds and three different grades of grit as we think about the usual jumble of canes and rusting tools in a corner of the garage at home. 

As gardens are becoming smaller, the traditional shed – in which your grandad probably shut himself away after Sunday lunch to sort out his dahlia tubers or whittle sticks while cunningly avoiding the washing up – is being squeezed out. What, waste all that space to store a bunch of old pots, boxes, sticks and bits of plastic? No way. 

These days we would much rather have a glamorous summerhouse, beach hut or gazebo where we can keep the trappings of civilised garden life – the barbecue gear, lights, seats and cushions.

But a modern outbuilding is very often expected to provide more than just storage and may well have some pretty classy luxuries of its own.

A lot of people do their outbuildings up as outdoor rooms, complete with cosy seating, a table and carpet, so they can relax there in comfort when it is too cold to sit out in the garden. It can make a great place to enjoy the peace and quiet and take your morning tea and biscuits or a bottle of wine and a romantic supper for two after the children have gone to bed.

Many people use a garden building as a spare room, with electricity, telephone line and internet connection laid on so the children can do their homework and which the family can use for arts, crafts and hobbies or as an office. It is quite common to find lavish interiors with storage space and all mod cons. 

So if you are thinking of putting in a garden outbuilding, you don’t have to settle for anything too conventional. You have a lot of choice. It all depends on how you intend to use the building. There are some delightful rustic summerhouses around, cart sheds that double as a garage space below with a studio room above and elaborate playhouses for children.

There are also some staggeringly complex treehouses which can be built on several levels with linked walkways or staircases between rooms, subject to the necessary mature trees, space and funds. Surf the internet or visit one of the big gardening shows to see the full range of possibilities. 

But you can also do quite a lot on a budget. It is amazing how you can transform an existing shed with a coat of paint, a bit of decking or paving and some pergola poles, trellis and climbers. A few heather or bamboo panels and some recycled furniture and bits of carpet inside can also make a world of difference, so don’t be afraid to be inventive.

Naturally, a good-looking outbuilding of any persuasion doesn’t want to be hidden away down the end of the garden, and in any case, when it’s full of hi-tech gear you would probably prefer to keep it within sight of the house. So rather than hiding it away down by the rubbish heaps, as grandfather and his ilk tended to do with their sheds, the modern tendency is to see an outbuilding as a garden feature and position it accordingly. 

A handsome building makes a great focal point at the end of an offshoot from a garden path, particularly if it is enticingly flanked by banks of shrubs and has its own pool of lighting at night. 

Or if yours is meant more as a “get away from it all” retreat, you might surround it with its own “garden within a garden” and style it to match. This gives you a great opportunity to develop a small patch of personal seaside – all pebbles, flowing grasses and sea kale plants with a bit of a breakwater.

You could also go wild and rustic in natural hay meadow surroundings or create a cosy, romantic ambience with a cottage-style flower garden full of bees and butterflies. If yours is a modern, minimalist garden, your outbuilding can be fitted out to match with a pebbly courtyard of grasses and perennials.

And the great thing is that you can do any of these things without generating a lot of extra maintenance work, so you should have plenty of time to enjoy your new-found leisure space. So if you hit the right note, your practical space solution could become a right little home from home, besides being a great asset to the garden. 

Today’s garden buildings are not the place for storing tools or outdoor junk. Here’s how to keep your new space spotless.

Install a purpose-made store or mini shed for garden tools at the back of your building where it is handy without being on view.

Increase storage space in the garage by putting in racking or rows of hooks for tools and make sure they are always put away. Also, consider buying a few good multipurpose tools and hiring any larger items that are needed only occasionally. 

If your outbuilding is the only place tools can be kept, stow them in a cupboard of their own. Keep gardening boots in the same place and park a bucketful of sand into which you’ve poured half a pint of oil for working incoming tools briskly up and down a few times. This cleans and oils them in one easy go and prevents you from leaving a trail of muck when you put them away.