Environmentally-friendly ways to heat a garden

Alison Patel writes: As the winter draws in and the disappointment of yet another wet English summer dawns, many people are hoping to make the most of autumn in their gardens.

Evenings outdoors are easy to enjoy, according to Annie Gatti writing for the Guardian.

Ms Gatti explained that keeping warm on autumnal evenings doesn't have to mean resorting to eco-unfriendly patio heaters.

Their impact on the environment has meant that B&Q and garden centre chains Notcutts and Wyevale have stopped selling them.

Consumers should look for an "attractively designed fireplace" to create a focal point. She suggests gardeners go for a "simple firepit or a cast-iron chiminea".

To fuel the fire she advised using "hardwood and charcoal" that has been sustainably managed and, if people can find it, that has been produced locally.

Commonsense advice from Ms Gatti is to stand the fireplace on a flat, non-combustable surface and to use a mesh guard.

She reminds gardeners to keep their pits away from sheds, fences and overhanging trees.

Because the heat from chimineas radiates from the neck as well as from the opening, they are useful when it is windy, Ms Gatti said.

Alternatively, a firepit is portable and "quick and easy to get going", though it will give off a gentler heat.

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