Your garden is your personal window to the outdoors, where you can revel in the pleasure of nature and the sun.
Although in the UK, the weather may be less than ideal, there are plenty of ways that you can make your garden an exciting and relaxing place that you can enjoy whatever the weather.
Gardens often get neglected and become derelict and wild places that are not used as often as they should be. If you are looking to renovate your garden for use in the future, read on for some top tips on the best ways to utilise your garden and transform it into a welcoming space for all.
From adding wooden flooring to your summerhouse, to decking and additional privacy, there are endless ways you can improve your garden to make it a space you will enjoy spending time in.
Improve Your Summerhouse With Wooden Flooring
Creating an indoor space in your garden is an excellent way to make use of a large and underutilised area, especially if your family does not enjoy being outdoors in all weathers.
Summer houses can help to connect your garden with the rest of your living spaces and create an extra room which you can enjoy and which allows you to escape from the rest of the household.
Many people opt to create summer houses in order to build games rooms and entertainment areas for their family. If you are planning to build a summer house, you will need a hardy wooden flooring area to prevent damage, especially since it will have to combat an extra amount of muddy and damp shoes.
Add Decking to Your Garden
Adding decking to your garden space can help to connect the outdoor areas of your home to the indoors through a transitory area that is at the same level as your ground floor.
You can then use this decking to amplify your living space by creating an outdoors area which extends the perimeter of your house and through which you are able to perform a vast array of activities such as eating, holding family events, cooking and playing games and entertainment.
This decking will also help you to utilise your garden space in bad weather as if prevents the area directly outside your house from becoming unwelcoming or muddy in bad weather. Then, adding decking to your home can help to encourage you to enjoy your outdoor areas without the trouble of maintaining a large garden.
Invest in Garden Furniture
You can also help to make your garden a welcoming space which extends your living area by investing in an exciting array of garden furniture such as garden chairs and tables.
Having garden furniture can help to encourage your family to enjoy the garden and can add an extra level of comfort to your garden space. However, you will need to make sure that the furniture that you invest in is hardy and provided with sufficient protection against negative weather conditions such as rain or snow, and that your soft furnishings such as cushions can be easily restored.
If you have a smaller garden space, you should consider the merits of foldable garden furniture which can be removed when not in use – this will allow you to create the same effect without permanent features which may clutter or detract from the natural beauty of your garden area.
Create Different Spaces
To create a fun living space within your garden, you should also consider creating different spaces within your garden that cater towards different activities, making your garden perfect for entertaining.
By landscaping your garden correctly such as by adding paving, pathways, hedging and rockeries, you will be able to split different areas of your home to create separate spaces to perform different activities.
For instance, these activities can include entertainment, cooking, eating, and relaxing, and these areas need many different aspects of equipment that you would not be able to cater for in one space only.
Remember, that you need to invest also in a good hedge trimmer and lawn mower to really give your hedgerows and lawn that perfect finish.
Add Privacy to the Garden
However, if you will be enjoying your garden more than usual, you may feel uncomfortable in having an open or overlooked garden, especially if you have children or pets or may potentially get out from an unenclosed space.
To add privacy to your garden, you should consider planting climbing plants such as ivy which can shroud your garden area and make sure that it is more enclosed. You may also want to add tall hedging or fencing to your back garden to separate your space from the neighbours and make sure that it will not be overlooked at any time.
Trees and bamboo can also be a good option for this, especially if you have a front garden that overlooks a road or pathway, and which you are worried will be trespassed upon by dogs or people.
Consider Hanging Baskets
To spruce up your front garden, in particular, you should consider adding hanging baskets to your garden, especially positioned on either side of your front door.#
Hanging baskets can add a lovely focal point to your front garden and draw attention in their symmetry to your front door. Not only this, but hanging baskets are usually extremely colourful, and this can help to add vibrancy to your house and garden, even if you do not want to have the upkeep of more demanding bedding plants.
Although many flowers that are added to hanging baskets are not hardy, they are extremely easy to look after, and with their proximity to your home, these will not be difficult to water on occasion or in dry weather.
Renew Your Fencing
Fencing can often look old or shabby from its constant battle with the elements, and rain, snow or high winds can easily damage old or unstable fencing.
However, fencing is vital to most properties to keep intruders out, maintain your privacy and protect your pets and children. If your fencing is old and shabby, you should think about repainting it with a coat of specialist outdoor paint which will be able to withstand the elements.
This is especially important to add to a front garden when your fencing and garden will be the first impression that visitors and those looking to buy your house will receive.
If your fencing is damaged, you should seek to replace this immediately to maintain your security and protection, especially if you are renting or looking to sell the house.
However, you should check your house’s deeds first, especially if you live in a semi-detached or terraced house, to make sure that the fencing in question is owned by you or attached to your property, otherwise you may find that you are paying out for repairs that are not your responsibility.
Dig Seasonal Beds
To continue the beauty of your garden all through the year, you should consider digging seasonal beds that will utilise your garden the whole year round and make it a delightful space that you will enjoy relaxing in whatever the season.
Flowers such as marigolds and geraniums can add an instant flush of colour to your garden in summer, but even though winter is not a season known for flowers, pansies and violas are the winter favourites if you want to add interest to your garden the whole year round.
Although digging your beds during the winter may not be as appealing as in the summer months, this will help you to maintain your garden and look after your soil in preparation for the summer, when gardening will be at the forefront of your mind.
Hire a Landscape Designer
If you want to drastically change the style and layout of your garden but do not have the expert skills or knowledge to be able to do this successfully, you should think about hiring a landscape designer who will be trained in the best ways to utilise your garden and make it an excellent space to relax in.
Not only this, but they can also advise you on the best ways to upkeep and look after your garden as well as how to maximise the space that is available to you outdoors.
Landscape gardeners are also the perfect solution if you love entertaining outside as they can help you to create cultured spaces perfect for cooking and dining that will wow your guests and make your garden look professional.
Landscape gardeners also have the correct tools and resources that you will need to make your garden a success, with the knowledge to turn your vision into a reality.
Go for Focal Points
To add interest to your garden and create memorable and beautiful talking points for everyone to enjoy, you should think about curating focal points in your gardens, which include outdoor ornaments.
These can include popular ideas such as statues, weather vanes and archways which can help to landscape your garden and separate different areas.
One of the best options for adding a focal point if you love nature is to add a birdbath or bird feeder which can help to attract the local wildlife and teach your family the importance of caring for nature.
You can also help the children in your family to create insect hotels and hedgehog and birdhouses which can help to provide nature with areas to live. Having an element of nature in our garden can help to add interest and life to your garden as well as bringing the outdoors closer to you.
Plant Climbers and Trees
Planting climbers and trees are a great idea for those looking to add colour to their garden as they help to cover boring and unsightly fencing with a more natural look.
Smaller gardens can greatly benefit from having climbers as they allow you to add flowers and shrubbery to your garden regardless of the space you have available.
Trees can also be used as natural borders to replace fencing, as well as creating focal points which can help to improve the environment and give a traditional beauty to your garden. Planting fruit trees are also great options for those that love fruit as you will be able to get a constant supply of apples, peaches and plums in the summer months.
Create a Vegetable Patch
If you want to create a living and working garden, what better way to utilise it than to create a vegetable patch which all your family can help to look after? This is an especially excellent option if you have children as it will allow you to teach them the basics of gardening as well as where their food comes from.
Vegetable patches are a great way to maximise the space in your garden as they are incredibly useful to grow fresh crops for yourself which are self-sustaining and which you can then add to salads, vegetable mixes and fruit options.
The best vegetables to grow for yourself include tomatoes, spinach, broad beans and carrots as these are both cost-effective, easy to grow and can be added to a wide range of different dishes.
Add Paving
Adding paving around your garden such as pathways and stepping stones is especially important if you have large grass filled areas, or a summer house or lodge in your garden as this will help you to get from one area of the garden to another without worrying about bad weather conditions or slippery surfaces.
This makes paving a good option for those with elderly family members or those that struggle to walk on uneven ground. You should also consider investing in creating a patio outside your back door as this helps you to enjoy the outdoors without venturing too far from the house or getting muddy in winter.
If you are thinking of selling, adding a patio also increases the value of your home by creating a different area for families to enjoy.
If you are thinking of utilising your garden space, garden upgrades have a wide number of different benefits. This includes giving you extra space, allowing you to have entertainment areas outdoors through simple additions like wooden flooring, and adding value to your home.
By maximising the area that you have, you will be able to entertain guests, relax in comfort within your own garden, connect with nature, and even grow your own food.