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With summer just about to get into full swing, we inevitably start to turn our attention to our gardens and outdoor spaces. We’re all guilty at some degree of neglecting our gardens during the more inclement of seasons, and by the time we head back to them, they can start to look a little shopworn. Luckily, it often only takes the smallest amount of work to totally transform the look of your garden, and give yourself a beautiful new space to relax in. Just take a look at some of these easily applied ideas to see where you can start with your own garden.
Re-establish your boundaries
New fencing can radically transform the aesthetics of your garden or yard. There’s no need to be restricted to the options stocked by your local hardware store nowadays. Specialist online retailers have a plethora of different options available to customers now, allowing everyone to choose fencing that really fits in with the look of the rest of the garden. Whether you want a traditional look, a minimalist contemporary style, or something more decorative and ornate, there’s a fencing solution to fit any garden.
On a more basic level, the height and transparency of your boundaries will have a huge impact on the feel of your garden too. Low and open fencing will create a larger sense of space, but provide less privacy. Higher and more opaque boundaries however, will provide great privacy, but can make smaller gardens feel a little penned in.
Consider decking
Many say that gardens are often an overlooked ‘extra room’ for every house, and what better way to give your garden an ‘outside room’ feel, than to incorporate some hardwood flooring? Decking not only looks great, but it serves to make your garden a more practical option to spend time outside of summertime.
A well-kept lawn can be beautiful, but if you’ve had an extended period of heavy rainfall recently, your lawn might still be a mud bath for a couple of days afterwards. This is where decking has a distinct advantage over turf: drying out quickly to allow you to utilise your garden much sooner than you otherwise might. Not all decking is made equal though. To ensure that your decking will serve you well and still look great 10 years from now, you’ll need to buy from a trusted specialist such as Brazilian Wood Depot, which devotes itself to sourcing the finest wood available for decking.
Don’t be swayed into opting for composite decking if you’re worried about the maintenance involved in using real wood decking. Brazil is home to some of the toughest varieties of tree on Earth. Species such as Ipe, Tigerwood, Cumaru and Jatopa have all evolved to become naturally resistant to rot, fire, mould, insects and decay. In some cases they’re even up to three times tougher than oak. Take a look at some of the stats when comparing real wood against composite for decking before you make a purchase.
Add some pot plants
By far the easiest option listed here. If you have a fairly sparse garden, the addition of a few plants will instantly change the look and feel of it. A few large pots containing trees or flowers can turn a boring concrete yard into a relaxing utopia you’ll want to spend time in.
If you want your garden to enjoy foliage all year round, you’ll be best to opt for some small evergreen trees. Lemon-scented pines can survive rough winters and give off a wonderful aroma when brushed past.
You may decide that you’d rather go for an all-out colour assault during the summer, and fill your pots with a selection of pansies or other colourful flowers. The best thing about pot plants is that it gives you scope to change your garden around as you see fit. Change the contents, or change the positions: pots give you the ability to change the way your garden looks in a flash. If you’re the type of person who redecorates their home every year, then this might be the option for you!
Revive tired-looking lawns
Lawns look great when they’re green and lush, but without proper care, they can soon become patchy and yellow. The easiest way to overcome this is to avoid it in the first instance. Lawn feed is readily available both online and from garden centres, and it’s equally important to keep it well watered. Long spells of arid, sunny weather can quickly dry out your lawn, so be sure to water it with a sprinkler or hose every so often.
If your lawn is covered with moss or dead leaves, then you’ll need to remove this top layer with a rake to allow the grass to grow to its full potential. This is called scarifying your lawn, and while it can put a stress on your grass at first, you’ll likely find that it grows back to be far more lush afterwards. When to scarify lawn or lawn-like areas of grass is dependent on the soil temperature, but in general, sometime between March and May seem to work best (or August-October in the autumn).
Artificial grass
We’ve all seen a neighbour’s meticulously kept lawn replete with perfect stripes running lengthways along it. They look incredible, but the unfortunate truth is that lawns like that require a lot of care and attention.
If you’re a little short on the time you can devote to your garden, then artificial grass can make a massive difference to your garden. No longer will you have to put up with overgrown patches and bare spots, as an artificial lawn will look great all year round with the minimum of fuss.
That’s not to say that there’s no maintenance to be performed at all though. Dog owners in particular will have to be careful with freshening up their lawns if their dogs are accustomed to using the garden as a toilet. There’s products that can help with that though, and it needn’t be a dealbreaker if kept in the right way.
So there you have it, four ways in which to completely transform your garden or outside space. With a little bit of research into the best options and products, you can ensure that come next summer, you’ll barely need to lift a finger in order for your garden to be instantly presentable and ready for creating more wonderful summer memories.