Garden State: Getting The Backyard Ready For Summer

The first thing to think about is the layout. Is your garden riddled with weeds, shrubs, overgrown bushes, and a massive garden bench? If so, start to trim and prune the bushes, or get rid of everything completely to make way for smaller, more manageable plants. Plants in a garden will add the desired textures and colours you need to make it stand out and look summery.

A colourful garden is much more welcoming than a space with just one or two types of flower. If you’ve got older kids, then you will need to make some space to fit in some children’s garden furniture, like a slide, or a swing. Keeping them occupied, especially in the summer months, is something to think about if you want some proper relaxation time in the garden.

Do you want to dine outside? If so, the unpredictable weather means you need some furniture that is durable enough to leave outside. A lot of wooden furniture can easily rot over time if you don’t look after it, but if you either go for plastic tables with glass tops or invest in a strong tarpaulin, that will be enough if summer is a complete washout! If you’ve got the space, there are some wonderful barbecues that will slot in a small space, but make sure you have enough room to wheel it out of the way of your plants, so they don’t catch on fire.

If you have a soft spot for nature, you might want to invest in birdfeeders. You can get them for cheap, but if you have the room, a small pond is great for kids to play around and it can be a focal point for the garden. And if your kids are old enough and love the pond, invest in a water feature. It’s very attractive, and it will bump your garden up to another level! And if you want to get the children into growing plants, beans, lettuces and other easy to grow vegetables are a lovely starting point for the green-fingered.

If you have pets, you might want to keep them away from the plants and vegetables, so do your best to give them an area where they can forage. A little overgrown area to the back is enough to give dogs something to do that isn’t destroying your flower bed. If you have cats, keep your soil covered with fleece because they will use freshly dug soil as their own personal litter tray!