Set Yourself Up With A Garden You Can Really Enjoy This Summer

How To Set Yourself Up With A Garden You Can Really Enjoy This Summer

The average Brit spends nearly £350 a year on improving their garden and a massive £30,000 improving their outdoor space over a lifetime. That is an awful lot of money considering that the average Brit spends 92% of their entire life indoors.

There are lots of reasons that you might spend most of your time indoors such as: working, childcare, preferring technology over nature or simply not making the effort to get outside. It makes sense why you might not go to the park or, go for a wander in the local outdoor spaces but what about spending time in your own back garden? It is a space you likely paid extra for, it is your very own outdoor space, and yet, you don’t spend too much time out there.

If that rings a bell, it makes sense to redirect your spring cleaning efforts this year. Rather than spending money adding decorations to the garden, spray cleaning the decking and sprucing up the garden you already have, it is time to think about a bit of a redesign. If you’re not spending too much time in your garden, even when the weather is nice, the design simply isn’t working for you. Spending time outdoors is so beneficial for your health it has been proven to:

• Reduce your risk of getting diabetes
• Reduce your risk of having a stroke
• Reduces your risk of premature death
• Helps relieve stress
• Helps to lower blood pressure
• Help manage or relieve mental health issues

Improving your garden to make it more usable really is a great priority for you and your family. To help you create an outdoor space you’re likely to want to use, take a look at these handy tips:

Make It Low Maintenance

When you moved in, that huge lawn might have seemed appealing, but now, when you’re having to mow every other day, it doesn’t seem quite so desirable. The same goes for that bamboo bush and that impressive ivy on the side of the house. If you find your garden difficult to maintain, pay attention to exactly which areas cause you to feel that way, then change those aspects of the space. Add decking or concrete tiles and halve the lawn space, get those pesky bushes dug out. You could even price up a gardener if you don’t want to pay for changes, but you also want to get more use out of your garden.

Opt For Higher Quality Materials

You might feel your garden drains money because you always need to be re-varnishing this or repairing that. If you invest in higher quality materials you will find that you need to do maintenance less often. Pay more now, for long-term benefits.

Turn The Garden Into Another Room Of The House

Every room in the house is functional and if you look at the garden, in the same way, you’ll see it in a much more practical light. Add shade and shelter, add zones and various areas, add a purpose to different sections. A garden that is pretty will remain something nice to look at but that is all. If you really want to use your garden, you have to give it a use first.

Make Access Easier

One fantastic way to make your garden more usable is to make it part of your home. An expensive way to do that is by adding a conservatory which will lead out into the garden. A cheaper way to do this is with some large external bifolding doors. They will enable you to see the garden clearly (great for watching the kids and pets) and they will extend your indoor space outdoors. You also have easy quick access to the garden, which makes you much more likely to use the space.

Add Night-Time Use

Entertaining in the summer when the evening gets golden and hazy and makes way for a warm night is a really special time. The first step to enabling this to happen is to add lighting in the garden. Solar lights along the path, fairy lights in the trees and bushes, or even some spotlights could work well. You may also want to add a sheltered decking area which will enable you to add seating, heating and even a pizza oven or chimnea if you really want to go all out.

Get Rid Of Dead Space

An overgrown greenhouse, a dirty water feature, a dead tree, a bramble bush: these are areas of dead space you can’t use. Once you clear them away you have a brand new bit of garden to reclaim, to become a space you can utilise and enjoy.

Create Garden Goals

How would you like to use your garden? Would you love an outdoor cooking space? How about an area to entertain in whatever the weather? A yoga and mindfulness den? A football pitch? Basketball court? Vertical garden? If you think about how you would love to use your outdoor space, you will find it easier to plan your brand new outdoor space.

Take Inspiration From Gardens You Love

Gardens in magazines and online are great but you won’t ever really feel a connection to them because most of us don’t have acres upon acres to play with. Instead, take inspiration from the gardens of friends and family who have gardens that you love. Gardens you look forward to spending time in because of the seating or, the plants or, the technology. Notice what you love about those spaces and use that inspiration to make your garden more usable.

Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful’ and sitting in the shade.

– Rudyard Kipling

Your outdoor space needn’t just be an outdoor area that takes your time and gives nothing back. With a little planning and time, it really can become an extension of your house that you enjoy spending time in with the whole family.

Guest Article.