After what feels like a lifetime of cold days, long nights and evenings spent hunkered down beneath a vast swathe of blanket, winter is, at long last, on its way out.
Spring is rolling in to grace us with an explosion of new life and optimism, all brought on by warmer weather and sunnier days – and it couldn’t have come soon enough!
With the warm weather comes the opportunity to rediscover our garden spaces, and often, the discovery that they’re looking a little tired after the cold season. But for the four in five 18–34-year-olds seeing gardening as a ‘cool’ pastime, the prospect of tidying up a garden space in time for spring might even be a positive one!
Thankfully, even for those with little interest in horticultural affairs, there are many simple ways in which we can spruce up our gardens for spring, ready to entertain guests once more. The following account for just four.
Low Maintenance Green Things
While gardening may be a cool pastime in spring, busy summer schedules often make the activity a bit of a chore. Come summer, your garden should be a space for relaxing and entertaining; as such you’ll want a low maintenance garden during its ‘high season’, so you don’t have to waste endless chilling time on the garden chores of watering, weeding and deheading.
Enter lush leafy plants that are oh-so low maintenance; think evergreens, ferns and tall grasses, which make your garden feel natural and lush without looking unkempt.
Consider shrinking the size of your lawn, too. While this may not be a simple suggestion, it will simplify your garden chores, lessening the load of mowing, raking and the like. Do the bees a favour and turn part of your lawn into a small scale wildflower meadow. Alternatively, add some decking or paving.
Read: 5 tips on how to maintain your lawn
A Splash of Spring Colour
You can make a huge impact on the feel of your garden by simply introducing a little visual vibrancy to proceedings. One major way to add colour is to repaint your garden fences and exterior-facing walls.
It should be noted that painting straight on to the surface makes for a mediocre result, owing to the possibility of flaking paint or debris being stuck to the surface. Instead, you can use a cordless angle grinder to safely remove old, flaking paint from your walls without damaging the material beneath, before re-priming and re-painting in a seasonally-appropriate colour.
Another way to add a splash of colour to your garden could be to simply replace your flower pots and planters. These pots and planters can serve to add serious character to garden and patio spaces, especially if mismatched. Go for a mismatched look or choose colours that fit with the colours of your garden to create a unique colour palette throughout.
Ornaments and Sculptures
Speaking of character, a great way to imbue your garden with it is to accessorise out there. Think wind chimes and ornamental rain catchers, garden gnomes and avant-garde sculpture.
A cursory search through your local garden centre may reveal garden ornaments to suit your taste, with many perfectly suited to being hidden in flower beds or hung from your trees and shrubs.
Some garden accessories have the added benefit of bringing new wildlife into your garden. A bird feeder pole, a birdbath or a sculpture, for example, can be chic ways to increase the bird population in your garden, and give you more visual intrigue to enjoy from your patio or window.
In The Zone
Lastly, curating different zones in your garden that serve distinct purposes can completely transform your whole garden
You could do this in any number of ways. Some choose to create a bistro porch area by their back door, while others zone by introducing a paved patio seating space with outdoor sofas and a chimenea for late evening warmth. We’re especially fans of pergolas for designating a space for some quiet reading. Creating a proper space for gatherings means you all get to enjoy your spruced-up garden in comfort and style.
We won’t keep you any longer; we understand you’re desperate to get outside. But before you go, why not check out these 4 interesting zoning ideas for your garden.