16:37 - 20 August 2010
If you find yourself with more time at home this season then invest in what you already have and make the very best of your garden. It’s extra living space in the warmer weather and can be a haven from the hustle and bustle of the world.
Many gardeners will be spending at least some of their time off at home this year, but there’s nothing to stop you from using your garden as an alternative holiday destination, apparently it’s called a ‘staycation’. Imagine relaxing on a lounger in the privacy of your own garden. You don’t need a lot of creature comforts to create an oasis of calm and tranquillity.
Set the scene
One comfy chair or a garden bench provides the perfect place to read a book or sip a glass of chilled wine. Add a table and chairs to create somewhere to dine outside and you’ve now a fast destination for morning coffee, afternoon tea or an after work G&T. Dress the table with napkins, candles and cover with a parasol and you’ve transformed your space further creating a setting for dinner, entertaining and more.
Instead of spending a fortune on foreign travel, invest in a few accessories for your garden. Check out the local garden centre where you’ll find a full range of furniture, parasols, barbecues and accessories to suit every budget. But you don’t need to spend a fortune. Just a new cushion, some outdoor glasses or a new pot of plants may make all the difference.
Focal Point
By spending more time in your garden and using the extra space for living and entertaining you not only gain all the benefits of your hard work, but you also start to view your garden from a different perspective. Spend some time moving a seat around the garden to appreciate different views and aspects, you may be amazed at what you find from a different angle and it might persuade you to create a new patio or seating area to appreciate a different outlook on your garden. It can also help you evolve your garden by filling in gaps in the borders, placing attractive planters in new spaces and rearranging garden features so that the garden provides a more attractive and more practical outdoor living space to suit your needs.
Try looking at your garden with fresh eyes. Tidy up that corner that’s become a dumping ground for flowerpots and garden bits and pieces. Place a pretty planter in the space instead. Be a bit brutal with a few plants that have outgrown their space or haven’t performed or that you have got bored with or maybe never really liked. Dig them out and plan to replace them in the autumn when conditions are ideal for planting. Think about making your garden more suitable for using as extra living space. What can you add to make it more attractive to you and your family to use for sitting, dining or just relaxing?
The finishing touch
Have you got room for a summerhouse that can open up into the garden and create a little shelter on cooler evenings? Is there a greenhouse that can be turned into living space over the winter when it is not full of plants? Or have you got room and the budget to add a greenhouse to the garden or a conservatory to the house.
Look at the lighting too, these days you don’t need to hire an electrician or dig great trenches across the garden to have lights. Modern solar technology has paved the way for more powerful and longer lasting solar garden lighting.
Make the most of the fading summer sun and install a fire pit, brazier or chiminea, you can use it to burn dry woody prunings and keep your toes toasty warm on cooler.
