With your busy lifestyle, it can often be the case that when it comes to home improvement, the little spare time and energy you do have is put in behind closed doors – to the detriment of your garden.
But your garden is your own slice of paradise, and just because you’re pressed for time doesn’t mean garden landscaping should be put to pasture.
Here are some effective, easy garden tips to breathe new life into your personal paradise without breaking the bank.
1. Keep your lawn beautiful
A beautiful lawn is possible without doting on it day and night – you just need the right advice. Can’t get your head around those stubborn brown spots? You might be cutting your lawn too short, or with a blunt blade.
And if your daily trek from the front door to the garden gate or shed is wearing a tired, muddy, unseemly track into your otherwise green lawn, consider putting down some slate or concrete stepping stones – it is not only a functional hack, rustic paths built into a lawn look great.
Finally, if you really don’t have time for all that mowing, consider laying an attractive lawn alternative like clover.
2. Dress up the eyesore
Spice up your garden space by dressing up its weakness – the garden shed. Usually, a shed or garage is the least attractive part of your garden, so turn it into a veritable feature spectacle by treating it as a living mural for a colour-popping display of flowers, plants and trees. One easy idea is to screw in an exterior wooden shelf above the door or under the windows for some potted colour or ornaments. There are many easy garden tips on Pinterest for making your garden shed more attractive.
3. Spice up your garden with colour
If you think about the most beautiful gardens, they will usually have one thing in common – stunning colour. The easiest way to brighten up your garden with colour is with flowers, so here are some eye-catching favourites: the deep reds of dahlia or impacio, or the assorted perfection of polyanthus, but when it comes to great, super-affordable choices, the sky and your imagination are the limit. When possible, go for perennials that you can simply plant, water and enjoy all the year round, and combine their colours with contrasting light and dark-leaved plants that will attract the eye.
4. Relax with a water feature
Nothing combines nature and beauty with tranquillity for your garden than a water feature, but it doesn’t have to be overly expensive or require sophisticated components. Simple fish ponds and rock pools can make the most of gravity for water flow, and the addition of different sized rocks and water plants can create an unique, natural-looking feature for your garden that can be made and maintained with a minimum of fuss.
5. Think outside the box
Going to throw out that rusty old wheelbarrow? Why not create a totally-unique garden feature that expresses your personality by filling it with soil and flowers? Anything else going out to hard rubbish? Use your creativity and not only recycle but also make your garden look stunning by painting or otherwise turning it into a garden feature treasure.
Need a garden hangout that will also make your space feel like a personal paradise? Consider putting up a hammock between two trees – you can even make your own with nothing more than some sturdy fabric and some rope and hooks.
Can you think of any other easy, simple and creative ways to add spice to the gardens of those who are pressed for time and inspiration? Don’t be shy to leave a comment.
