I think if we learned anything from living through a global pandemic, it’s that we need to love where we live. If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor space to enjoy there are loads of ideas that you can use to give your space a well deserved revamp – whatever your budget!
For us, personally, this is the first place we have lived with any half decent outdoor space. Before this we lived in a couple of flats and before that a house but one with the teeniest garden ever.
If anything we probably overshot on this garden when we bought this house. After years of first floor living the idea of joyous summers outdoors in our own green area with a BBQ on the go. Perhaps with children playing quietly while I enjoyed a lounger and a glass of something cold. Well, it was not a hard sell.
Fair warning to everyone currently in a flat and having these daydreams about a lovely garden. I developed my first ever round of hay fever within about 10 minutes of us moving in and these days it feels like all I do is mow the lawn or think about when I next have to mow the lawn. I watch a place in the sun and am envious of the Spanish villas and their lack of grass. Still, if you have a garden it might as well be lovely to spend time in!
Give the kids their own spot
You have a garden. You have a child. It makes sense to make it a place they love to be too. What better way to do so than to let them carve out their own little bit of space. Whether you choose to create a play area or maybe their very own vegetable patch, the garden is an awesome opportunity to educate the little ones.
If you have a spare lawn to use for this then great! If not then large pots for planting in will work just as well. We love the pretty cheap plastic ones you can pick up for a few pounds in most larger stores.
Gardening For Kids has some brilliant ideas for getting your children involved in the great(ish) outdoors
Add some colour
You can add colour to your garden really easily using relatively cheap planters or why not put your teenager to good use with a tin of fence paint. They come in such a wide variety of colours these days. We love Valspar’s Blue Bolero!
Light it up
My most favourite time to spend in the garden is in early or late summer when the evenings are a little darker but it’s still warm enough to sit outside. It’s so lovely being able to use garden lighting to help to enjoy your outdoor space with friends and you can choose to add pretty lights no matter your budget.
Whether you choose path lighting or something colourful to add to a sitting area it will transform how you see your garden. Quite literally!
Take the kitchen outdoors
Is it a garden if you can’t comfortably cook and eat in it? I think not! We loved getting outdoors and making full use of our Barbecue last summer but I would love to install something a bit more permanent I think and allocate a zoned area specifically for an outdoor kitchen!
Maybe a brick built Barbecue with a pizza oven perhaps! We definitely need some comfortable sofa seating too!
Don’t you, forget about Bee..
Of course, it’s not just about us! We must always consider who else uses our garden and how we can design our space so that other creatures don’t lose out.
I love Bees and I try to make sure that we have a Bee friendly space by planting Bee and Butterfly friendly plants. The Wildlife Watch is a great resource for all things bug friendly!
This year I will also make a little Bee and Butterfly bath with Moose. I think he and they will love it!
