We’re just a couple of short weeks away from the official start of summer. Are you excited? Is your garden prepared? Or, is it looking a little drab and could do with some sprucing up? It doesn’t take a lot of effort, you know, to really bring your garden to life so you and your whole family can get the benefit of it through the months where the sun shines (at least some of the time!). If you’re stuck with what you can do or you just need to get those creative juices flowing, we’re here to help.
In the following post we are going to look at 5 simple and easy ways to really add a bit of excitement to your plain garden.
Illuminate with Clever Lighting
There’s a plethora of different lighting fixtures available that are appropriate for outdoor use. One great way to add a touch of magic and glitz is to use LED string lights, like the kind you’d have on your Christmas tree. These can be dangled over trees, around the borders or attached to the wall of your home in pretty patterns. They won’t illuminate your garden fully when darkness falls, but they will bring a beautiful sparkle of colour to the area.
Another lighting option would be to invest in some solar LEDs. That way you not only get the benefit of the longer lifespan that comes with LEDs but the cost and energy-efficiency of solar energy.
Try Your Hand at Topiary
This requires a bit of practice and skill, and a bit of creativity. Do you have a lot of shrubs, bushes and trees or even a hedge? If you are a contentious gardener, you probably cut these back and trim them regularly throughout the year, especially during summer. Although there’s nothing wrong with a neatly trimmed bush or hedge, you could add a bit of drama and intrigue to your garden, if you’re feeling brave, by trimming them in the shape of an animal or something.
If you are serious about turning your shrubs, trees and hedges into a green zoo of animals, you should give serious consideration to taking a course.
Add a Water Feature but Don’t Go Crazy
Most modern gardens benefit from having a water feature installed. However, if you are planning on installing one of these attractive pieces to your garden, don’t get too worked up in trying to create the most elaborate or OTT one possible. A little, very simple and well-kept pond or fountain will always look more aesthetically pleasing than a huge koi pond that’s got a rockery, fountain and a thousand other things that’s just not looked after.
Obviously, if you have children, you need to take the appropriate precautions to ensure that your water feature, whether it’s a pond or fountain is safe for little ones. Even if it is though, it may be a good idea, if they are especially young, to not leave them in the garden without supervision anyway.
Declutter the Area
This is probably the simplest and actual most obvious way to give your garden a fresh new feel and to make it really come alive. Free up some space by removing any clutter you may have. Everyone’s the same, we have old pieces of furniture, kid’s toys or tools lying around, rusting up and breaking down. Even just those piles of wood and rocks that we keep planning to use. Take anything you don’t need to the dump or recycle where possible and you’ll be amazed at home much better your garden looks.
At the very least you’ll appreciate the large space. That may give you some ideas about what you want to do with your garden to make it livelier.
Add a Bird Feeder
Finally, one particularly great way you can liven up your garden is by attracting wildlife to it. More specifically, birds. If you are a fan of small things that fly around, eat bugs and worms, then you’ll love the addition of a bird feeder. One of the best kinds is an oriole bird feeder, especially if you are fond of that species of bird, that are closely related to the blackbird.
It can be very satisfying watching them feed and get up to their crazy antics. Many bird feeders give you the opportunity to offer not just worms and other tasty foodstuffs but nectar too.
So, if you’re planning to transform your garden into something a bit more special than it currently is, the suggestions above will certainly help you achieve that.
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