How to Make Your Garden an Extension of Your Home This Summer
Summer is here in full force, with the blazing sunshine and thick thunderstorms that come along with it. The summer is a time that the country seems to spring fully back to life, embracing the longer days and making the most of every scrap of sunlight in the process.
It’s only natural that you’ll want to make the most too – which brings us to the subject of your garden. The garden becomes a living space all of its own in the summer; how can you make it official? If, like me, your birthday happens to fall in summer then why not encourage your friends and family to give gardening gifts so you can enhance your garden this year?
To fully enjoy your garden as an extension of your home, consider integrating features that enhance both functionality and aesthetics. Engaging the services of professional pond builders can transform your garden into a serene retreat, adding both value and beauty. Whether you’re hosting summer gatherings or simply enjoying a quiet evening, a well-designed pond can be a perfect centrepiece for your outdoor space.
Lawn and Flora
The first part of your garden you’ll naturally want to tackle is the lawn. After No-Mow May, you’ll already have tackled your winter grass growth somewhat, but now’s the time to tidy up your lawn and edges – and maybe also fill in some spots where weeds have driven out your lawn grass.
This is also an opportunity to address your flowerbeds and sidings. Planting a diverse array of plants can help encourage a biodiverse garden; this can help out local bee populations, return life to your corner of the neighbourhood and in turn make for a thriving and eye-catching garden space.
Patio and Decking
Of course, creating a beautifully picturesque and biodiverse garden environment is its own reward, but all the better if you have somewhere from which to admire it! A big part of getting a garden summer ready is getting it ready for entertaining in; after all, you’ll likely be having guests over for dinner parties, lazy afternoons or even just the odd cup of tea, and the weather will make your garden the ideal spot for all of the above. I am looking forward to when my baby girl is able to come out on the patio with us to help with gardening. In fact, I have been eyeing up these children’s gardening gifts so she can have her own gardening tools for her birthday!
If you don’t already have a dedicated patio area, laying some paving stones by your back door can create a perfectly serviceable sitting area. This can greatly reduce the impact of guests on your lawn, and also make guests more comfortable through eliminating grass stains and mildew from the occasion. If you want to take things a step further, you could combine your patio with a raised decking platform to create an expansive outdoor area for hanging out and barbecuing.
Creating a comfortable outdoor area can make the garden feel much more like a natural extension of the home, particularly when there is enough space to give it a clear purpose. For some homeowners, this may mean going beyond an open patio or decking area and creating somewhere that can be used in different seasons. Exploring a garden room showroom can help you see how different layouts and sizes might work, whether the aim is to create a home office, a relaxing space, or somewhere to enjoy hobbies away from the main living areas.
Finishing Touches
A beautiful garden and the perfect place from which to enjoy it are not quite enough to render your garden a seamless part of your home, though. There are some vital finishing touches you’ll need to bring to the table, to complete your garden’s transformation. Perhaps the most important of these finishing touches are garden furniture.
You and your guests will want to be fully comfortable in the summer sun when hanging out in the garden, making a proper outdoor furniture set a worthwhile investment. A bistro set by the back door can do the trick for morning cuppas and the odd friend or family visit, while an outdoor sofa set can cater for larger groups. Building an outdoor ‘living room’ out of sofas, tables, and a clay chiminea can pay dividends, giving you an excellent area from which to host. Personally I recommend installing a hammock so you can fully relax!
Lighting is the final piece of the puzzle. Illuminate less-accessible parts of your garden with solar-powered string lights, or spike garden lamps alongside garden paths to light the way. Bauble lighting around your patio can create a magical lighting effect when the sun goes down, letting you enjoy your garden at all hours!
