One of the best things about having a garden when the summer comes along, is the fact that you can spend time in it chilling out and relaxing with friends. A garden is a space that isn’t just for flowers and looking after the fish pond. A garden is a place that you can make your own, purely by being creative and colourful. Once you get your garden from swamp to sequinned palace, you can feel like your home is complete. You need to do more than dragging the barbecue out and blowing up a miniature paddling pool, though. The weather is going to heat up and dusting off the sun lounger to soak up the rays is just a given for a Sunday afternoon. However, there will be days that you want to entertain your friends and show off the beauty that you’ve managed to inject into your outdoor space. The garden can be the haven that you have always wanted it to be, and the whole family will be able to enjoy the space that you create as well as your guests.
Some of the summer garden jobs can take some time, especially if you’ve been living somewhere with a garden full of equipment. It’s not just going to be about investing in a shed, either. If you live in a home with an oil tank instead of central heating, you’re going to first need to bring in a company to come in and do a gas conversion for you, eliminating the large oil tanks from your garden. This won’t just give you more space, it’ll help you to really maximise the look that you want to give your garden. The summer garden jobs don’t just end with getting rid of the unsightly oil tanks, either. You need to get your gutters and roof cleared and sorted so that you don’t end up with a leak in the drains at the base of the house. These types of leaks can damage your grass and cause issues with your soil. So, when you want to give your garden the best possible shot of being beautiful for your guests this summer, check out the tips below:
Love Your Lawn! If you are blessed with having a lush green lawn, it makes sense to want to keep it that way. A neatly mown lawn is just amazing to look at, even if you are the only person looking at it. You must ensure that yours is in tiptop condition for the season ahead and whether you choose to get a gardener or do this yourself, your lawn needs to be beautifully coloured without patches. Lawn feed is key here and you can check out this link for the best lawn feed for your grass. Ideally, you’d have aerated the lawn to encourage the roots to grow and mow it down to encourage healthy growth going forward. With a tiptop lawn, you can have wonderful picnics and sunbathe every day.
Whittle The Weeds. Weeding is a task that can feel never-ending, but it’s a necessary task that is going to keep your garden healthy. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it by hand if you don’t want to! When you start planting in your flowers, make sure that you check them for weeds before you include them in the soil. You don’t want to introduce any extra weeds that you’re only going to have to pull anyway. In the summer, especially as guests arrive at the house, you need to be able to show off beautiful borders and this means no weeds. Find the best specially designed weed control products and attack your weed issues head on.
Clear The Mess. Gardens and garden sheds tend to get cluttered through the winter season, and you need to get rid of the chaos so that you have room for your garden power tools and smaller items. This includes your sun loungers and outdoor tables and folded chairs. Guests cannot sit on folded chairs that are covered in dust and cobwebs, and you cleaning out your shed will mean that this is less likely to be the case. Hook up the hose and get washing; your barbecue is going to need a proper scrub-down before you actually use it.
Find The Right Flowers. When you’re getting the garden properly ready, you need to think about the flowers that will impact your evening. If you’re socialising in twilight, it’s a good idea to have night-scented flower on the scene. We know that flowers smell amazing and the flowers you plant will have an impact on your entertainment. Evening flowers like honeysuckle, jasmine and phlox make a night with friends deliciously aromatic. Not only that, but they are very decorative for the garden and are great for bees.
Shade The Sunshine. Having guests over in the summer is nothing short of fun, but the last thing that you need to worry about is your suntrap garden being somewhere that everyone gets burned in. Providing shade should be a priority for you, whether that’s with a gazebo, a giant sun umbrella or a pergola. You can create some beautifully dappled shade to keep you and your guests comfortable
Find The Fire. Outside of the barbecue for the food, you need a focal point for your garden. A sunken fire pit with a modern furniture set around it can make for an amazing talking point as well as being somewhere for everyone to get warm around when the sun goes in. Guests won’t want to leave if they have something to stay for and your garden will be the thing that they want to stay for.
Herbs Win. If you have your barbecue in a particular space in your garden, you should grow a herb wall right next door to it. This way, your herbs are right where you need them to be when you are cooking and are in easy reach to really impress your guests with your cookery skills. Plant the best herbs that compliment the meat that you want to cook, and you will never be short of flavour in your offerings to your guests.
Light It Up. In the day time, your garden could be the suntrap that everyone looks forward to gathering in, but in the evening, what do you do? Solar lighting is beautiful and it’s fun if done right, but it’s the fences painted with glow in the dark paint that are really going to capture the attention of other people. Your atmosphere should be inviting, and your garden should be the place that you want to spend time in. Add some citronella candles around the seating area and you can prevent yourselves being accosted by flies while you roast marshmallows.
Summer is really the time of year to kick back and just relax. You can do everything in the garden that you can do in the home; from drawing to working to reading. The longer days and lighter evenings mean that even if you’re stuck in work for eight hours a day, you still get to have time to relax in your own outdoor haven. By making a plan early enough in the year, you can ensure that your garden isn’t just for adults, it’s for children, too. Creating a play space with soft mats to fall on, chalkboard paint on a brick wall and fat chalks to play with can give children their own little piece of creative space to have fun in.
*This is a collaborative post*