Simple garden ideas have the potential to quickly transform your outdoor space without dedicating too much time, money, or energy in the process. You might think this a challenge, but there are a lot of simple steps that you can take to improve outdoor space. No matter if it is a small garden, balcony, or big patio area you can always find a way to make it more attractive. You won't need to try them all to see a significant difference, just pick a few ideas that you like and create a chic space for you and your family to enjoy.
A speedy and easy garden upgrade can freshen up your yard space and create curb appeal. Chris Bonnett, founder of GardeningExpress.co.uk, revealed some simple garden improvement ideas that will make a big difference to your outdoor space. Dilapidated sheds and crumbling walls that are an eyesore can be repaired and painted in a fresh new look and you can add some bold outdoor ornaments to create an artistic attraction. Even while keeping within a modest budget, you can plant flowers and herbs that you and your family enjoy and bring in some accessories to make the space your own. Renters who want to bring their personality to their yard space should be sure to talk with their landlords or property manager first before making any changes
1. PAINT OLD PLANT POTS
If you're into container gardening, you know that terracotta pots can begin to look a bit shabby over time. Painting them is a great way to liven up your garden. If your pots are displayed outside of the house, make sure to use exterior paint to paint your pot. If your pots are displayed inside of your house, you can choose whatever paint type you want. Containers are a great alternative that provide the right conditions to grow flowers. They are also a great way to let your personality shine. If you are money conscious, you can use an old wood bucket or recycled paint container that is freshened up with some bright paint colors to add some happiness and a new look to your space.
2. PLANT GRASS OR FLOWERS IN THE PAVING GAP
You can create a walking path to your back patio with some paving slabs and add a decorative feature by planting sod, herbs, or flowers in the spaces between the paving. Choose some low-growing plants or herbs, such as a hardy perennial like thyme, which produces a scent as you walk over it and has pretty purple flowers. You may also choose flowers or whatever colors that you like and enjoy them.
3. THROW A SEED BOMB TO GROW A WILD BUTTERFLY FLOWER GARDEN
If you want to grow a wildflower butterfly garden in your garden, the easiest way to get started is to get a wildflower seed bomb and simply scatter the seeds in a designated area of your garden. Wildflowers pretty much take care of themselves, needing just sun and occasional water. Besides, you'll be helping to create a bee-friendly garden as well.
4. CLEAN YOUR PATIO OR DECK
The overall look of your patio and garden are hugely affected by the state of your garden paving and decking. If you allow lichen to grow all over your deck and patio it can become covered in algae and mold. It does not make for an attractive patio and is not good for your health either. There are many quality patio and deck cleaners, some of which are designed specifically to remove algae and mold. You'll be amazed how much better your back yard and garden will look after the deck or patio is cleaned.
5. PUT UP A SUNSHADE
A sunshade can do more than just create a sheltered spot on a sunny day; it can focus attention on a seating area, can provide privacy and can even block a terrible view. Of course, you can buy sunshades designed specifically for the purpose, but any washable fabric will work – the brighter the better. Some specially designed fabric also can block the rain and protect your patio furniture. If you design your fabric with an artistic shape, it will make your patio or back yard space even more attractive.
6. INSTALL SOLAR-POWERED LIGHTS
Installing lighting is really the quickest way to update your yard space. It creates a great effect and attracts attention when the evening is coming. Fairy lights add a cozy and romantic ambience to any garden and distract from any features that are less desirable. It brightens your back yard in the night as well. Solar powered garden lights are eco-friendly and a super-fast anda economical way to update your back yard. You can easily to get a wide variety of styles of these lights from Amazon, Home Depot, or other stores.
7. FRESHEN UP YOUR GARDEN FURNITURE
Is your garden furniture looking drab? Consider painting it – a simple job that can be done in a weekend. Painting your garden furniture is a quick and easy way to upgrade the look of your space.
Sometimes, though, what's holding your garden back from looking great is not the condition of your furniture, but its style. If that's the case, give your garden some oomph with the best garden furniture that's a bit more modern, more colorful, or even just more lightweight – or all three of those things. Freshening up with some new furniture for your patio or back yard will dramatically improve your outdoor space.
8. ADD DETAILS
Detail is key with all small garden ideas, especially if you've no time or energy to do an extensive update. Get a piece of art sculpture which suitable for the outdoors and position it so that it reflects your personality and interests. The effect will be visually enhancing and charming. Add a flower border against a yard fence and you will see how your dull, old fence suddenly brightens up and freshens up.
9. EDGE THE LAWN AND TRIM THE BUSHES
Lawn edging is an easy and effective solution for scruffy-looking borders, and for generally adding definition and poise to your garden design. There are lots of materials to choose from, and most lawn edging can be installed in under an hour. Adding a hard edge like brick or stone for your lawn is a way to improve your yard’s look, but you can also define spaces by installing mulch or gravel without a hard border and edging often. Frequently edging your lawn and trimming your bushes makes your yard fresh and neat. It is just like cutting your hair to create a new look. These less costly improvements can make a big difference in the appearance of your yard. Last but not least, mulching is really great for keeping your garden in top condition and it can make borders look really sharp. Mulching also helps lock in moisture around the plants' roots and protects them from pests, so if there's a heatwave, your garden is much less likely to wilt and should need less watering too.
10. REPLACE CUSHIONS TO MAKE YOUR OUTDOOR FURNITURE MORE COLORFUL AND COMFY
Get a couple of nice outdoor cushions, throw them on your outdoor furniture or replace your old furniture’s cushions – presto, a brand-new look for your garden. They're great for upping the comfort level of your al fresco dining, too, especially if you have a bistro set. Another way you can make over your old furniture cushions is to do it yourself. It is a pretty easy job to buy some new fabrics and make some new cushions.
11. FEED THE LAWN
Feeding your lawn with the appropriate fertilizer is essential for preventing excessive weed and moss growth and will help the lawn recover better from mowing. Potassium, iron, and magnesium are especially important to healthy grass, so look for those ingredients when choosing your fertilizer. You need to fertilize your lawn frequently. Some companies do it monthly and some do it bi-monthly. If you do it yourself, just remember do it frequently like professional companies taking care of your lawn. Also, you can apply different types of fertilizer at different times. For example, one month you may fertilize your lawn for pest control and next month you may feed your lawn nutrients. Another month you may treat the brown spots on your bushes. Just remember to diligently care for your lawn.
12. ENCOURAGE WILDLIFE WITH A BIRD FEEDER
It's very easy to make a bird feeder out of an old plastic bottle; but you can also buy some that look like works of art. The wildlife that will come with it is a bonus. If you enjoy watching these beautiful creatures, adding a bird house will give you more pleasure and more opportunities to enjoy nature. Sitting on your garden furniture, drinking your favorite tea, and listening to these beautiful birds singing every day will make you think how wonderful and amazing and awesome this life is.
13. CREATE A MINI VEGETABLE OR HERB GARDEN
Got a patch of yard that is just losing grass, looking shabby and not doing anything? Why not start a vegetable garden? It's very easy and great way for beginners to start gardening. It can even be done within containers; fresh veggies on your dinner table will be a bonus, too. It also adds an extra hobby for your creative time. Herb plants are perfect for beginners, or gardens with only a little outdoor space, as they thrive in a patio pot or just outside the back door. Fresh herbs can add a boost to many homed cooked meals. If you’re planting a few herbs at once, make sure they each have enough space to grow. Some plants may be easy to grow in your region, and some others may struggle in your region. When you are just starting your garden, select the vegetables or herbs that are easiest to grow and make sure they are growing well.
14. DO A LITTLE WEEDING
A little weeding will go a long way to improving your garden, so it's worth taking an hour or so out of your day to pull up those plants that are in the wrong place. Weeds sprouting between paving and in lawns can instantly make an outdoor space look unkempt. Renters might have to start weeding from scratch, but it’s important to keep on top of them when enjoying your space. For some weeds, one spritzing of a weed killer should be enough to kill them, but others may need spraying a few more times until it works.
15. ACCESSORISE YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE WITH BRIGHTS AND FUNTIONALITY
You can spend leisure time to learn and make a cozy outdoor living space super gorgeous and inviting. You will be amazed how quickly you can make your garden look inviting by adding a little improvement, such as a new sitting area, and a dash of color and lights. Adding an outdoor sitting area can help you enjoy indoor and outdoor dining with the seasons. If you are renting a property, before you do any improvement on the property, be sure to get the landlord’s or property manager’s written permission first.
16. ZONE YOUR SPACE
A quick layout change inside works as a great refresher with minimal effort so, why not do the same outside? Working with what you have you can “zone” the space by moving items around to give the garden the illusion of extra space, without drastically changing a thing. Move pots and plants to one area and create an alfresco dining space in one corner. You could even use different garden screening ideas and dividers to create the illusion of rooms – simply.
17. UPDATE YOUR PLANTING SCHEME
Tired of your flower borders looking the same every year? Update them with some colorful annual or perennial plants. For the best results, choose one or more colors, such as white with purple, red with blue, or yellow with orange. You will see how you can create a fresh and dramatic a flower edge by organizing your new planting scheme around it.
18. PAINT FENCES AND THE SHED
Another easy garden Do It Yourself project with lots of visual payoff: painting your shed. You can't go wrong with a lovely pale blue or duck egg shade for an instantly on-trend look.
While you're in the painting mood, you might repaint your fence as well. Repainting a fence can take an outdoor space from drab to fab in no time. To make the job easier, use a paint sprayer. You can always freshen up your home with a new paint color which will make your property more attractive. Again, if you are renting the house, please make sure to get approval from your landlord or property manager.
19. ADD A QUICK AND EASY WATER FEATURE
A water feature will instantly add pizzaz to the design of your garden – and you don't need a massive garden to accommodate one. Choose a solar powered water feature – no costly or fussy installation, and no energy bills, although you may want a battery backup in case there isn't enough sun to generate the energy for the pump that moves the water around. If you want to dream a little bigger, a three-tiered castle fountain will provide a dramatic focal point for your garden.
20. ADD HEIGHT WITH VERTICAL GARDENING
Use arches or a pergola, trellis, or obelisk to give the garden height. Why? Vertical gardening will make the garden as a whole feel greener and bigger – and taller planting can provide you with added privacy too. Grow climbers like roses or ivy over your new structures. You can also do a vertical vegetable garden.
21. LINE STEPS WITH CONTAINERS AND ARRAGNE POTS IN ONE CORNER OF THE PATIO
Use containers to create a formal design scheme along your steps; a symmetrical arrangement will give tired garden steps an instant lift. Lining steps will also draw the eye to the garden, which in turn can make a small garden feel larger. Another great thing you can do with containers is cluster them outside your patio doors or windows. This allows you to enjoy them from inside as well as outside, and it will help to blend your indoor and outdoor spaces. Use a garden bench to add multiple levels and mix and match garden pots of different sizes and shapes. Last but not least, you can create a plant container arrangement using shelves on one of your house walls. Some support shelves even come equipped with irrigation lines which you can connect to your sprinkler to make watering your garden easier.
22. PRUNE OVERGROWN PLANTS
Pruning overgrown plants and trimming hedges is another easy weekend job that makes a massive difference to any garden. Trimming your hedges and overgrown trees and bushes will instantly make your outdoor space look neater. You will need a good hedge trimmer and other tools for the job. Of course, you can always hire someone to do it for you if you don’t have time yourself; it may cost you a little more for the labor, but you will save money by not having to buy the tools. There are always pros and cons in these kinds of decisions.
23. CREATE A FOCAL POINT
Larger gardens really come into their own with a focal point or special feature, for example a pergola. Pergolas, arches, and arbors are very easy to build yourself because they usually come in kit form. And once you've built your pergola/arch/arbor, cover it with climbing plants and/or hanging baskets to create a shady spot for reading or picnics – or just to frame the view.
24. ADD A DO IT YOURSELF OUTDOOR COOKING STATION
Some luxury houses include outdoor cooking spaces in their back patio. If your house doesn’t have an outdoor kitchen, adding one can provide new ways to enjoy your garden and entertain and feed guests. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. You can always create a simple space with a BBQ grill and outdoor chairs and a table, with a gazebo or an umbrella to protect from rain or sun.
25. HEAT IT UP WITH A FIRE PIT
Fire pit ideas need not be complicated. Choose a basic design with a fire pit and seating arrangement to create an attractive focal point during the day and a comfortable gathering area at night. When the sun goes down, a fire pit can work magic, tempting party goers to stay outside just that bit longer to bask in its warm glow. For safety, don’t locate fire pits on decking or other combustible surfaces. There are fire pits that burn wood, charcoal or even gas, but some designs are not recommended for cooking. There are some fire pits designed for some types of cooking; you need to make sure to select the design with the functionality that you want.
Note: Most of the ideas of this article adopted from Anna Cottrell
