Here comes the sun… and with it a flourishing garden and a newfound desire to spend time outside. If you want an inviting backyard, where you can relax, dine or just contemplate the greenery, follow our guide to style your garden without spending your mortgage at Primrose.
1. Upcycle wood pallets
A table and chairs are a must for a patio, whether it’s to work outside or for after-work drinks on a summer night. But backyard furniture can be very expensive. Your best bet is to upcycle what you can easily find, like wood pallets. You can buy some online but you can also ask your local grocery, furniture or hardware stores, which often toss them. Once you’ve sourced your pallets, get a Tasker to clean, sand and paint them and you’ve got yourself a charming, rustic dining outdoor area.
2. Repurpose to add decorative touches
Old tires, wine bottles, barrels, egg cartons, shoe racks, tin cans and many more objects can be turned into flower pots or planters. Plastic is not fantastic when it comes to feng shui and the environment, so cherish all the things you didn’t throw away ‘just in case’ and finally come to peace with your hoarding habits!
3. Get fairy lights
A few garlands like these ones from IKEA will turn any garden into a cosy place for the summer. If you need help to hang them and hide those wires the best way possible, get a skilled Tasker to do it for you.
4. Create shade with plants
Get a very simple pergola (or make your own), then use climbing plants to slowly but surely create shade around it. In just a year, you’ll already have a beautiful plant or flower roof. Ivy is an obvious choice but if you’re looking for more colourful, fast-growing climbing flowers, our picks would be red, pink, or orange Bougainvilleas, or the ever dramatic purple Wisteria.
5. Plant citronella
Nothing is worse than having a beautiful backyard taken over by mosquitos. Instead of buying pricey natural oils, a mosquito net or any insect repellent, the best way to get the mosquitos to enjoy your neighbour’s garden more than yours is to plant a few citronellas around your dining table.
6. Get plants that grow quickly and easily
This is not about having green fingers. It’s about choosing plants that are right for your climate and your soil type, and plants that are known to grow rapidly and easily. So if you live in the UK, the best plants to grow to fill your garden space in no time are sedum sarmentosum, rambling rector, fallopia-baldschuanica, bamboo or willow.
7. Add a fluorescent coat of paint to all your flower pots
A great addition to any garden and a sure wow factor to everyone else.
8. Make your own birdhouse
If DIY doesn’t scare you, create and paint your own birdhouse, like this one which only takes a few minutes to make (see video). It’s pretty easy to do, and the birds will thank you (by serenading you at 5 am on a Saturday).
9. Get a new coat of paint
Repainting your fence at the beginning of each spring will go a long way in making your garden look neater. And if you can’t do it, find someone near you to help you.
10. Get someone to spend one afternoon on your garden
Sometimes all it takes is just having a skilled person with the right tools working on your garden for a few hours to improve it for the whole season. For all your garden needs – from mowing your lawn to decorating it or removing branches and weeds, you can easily find a Tasker near you to help bring your garden to the next level.
