Having a garden is such a luxury but given how much it rains in the UK, creating a space that you can enjoy all year round isn’t just a good idea, but a necessity. Though the standard British garden might be centred around a flooded postage stamp of lawn, there are other ways to create beauty and style that won’t become a bog.
With a little imagination, and a few tricks of the trade, you too can have a beautiful garden that you can enjoy and edit all year for the best results.
Decking and Patios
Given the state of your lawn most days of the year, unless you have young children and no access to a nearby park, you should probably just give up on the whole thing. It’s either sodden or balding and, even if you are a magician when it comes to lawn maintenance, the weather will probably only give you a few days where you can walk on it without worrying.
The answer here is quite simple: decking and patios. Decking is brilliant for building different levels in your garden and you can create the illusion of more space by using interesting shapes. Patio paving is another great option as you can lay the stones in all sorts of different colours and designs to lead you through your garden. Use a mixture of the two to create structural intrigue and combine different textures.
Evergreens
If everything in your garden dies at the first frost, then you need to diversify your plants and introduce some evergreens. Though they might not add the same sort of bright colours that flowers do, evergreens will give you something interesting to look at all year. To create structure, you might consider using hedges to create your own topiary. Though topiary is often associated with formal gardens, there are plenty of fun shapes you can create.
To introduce colour in the spring and summer months, you could consider [amazon_textlink asin=’B071Y7669K’ text=’hanging baskets’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mygardening411-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’30e1bd0c-0cee-11e8-b50e-055f20c68ca0′] as an easy way to add plants to the garden without constantly changing your borders. Well-cemented posts are ideal for hanging baskets around the garden but you can also use your wall.
Shelters
Now that you have some greenery and solid ground, you should start thinking about creating a sheltered area. A wooden gazebo is a good idea and it will offer both shelter from the rain and shade from the sun. You can find plans to build your own gazebo, or you could easily buy one ‘off the shelf’ from a DIY store or a garden centre.
Another option is to put a small shed in your garden and deck it out with candles and soft seating to be enjoyed all year round. Sheds are rapidly rising in popularity and can be used as anything from office space to a place to enjoy the garden. You can customize your shed, too to bring in plenty of light, paint it in lovely colours and introduce light and warmth – just make sure you have a look at these DIY tips before you begin!
