Are you a green thumb artist or the kind of gardener who unintentionally kills everything they plant? Ultimately, maintaining a lush and green gardener is a skill. And not everyone is talented at gardening. For a start, busy homeowners can find it stressful to make time for maintenance, pruning, and mowing. For others, gardening is a pleasure of every day that can help them relax.
We’re all different. So, it makes sense that your garden reflects these differences. There’s no joy in creating a front or back yard that looks like every other garden in your estate. Your garden is an extension of your home. Consequently, it should be a fair continuation of your family style and priority. So, how do you design a garden that works for you, regardless of your gardening skills and interests? Here’s we’ve compiled 10 different ideas to inspire homeowners to create their dream outdoors.
The enthusiastic gardener who loves winter gardening
Are you a gardener who doesn’t want to give up on their hobby even during the colder months? Whether you love flowers or you want to grow your own crops, everybody understands that fall and winter can be difficult seasons even if you’ve got green thumbs. However, building your own greenhouse can help you nurture and harvest beautifully healthy plants throughout the winter season. Greenhouses can be a lovely addition to gardens of any size. A standing greenhouse can host winter crops, keeping access to fresh produce throughout the year. Additionally, you can also use your greenhouse to prepare the first harvest of spring.
But, if you’ve got a small garden, adding your greenhouse as a back door porch extension can also be a fantastic idea to protect your favourite flowers. Besides, it makes a superb relaxing spot.
The veggie lover with an allotment
Are you growing vegetables and fruit? Unless you have a large allotment with plenty of spare time to manage your crops, you can find it difficult to become self-sufficient. However, you can significantly reduce your grocery shopping costs. Growing your own vegetables is also a fantastic opportunity to introduce eco-friendly habits to the household. Families that consume more vegetables and fruit can benefit from the installation of a compost bin. Why not harvest the goodness of plants, including the parts you don’t eat? With this in mind, one of the first things every vegetable grower learns is companion planting. In essence, companion planting means combining flowers with vegetables to make them more productive. The phenomenon can boost plant health, optimise the soil, prevent weeds, and provide natural sources of support. Some of the best companion planting pairs include marigolds and tomatoes, mont and cabbage, asparagus and basil, and carrots and chives.
The design gardener
When you’ve got a beautifully designed interior, it’s natural to want to elevate your outdoors. But it can be a tough job alone. A landscaping company can help homeowners transform their garden into a meaningful and organised masterpiece. Landscaping is a great solution for homeowners who are not sure where to start with garden designs. It is a time-saviour when you buy a new property that an overgrown garden. Leave it to experts to create a unique outdoors decor that reflects your personality and needs.
Additionally, if you have a big garden and feel overwhelmed by the task, a landscaping partner can create a pattern that will reduce maintenance work.
The lazy gardener
Do gardens have to be green and lush? Modern design properties have introduced a new approach to the backyard. Busy homeowners naturally want to keep maintenance to a minimum. However, when you can’t afford to let the garden grow unattended, you need to compromise. Concrete decors offer an elegant and manageable alternative, creating controlled plants areas throughout the garden. Concrete slabs can be used to build an inviting patio where your family can relax. Additionally, you can create mini-parks for shrubs and trees to grow safely. Concrete decors reduce the need for garden maintenance but can let you keep as much greenery as you want.
They can be used to design a path inside the garden, extend a patio, or build enclosed mini gardening spots for your favourite plants. Concrete gardens tend to maximise plants and cross-pollination while reducing the risk of grass-related inconvenience.
The wildlife defender
If the idea of opening the windows to listen to the birds sing, you want to focus your attention on a wildlife-friendly garden. Wildlife-friendly environments create places for small creatures to roam and live safely. The key to a wildlife design is to divide the garden into many different habitats. Contrary to common beliefs, you can create habitat diversity in an urban garden too. An artificial pond doesn’t need to be big to welcome frogs and newts and provide a source of drinking water for birds and small mammals. The addition of a safe birdhouse is a lovely touch that can attract little birds, especially if you keep the bird feeder stocked! You can also add bee posts and bee homes in the vicinity of pollinators. They will protect the bee population.
The family-focused gardener
If you have children, you might want to turn the garden into a safe playground for them. Building a playground in your garden is a DIY challenge, But you can design a layout that will keep the kids entertained. Self-designed playgrounds can last several years with careful maintenance and care. If you use wood materials, you want to make sure to keep the playground a fresh coat of paint every year. This will protect it from weather damages.
Soe considerations about your playground: Ideally, you want to avoid sand. A sandbox can be appealing, but it is likely to attract surrounding cats and creatures in the neighbourhood. Nobody wants their playground to turn into a giant litter tray. Additionally, you want to invest in a durable hardware kit, such as swings and slides, as these will be exposed to weather changes all year long.
The inviting swimming pool in the garden
If you’ve been dreaming of a beautiful and refreshing swimming pool, it’s time to consider your choices. The process of designing and building a swimming pool can take up to 6 months, so it’s not something to take lightly. Additionally, swimming pools need constant maintenance and care. Remember that it’s easier to maintain the swimming pool water than to fix algae growth and contamination issues.
With young children or pets, the ideal swimming pool area has a sturdy cover that will prevent anybody from falling into the water. The cover will also heat the water so you can enjoy your pool from early spring to autumn. In summer, the cover prevents water evaporation, ensuring you are not wasting water inconsiderably.
The community area outside your home
Sometimes, homeowners expect nothing the garden to become an extension to the house. So, you can reduce the lawn surface to extend the patio area, creating a welcoming environment for guests. Small urban gardens can gain a new function with an attractive patio. You can revert to vertical planting with hanging pots to replace the lawn. For shade, a trellis and small trees in a pot will create a refreshing area. Blogger surfaces can use a deck and a semi-covered patio to keep your guests warm even in the cool breeze. Patio furniture can be elegant and stylish. However, you can strip the grass surface for a DIY feel and use cement blocks and wood to build your furniture. With handmade cushions, they can create a simple and cosy style.
The wild cottage style
Not every home is suited to a cottage-style garden. The mixture of floral abundance and fresh herbs works best in suburban and rural gardens, where there’s plenty of space to keep your casual garden style. Cottage gardens may look casual and natural, but they require a lot of work and attention. They are grown using rich and organic soil for best results, so we’d recommend testing your soil first. You might need to add organic matter and compost to nourish your garden. Automatic watering features will also keep maintenance work minimal. And remember, a cottage garden would not be complete without an elegant sitting area where you can drink a cup of tea surrounded by fragrant flowers and herbs.
The pet-friendly garden
If you want to create a backyard for your dog or cat, you will need to focus on pet safety as a priority. It’s a good idea to invest in fleabane herbs, in other words, natural flea repellants. Plants such as tansy, wormwood, and sweet bay can discourage fleas and ticks. You can also cut and dry branches to line the bottom of the dog house. In summer, dogs nests in shady areas, so you can avoid messy hole digging by creating a safe and cool pit to lie in. A sandy pit will keep your dog cool and is unlikely to create mud. Last but not least, you want to avoid toxic plants and pesticides. This might need compromising on your flower beds, but you can grow plenty of fragrant kitchen herbs instead!
What does your ideal garden look like? There is no right or wrong when it comes to creating an outdoor space you live. Depending on your priorities and interests, the right garden for your family could be full of flowers or a fun playground area.