With the warm weather and summer approaching, you are likely turning your attention to your outside spaces. Your yard and garden can be one of the most beautiful spots at your home so try to use it to its full potential. There’s nothing like sitting outside with friends and family. Imagine the sun on your back as you revel in a beautiful area that you’ve created yourself, taking in the scents of flowers and eating freshly grilled food. In this article we take a look at how you can turn your outside space from drab to fab. Make it a great functional summer space.
Sort the yard into different areas.
The first thing you need to do when sorting out your outdoor spaces is to segment it according to the different uses you need. If you have children, chances are they have an area they play in. Make a space where they can go on a swing, play football or other games. When you’re trying to relax, you don’t want a ball being kicked past your head. And you don’t want your flowers to get trampled on. With this in mind, you need to create different areas of your garden that are clearly intended for different uses.
Consider creating an area for your flowers, an area for relaxing, and an area where the kids can play. These can be marked with paving stones, a little fence or things like decking or a patio. Once you’ve divided up the areas, you’ll find it much easier to maintain and keep tidy. Plus, everyone enjoy the spaces in their own ways.
Pay attention to your plants.
Your plants may be one of the most important aspects of your garden and they shouldn’t be neglected. Whether you’re green fingered or not, it’s not tough to maintain a garden. If you don’t like gardening, look for plants that are low maintenance. Some require minimal watering and can survive even the harshest weather conditions. This means you can have a nice-looking space without having to do too much upkeep yourself.
It’s a good idea to go to a garden center to speak to an expert and find out what plants will work in your space, your climate, and with the gardening aptitude that you have. This way you don’t have to worry about plants that will need a lot finesse. You could also consider adding a little allotment or vegetable patch to your garden. Grow things such as potatoes and carrots, as well as herbs such as basil, rosemary, and thyme that you can then use in your cooking. If you have any trees, we recommend a leaf blower to stop them getting everywhere. And they keep your garden looking neat and tidy after you mow, too.
Think about the lighting the functional summer space.
The way you light your garden has a big impact on how the space looks and feels. It can be the difference between being a relaxing haven and somewhere that’s dark and not usable once the sun sets. Consider adding in lights such as fairy lights. These create a really warm and cozy glow all around your garden. They can be draped around your fences or pergola and make it look like twinkling stars.
Other lights you can add include stake lights. They can be pushed into the ground and can illuminate your flowers, highlighting the colors, and making for a really beautiful atmosphere. You can also add these to highlight a path. Lighting makes it easier for people to find their way to the house in the dark, which is helpful in any functional summer space.
We recommend spotlights on the ground for this as you can get solar panel ones which make them easy to use and install. It makes for a much nicer walk to the front door when it’s dark, as well as much safer if you are coming home alone.
Ensure you do the upkeep.
One of the hardest parts about making your garden into a functional summer space is actually keeping it that way. A nice garden requires a good amount of upkeep. Make time for everything from keeping your plants and trees pruned and tidy, to the grass mowed and general mess tidied away. If you do regular upkeep on the space, it’s much easier to have it manageable than if you were to leave it all until it really builds up. You could look into hiring a landscaper or someone to come and tidy up your yard if you find you just don’t have the time, but want to keep it all looking as it should.
Invest in storage solutions for your functional summer space.
Storage is another super important element of your yard and garden and keeping a functional summer space nice and tidy. There are a myriad of storage solutions on the market which are ideal for everything from keeping your garden cushions safely stored away, to putting the kids’ toys in them once they’ve finished playing for them. You could invest in a shed or outdoor storage bins with a lid to keep the rain out. These can be made of plastic or wood depending on your budget, the size needed, and what you want the overall look to be.
Don’t compromise on your garden furniture.
Garden furniture can really make or break the space, so you want to carefully choose items you can enjoy for years, fit in your budget, and work in your space. Search sites such as Pinterest or other social media sites, as well as magazines and retailers, to find out what would suit your taste the most. If you plan to host parties, you may want a big dining table and chairs, or if you may want sunbeds to lounge about on. Would you like individual seats or would bench-style seating work? Are you willing to maintain wood furniture or would you rather have something easy to maintain?
These are all things you need to consider to ensure you make the best choice for your outdoor spaces to ensure the yard functions as you’d like. Other items you could get include an outside coffee table or side tables, as well as an outdoor rug that can work to separate the each functional summer space and provide texture underfoot.
Think about how the functional summer spaces will be used.
Why do you use your garden? Do you use it mainly for hosting BBQs and having friends around? Do you use it as a space to escape the mayhem of everyday life with a book and a cocktail? Or do you use it as a play space for your children to enjoy hours of fun? No matter what the main use is of your functional summer space, think about what it’s used for and then design it around this.
If your kids use it, you’re not going to want lots of beautiful plants and elegant furniture, instead you’ll want space for them to run around and kick balls. If you use it for hosting, you can invest a bit more in nice furniture and make the functional summer space look more refined and not worry as much about practicalities.
Look into decking.
Decking is a brilliant way to separate areas of your garden and make for a spot for entertaining. With decking you can easily have patio furniture without worrying about it sinking into the grass, it’s usually easy to clean, and you don’t need to worry about things like mowing it in order for it to be functional. Decking can be easy and inexpensive to do yourself or you can get a professional to do it for you. Take a look at some inspiration online and see how you can make it work within your space.
Maintain your pool.
If you have a swimming pool, you need to get it sorted ahead of time so when the hotter weather is here you can use it right away. You’ll need to give your pool a proper cleaning, so it’s safe and sanitary to use and swim in. Again, we recommend getting a professional if you haven’t used it since last year as they’ll be able to get it scrubbed and looking as good as new.
Get started.
These are just a few things you can do to make your yard and garden into a functional summer space. Whether you’re looking to imbue it with color from flowers, add a herb garden, or tidy it up and add in some furniture, there’s so much you can do.
It’s really easy to neglect your outside space or see it as an add-on to your home. Now is the time to prioritize it so you can really enjoy it. Having a space you can either enjoy alone or shared with others, where you can do what you like, eat food, host parties, or just read a book and enjoy the silence is incomparable.
What are some top tips you have that can make a garden a functional space in time for summer? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.
