If you’re about to whip off your Garland garden furniture covers and send out invites to your first BBQ of the year, you may be looking for easy, affordable ways to liven up your garden. Here are three ideas to get you started.
Give your shed or fence a coat of paint
It’s amazing how easy it is to give a tired-looking shed or fence a new lease of life with just one coat of paint, and there’s less need to be as precise as you might be with interior decoration. Sand rough areas first and use a decent-quality specialist paint. Heritage colours will create a lovely country cottage garden look, while brighter primary colours make a bolder statement.
Plant fast-growing climbers
Clematis Montana, creeping Japanese honeysuckle and Virginia creeper start to cover a wall or fence remarkably quickly, particularly if you put up netting for them to wind along. Russian vine can put on 13ft of growth in a year and has lovely white flowers, but do keep pruning it to tame its tendency to take over. Ivy grows more slowly, but patience will be rewarded with glossy variegated leaves and dense cover.
Bunting
Strings of fabric bunting are readily available online in an impressive range of colour combinations and bring a delightfully celebratory mood to your outdoor space. They are machine washable and come with ties, which make them easy to attach to trees, posts and fences. Plait in strings of solar fairy lights and you have the perfect day-to-night decorations.
With summer approaching, it’s time to make your garden inviting, colourful and full of character.
