You don’t have to spend a fortune or all your spare time on your garden. If yours needs a pick-up in time for Christmas, these easy weekend projects won’t break the bank and will still leave you time to enjoy a cosy Sunday roast…
1. Paint your fencing
The British weather can have a damaging effect on any garden so all timber needs a bit of TLC from time to time. A simple coat of wood treatment can prolong the life of your fence and leave it looking much fresher. With a range of colours on the market, you can transform the look of your garden, all for relatively little cost.
2. Refresh with decorative aggregates
Make your garden easier to maintain by replacing grass with decorative aggregates. This space has been given a contemporary facelift by switching lawn for a local gravel and elegant grasses, which are great for drought resistance and don’t need regular mowing! Gravel provides better drainage than paving and is a great value option for large spaces.
Tall grasses with chippings – an easy maintenance alternative to lawn
3. Add a garden structure for a focal point
A stunning pergola retreat
Focal points help guide your eyes through your garden, entice you into the space and add your personal character and style. Sit and stand in places where you are most likely to look at your garden and visualise where you would like to lead the eye. Consider statement planting, a winding path and seating or timber structures. This path leading to a pergola creates an appealing place to relax.
4. Clean up your driveway or patio
Natural stone can be prone to build up of stains, mould, algae and residue that can be difficult to shift with water alone. If your driveway or patio is looking under the weather, there are lots of products that can make light work of cleaning it up. To give long term protection to natural stone and make maintenance easier, pre-sealing is generally recommended.
5. Tidy your borders and beds
Iris Reticulata – image courtesy of Gardenista
Autumn is a great time to clear borders, separate perennials, dig in organic matter and plant bulbs for the spring before the ground hardens. If you have old shrubs that have been looking scraggy, now is the time to dig them up. All plants have a natural life-span and removing these will create space for other plants to flourish.
We love these miniature irises which will give you delicate blooms in stunning colours from late January. If you’re fed up of weeding, think about laying down a geotextile round your shrubs or adding a layer of bark or mulch to supress growth.
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