Enjoy Your Garden All Year Round with these Top Tips
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Whether you love spending time pottering around in your garden, or prefer to sit and relax in the fresh air, having your own outside space is beneficial for both your health and well-being, especially during retirement. Unfortunately, few people are able to spend as much time in their garden as they would like, and this is often due to the weather.
Rainy, windy and cold days can make it impossible to enjoy your backyard, but it doesn’t need to be this way. By making a few changes, you can create a garden that can be used all year round, so you can continue enjoying your outside space, no matter what the weather is doing.
Wondering where to get started? Keep reading to find out how you can make your garden the perfect place to spend time in every season.
Create Shelter
The first thing to do to make your garden usable throughout the entire year is to create a sheltered area. Shelter is crucial for every season to keep you shielded from the cold, rain, and wind in the autumn and winter, and to provide shade from the bright sunlight and heat in the spring and summer.
A sheltered area can be created in a few different ways depending on your budget and the amount of space you have available. If you have a generous budget, introducing a summer house or garden room provides an ideal solution, especially if your garden is sizeable.
If your garden is smaller and you would rather keep costs low, you could create shelter with a covered pergola, a shade sail, or an awning. These less expensive options will keep you dry when it’s raining outside, allowing you to sit outdoors, even on showery days.
Introducing some careful planting is an alternative way to create some extra shelter. Evergreen hedges or bamboo can provide year-round natural shelter in your garden. These are helpful options if you want screening to reduce exposure to the wind, and for some added privacy. Just keep in mind that bamboo can be invasive and spread into neighbouring properties, so it’s important to choose the right variety of this fast-growing plant.
Choose the Right Furniture
Having some form of shelter in your garden is essential to make it usable in all seasons. However, it’s also crucial to introduce some form of seating area so that you can relax and enjoy your time spent outdoors.
Opting for wooden outdoor furniture is an excellent choice for year-round use, as unlike metal outdoor furniture, wood won’t rust. When selecting furniture for your garden, it’s best to opt for high-quality, well-built pieces, as these are far more likely to stand the test of time outside. Your garden furniture is continually exposed to the elements so you need to be sure that it’s capable of withstanding the summer heat and rainfall throughout the year.
Comfort is an essential consideration when choosing garden furniture. If you’re going to be using your outdoor space all year-round, it’s important that it feels as comfortable as possible. To ensure comfort, it’s helpful to think about how you use your outdoor space. Do you like sitting alone in the garden to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet? If so, garden recliners are an ideal choice of seating for you. If you like to entertain friends or work on your hobbies while sitting in the garden, then a generously sized table and chairs set may be ideal for you.
Stay Warm
One of the biggest barriers to using your garden in the autumn and winter is likely to be the cold. No one likes to feel cold, and this can make it impossible to spend as much time outdoors as you would like.
Adding some shelter to your garden will help to keep some of the wind chill at bay. But to stay really warm, you will need to introduce some further changes. A patio heater is one way to stay warm when you’re outside. However, if you’re concerned about the cost of electricity, a chimnea or firepit, could be an ideal alternative to keep the cold at bay.
Introduce Lighting
The summertime is the perfect season to enjoy many hours in your backyard. The long days mean that you have plenty of light to help you see what you’re doing when you’re outside and encourage you to spend as much time as possible outdoors.
Introducing lighting to your garden will help to make it far more usable throughout the year. However, it’s vital that you choose the right lighting for your needs. Adding some fairy lights and outdoor candles can be great for creating atmosphere and making your garden look and feel like a relaxing space. During the dark winter mornings and afternoons, a stronger form of lighting will be needed to help you see what you’re doing. Using spotlights and wall lights in your back garden can solve this issue and provide a strong enough light source for you to continue spending time in your garden, even on cold, dark winter evenings.
For added security when you’re outdoors in the winter, you may wish to have a motion-activated light installed. This will also provide an extra deterrent for intruders and provide greater peace of mind for you when you’re using your garden on dark mornings and evenings.
Final Thoughts
Spending time outdoors in your own outside space is one of life’s great pleasures. Being able to enjoy your garden throughout each month of the year is an excellent way to spend more time doing what you love. Introducing some changes to your outdoor space makes this possible, and allows you to make the most of your garden in every season.
Whether you have a big budget and are able to introduce a garden room for you to sit in during the colder months, or you would prefer to spend less and simply add some shelter and lighting, there are many ways to make your garden usable year-round.
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