How to make your garden part of your home

Whether it’s big or small, having a garden within the confines of your home is a privilege. It’s an outside space you can call your own and for many is an extension of their home. During lockdown of the recent pandemic, it was found that the higher frequency of garden usage during lockdown was associated with better self-rated physical health. Given that the research suggests improvements in wellbeing and both physical and mental health, there are many ways you can spruce up your garden to make the space truly part of your home.

Decide how to use the garden space

The size of your garden may determine what kind of activities you want to do outside. This could be relaxing in the garden when the weather is nice, cooking on a barbecue and dining outside with the family, enjoying a swim in a pool or playing lawn sports. Gardens can have multiple uses and it’s completely up to the family living in the property to decide how they want to use their outside space to it’s advantage.

Look at where the sun shines in the garden

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west giving those with south facing gardens, the most hours of sunlight. When looking to place a patio or decking with a seating area for the family, it’s best to check the sunlight in different areas in the garden to check which areas get the sunshine throughout the day. You may want to sit in the sunshine for breakfast in the morning rather than sit in the evening sunlight with a glass of wine.

Plant your favourite flowers

One of the perks of having your own garden is being able to grow your own flowers. There are hundreds of varieties of flowers to grow which must be planted in the autumn in order to bloom in the spring. This includes dutch tulip bulbs which are beautiful, colourful flowers enjoyed by many in their gardens. Tulips are relatively easy to grow and are available in a brilliant range of colours. Flowers can act as focal points, they can help divide up the space in your garden and can bring many hours of enjoyment both in and outside your home.

Weatherproof your garden

Living in the UK, we all know how wet and miserable the weather can be. We can never really guarantee a hot or dry summer. Therefore, it’s essential to make sure you weatherproof your garden for those days when ideally it should be warm and dry yet the rain clouds roll in and the rain pours down outside. Never leave anything outside that you don’t want to get wet. This includes seating cushions, parasols and other garden furniture.

When you make the garden an extension of your home, the benefits of using the space are plenty. Gardens can give us a great sense of satisfaction and can give us a great deal of enjoyment. But you need to prepare and do your research beforehand to make sure you get the most of your outside space.