Getting Your Garden Ready For Summer
With warmer weather making more of an appearance recently, it’s the perfect time to get your garden ready for summer. Doing the work as early as possible, means that you’ll have more time to enjoy your efforts!
Preparation is key, so here are some of our ideas to help spruce up your garden to get ready for sunny days and warm evenings outside.
THE BIG TIDY UP
Emerging from winter months, your garden may look very deflated and drab. But there are lots of smaller garden jobs that can make a huge difference, just in time for summer. It’s time to banish those weeds and give some love back to your lawn.
Start off by clearing up any dead leaves or stalks that have fallen to the ground. Not only can they clutter up the ground, they can harbour diseases that may damage any healthy plants left in your garden. Trim back any plants or bushes that are a little overgrown to open up your outdoor space.
Remove any dead plants or flowers from flower beds that may not have survived the colder weather. This makes room for more healthy and colourful plants to brighten up the space instead. If you’d like to add even more plants or shrubs to your outdoor space, planters can be a good way to do so. The hard part will be deciding what to fill them with!
If the weather is dry, you could mow the lawn too. This instantly helps to make your garden look more neat and tidy, as the overgrown jungle feeling will disappear. If you have any landscaping, a good sweep or wash down will also bring some life back into your garden. When using cleaning products, make sure they are right for the surface you are cleaning and avoid any surviving plants.
Tidying the garden can seem like a huge chore, but once you’ve completely refreshed your space, it’s a lot easier to keep on top of it in future.
CLEAR THE ESSENTIALS
Soon enough, the summer season will creep upon us. But are your essentials ready to make the most of when the sun comes out?
Cleaning the BBQ
It’s a job that many people are not a fan of, but it’s got to be done in preparation for a fantastic summer. Depending on which type of BBQ you have and how it’s been stored, it could actually be a smaller job than you think.
If you have a masonry BBQ, it’s likely that you will have very little to do. You may just need to remove any rust that has formed in wet weather conditions. Give your BBQ a dust down and thorough clean before use, then cover and store it in readiness for summer.
Giving your BBQ a good spring clean is a job worth doing, and you’ll be glad that it’s ready for inviting friends and relatives over to enjoy a good feast together.
Clear out the shed
During winter, sheds can be used to store a lot of odd gardening items, which can result in cluttered and mess. It’s normally a good idea to start by removing everything from your shed, and sorting items into ‘keep’ and ‘don’t keep’ piles.
Clean the inside of the shed with a broom and dustpan and brush. If it looks as though you will be putting a lot of items back into the shed, you could add some shelves for additional storage space. At this point, it would be a good time to also clean and sharpen any garden tools, ready to be used during the summer.
When you place items back into the shed, try to organise them into relevant categories. These categories will largely depend on your gardening activities, but some ideas are; potting and planting, mowing, outdoor kitchen, outdoor cleaning, garden tools.
Try to be ruthless and clear out as much as possible. The more space you have in your shed, the more likely you are to be able to easily get in to access the items you need over the summer season, rather than avoiding entering!
Prepare to entertain
With restrictions now lifting, it looks more and more likely that garden parties and get-togethers will be a popular occurrence this summer. Therefore, you should have plenty of seating space ready for the guests that you can expect to come and visit.
Wooden tables and chairs are a classic addition to gardens; providing both seating and somewhere to eat or place drinks when entertaining. Wooden furniture is a great option, as it goes well with many styling options and is a very durable material. If treated with specialist products, you can also prolong the life of your furniture.
If you need additional seating, benches and companion chairs are ideal and can be placed around your garden, wherever you have space available. This is perfect for if you are planning to socialise but are not planning to eat with your guests. Opting for the same material as your table and chairs will give a unified look and create a consistent theme throughout your garden.
Take a look at our full garden furniture range here.
SUN TRAP CENTRAL
Have you ever had the perfect weather for sitting or sunbathing in your garden appear out of nowhere, but didn’t have the furniture to fully enjoy it? You may have even tried to find outdoor furniture at that time, but many people quickly discover that it is sold out in all stores. Don’t let that happen for another year!
As you spend more time outside, you’ll quickly realise where the sun hits your garden during the day and where it remains the longest. With furniture that can be easily moved around, you can adjust your position throughout the day. At Dako Home we’ve got all of the sun trap essentials you need, including parasols for when you need some shade too.
The sunny weather is definitely making more of an appearance recently, so make sure you are prepared with your sun trap essentials.
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MAKE IT MULTI-FUNCTIONAL
Your garden doesn’t just have to be for entertaining and enjoying the sun, there's so much more you can do to make the most of the space.
Grow your own area
With more people becoming conscious of sustainability, ‘grow your own’ areas are becoming more popular, allowing people to become a little more self-sufficient.
Mini pop-up greenhouses, planters and vegetable patches take up a small (or large if you like!) amount of garden space, but are a great way to grow your favourite vegetables or herbs for cooking. You will definitely taste the difference and it can be a good activity to plant and grow your own fresh produce; especially if you have children who can help and learn during the process.
Create an outdoor kitchen space
Al-fresco dining is one of the highlights of summer. Enjoying gorgeous summer food in the fresh air is something many people look forward to.
If you enjoy entertaining with food, having a dedicated outdoor kitchen area can be really handy. From space-saving table top bbqs and pizza ovens, to larger gas BBQs and wall shelves for utensils. Portable trolleys can come in really handy for extra surface space and for creating a home to any essential BBQ tools, cutlery, serving plates and cleaning essentials.
Personalising both small or large spaces to suit your needs is possible and makes cooking outdoors a lot more fun and enjoyable.
Add lights for evening entertaining
Who said the fun has to stop at sundown? Fairy lights, wall lights or solar lights are all great options to provide a cosy atmosphere for evening entertainment and for enjoying your garden after sunset.
Lights are a great way to create a relaxing feel in the evening and don’t need to take up any space in your garden.
Solar lights are also a low maintenance option, as once they are placed, you won’t need to worry about changing any batteries.
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BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE
On the topic of sustainability, we’ve got some more ideas for those who are looking to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Set up a composting area
If you are an avid gardener and enjoy planting and potting, composting could be a great way to start becoming more sustainable in your garden.
A composting area could be as simple as buying a ready-made compost bin, or you can build your own using a small amount of wood.
Storing your organic waste in a compost bin will eventually break down into a lovely, rich compost. This can then be used on your plants and flowers, providing nutrients that they will thrive on.
Things you can add to your compost bin include; grass cuttings, vegetable peelings, paper and wood cuttings. To help with the composting process, you will need to turn the compost every month with a garden fork. This will keep it aerated and help the waste to break down.
Collect rainwater
Installing a water butt to collect rain water is also another way to become a little more sustainable in your garden. The best time to install a water butt is before autumn and winter, as this is when we get the most rainfall. However, there’s never a bad time to start collecting and becoming more environmentally friendly.
In summer, demand for water increases and causes water companies to resort to groundwater reserves and streams. This can be harmful to the environment and can also be more costly for customers.
If you choose to install a water butt, position it underneath a downpipe from your home or shed. You’ll then have your own reserve for watering your plants when they need it during the warmer months.
We would love to see your garden preparations for summer, so please tag us in your images on Facebook (@dakohome) or Instagram (@dako_furniture).
If you need help or assistance with choosing garden furniture, contact our customer service team today. Either call, email or fill out our contact form here.