A well-maintained garden looks beautiful in the Summer! Unfortunately, many people’s gardens become scruffier during the Winter. Leaves fall off the trees, making them bare, and bright colours disappear as flowers start to wilt. Luckily, there are certain features you can add and things you can do to keep your garden thriving all year. Let’s take a closer look.
Decking
Decking is the ideal place to chat with family and munch on a barbeque in the summer. It can also be used in the winter as a cosy place! You might choose to sit around a fire pit or chill in the hot tub.
Composite decking is slip-resistant and can be used throughout all four seasons. This type of decking requires little maintenance, but it’s smart to sweep away any fallen leaves in the Autumn. Leaves can still cause slipperiness and be a catalyst for mould to grow.
If you’re planning to use your decking on colder days, remove any ice by sprinkling table salt over the top.
Rattan furniture
Your garden isn’t just for the summer! You can sit in it during the colder months as well. Rattan is a popular material used for garden furniture. It’s both durable and weatherproof, making it the ideal material for your garden furniture – especially for our British weather. It’s perfect to have on your decking and is lightweight, so it can be moved if needed.
It’s wise to get a cover for your furniture to give it extra protection from things like rain, mould and bird droppings. Don’t forget pillows and blankets too so you can stay snug and bring them back inside after use.
Garden shed
If you want to sit in your garden but you feel it’s too cold, you could transform your shed into a cosy area. Here’re some ideas:
- If your shed is big enough, add a sofa, heating and a TV to make it into a little cinema room
- If you’re creative, you could turn your shed into a comfortable art studio
- You could transform your shed into an office if you work from home or have children in education. Working in the garden creates a clear line between home life and your job
Many people simply use their garden shed for storage, and this is something you can make use of as well. They’re ideal for keeping your garden tools and other belongings sheltered all year round. If you have minimal storage space in your house, a garden shed can be really useful to reduce clutter.
Lights for all weather
Lighting can be used in many different ways in your garden. Fairy lights can be hung around garden walls, trees and your shed. They look magical in the winter and create a cosy atmosphere in the summer.
If you’re having a party outside in the evening, flood lights can make a huge difference. When buying your lights, make sure they’re suitable for all weather types. Consider buying solar lights as these are good for the environment and are still effective on cloudy days.
Structural Elements
Stone can be used to provide a framework for your garden and split up key areas. Statues, garden walls and paths can be used all year round and can really make a garden stand out.
Long-lasting greenery like hedges and evergreen trees can act as structural elements in your garden. Some holly trees, conifers and fir trees are evergreen and look spectacular in a garden. They look beautiful in the summer months, and many will keep their green colour during the winter months too.
Plants Which Can Be Used All Year Round
As well as evergreen trees, there are other plants you can include in your garden to make it shine. Many hardy shrubs can survive over the Winter. These can come in a range of colours so you can find which of them work best in your garden. Some pretty examples include hydrangea, Viburnum and Camellia.
A plant that thrives throughout the winter is hellebores, also known as a winter rose or Christmas rose. They are a hardy, low maintenance addition to your garden. Holly bushes are another piece of greenery you can add to your garden which can survive in all four seasons. If you’re wanting some berries around the holidays for a pop of colour, be sure to get male and female holly bushes. Hollies are dioecious, meaning they need both male and female plants to cross pollinate to produce berries.
