Transform your garden with some quick fixes

We’ve all done it: promised ourselves we’ll have the garden looking shipshape before the barbecue season really gets underway – and then suddenly realise we’ve left it all a bit too late. If you’ve invited friends and family around for a summer party but feel your garden needs a quick facelift, here are some simple solutions that will transform your outside space in an instant!

Making an entrance

Invest in a couple of huge galvanised-steel planters to place either side of your front door. Plant with a couple of matching structural plants, like clipped topiary cones or box balls, or architectural shrubs like a yucca or evergreen euphorbia, to give a strong visual focus for visitors to your home.

Patio power

If your patio is looking a little lacklustre put aside an afternoon and create some colourful containers. A large bag of compost, a variety of pots and containers and a selection of potted plants is all you need.

Think of ways you can bring your pots higher off the ground to really get them noticed, like placing them on a small patio table. For extra dramatic effect arrange containers of different sizes together, filled with single-coloured plants. All white can look really stunning and will brighten up a gloomy corner.

Relax in style

If your garden furniture has seen better days, one of the most immediate ways to give your garden a boost is to buy some stunning new loungers. Look out for all the vibrant colours available right now like fuchsia, lime green and orange. Put on your shades, lie back and enjoy!

Accessories

ry and think beyond planting and furniture to give your garden a new look. Decorative elements in the garden are entirely personal, a great talking point and are all about enjoying your outside space.

• Water features. If you’ve already got power outside it’s easy to get a water feature up and running in no time at all. There’s something intrinsically pleasing about watching and listening to running water. Choose between modern and classic designs, depending on the style of your garden.
• Wind chimes. Soothing and calming, wind chimes will help to being harmony to your garden. They are also said to bring good luck. There’s an unbelievable choice available, from classic bamboo chimes to colourful stained glass floral motifs.
• Sculptures and decorative art. Sculpture has always been used to help decorate gardens, and there are plenty of inexpensive classic designs available to buy. Or look out for something more wild and surreal like a large metal gecko to put on a wall or fence, or a couple of metal sheep grazing on your lawn! Perhaps your children have bought home some robust makes from school that you could hang from a tree. Use your imagination and make your garden your own!