New Year, New Garden?
If all you want for Christmas is a smart looking outdoor space, then you are going to need to do a bit more than simply rely on a letter to Santa! With the New Year bringing with it a rush of "out with the old and in with the new" good intentions, make 2009 the year that you secure the garden of your dreams!...
Whilst we're in the thick of winter, thoughts of revamping the garden may not be at the top of your action list, but the reality is that this is exactly the time you should be taking stock of your outdoor space. All too often we only evaluate our gardens when the temperatures begin to soar and then suddenly the pressure is on to get the work completed at break neck speed.
The best approach to achieving your perfect garden is not to rush it. Plan well ahead and think about the key criteria for your outside living area. Here's a basic check list of points to consider to get the thought process started:
- Safety and security: is the garden safe and secure? Do the boundary lines/fencing need attention? Have there been recent additions to the family which mean the outdoor pond is now a potential hazard? Are there any precarious trees which need removing? Can more be done to discourage unwanted intruders from your outdoor space?
- Sanctuary: does the garden offer sufficient privacy from the outside world? What could be done to enhance your outdoor room's "secluded haven" credentials? Could you introduce additional shelter features?
- Entertainment zone: how easy is to entertain friends and family in the garden? Is there a natural space to entertain? How accessible is it to the kitchen? Is it big enough to accommodate your average regular number of guests? Is it sited in the right place ie warm but with some natural shelter
- Lighting: could you improve upon the existing lighting scheme for your garden? Are there particular features that could benefit from additional accent lighting? Do you have security lighting? Are you using the most cost efficient form of lighting?
- Future perfect: how environmentally friendly is your garden? Could more be done to encourage visiting wildlife? Does it feature materials which have been responsibly sourced? Could you introduce new recycling initiatives into your outdoor space?
- Maintenance matters: do you need to spend less time maintaining your outdoor room? Are you looking to introduce improved low maintenance features into the garden eg additional hard landscaping, raised beds, mowing strips, an automatic irrigation system, planting of more resilient trees and shrubs?
Once you've identified exactly what changes you need to make to achieve your ideal outdoor space, it's time to convert those thoughts into reality. Aside from the obvious arrival of 2009 and all the good intentions that come with the start of a brand new year, winter is an ideal time to initiate the transformation of your house?s exterior living space for a whole host of reasons. Firstly most plants are dormant at this time of year so if the proposed garden make-over project involves a lot of cutting back of existing stock, it is more likely that the trees/plants will be able to survive this intervention and any other disruption caused by machinery etc. Also rather than having to plant out new trees and hedges from pots, in winter it is possible - and preferable - to use bare rooted stock. In addition to establishing early successful growth your pocket will benefit too, as bare rooted stock is traditionally cheaper to buy than pot grown trees and hedges.
Whatever the scale of project, you need to prepare yourself for some degree of disruption if work is to be carried out on the garden. If you can organise for the hard labour to be conducted during the winter months, you will minimise the interference to you and your family, as it is unlikely that you'll be spending as much time outside at this time of year.
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