If you have a front and/or backyard where you live, this is a valuable asset that many people would be envious of. Yet we are often guilty of neglecting these precious outdoor spaces and not using them to our advantage. The main problem is that most people’s lives are already so full of responsibilities that it can seem like a real chore to add gardening to the list. Far too many households pay the kid next door to mow the lawn on the weekends and call it good. If this is how you feel about your outside space, you might want to reconsider when you find out what you’re missing out on.
Why you should start gardening
There are two aspects of living a healthier lifestyle that are woefully neglected in modern life, namely exercise and relaxation. The great thing about gardening is that it provides you with both of these; digging, planting, and landscaping can work up a good sweat, whilst seed sowing, deadheading and weeding can induce an almost trance-like state of relaxation. The popularity of gardening amongst those who have tried it bears witness to the benefits and enjoyment of getting down and dirty in your backyard. If you have a go at growing your own vegetables, you’ll also have a tasty and highly rewarding crop of delicious food to eat come harvest time.
Where do you begin?
If you’ve got the resources and you genuinely don’t have the enthusiasm to get your outside spaces sorted out to start with, then contact a landscape gardener or designer to come and have a look at your space. They will have a good idea of how to lay out the garden to make it functional and attractive, and fit in with the level of maintenance you are happy to take on. If you can afford to hire a gardener to take care of your space, then you could go for pretty much any design you like. An average garden will need attention for around eight hours a week minimum, so you can work out what your budget would be forgetting someone in, or calculate how much time you could devote yourself, and then adjust the design and planting plan accordingly.
Hands off or hands on?
The amount of work you want to do yourself will depend on how interested you are and what you want to pay someone else to do for you. This is very much a matter of your personal choice, but don’t dismiss gardening as something you wouldn’t be interested in before you’ve given it a go. Remember, a lot of people who dismiss golf as being a waste of time soon become hooked when they try it and realize what an addictive sport it is! Try your hand at all the different aspects of gardening and see what you enjoy most and what you can happily outsource. Ponds can be fascinating and rewarding projects. Whether you choose to have one filled with fish, or a haven for wildlife, you’ll have plenty of interest in your garden. Vegetable and fruit growing are one of the most satisfying pastimes, because you get all the benefits of engaging with gardening, but you also get to eat the results – and it’s true what they say about home-grown veg, it really can taste better than store-bought.
Add value to your home
You might not be planning to move any time soon, but any investment you make now into sprucing up your outside spaces will be repaid if you do sell. You’ve probably come across the notion of curb appeal, that all-important first impression when prospective buyers drive past your home. It’s a crucial moment, which gives buyers clues as to how well the house will have been cared for, as well as making your home look more desirable. Viewers who are faced with tatty, overgrown backyards or barren patches of dirt will be thinking about how much work they’ll have to do to make the space look good, and that will affect the asking price of your home. If you’re stuck for ways to make an effective change, check out some landscaping ideas on the internet and get some inspiration for transforming your frontage.
Have a party!
If you tidy up your outside space, you can hold some memorable social gatherings with family and friends. A patio area for the barbecue, some shady seating areas, and an attractive view are all key requirements for an enjoyable party. You could have a beer tasting party, where everyone contributes a different craft beer – this will work well now there are so many small breweries making their own ales. If you’re very clever, you could set up your own putting green on your lawn – or even pitch and putt if you have a large enough space. This would provide you with hours of entertainment when you’re home alone, a fun activity for the kids, and make a perfect feature for a party. Of course, you’ll also have to improve your greenkeeping skills, which might make you more appreciative of the work the professionals do!
Keep your new spaces looking good
When the new plants are in, the fresh turf laid, and everything starts growing and flourishing, you will have a beautiful garden that is a pleasure to be out in. What you mustn’t then do is just leave your garden to fend for itself. Whether you employ someone to do it for you, pay the kids some pocket money to help out, or do everything yourself, you have to make sure the plants are cared for and everything is maintained. A beautiful border can quickly turn into an unattractive sprawl of dead sticks and rampaging weeds if you don’t take care of it, but a few minutes here and there and a couple of hours on a weekend will keep everything ship-shape.
If you’ve been neglecting your outside spaces, do something about it now. There are many advantages to having garden areas and plenty of ways in which to create an attractive and useful space that adds value to your home and your life.
