Guest Post: How to Improve Your Garden During the Summer

Getting your garden into the perfect state may seem a daunting task but with hard work and commitment it can be achieved. With summer now upon us, this is the ideal time to be digging up weeds, planting seeds and bringing your garden to life.

Garden Vegetables

Follow these tips to get started.

Flowers and Vegetables

Nothing shows you look after your garden more than decorative flowers and plants. During the summer, you get the best chance to blossom beautiful flowers such as the Goblin Blanket Flower or Red Valerian. There is simply no excuse to not beautify your garden today.

Foliage plants are arguably easier to maintain and bring a solid colourful base to your garden. This helps you get an even look, where you can equally distribute ornamental plants alongside the ‘filler’ content. But as much as you would like an attractive garden filled with flowers, it’s vital to leave enough space to grow vegetables.

In order to produce the best crops in your garden, you must plan in advance exactly what you are going to plant. The ideal warm-season vegetables include beans (lima beans specifically), tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, carrots and more. These require long periods of sunlight so make sure they are exposed to natural sources of heat.

It’s also important to plant after the last spring frost date as frost can severely damage any growth. By maintaining a warm temperature and warmer soil, in a few months’ time you should see great results, ensuring your vegetables are ripe for picking.

Enhancing Furniture and Adornments

The right type of furniture and decorations are necessary to accentuate a healthy and well-looked-after garden. When the sun comes out, make sure you make the most of it by having the right type of garden furniture for you.

Hosting an outdoor party or spending the day in the garden can be a more relaxing affair when you have the right fixtures for you and your guests. By investing in a garden dining table, you can mix and match style with practicality and choose what suits you best. At an open party, it’s best to have a few picnic benches as well as parasols to complete the look.

You can also add extra features such as a sofa combination and even foldable stools. Storage options are equally important and to avoid cluttering your garden when guests arrive, invest in a storage bench where unused items can go inside and be hidden from sight.

It’s not just furniture you should look at, as having surrounding decorations can really give your garden a lively expression. Introduce simple things such as decorative lighting, water fountains, box fire-pits or even add a bit of extra elegance by adding one of the garden arches available from Wickes.

Installing an arch will not only bring an interesting feature into your garden, it’s also useful for greeting incoming guests. Furthermore, with the ability to plant colourful flowers such as clematis or jasmine, you can be sure it will leave a lasting effect. The refreshing scent from the latter provides an extra kick to your garden too.

Garden Arch

Protection & Preservation

Many summer gardens are partially destroyed due to a lack of care and effort once the work is complete. Once you begin creating a garden, you’ll need to keep track of vegetable growth and any hindrances that may affect your plants. With many pests that are difficult to get rid of, you will have to be on guard at all times in order to safeguard your garden.

Avoid pesticides as most contain harsh toxins which can leave chemical residue on vegetables. There is a safer alternative in homemade pesticides which include oil spray, a mixture of water and cooking oil; shampoo spray and red pepper spray. These natural resources will keep bugs at bay as well as preserve your vegetable and plants purity.

These tips should bring out the green fingers in you and ultimately help you have an enjoyable summer outside with your family and friends. By following these simple steps, your garden can go from being a seldom used outlet to a family favourite room.

Author: Hiten Patel

Photos: Woodley Wonderworks, Jill Clardy