Landscaping for Lackeys – Everyone Can be a Designer!

Cast your eye over your garden. Could it do with a little TLC? Many people feel like they would like to rejuvenate their outdoor space but are a little overwhelmed at the task. A complete garden overhaul is going to be expensive and it’ll take a lot of time too, so it’s easy to put it off and just do nothing instead.

Hiring a landscape gardener is a luxury that not many of us can afford, but you don’t have to! When we tell you how easy it is to spruce up your garden you’ll be amazed. The trick is to take it step by step. Tackling the whole garden in one go will be a mammoth task. Take a piece of paper, draw a plan of your garden and divide it up into manageable chunks. Set yourself the goal of improving one of these chunks every week, or even every month, and before you know it your whole garden will be transformed! Here are some great ideas for features you can install, even on a low budget:

A Rockery

A rockery is a fantastic and low maintenance addition to any garden – especially areas that don’t get a lot of sunlight or that are difficult to mow. Firstly, clear the area of any plants and weeds. Get a load of rocks – you’ll pick them up really cheaply at a reclamation yard or a builder’s merchants. Don’t arrange the rocks too neatly – they need to look a bit haphazard for this look! Then, find plants that you know will thrive in a rockery environment and plant them up.

A Pond

Ponds are wonderful in gardens. They attract so many different species of wildlife and if you have kids they’ll love learning all about the pond life. Simply dig out a pit, and line it with some heavy duty liner. This is really easy and cheap to get hold of. Let the liner spill out over the top and then cover the excess overlay with some soil. Once you’re happy that it’s waterproof, grab the hose and start filling! Take a trip to your local aquarium centre where you’ll find goldfish and other creatures to set free into the pond. Grab some plants like water lilies to fill the pond up – they will spread in no time, making your pond beautifully rich with plants and insects. Those with very young children or dogs sometimes pop netting over the pond for safety.

An Edible Garden

Growing herbs for the kitchen is a really satisfying use of any garden. Grab some seeds for your favourite ones and get planting! Herbs are really hardy and they make a brilliant fresh addition to any meal. Pick herbs such as oregano, mint, thyme, rosemary, basil and chives for a great assortment. Keep your herb garden to one area to help your garden look organised and well-tended.

Transforming your garden is easy if you take it in little steps. You should be making the most of your precious piece of land, so break it down and get digging!

Today’s featured writer, Jenny Wadlow, works as a land surveyor for Jac Surveyors. She is a keen blogger and loves to share interesting details and insight about surveys.You can follow her on twitter@JennyWadlow.

Featured images:

License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://pixabay.com/en/garden-bench-garden-terrace-102320/
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source
License: Creative Commons image source