With summer approaching, something that a lot of us plan on doing is hosting some get-togethers and BBQs with our friends and family. Thanks to the strict rules we have all had to follow since 2020, this may be the first summer in a while where you are able to have guests over and hang out.
However, we have just come out of winter and we all know what that means a neglected garden. When aren’t spending time in our gardens, we often just forget that they are there and we do not put as much thought as we maybe should into keeping them tidy and ready to host at all times.
Admittedly, we can all get lazy, which means that a lot of us have left unprotected furniture in our gardens since last summer. This means that even if you had the perfect garden last year, it is now looking a bit worse for wear and it is not in the place that we would have liked.
If you spent a bunch of money doing your garden up during the start of the lockdown, then the idea of doing it again may make you feel nauseous. Especially as the last year has been hard on us all financially, with the cost of everything going up and the likelihood of getting a well-paying job decreasing.
Well, nobody said that you have to spend a lot to have a brilliant garden and you can actually create a perfect outdoor space, no matter what your budget is. Here are some easy ways to improve your garden on a budget.
Plant Wild Flowers
A staple part of any excellent garden is a flower bed. Flower beds are brilliant, as they add some extra life and a pop of colour to your garden. However, unless you already have a flower bed in your garden, they can be hard and expensive to set up. Some of us were not born with a natural green thumb and we simply do not have the time to create an entire flower bed.
If you can relate to this, then you probably think that your garden will forever be void of beautiful floristry. This is not the case at all and if you have a patch of grass in your garden, then you can make a natural area full of wildflowers. You can buy packs of seeds that come with an array of flower seeds included within, so you will have a good mixture of seeds to choose from.
Not only will naturally arranging wildflowers make your garden look great, but wildflowers are also crucial to the survival of important species such as bees and so you will be helping the environment.
Get a Family Sized BBQ
Arguably, one of the best parts about summer is being able to host and attend BBQs. There is nothing better than getting a fresh slab of meat straight from a BBQ and absolutely nothing compares to it. If you want to host a BBQ this year, you may be tempted to just buy a standard BBQ and then replace it this time next year. However, buying terrible and small BBQs will only be a nuisance that won’t last, which doesn’t make them worth the money that you will spend on them. We all want a BBQ and you don’t always have to spend a fortune to get this for example you can build a backyard BBQ for pretty cheap if you know how to go about it the right way.
You can actually build a pretty simple BBQ using brick and a grill. This BBQ should be able to stand the test of time and you will be able to use it for BBQs in years to come.
Thrift a Seating Area
If you plan on hosting BBQs, then it is likely that you are going to have guests that you will need to seat. If you go to any garden center or furniture store, they will try and sell you outdoor seating at an extortionate price.
You can expect to pay hundreds for a brand new seating arrangement, which a lot of us simply cannot afford right now. Instead of paying all of that money, you should instead try to thrift a seating arrangement. If you take a look at places such as Facebook marketplace or eBay, you are bound to find lots of people trying to get rid of their furniture for a low price.
This furniture might now be in the best condition, but there is nothing that a bit of TLC cannot fix and so you can easily transform some rundown seating into something that really makes your garden look fantastic. If you do not trust online sellers, then why not head to your local thrift store and see what you can find?