Getting your garden ready for summer

Everybody has different tastes and preferences when it comes to a garden, but everyone deserves to have a garden they love and feel at home in.

If you're a nature lover you may want to think about incorporating a range of flowerbeds, plants, trees and bushes into your garden. Depending on the mood that you're aiming to achieve, you could choose a variety of colours, shapes and textures for a diverse garden, or you can choose a range of similar tones and textures to create a specific and consistent mood.

Did you know that the reason the sounds of the ocean are calming is because they actually activates the parasympathetic nervous system? This means that the calming sounds help your body and mind feel at ease, so you can relax and unwind.

Just like how the sound of waves at the beach can have a positive effect on you, the sounds of water at home can also have similar calming effects which is why water features can be a beautiful asset to a relaxing garden. You could choose to incorporate more classical water features, water fountains or a lovely garden pond. Different types of water features require varying levels of maintenance so that is something to consider when making your decisions.

Something else you may want to consider if you like garden water features, is a garden bridge. Garden bridges are our speciality and we lovingly craft each one by hand at our Lincolnshire workshop. We have a range of bridges with different styles, sizes and rail heights. Our current selection of wooden bridges are not limited to the sizes stated. If you would like to talk to us about creating wooden garden bridges crafted to your bespoke requirements, please get in touch.

Something that has become particularly popular ever since the height of the Covid pandemic are garden bars. Garden bars can be as simple or extravagant as you like, and can be a great way to socialise with friends and family. The base of your garden bar could be anything from an old shed or a small wooden bar space, all the way up to a specific built-for-purpose bar.

Some things to consider when creating a garden bar:

Location Location, Location! Think about the location of your garden bar in terms of how much sun you want to be on the bar, the proximity to your kitchen for top-ups and cleaning, and also in relation to your seating area.

Storage! To avoid needing to pop back to the kitchen too often, think about what storage you might need to incorporate into your bar. Ice buckets, wicker baskets, shelves and cupboards are a good place to start.

It's important to think about where you're going to be sitting in your lovely garden. Whether you enjoy just relaxing in the sunshine, sitting out with a good book, enjoying a glass of wine with friends, or savouring a lovely meal with the family, your seating plays a significant role in the time you spend outside.

For more detailed advice on seating and socialising, take a look at our previous blog guide here.

When it comes to creating different zones within your garden, it's important to think about the different purposes your garden might have. Here are just a few ideas to help you think of what zones you might want to feature:

• Child-friendly Area

• Peaceful or Zen Area

• Green or Nature-focused Area

• Fire Pit or BBQ Area

• Seating or Dining Area

• Sun soaking Area

Then in terms of dividing your garden into different zones, there are lots of options, many of which can be used in unison. These are some of our favourites ways to divide different garden zones:

• Stone Pathways

• Using different floor materials to define the different zones

• Using water to divide areas

• Creating raised or lowered areas

• Using Colour to differentiate different zones

• Garden Arches