With warmer weather slowly approaching, I’m sure we are all desperate to get out into our gardens and finally be able to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. Many people will be wanting to prepare their garden and make it look beautiful, but won’t have much of a budget. This is not a problem at all, as these 7 simple hacks will help you to transform your backyard ready for summer without needing to spend much money.
You will soon see what a big difference these things will make. If you are prepared to invest a small amount of money, and quite a bit of time, you will have your garden of dreams.
Hire A Jet Washer
A jet washer can completely transform the appearance of your garden. If you don’t own one, you could either borrow one from a friend or you can actually hire them for a day or a weekend which works out much cheaper than paying someone to come and do the job. It is so simple, anyone can do it.
Once the jet washer is set up according to the instructions, you can jet wash your patios to remove dirt, grime and mould. You can also clean up garden furniture, fences, plant pots, trampolines, paddling pools and so much more! Basically, anything that looks like it needs a little refresh can be jet washed.
Some jet washers can be extremely powerful, so make sure that you are using the appropriate setting for what you are cleaning. For example, flimsy fences wont fare very well with the most powerful setting! You will be surprised at how different your garden looks after giving it a good clean.
Tidy Up Any Flower Beds and Bushes
Next, focus on the flower beds and bushes. Pop on a pair of gloves and pull up any weeds and plant a few new flowers to fill some gaps. Then, take shears and trim down the bushes to make your garden look bigger, or just give them a very small trim if you like the more wild look.
Now you can create a neat border where the soil meets the grass, otherwise known as edging. If you haven’t edged your garden before, take a hose and lay it down where you want the edging to be as a rough guide. If you are just refreshing work you’ve done before, this won’t be needed.
Work your way around the garden using a small spade or edging tool and move along the line you have set out, pushing the tool directly downwards for a nice clean edge. This will make your garden look so much neater and won’t cost you anything. If you don’t have any appropriate tools, speak to neighbours or friends as someone will have something useful.
Grow A Herb Garden
Growing a herb garden not only looks fantastic, but it will bring beautiful eromas into your garden and will ensure you have a constant supply of fresh herbs. The great thing about this is you can buy seeds very cheap and plant them in pots, directly into the soil or into a trough.
Just make sure your herbs have access to some sunshine, the pots have drainage holes and you use some fertiliser or compost to help them reach their potential. The instructions on the seed packets will help you determine how far apart they need to be planted.
Paint Decking and Garden Furniture
When people are clearing out their garages in the spring, they will often find unwanted leftover paint that they sell or giveaway online. So, look on places like Facebook Marketplace or Ebay to find cheap paint that will help to transform your decking and garden furniture.
Decide on a colour scheme and start your search. Once you have found the paint that you’re looking for, give all your furniture and decking if you have a good couple of coats. Make sure you have enough paint to do this properly!
You will have nice fresh looking furniture without having to spend a fortune on paint.
Look After The Lawn
The appearance of the lawn can completely change how a garden looks. To get your lawn looking great for summer, remove as much lawn weed as possible using a rake, or a specific chemical treatment if required.
Next, aerate your lawn by using a thin pitchfork to gently make holes in the grass, down into the soil. This helps to let any stale carbon dioxide out of the soil and also to let oxygen into the soil, which is great for overall lawn health and growth. Doing this once a year should really help to transform your lawn.
Again, both of these things cost next to nothing, and although they might take a bit of time, they will help you to make the most of your garden this summer.
Have The Exterior of The House Cleaned
We often neglect the exterior of our houses, yet this is a big mistake as not having them professionally cleaned can cause quite significant damage. If untreated, this could cause serious problems further down the line.
Things like mould, animal secretement, dirt and moss can cause damage, as well as make the house look quite dirty.
So, if you make any investment when it comes to your garden, make sure you have a professional come to clean the exterior of the house, like the team at Locus Services. They will identify any problems early on which will save you a lot of money further down the line. Also, the house will look beautiful and it will help to brighten up the garden.
Hire a professional exterior cleaner and if any further services are needed, for example pigeon guano removal or gutter cleaners, they can inform you of that. This small investment will certainly be worth it in the future and your house will look good as new this summer.
Build Pallet Furniture
If you are looking for new garden furniture but don’t want to spend a fortune, then you should consider building pallet furniture. It is extremely on trend at the minute, it looks beautifully rustic and you can build it to suit the shape of your garden.
All you need is wooden palettes, chalk paint, an electric drill and screws. There are plenty of tutorials online about how to build pallet furniture, then you can just finish it off with a few blankets and scatter cushions.
This can completely transform the appearance of your garden for very little money. Many people actually give pallets away for free online, so keep your eye out and you are likely to find what you’re looking for!
Final Thoughts
Overall, you don’t need to spend a fortune in order to make your backyard look amazing. Be prepared to invest some time and to get your hands dirty, and you will soon begin to see your lovely garden coming together ready for the warmer weather!