For most people, the size of the garden is a huge selling point if they are planning to buy a property. It’s not just the idea that if you have a garden, children have a place to play. A little bit – or a lot – of land that you own is something to be proud of, and you want to be able to maximize on the space you have and not let it go to waste. There are so many ways you can use a garden and stripping the whole thing back to basics and starting from scratch is the smart thing to do. It’s your piece of private outdoor space to do what you want with and that begins from the ground up. Doing up the garden can be as fun as doing up any room in the house, but are you ready for the challenge?

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Some people decide to fully landscape their garden into one that is low maintenance. This generally is for those who have no real interest in gardening but still want to use the outside space for children, barbecues and generally having the outdoor area to entertain friends. This can be anything from laying patterned gravel like this to tarmacking the entire area so it’s got a slight bounce – great for children to play. Low maintenance gardens are great for people who don’t have time for the upkeep of planting flowers or vegetables and generally want to be able to tidy the space up quickly.

There are those who want a fully green garden packed with seasonal flowers, lawn and a vegetable patch to grow peppers and onions. Generally, these gardens are very high maintenance and require a few hours work every week to maintain their colour. Sprinklers in the summer and watering cans for the hanging plants are a feature and the pride in the outdoor setting is obvious. A fully bloomed garden is beautiful and smells amazing in the summer months, and it’s also a very peaceful place to sit and just be. There are some amazing ways you can maximize on the space you have in your garden, whether it’s a tiny little patio area or half a football field attached to the rear of your home and with these three fab ideas, you can use the garden in the way you have always dreamed:

[Photo courtesy of Leonid Dzhepko/wikimedia.org]

Planting is one of the most popular activities in a garden. You could choose to landscape your garden with a lawn and edge the entire thing with border flowers that relate to the season. If your garden space is a little smaller than you would like but you have big dreams for it, don’t grow around, grow UP! Adding fencing and bamboo can see some beautiful climbing ivy and other plants through the year growing upward in your garden. You can also plant squash and variations of beans and cucumber if a vegetable garden is something that interests you. Making a tepee of climbing plants for your garden can give it a green glow all year round. Don’t forget to invest in the right equipment though, you’ll need mowers and tools for your garden to keep it in tip top shape.

[Photo courtesy of Kaboompics // Karolina/pexels.com]

Entertaining friends at home is always a pleasure, but being able to spill out into the garden is even better. If you have gone for a low maintenance garden, you’re likely to be lacking much in the way of greenery and colour outside. Adding solar lights, bunting and fake bushes like these ones can add some beauty to an otherwise plain garden. Build your own brick barbecue and think about having inflatable hot tubs on standby to get out when guests are over. Drinks on a chilly New Year’s Even can be so much better when you’re relaxing in the warm bubbles of your new hot tub and eating tasty burgers from the new barbecue! Maximizing your garden for entertainment is a way to make the space you have somewhere you want to be. There’s no use having extra land if you can’t use it to make yourself happy and entertaining guests in a unique way is the best. Invite them over and remind them to bring their swimwear!

One of the most popular ways to maximize the garden space is to build on it. Not just plant and flower boxes, but conservatories. When you have a lot of land in the back of the house, you have the opportunity to attach what ends up being an entirely new room onto the house. This not only adds value to the house as a whole, but it gives you that extra dining room/play room/craft space you’ve always imagined you could have. A conservatory is a fantastic idea if you live in an area that is heavy with rain. You can then use the rest of the outside space for entertaining and planting beautiful flowers. You can read more about installing a conservatory here.

[Photo courtesy of Literatirus/wikimedia.org]

Your garden is your own private haven to do with what you will. Add in a pond and some fish for a little touch of wildlife and hang bird feeders from the trees. You can even buy some fantastic garden furniture like this to make your outdoor area feel homelier than just a blank canvas to look at. Taking the time to make the most of your garden comes down to how busy you are and how much you care about the flush of colour that your garden has.

There are so many people who don’t have the time to maintain a garden but if you have the time, turn the garden from boring to brilliant. Make it an extension of your home and furnish, decorate and breathe life into it. You want to create a place you and your friends want to be; and your garden is that space as long as you take the time to make the most of the area you have.