Our gardens can often be something we don’t think about. Until we want to sit out and use them. However, like any part of your home your garden should be very much a part of it. It should be a place that is an extension of your rooms. Somewhere that you can utilize all year round. So I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some tips and advice to make sure you get the most out of your garden.

[Photo courtesy of Steve Morgan/wikipedia.org]

Do you have an area to sit and relax

Does your garden have different areas for different things? Perhaps. A lawned portion and some flower beds. These are all garden zones and most likely will have different features and plus points. But what most people require is a place to sit and relax. Somewhere you can enjoy the evening sun, or drink your morning coffee. If your garden hasn’t got particular zones, then it’s worth trying to create some. If you can create a space where you can sit and enjoy the garden. You will find that this part of the garden will be the place you use the most.

What do you want from your garden?

The next thing you need to do is decide exactly what you want to achieve from your garden. Do you want it to look appealing? Then you may want to read these 10 Quick Tips About Landscaping that will take your garden to the next level. If it’s more about having an entertaining space for friends and families, then make sure you have the right areas to do that in. If it’s a place where you want your kids to play safely, then think about all the aspects that need to go along with that. Once you know what you want from the garden, you will be able to create the perfect place for you. This means you will make more use out of it.

[Photo courtesy of Antranias/pixabay.com]

Is there a place to store things

Some gardens can be a bit of a dumping ground for one thing or another, so this is where you may want to consider investing in a shed or space to store things. This will transform your garden almost straight away as you will be able to see what you have to work with. A shed could also become an outside room that you retire to from time to time. She sheds are becoming the new man caves.

Why consider alfresco dining?

Eating outside may not have been high on your priority list before but why wouldn’t you want to enjoy the good weather? Cooking outside on the BBQ and then enjoying the food you have prepared is one of the life’s simpler pleasures. The problem is you may not have an area to cook and eat in so if this is something you want to do more of then work on the garden to create it. A BBQ doesn’t take up too much space and all you need is a nice table and chairs to enjoy the food and drink on.

I hope these tips help you get more out of your garden.

Saving water is something that we should all be making more of an effort to do. It will help the environment, but it can also help you to save some money, so keep that incentive in mind. Here’s how you can start saving water today.

Wash on a Full Load

When you’re filling the washing machine or loading the dishwasher, do you always make sure that it’s full? Most people don’t, but this wastes water because it means you’ll be doing more washes in the long-term. It’s a common sense idea, but most people don’t even think about things like this. So, wait until the machine is full before turning it on next time. You should also think about the quality of your washing appliances. When you decide to upgrade it, make sure you go for a more water-efficient option.

[Image courtesy of  Edal Anton Lefterov/en.wikipedia.org]

Collect Rain Water

You can use a tank to collect rainwater in your garden. You can funnel the water down to your tank as it falls, and this helps you to save water when it comes to watering the garden. By cutting your reliance on the mains water supply, you will save a lot of water and a lot of money too. It’s very cheap to set up a tank to collect the water, and it will be very useful at the times of the year when there is plenty of rain. In the dry summer months, this won’t be a great option though.

Avoid Overwatering Plants

Watering your plants too much is one of the most common ways in which people end up wasting water. As I mentioned above, you can save some by collecting rain water. But this won’t provide enough water to cover all your garden watering needs. So, you need to be careful when you are using a hose on the plants. It’s very easy to overwater them and waste lots of water. To avoid doing this, you could start using an irrigation system. Visit http://proirrigation.com/ to find more about that.

[Image courtesy of Piotrus/en.wikipedia.org]

Don’t Leave the Tap Running

Very simple things like leaving the tap running when it’s not needed can waste a lot of money. For example, if everyone in a household left the tap running every time they brushed their teeth, think of all that wasted water. You should try your best to turn the water off. And that’s just one of the examples of wasting water around the house that could be easily avoided.

Install a Water Meter

A water meter allows you to closely control how much water you use. You then can pay for exactly the amount you use. So, if you use a lot of water, the bill will be larger. But if you use less, you will pay less. This gives you an extra incentive to use less water. Simply being able to keep tabs on your own usage is a big boost when it comes to saving water. It means that you can no longer forget about your water usage because it’s always there for you to see. Go to http://www.economicshelp.org/ to find out more about the benefits.