How to make the most of your garden all year round

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden – any garden – you want to make the most of your garden all year round.

Covid has reminded us about the value of fresh air, something incredibly precious we didn’t always appreciate until we couldn’t get out into it. Those of us with gardens, however weeny, fared a lot better in lockdown than people stuck in flats or in homes without outdoor space. During the depth of lockdown people got huge pleasure out of simple window boxes. It just goes to show how much we need exposure to the green stuff, the fresh stuff, the natural stuff. Without it, we wither emotionally and suffer physically.

There’s some brilliant science about the benefits of being amongst trees and greenery. Apparently trees give off chemicals that we can’t smell, but which make humans feel really good. Once you’re aware of it, you can feel the little natural high you get. Even more interesting is the fact that the human brain contains special ‘receptors’ for tree chemicals – in other words we’re designed to react to them. And that means, evolution being what it is, that trees and all other green things are truly beneficial.

Humans have spent our long, ancient history mostly outdoors. We’re designed to run, designed to hunt. We respond to threats today in the same way we did back when we lived in caves. And the outdoors is as earthily familiar to us, even if we live in high rise city blocks, as it was to our ancestors. Our relationship with nature – with the outdoors in all its forms – runs DNA-deep.

Bearing all that in mind, does your garden suddenly look different? It’s actually a magic place where you, your family and friends can come to feel wonderful, to get the essential exposure to the great outdoors we all need so much. If your garden isn’t looking very good, neglected and shabby, your first task for making the most of your garden is to sort that out.

We’ll be writing about how to make your garden beautiful here. In the meantime there are masses of resources online. For now, let’s focus on how to make the most of your garden whether it’s spring, summer, autumn or winter.

How to make the most of your garden in spring

Your spring task: to create a garden that you can enjoy throughout the season, from the first official day of spring in late March to the early hints of summer we get in June. The main issue at this time of year is rain and wind. But you know the British weather – it delivers almost anything in spring, from sub-zero snow storms to 90 degree days with searing sunshine. And everything in between.

The best solution involves garden furniture and outdoor heating. Set within beautiful planting, it enables you to create outdoor rooms with different purposes. Place a garden chiminea in a sheltered patio area for people to stand around when the breeze is chilly. They give off awesome amounts of heat to extend your springtime outdoor life dramatically.

An outdoor dining set is a wonderful thing for spring, especially when teamed with a rugged, good-looking gazebo for protection, or a series of stunning garden parasols. Have you seen the brightly coloured garden parasols we sell, by the way? They’re gorgeous. Grouped together in threes they make a lovely ‘flock’ of shelters. Complete the picture simply with waterproof garden chairs.

Making the most of your outdoor space in summer

Summer makes life easy for alfresco-lovers. Even the plainest garden looks beautiful simply because everything’s so green and lush. The entire world looks lovely in the sunshine. But with climate change kicking in, it can get REALLY HOT! You need shade. Sail shades are a hot trend, fixable to all sorts of things and available in every imaginable colour. The same goes for garden umbrellas, which come in a choice of cool styles including traditional Chinese-style parasols and square versions in every size, from regular to huge. Buy a garden table with a hole for a parasol and you’ve solved both the seating thing and the shade thing. Shade plants are always a great idea, and fast growing ones will give you great results in no time.

Because it can also become pretty chilly at night in summer, revellers who like to stay up ’til dawn need ways to stay cosy. A gazebo with curtains you can close provides a private late night party space that stays warmer simply because you’re inside it. A fire pit is a fabulous way to cook late into the night, as well as a practical thing to sit around and chat, in the same way humanity has done for millions of years.

Making the best of the outdoors in autumn

As the year turns and the sun moves further away, autumn sets in. Like spring the British autumn can be anything from steaming hot to freezing cold, although scientists say autumns are fast becoming both shorter and warmer. Some say there won’t be an autumn at all before long, we’ll hop straight from late summer to winter. Let’s make the most of the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ while we can!

Comfortable garden chairs are your best friend in autumn, specially made outdoor furniture created to withstand light rain and chilly weather. Grab some fluffy fleeces or wool blankets, pile them high and snuggle into one or two if the chill starts to set in. But keep your garden parasol or garden shade sail out in case it gets hot.

How about investing in a pizza oven or one of our whopping great garden cookers capable of feeding the five thousand? Autumn is the perfect time for hot snacks, even better for complex and creative alfresco cuisine.

How to make the most of the garden in winter

There’s something rather lovely about standing in your garden with a hot toddy or mulled wine, your breath steaming, stomping your feet to keep them warm. Clear star-filled skies above, surrounded by good company, it’s a little piece of heaven. Now add one of our XL Mexican chimineas to the picture.

Whether it’s a Mexican clay chimenea or a cast iron alternative, these clever fires chuck out an aweome amount of heat. Because they’re free-standing they throw heat in every direction. The body acts as a massive radiator, which means you don’t need a roaring blaze. The fire itself isn’t really the source of the heat, it’s the super-heated clay or metal that belts it out.

Is your outdoor space big enough for an outdoor building, anything from a basic shed to something more like an outdoor room? If so you can make an attractive, comfy space to retreat to in between sessions standing outside. The best of both worlds.

Now you know how to make the most of your garden all year round. Take a look around our site, plan your alfresco space, and get cracking! We wish you a marvellous outdoor life.