Whether it’s something as big as a wedding or just friends popping over for a barbeque, there’s nothing like entertaining in the garden to shine a spotlight on your outdoor space. If it’s looking a little shabby and you need to spruce it up fast, there are plenty of small things you can do that will make a big difference.
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First of all, though, don’t bite off more than you can chew at the last minute. It’s not the best plan to start sanding your deck, or painting your fences or shed at this stage. We’re looking at the straightforward, low cost and labour things you can do quickly that won’t create more mess and stress. So put down the paintbrush and try these top tips.
8 easy hacks to make your garden look good now
1) Tidy time
As well as a ruthless tidy up of any old broken pots and compost bags, do a general sweep collecting up scrap materials, plastic containers, tarps and garden bags or tubs of weeds you pulled out but didn’t make it to the compost heap. Clear leaves off paths, and scrub out birdbaths and water features and refill with crystal clear water. Put away tools, stack empty terracotta pots upside down, and think about stuffing the play equipment and paddling pool in the shed or behind something for the few hours you want your outdoor space to appear like a serene sanctuary.
2) Go and mow
The speediest quick fix is to cut the grass, especially if you like the bowling-green effect with stripes. But even if you prefer a wilder, meadow look with long grass and wildflowers, mowing a frame around it or a path through it will immediately give a sense of intention to the scene, and make your garden a more inviting place to wander through.
3) Hedges and edges
A mantra for many gardeners, the classic method for getting a neat look to the garden quickly is to sort out all the boundary bits. Clip unruly hedges and redo the edges where the grass meets your flower beds, steps, paths, walls or fences. Grab an edging spade, border spade or any spade with a flat, square end, and take the raggedy edge off all along the line (try to stay straight or consistent to the shape of the edge). If your edges are already defined, use a strimmer or edging shears to clip back any grass sticking out along the line. “Edging your lawn with edging shears will give your garden an instantly cared for look, especially if the lawn has been recently cut,” confirms horticulturist Tamsin Westhorpe of Stockton Bury Gardens in Herefordshire. Voila: instant neatness.
4) Weeding and pruning cheats
Keith Wiley of the astonishingly beautiful Wildside Garden in Devon, which covers several acres, sometimes adopts a pragmatic approach to weeding. Instead of trying to make sure every flower bed is perfect, he advocates weed only the front 40cm or so of the beds, since this is the bit people see first and most of with every glance. Tamsin Westhorpe also recommends deadheading all the old flowers you can in your planting before people arrive for a neat look. “This is a quick and easy job and will give your borders that cared for look instantly,” she says. “Also prune out any dead branches from shrubs. It is at the time of year that you can easily spot those dead branches and a shrub can look completely revitalised once they are removed.”
5) Offer much-needed support
If your plants have been battered by rain or wind, or they have simply started to flop over, use some stakes or bamboo or pea sticks and garden twine to prop them up, or, ideally, if you have any, some attractive metal plant supports. “Hold them up with these and the border will have a new lease of life,” says Tamsin. Another plant support trick is to add height to any border by using an obelisk or tripod of sticks. Even if you aren’t lucky enough to have a climber to go up it yet, the tall structure will elevate your garden style in moments.
6) Pop in a plant
Joan Burnett and David Ward open their garden The Folly in Chichester every year for the National Garden Scheme, so know how to make a garden look good for visitors, and they recommend using plants in large black pots to drop into the border where and when some colour is needed. “Day lilies, roses, sedum and heleniums are good options, and you can simply lift out when colour has faded,” says Joan. They also grow a range of annuals such as cosmos to use to fill bare patches in the beds, especially at the front of a border. If you don’t have any back up plants ready to go, a quick trip to your local plant nursery or garden centre will help furnish you with plenty of options.
7) Create a showstopping feature
So much of good design is making the eye look where you want it to and not at things you are trying to hide, and the best way to achieve this trick in little time is to create a feature so interesting that your guests won’t be able to stop looking at it, and won’t notice anything else. Use focal points to draw the eye, such as a collection of pots. “Group together all your pots to create one much more impactful display,” says Tamsin. “Hide the pots that you aren’t that proud of behind your best terracotta and add some height to the display by placing some on bricks. One spectacular group of pots will draw the eye away from other unkempt areas of the garden.”
Here's how to create the pot above
8) Make a nest
If the garden is totally overwhelming you, and you really don’t feel you can make the whole thing look more loved in the time that you have, then a good option is to create one cosy corner. Drag a colourful rug to the best spot outside for instant colour, and then move over your table and chairs and place your pot display alongside.
Dress the scene with a tablecloth, cushions and bunting, and bud vases or small glasses with flowers or leaves. This focuses attention in this one area and will have your guests gasping with delight, and not even vaguely interested in the wider garden. And if all else fails, then you can simply wait until dark – everything looks magical outdoors with some well-placed candles and festoon lighting!
Here are six secret garden design tricks to make your garden feel better
