13 Jan Preparing Your Garden For Summer 2022

Start planning your warm weather shenanigans by preparing your garden for summer 2022. Here’s our “to-do” list to make sure that your outdoor space is ready for that perfect summer season.

I’m writing this in January.  It’s a bright, sunny day but it’s cold and the last thing I fancy doing is gardening. But gardening in January isn’t about sloshing around in mud. Winter time is for planning to make sure that your outdoor spaces will be picture perfect for summer.  And of course, with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on the horizon, we’ll all be needing somewhere beautiful to celebrate over the long bank holiday weekend.

Do you dream of having an outdoor kitchen in your garden? The Holland Landscapes Team built this sturdy outdoor kitchen unit. It has cupboards for storing gas bottles, charcoal and utensils, an easy to clean worktop, and will support a pizza oven or barbecue.

What was missing from your garden last summer?

All good plans start with an objective.  What do you want your garden to give you this summer?  Think back over the last few years…..how many times have you wished that your garden had some or other feature to make your life better?  NOW is the time to bring your wish list to life.

What does your garden need?

• Somewhere to sit and enjoy a coffee?
• A patio big enough for the whole family to enjoy?
• Privacy from neighbouring properties?
• Hot tub?
• Water feature?
• Greenhouse or polytunnel so that you can grow wholesome fresh veggies?
• A decent lawn?
• How about a path to the shed so that you don’t wear the lawn out?
• More storage space?
• A dog free zone where plants can be safe?
• Prettier plants

This summer garden with it’s beautiful planting and bijou seating area is the perfect place to enjoy morning coffee or an evening glass of wine.
It was created in a largely unused corner of the garden and has brought it’s owners a lot of pleasure.

How to change your garden

Once you have a wish list in place, all you need is a budget and a plan.  Making changes to your garden can feel a little overwhelming, but with the right help, it’s an absolute breeze.

Unless you are experienced in these things, doing the work yourself will probably be a bigger project than you anticipated.  There’s more to building a patio that buying a few slabs and some sand and then arranging them on the ground.  You must consider the drainage, the levels, ensuring that the slabs can’t move, and possibly even building regulations.  And then of course there are the health and safety considerations. It’s all too easy to hurt yourself or to create a situation where somebody else gets hurt and decides to sue you – ouch!

Start by researching local landscapers

A reputable landscaper will be able to take all the worry out of changing your garden.  All you will have to do is agree on a design, confirm your choice of materials/colours and make an occasional cup of tea.  The rest will be done for you.

Look for a landscaper who is a member of a trade body such as the APL (Association of Professional Landscapers).  All APL members are carefully vetted on their standard of workmanship and their business practice.  Choose an APL member and you’ll be charged a fair price for an excellent job.

Look at online reviews too and see if they have a website and/or a Facebook page where they have featured past projects.  What do you think of their work? Do you get the impression that they are a pleasure to work with? It’s important that you LIKE your landscaper.  He or she will be spending quite a bit of time on your property and any personality clashes would make life miserable for both of you

Even though you want your garden to be ready for summer, it’s a good idea to contact your landscaper as soon as possible.  They may well have a waiting list for work to be done and in any case, it can take up to a month to organise a design to put together a quotation for the work.

An arbour or a pergola provides shade, shelter and privacy all year round.

Here’s how a landscaper could help you to prepare your garden for summer

You may not need a complete garden makeover in order to improve your outdoor space.  Sometimes a good old tidy up and improvements to existing features is enough.

Inspiration

If you know that your garden needs to change – but you’re not sure how – ask your landscaper for garden design advice.  If they don’t offer a garden design service themselves, they’ll be able to put you in touch with a professional designer who can help you to imagine how your plot could be transformed.  It’s usual for a landscaper to need a design to work to and trust me, good designers can save you more money than they will cost you.

Garden Clearance

Get rid of all those overgrown shrubs, that rickety shed and unwanted toys.  You’ll be surprised at how much space you have.

Patios and Paths

If your existing patio has weeds growing through the joints in the pavers and/or some of the slabs are wobbly, your landscaper may well be able to make repairs.  Ask for his or her professional opinion. Sometimes it actually works out cheaper to rip it up and start again, and a good landscaper will never want to do a bodged job, so be prepared to review all of your options.

Alternatively, you might want to add a new patio – perhaps to make a seating area in the sunniest part of the garden.  Your landscaper can help you with that.

Decking

Dangerous decking is a menace.  If, however the frame beneath the deck is in good condition it’s relatively easy to replace the boards.  You might want to consider using composite decking which is incredibly easy to look after and won’t rot.

Planting Refresh

Taking away old, overgrown or unmanageable plants and replacing them with a carefully co-ordinated planting scheme will make a huge difference to the way you feel about your garden.  The landscapers at Holland Landscapes are lucky enough to have a skilled plantsman on the team as well as an in-house garden designer.  Both Doug and Katie can devise a wonderful planting plan that will be easy to care for and look good all year round.

You may be able to achieve something similar to this newly landscaped garden just by sprucing up your patio, laying turf and refreshing your planting.
Talk to your landscaper – you’ll be surprised what may be possible.

Turfing

A deep green velvety lawn can make the whole garden feel more inviting. Landscapers have all of the tools, equipment and expertise needed to prepare the soil for turfing and create a beautiful new lawn for you.  This is a relatively low cost garden improvement that really does give fabulous results.

Artificial Grass Installation

Finding lawn care a bit too much?  Fitting artificial grass well is a skilled job that involves creating a base and securing the matting to it.  It’s important to get the joints nice and firm AND to make them invisible.  Your landscaper will also need to make some kind of edging and secure the artificial turf to it.  Once properly installed – your artificial lawn should look good for up to 20 years.  No more mowing for you!

Screens,  Fences and Pergolas

Need more privacy in your garden? Ask your landscaper for suggestions as to how to create screens to help you feel more secluded.  Depending on the layout of your plot, you a pergola could make it impossible for you to be seen from neighbouring upstairs windows. Or how about planting some suitable trees? You’ll be helping the environment as well as making your life better.

Landscaping Ideas For Summer 2022

You’ll find lots of inspiration for your perfect garden in the portfolio section of our website. And if you need any help with your garden improvements, please don’t hesitate to contact the team at Holland Landscapes.  We’re experienced at building all kinds of garden features from patios and ponds, to pergolas and paths and we love helping people from all walks of life to create their ideal outdoor spaces.

Contact us to discuss your garden ideas

How to turn your outdoor space into a garden fit for a millionnaire. 

How to make a patio. 

Why is landscaping important?