9 ways to create a beautiful spring garden and make the most of the season in your outdoor space
With better weather, longer days, and, of course, all those gorgeous flowers blooming, the arrival of spring brings delight to all. What better way to celebrate the changing seasons than to get outside and create a refuge in your yard?
If you want to start small, a bit of spring porch decor or a container of spring bulbs will brighten up a space – but there are plenty of additional options.
Spring is a time for fresh begins, new beginnings, and the opportunity to tidy up the garden, according to Lina Cowley, an enthusiastic gardening expert from TrimmedRoots.com. There are numerous things to do to ensure your backyard looks its best, from decorating and styling to planting and outdoor activities.
1. Create A Cute Container Display
Although spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in the fall, plug plants can always be found in garden centres for a fast container show. Making one is a delightful way to spend a sunny afternoon, and it can brighten up any porch, deck, patio, or window ledge. To prevent waterlogging, ensure enough grit in the soil and drainage holes in the bottom of each planter.
Dwarf irises, combined with winter aconites and snowdrops, will provide early colour, while tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths will steal the show later in the season. Pansies and primroses are lovely bedding plants.
Plant a few and display them in a cluster for added impact. Utilizing different levels, such as hanging baskets, will heighten the drama.
2. Start A Vegetable Garden
Raising your vegetables is a terrific way to eat healthier, spend more time outside, and save money at the farmers’ market. Now is an excellent opportunity to plan and pick which crops you want to cultivate.
Make a plan for a small area dedicated to your grow-your-own initiatives. Then weed and cover the beds with compost or prepare large pots for planting.
Lettuce, zucchini, and tomatoes are just a few examples of the many straightforward vegetables that are perfect for novice gardeners. Some kinds can be direct-seeded into outdoor beds or containers as soon as the soil warms, while others need to be started indoors. It is also very satisfying to cultivate a little herb garden, which can be used to enhance meals.
3. Cozy Up Your Outdoor Seating Space
Luxurious Screens creator Suhail Patel thinks a spring garden should prioritize cosiness and warmth.
She explains spring is the best time to get outside and prepare your garden for summer and winter. When the days grow longer and warmer, it’s time to start dividing your garden into distinct spaces so you can enjoy them all.
Having an umbrella or shade sail over your outdoor sofas allows you to make the most of spring sun by giving shade when needed, and lighting adds warmth to an outdoor environment, allowing you to make the most of spring evenings.
The best time to buy an outdoor heater is in the spring if you don’t already have one. Jenny Shu, a specialist from the home services firm Rezigo, adds, “A fire pit or chiminea offer light, warmth, and coziness on cooler spring nights, as well as a focus point.” As a flower lover, I appreciate Terrain’s weathering steel flowery pattern.
4. Give Furniture An Upgrade
You may update the look of your garden without spending a lot of money on new patio furniture. On a bright day, you can give your outdoor furniture a beautiful facelift for spring in just a few hours with a can of exterior paint and some new cushions.
According to Jenny Shu, “natural, earthy colours” like beige, terracotta, and olive green will bring warmth, comfort, and a connection to nature in winter. If you’d rather go for a sweet springtime vibe that will carry you through the summer, pastels are your best bet. Choose a bright flash of colour, like pink, coral, or cobalt, for a more daring look.
Why stop at just the furniture? Painting can also be used to update the look of a patio, pergola, or fence.
Beth R. Martin, a specialist in interior design, suggests as a simple weekend task the creation of an outdoor rug to be used on a porch or deck. It’s far cheaper than buying a new outdoor carpet every few years, and it’ll last much longer too! You don’t have to be a professional painter to make this look great. Since I painted my deck in the spring of last year, it has held up beautifully.
5. Update Your Plot With New Outdoor Textiles
Why not update your furniture with some plush new blankets and outdoor cushions to make the most of your outdoor space? It will instantly improve the ambience of your seating area, making it more pleasant to spend time there as the days become shorter. These geometric-design seat cushions and patterned indoor/outdoor rug from Anthropologie are two of my favourite colourful additions to a space.
Achieve visual harmony by deciding on a colour scheme before you shop, and plan for potential spring showers by keeping non-waterproof styles in a dry area of your lawn.
The easiest way to make sure your outdoor cushions look great for the new season if you stick with the ones you already have is to learn how to clean them.
6. Cut Flowers For Bringing The Sunshine Inside
After the dormancy of winter, an outdoor space is revitalized with the addition of spring-flowering plants. If you have a profusion of flowers growing outside, whether cherry blossoms, lilacs, aquilegia, or tulips, consider cutting a couple to bring some outdoor beauty inside.
A space can be transformed entirely by arranging flowers, which is relaxing. In addition to their aesthetic value, many spring blooms are also fragrant.
Feel free to let your imagination run wild; a jug of tulips provides a lively centrepiece for the dining table, and a vase of forsythia adds sunshine to the mantelpiece. Meanwhile, paper ornaments on a sculptural branch will make quite a display in the foyer.
One last thing: There are simple ways to add volume to an indoor arrangement, even if you don’t have many extra outdoor blooms to use. Use branches from shrubs in your yard that have fascinating foliage or buds. The other option is to add a few sprigs of long-lasting blooms from your neighbourhood florist, like wax flowers or Craspedia.
7. Celebrate The Season With A Backyard Get-Together
“Springtime is the best time to take advantage of the outdoors,” explains Lina. Also, arranging a party for loved ones is a great way to celebrate.
It may have an Easter theme with an egg hunt, or it could just be a springtime celebration with pastel bunting, freshly gathered bouquets, attractive crockery, and platters of delicious sweets.
The outdoors should be a part of the pleasure, whether you’re having a garden party or a simple family picnic. Lina continues, “If you have any outdoor activities, like badminton or croquet, they can be the ideal way to spend the afternoon.” Keep your visitors engaged with this bocce set from Terrain.
She also suggests hanging a hammock for some R&R.
8. Refresh Your Greenhouse Or Garden Building
Spring is a terrific time to organize and declutter your garden shed, greenhouse, or other structure because you’ll spend more time in them.
Cleaning and organizing your gardening equipment can ensure that it is in good working order whenever you need it. And now would be an excellent opportunity to purchase some storage options if you still need to.
It is also possible to thoroughly clean the floors and windows. Further, outfit a nook with lanterns, a comfortable chair, and a small table for setting down your coffee cup to create the perfect reading nook.
9. Welcome Wildlife
According to Lotte Berendsen, the in-house botanist of the PlantIn app, putting out some bird feeders is a beautiful way to welcome the new spring season into your yard.
These happy creatures will add a touch of enchantment to your spring mornings. Making your animal feeders is a simple project that can be fun for the whole family.
Providing homes for birds to nest in is another way to attract them. From Terrain, I adore this cute seagrass-recycled pattern.
Another strategy for attracting wildlife to your garden is to install pollinator-friendly plants and possibly even a bug hotel.
