As most of us head towards the 21st June with a sense of excitement/relief/hope and everything in between, we’re all raring to see our friends and loved ones.
But what about if you’re not ready to go out and you want to enjoy people’s company in the relaxed environment of your back garden?
The 21st June is, alongside the hopeful lifting of coronavirus restrictions, the longest day of the year. So there’s no better time to plan a lazy evening, surrounded by friends and family, a bbq and plenty of cocktails in your back garden.
Creating an outdoor entertainment space doesn’t mean endless hours of maintenance or spending lots of money to create the look and feel you want either.
So if you’re not quite ready to get back out there, we’ve put together some tips and hints that will help you turn your garden into a space that’s ready for entertaining.
Bring the inside, outside
Porcelain tiling is making a big splash this year. Not inside, but outside. We’ve all spent so much time at home, that blending the outside and inside to make your garden an extension of your home is becoming really popular.
Matching the colours of your indoor tiles makes a seamless transition from inside to outside, making your back garden feel like it’s just another room in your house.
The great thing about having a large tiled area in your garden is it then becomes the perfect place for outdoor dining, fire pits, outdoor sofas and barbecues so that you’re all set up for entertaining.
Take a look at a recent garden transformation that we did to see the difference it can make to your outside space and how you can use it.
Easy to maintain plants
Geraniums are great plants to put in pots to give bursts of bright colour but they’re also very easy to maintain. They are drought tolerant which will help them get through any really dry spells, but they also don’t need a lot of dead-heading. As plants go, they’re an affordable and easy way to get some colour into your entertaining area – vibrant reds, deep purples, pastel pinks and burgundy tinted whites bring a whole heap of character to your back garden.
Phormium is another great choice. These New Zealand-native grasses give great height and colour to your garden and are pretty hardy too. Drought tolerant, they can be planted in beds and borders or in large planters so that you can move them around to create a different look. They have cream, yellow, pink or red hues on the edges of the leaves so you can create various different looks with them.
Garden bars
With many of us not having visited a pub or a bar for well over a year, no garden space for entertaining would be complete without its own bar area. From sheds converted into bars to something simpler like an outdoor bar table and chair set – you can create an outdoor bar space whatever your budget.
If you want to have a go yourself, then old pallets and even fencing panels can be used to create a back garden bar. Alternatively, retailers like Wayfair and Wickes have options that are a little less DIY heavy.
Once they’re up don’t forget that you can paint them too. Choosing an outdoor paint will brighten it up and create a colourful, vibrant addition to your garden where you can have some fun.
Don’t forget the fairy lights…
We sometimes feel like a broken record when we bang our fairy light drum. But they are one of the easiest ways to create something a little bit more special when you’re entertaining outdoors.
Now that solar powered lights are much more reliable, you don’t even need to have power in your back garden to get them up and running and you’re spoilt for choice with colours and styles.
These days you can buy fairy lights and outdoor lights everywhere from hardware stores, to supermarkets and homeware shops.
If you need some garden lighting inspiration, then Pinterest is a great place to start.
We’re always here if you need help turning your imagination into reality. If you’d like some advice or need to talk through your garden plans with us, then give us a call or send us an email 07961 234448 [email protected]