Brought to you by Tuscan Path.
If your garden is looking a little the worse for wear, you don’t need a team of professionals to spruce it up. There are loads of DIY ways to give your garden a mini-makeover that won’t break the bank (or your back) and will give you maximum impact in minimal time.
Best of all, you can do most of these in just a few days. But many hands make light work, so if you can recruit a few helpers, you’ll be able to kick back and enjoy the results even sooner.
1. Gloves on and back to basics.
When left to their own devices, plants do get scruffy. And don’t get us started on weeds. It starts with one and suddenly they’re running the show. Be ruthless with your weeding and remove any plant that’s past its prime. Prune back overgrown shrubs so they sit inside your garden bed borders and shape them neatly so they can reshoot and grow in a more orderly fashion.
Once you’ve cleared your planted areas out, give them a good feed with some biodynamic fertilizer, rake it in and you’ll be ready to start over with some fresh new plants.
2. Prep and plant.
Choose your new plants depending on your space and how much room they will have to spread out. Think about how much or little attention you’re willing and able to give them, as well as watering requirements. For example, flowering plants will need watering, feeding and deadheading, whereas succulents are very low maintenance and require very little water.
If weeds are an issue, consider laying weed matting, a dense layer of organic mulch or sheets of newspaper around plants to keep them at bay.
3. Refine your design.
Now you can make an elegant feature of your garden beds. Adding white quartz pebbles as a ground cover not only helps to discourage weeds and slows moisture evaporation, it gives your garden an instantly brighter look, too.
Tuscan Path’s Snow White Decorative Pebbles give a bright, white textural finish and are so easy to work with. Simply scatter them in garden beds or walkways to make greenery and colourful foliage pop. Best of all, they’re a one-time application and are permanent, so they only need an occasional hosing.
4. Pave the way.
Paving makes a big difference to the appearance of your garden and elevates your home’s street appeal. The type of path will depend on your budget, DIY skills and time, but laying granite pavers around 15-20cm apart as stepping stones is an easy and attractive way to discourage foot traffic on your lawn. Alternatively, lay them edge to edge as a path from your gate to your door for all-weather access, or as a patio if you have longer than a weekend or a few extra helpers. (Note: for patios and bigger DIY paving jobs, check out our paving tips before you get started at bhg.com.au).
Granite is a good choice for high traffic areas as it’s strong, durable and one of the world’s hardest wearing surfaces. These grey granite pavers from Tuscan Path are a great choice for a modern look and have a flamed anti-slip finish (with an R-12 rating) that’s well suited to landscaping, courtyards and outdoor entertaining areas. They’re also easy to maintain and clean. You can find helpful tips for sealing pavers, as well as a square metre paver calculator here.
5. A lick of paint.
Never underestimate the transformative power of paint. Give shabby trims, fences or gates a quick sand and a lick of bright, white all-weather paint and you’ll be amazed by how quickly everything will look tidy, fresh and new.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned gardener, you’ll find a weekend in the garden is always a few days well spent. Have a plan before you start, a shopping list for the nursery and hardware store before you hop in the car … and something cold in the fridge to raise to a job well done at the end.
Brought to you by Tuscan Path.
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