Quick garden improvements

As the whole country is currently spending more time at home, combined with the warmer weather, it is no surprise that outdoor space is more sought after. In fact, recent searches on property websites show that prospective tenants and homebuyers are searching for properties with a garden nearly double the amount they were prior to the start of lockdown.

This is the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into maximising the potential of your garden so that once stay at home measure are lifted, your property will be top of the list for buyers or tenants.

Basic maintenance

A good clean slate is always the best place to start a project. Before anything else, give your outdoor space a good clean. Rake up any leaves left over from the winter, sweep down any paths and dust away any cobwebs. If your gravel pathways are looking a little bare, top them up with some fresh gravel if you have some spare.

If you are buying new garden supplies, please ensure that social distancing measures are respected when receiving deliveries.

You will want to ensure that what you already have is in good condition and fit for purpose. Does your fence need a lick of paint? If it does, consider going for black paint to give a nice contrast with your garden. Same applies to your shed, if the wood panels are looking tired, a bit of paint will help restore it. 

Speaking of restoration, any wooden garden furniture can be restored with a tin of wood restorer to make it look good as new.

Clean your patio or decking

After winter, the cold and damp weather can cause moss and algae to form on your patio or decking along with the usual build-up of debris. If your patio has not had a clean for over a year, then using a power washer will make a big difference. Next best thing is to use a good patio cleaner with a hose and a sturdy outdoor brush.

Take care of your lawn

Once spring has sprung it is time to fire up the lawn mower again. The Royal Horticultural Society recommends you mow your lawn once a week but be sure to avoid excessively close mowing as it could weaken the grass. Never mow wet or frosty grass as this can damage the turf.

With your lawn trimmed to perfection, it is now time to give it an edge. Using a lawn edger if you have one, or a spade will do if not, cut into the edges of your lawn to give it a crisp border and instant facelift. Use a small fork or trowel to flick the soil away from the edge to make trimming the grass easier in future.

Add plants and flowers

If you have a flower bed in place, don’t worry about being ruthless and removing any old and tired plants that are past their prime, sometimes it’s their time to go. When choosing what to plant try and pick something hardy and easy to maintain, especially if you are a gardening novice. Geraniums and achilleas both fit the bill here and they look great too.

Another great way to add some colour to your garden is to introduce some plant pots. You may already have some dotted around, a quick win here could be to clean up those pots or maybe even give them a coat of paint if they are worn down. If you are buying new pots and plants, you can make a much bigger impact by grouping each species in threes.

Add an allotment patch

Did you know that there are 90,000 Britons nationwide currently on waiting lists for allotments?

Or that 81 per cent of millennials that garden as a hobby do it to grow their own fruit and veg?

There is no doubt that we are seeing a surge in growing your own food.

A big selling point for a potential buyer or tenant could be that you have done the hard work for them and have a ready-made allotment patch bursting with vegetables.

Creating the patch is the simple part, corner off a part of your garden and dig down into the soil around 40cm deep while mixing in plenty of compost, then you will want to pick something to grow. Lettuce, carrots, beetroot and potatoes are all easy for beginners.

Special touches

Once you have swept, mown, pruned and planted, you can think about a few extra touches to elevate your outdoor space to the next level.

A sure-fire way to do this is to add some lighting so that your garden can be enjoyed in the evening. A cost-effective option is to use solar-powered fairy lights along your fence, hung around your patio or wrapped around a tree or hedge.

Another great addition is a garden mirror, especially if your garden is on the smaller side. Placed correctly, a garden mirror can give the illusion of a much larger and open area.

Encourage wildlife to visit you in your garden, add a birdfeeder, squirrel feeder and a bumblebee house so that your garden really comes alive during the day.