Your garden shouldn’t be a space that you only enjoy during summer. With a few small updates, your green patch will be a favourite space for the whole family regardless of the season. Designing a family-friendly garden space is possible, even if you have limited financial resources.
Family Project
The key to creating a space where every family member will enjoy is to get them involved. Unless they’re infants, they can all play a role, for example, your toddlers can help paint small items, your teens can assist with preparing the flowerbeds, while the adults tackle the larger tasks. Bonding over ‘building’ the space, will assuredly make it a spot everyone will appreciate and enjoy.
Plant Once, Plant Right
The keyword here is ‘perennial’. When planning your garden, consider plants that flower at a certain time, die off, but naturally regenerate the following year. The horticulturist at your local nursery has extensive knowledge of what perennials flower in both summer and winter, so ask for their advice. The preliminary expenditure may be high, but in the long-term, you’ll save because you won’t need to purchase new seedlings or plants each season.
Indoors in the Outdoors
Many ardent gardeners are adding treated timber summer houses to their properties which serve all kinds of purposes. Some utilise the smaller outbuildings as convenient storage space, but others invest in larger structures that serve as an additional relaxation space. This way the family doesn’t need to be cooped up in the house during inclement weather; they can still enjoy the beauty of the garden.
Tots to Teens
It is important to have dedicated spaces within the garden for your children to enjoy. Kindergarteners will undoubtedly enjoy a colourful jungle gym or swing set in the backyard, while tweens might prefer a trampoline. Having fun in the fresh air will certainly do them good, while the physical activity will also improve their physical abilities.
Your older children will love a space where they can enjoy the company of friends, without their parents or younger siblings cramping their style. Why not earmark a patch of ground in the garden for them to enjoy a barbeque with their chums, or even better (although more expensive) a fire pit? Trust us, you’ll be the coolest parents on the block.
Swimming Pool
Installing a swimming pool is definitely an extravagant expense, but a welcome addition to any family garden because it is something everyone will enjoy. It also doesn’t need to be enjoyed only in the summer. Fitting an electric or solar heating pump to your pool will increase the water temperature so you can splash during winter too. Having a pool in your garden is an investment because it increases the overall value of your home.
By now, your creative wheels should be well-oiled, so grab your spouse and your kids to start brainstorming about a garden that you’ll all love and enjoy for many seasons to come.
