There are numerous ways to get the most out of summer in the garden by making simple tweaks. These range, for example, from redesigning the garden area for more fun on summer evenings to replanting the garden beds. Grow your own ingredients for cocktails at garden parties and impress your guests with a unique atmosphere. Here are some tips and ideas to help you design your garden area.
Table of Contents
- How to make summer feel better in the garden
- Grow and try new plant varieties
- Grow garnishes for summer drinks
- Install outdoor shower for summer in the garden
- Refresh flower boxes in front of windows
- Spice up planting beds during summer in the garden
- Provide water sources for beneficial insects in the garden
- Celebrate and relax during the summer in the garden
How summer can feel better in the garden
With long sunny days, warm nights and plenty to pick, sample and enjoy, summer is the season to enjoy what your garden has to offer. Enjoying your morning coffee outside with a slice of toast can be a perfect way to start your day. However, you could also take this time to just sit back, relax, and watch the birds flitting among the garden beds.
When you go to work, you’ll surely find that you feel calmer and more focused when you start your day in the fresh air. So discover great ways to make the most of the summer months and spend more time outdoors by making simple garden updates with instant rewards.
Grow and try new plant varieties.
Plant fruits, vegetables or herbs you’ve never grown before. For example, you can plant artichokes, yellow tomatoes, purple beans, wild berries or hot peppers. Just try growing something new in the summer season to enjoy more flavors and tastes. Most likely, you will be surprised and even thrilled at how some plants can grow and taste.
This might inspire you to add new ingredients to your summer dishes. If you have already exhausted your kitchen garden, you can fill a few pots with unusual herbs. Such would be Thai basil, shiso, lemongrass, Vietnamese cilantro, chocolate mint, chervil or lemon verbena, which can be easily incorporated into many recipes.
Grow garnishes for summer drinks
Instead of buying a few short-lived bunches of herbs from the supermarket, plant a few of your favorite varieties for cocktails as garnishes. Start with basil, mint, cilantro or all three and get creative with others like lavender, violet or lemongrass. If you have space in your yard and a Mediterranean climate, consider adding a fruit tree or two with standout summer beverage options like Meyer lemon, kumquat, pomegranate and lime.
Install outdoor shower for summer in the garden.
Making the dream of a refreshing outdoor shower a reality can be easier than it looks. If you have a water connection where you can install a garden shower in the nearby garden area, all you need to do is install simple plumbing and shower fixtures. For example, the outside wall of an indoor bathroom would be a good choice. In doing so, just create a path for water drainage that is further away from the house. In addition, you can consider this as an idea for your next garden remodel.
Refresh flower boxes in front of the windows
Mini window box gardens are great ways to add even more color and texture to your home without having to fuss with larger gardening tools. Plant your window boxes with blooming summer flowers and perennials like sun-loving lavender, geranium, lobelia and fatleaf. Consider begonia, fountain weed and mint weed for partial shade window boxes.
Spice up planting beds during the summer in the garden.
Plants with interesting foliage often need less care than those that are popular mainly for their flowers. At the very least, they can skip drying out in the process. To make a primarily foliage-based garden bed as stunning as one with flowers, you can choose foliage plants with high texture and color contrast. It’s best to plant them close together. For example, your bed can contrast on the contrast of the stringy, dark purple leaves of New Zealand flax with lighter grass and upright, architectural agave. This fills the garden with color and creates texture for more visual appeal with the plants.
On the other hand, opt for all flowers and plant a bed with a single species of a lush summer bloomer for a burst of color. It will require a bit more work to maintain than a garden bed of mixed foliage, but thus you are celebrating summer in the garden. Sunflowers are also easy to grow, and as cheerful as they look, they can always be a good choice.
Provide water sources for beneficial insects in the garden.
If you live in an arid climate, the months between rains can be tough on native birds, insects and other wildlife. This is especially true in areas where development has taken away their natural water sources. So try setting up a simple fountain, or simply fill an empty saucer with water. As you relax in the garden, observe how beneficial these creatures can be to your plants. Remember to keep the water feature or garden fountain filled and clean at all times during the summer, as these little creatures learn to rely on it as a water source.
Celebrate and relax during summer in the garden.
With a few simple, inexpensive updates, your outdoor space can feel like a new festive place. Try putting up lights, a paper garland or a traditional pennant chain for more ambiance. Bring out some colorful throw pillows for a barbecue or summer party, or invest in a movable fire pit for outdoor socializing.
Make your patio even more inviting by putting out a colorful rug for the summer season. Most outdoor rugs are made of durable nylon, polyester or polypropylene, often from recycled sources. Many are treated to resist fading from sun exposure. Those made of bamboo, jute and other natural fibers, however, are less weather-resistant. Therefore, they are best used on a covered patio.
Summer days or evenings are for lounging, and what better way than swinging in a hammock? Hang them between trees or the beams of a sturdy pergola. If you don’t have the perfect place to hang it, you can invest in a hammock own frame. These have the advantage that you can choose an inviting place in the garden to put them.