Makeover your front garden
With summer’s flowers fading, your front garden may be looking tired. However, if you put aside a few hours for a quick revamp, you can create an entrance to be proud of. Above all, a front garden should be easy to keep looking tidy.
Unless you have lots of time, aim for fuss-free landscaping and low-maintenance plants. Your front garden is mainly going to be viewed against the backdrop of your property, so choose a look that enhances its best features and conceals its
less appealing ones.
Try classic topiary
Clipped shrubs such as box and bay look wonderful in front of homes with a formal facade. Topiary bushes aren’t cheap, however — from around £80 for a pair of simple ball-shaped bushes to well over £200 for a pair of spiral designs.
Water regularly, and consider chaining your pots
to railings to ensure that opportunistic thieves don’t make off with your precious plants.
Trim plants in June and August for best results. Get
into a routine of applying slow-release fertiliser granules every three months and repotting every two years.
Get the look with artificial topiary bushes — try Bloom for realistic ones.
Add scented roses
Think of roses around a front door and a country cottage springs to mind, but there are varieties that can be used to enhance the front of almost
any home. Find inspiration
at David Austen Roses.
Consider practical details such as how sunny your spot is, how often you want to prune and if you want to deal with thorns, as well as your preference for colour and scent.
Think about when you want flowers. Some roses have just one flush each year, while others bloom for months.
Can’t decide? Some roses start in one shade and mature
to another — x odorata ‘Mutablis’ offers yellow, pink and crimson flowers all on one bush.
Lay a smart path
Keep soil and grass from being trekked into your hallway with a simple path, which can be an attractive feature in its own right.
Use materials that suit your home — so if you have brick walls and a slate roof, consider using brick edging and slate paving. White pebbles or gravel will highlight your route as it gets dark, and the crunching underfoot with alert you to a visitor’s arrival.
You can lay new gravel (from £3 per bag) yourself if the path isn’t too long, but
you might need to get the professionals in to lay paving. If so, obtain three quotes for the work and expect to pay £20 to £60 per sq m.
Plant up a container
Deter thieves by choosing a large, heavy container that’s difficult to move. Old troughs and Belfast sinks are inexpensive and look great.
Plant up garden containers in situ, as they’ll be even heavier when filled with compost. Position them near the house as you won’t want to trek far with your watering can on hot days!
Think bold for a container of this scale. Choose tall purple amaranthus or orange mimulus for the centre and nasturtium ‘Empress of India’ for the edges. Osteospermum is perfect for September planting as it blooms until the first frosts.
Plant up window boxes in the same way, opting for low-growing varieties.
Put up a hanging basket
Save money by making up your own basket, rather than buying a ready-made one.
Place the basket over a wastepaper bin to hold it securely in place while you work. Add a liner, compost and plenty of water-retaining gel crystals and slow-release fertiliser. Mix well and water
to allow the crystals to swell.
Opt for fast-growing hanging basket flowers, such as pink Surfinia petunias and white bacopa. They cost from 85p each, and you’ll only need four per basket.
Hang in a sunny spot, water every day, and you should have a colourful show in around two or three weeks. Remove dead flowers frequently to encourage more to bloom.
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