Too often, when we think about how to renovate a house, the garden is left as an afterthought. In reality, however, a well-maintained garden that’s pleasant to be in will considerably raise the appeal and market value of any property, so it’s worth putting as much planning, time and money into renovating the garden as the rest of the house. Here are some tips for achieving a fantastic garden renovation.
1. Hire a garden designer
Hiring a garden designer is the first step towards achieving the garden of your dreams. A good garden designer will work with you to understand your vision for the garden and bring it to life. You might want your garden to achieve a particular purpose, such as relaxation, or to follow a particular theme or colour scheme. To make the most out of working with a garden designer, make sure you spend some time thinking about what you would like to achieve for the garden prior to your first meeting with the designer—this will ensure that the time you spend working with the garden designer is spent as efficiently and productively as possible.
2. Pay attention to the garden furniture
When doing a garden renovation, it’s easy to focus on the plants, paths, fountains, and other landscape features and forget about seating and tables. Buying outdoor furniture, however, is essential for making a garden liveable and enjoyable. Find a sturdy, weatherproof outdoor table to buy and match it with some ornate chairs or rustic benches, depending on the kind of garden décor you’re going for. Just like that, you’ll have a perfect picnic spot which is sure to appeal to potential buyers or renters of the property, or to wow your friends and family if it’s your own garden you’re renovating!
3. Install an automatic watering system
After doing all the work of designing and creating a beautiful garden, you want to make sure it’s maintained properly. Installing an automatic watering system will ensure that your plants and grass receive all the water they need, no matter what the weather’s doing. You should ask your garden designer if they can incorporate an automatic watering system into the plans for the garden—this way, you will know for sure that positioning the underground hoses and the emitters will not get in the way of plant roots or garden features.
One of the decisions you will have to make when installing your watering system is whether you want to use drippers, sprinklers or a combination of both. Sprinklers cover a much wider area and are quicker to install, but they do use up more water. Drippers, on the other hand, are situated at the base of individual plants, or in pots or baskets, so they use less water, but you will need more of them in order to water the whole garden.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing between drippers and sprinklers—it’s all about what’s best for your garden. Ask your garden designer and/or the watering system company to advise you.
