We moved house recently for a variety of reasons. Of course, the most obvious by far was the impending arrival of Mini Madam and the extra space upstairs, but the garden was also a major draw for us. It’s not huge, probably similar in size (or even smaller) than the one we had before, but it is infinitely more child-friendly and far easier to maintain. As soon as I saw it, I just knew it would make the ideal party garden - I already have grand ambitions for family BBQs, mini firework displays and I also plan to use it for Dexter’s birthday party in May.

There’s some way to go before it’s decked out for social occasions. Although we were fortunate enough to dodge the storms and resulting floods, it’s still experiencing a winter-hangover and needs a bit of tlc. Luckily all the groundwork is done - we have some great decking which just needs child-proofing for Dexter, and we already have sliding doors (only slightly less impressive than these works of art from Express Bi-Folding Doors) which run about half the length of our lounge. I can’t wait to fling these open in summer and spend my days barefoot with the children.

Right now I’m hatching a money-no-object master-plan to get the rest of the garden ship-shape to cater for all the family - that’s both boozy parties and Punch & Judy shows to you and me! I thought I’d share it in case your beginning to think about getting your garden summer ready too.

For the Children

Pinterest has some fabulous ideas to create a sensory garden for little ones. Although some of these are clearly over ambitious for our tiny garden, there are some I plan on re-creating. The secret is all in the detail with tiny fairy doors pinned to plant pots, monogram planters and cool little zones for them to call their own.

Introducing a slice of hobbity-fairyness to your garden needn’t cost the earth either. You can make tiny benches out of twigs, fairy doors from ice lolly sticks, and magical houses from reclaimed bird houses.

The lawn area will also be the kids domain. There’s no shortage of adorable wigwams (robust enough for outside use) in online nursery boutiques at the moment (the one featured below is from gltc and currently a tiny £85). I also love all the traditional wooden play equipment for children such as sandboxes, swings and water tables - plastic might be more practical but wood just looks so gorgeous. There’s also plenty of scope to upcycle from old, or source from your local reclamation yard too to keep costs down. Finally, using old toys as planters brings an element of interest for your children without losing colour for the adults.

For the Adults

Again, there’s a lot to be said for DIY garden design. Quirky little areas built solely to house tools (love, love, love the zombie weapon store below), mini planters from mason jars, glow in the dark paint and upcycling old coffee tables or fruit pallets for workstations or vintage planters work incredibly well for little cost. I also have this gorgeous elephant watering can from Treat Republic that I cannot wait to rehome in the garden!

The major cost for us this year will be some comfy garden furniture to relax on. I love the idea of mixing all that vintage with contemporary. With so many gorgeous wood, wicker and stone designs, I can’t quite work out which to plump for at the moment. There are also tons of stunning pods and hammocks that we might just be able to squeeze in. My only real concern is the spiders that might take up residence among all those cushions!

Any of the above take your fancy? If so, there’s plenty more to feast your eyes on in my Sensory Gardening Pinterest board. Those fairy doors are genius!


Featured Post