With warmer weather just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to get outside and start preparing your garden for spring. If you’re not sure where to start, fortunately there are plenty of landscaping ideas that can be done on a budget but will still bring your vision to life.
Whether you’re looking to add colour and natural elements, or create cosy entertainment areas for the warm evenings to come, we’ve put together this list of 8 landscaping ideas to transform your garden this spring. Grab your gardening gloves and get ready to make your outdoor space the envy of your neighbours!
1. Give Your Lawn Some TLC
Before you can enjoy relaxing in the grass or playing games in the sun, you need to remove the last traces of winter from your lawn, so it’s time for some TLC. Start by clearing away fallen leaves, twigs and other debris - a leaf blower will make light work of this job. Then, if you notice that any turf has been lifted by frost, you can use a garden roller to flatten it back down. Once the grass has begun to grow, you can give it its first trim, but make sure to use a lawn mower on its highest setting so that you don’t do any damage.
2. Plant Spring Flowers
Want to add a pop of seasonal colour to your garden beds? After a long winter, there’s nothing quite like seeing the first blooms of spring, and planting some spring flowers is the perfect way to bring your garden back to life. Some of the best flora to plant at this time of year are daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocuses - all of which can be planted as early as autumn and will reward you with beautiful flowers come springtime.
If you’d like to try your hand at growing something edible this year, now is the time to start sowing seeds if you’d like some produce by the time summer rolls around. For March and April planting, some great choices are beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, leek and tomatoes.
3. Create Pathways
Laying down a pathway throughout your garden not only adds an added level of visual interest, but also creates easy navigation for you and your guests - particularly useful if you’d like to make your outdoor space more accessible to elderly or mobility impaired friends and family members.
Pathways are most commonly created out of gravel or paving slabs - depending on your preferences - both of which can be conveniently be levelled out with a tamper. Whilst not a requirement, you might also want to consider sourcing a wheelbarrow if you don’t have one already, along with a cement mixer for mixing mortar.
4. Add a Rock Garden
A rock garden is a timeless way to add texture and visual appeal to any garden, particularly if you are opting for more of a natural look. Plus, they require very little upkeep once they’ve been built! Choose a sunny spot in your garden and arrange different rocks and boulders in varying shapes and sizes. You could also incorporate low-maintenance plants and succulents amongst the rocks to add a bit of variety.
Alongside a selection of rocks, you’ll need a shovel and a trowel to get started on your rockery, and a wheelbarrow would also come in handy for shifting your materials around. For larger scale rockeries, a turf cutter would also prove useful for digging through tough turf and weeds.
5. Install a Water Feature
Do you love the idea of spending time near water without having to even leave your property? Installing a beautiful water feature is another excellent way to really ramp up the landscaping in your garden, creating an impressive focal point that really elevates its look. You could think about options such as a pond, a fountain or even a small waterfall, and surround these with lush greenery and colourful flowers to make it appear more natural. Your guests are bound to love coming round to enjoy this tranquil feature.
The tools you’ll need to dig out the necessary space for a water feature will differ depending on the size of your project: if you’re planning a relatively small pond you can generally get away with using a shovel for most of the legwork; however, anything larger and you’re probably best off using a mini excavator to get the job done more efficiently.
6. Add Levels to Your Gardening
If you’re a bit short of room and some of these ideas simply won’t work in the space you do have, why not try vertical gardening? This is the perfect way to maximise space in smaller gardens whilst adding depth and dimension. For green thumbed homeowners, this idea gives you plenty more opportunity to grow a wider variety of plants and flowers, and as an added bonus it offers more privacy and shade for your garden. You could install trellises, arbours or wall-mounted planters to grow climbing plants like ivy, clematis or climbing roses.
7. Design a Cosy Outdoor Seating Area
If you want to make your garden a space that’s ideal for entertaining in time for summer, now’s the time to start planning your outdoor seating area. Start by purchasing comfy lounge chairs, sofas and dining sets to create a cosy corner of your garden. Then, you can add little extra touches like fairy lights and lanterns to ensure that your outdoor space can be enjoyed well into the evening.
8. Keep On Top of Maintenance
Naturally, once you’ve made your spring landscaping ideas a reality, that isn’t necessarily the end of the story. Maintaining a regular cleaning and maintenance routine will keep your garden looking its very best throughout the warmer months. Make time for routine watering, weeding and pruning sessions to help your plants stay healthy and vibrant, and be sure to give your furniture and other features the occasional clean so they can be continually enjoyed. To make maintenance tasks more manageable and enjoyable, invest in high-quality gardening and landscaping tools - these might include everything from handheld tools like a strong shovel all the way to a pressure washer.
Choose Rocket Rentals for Efficient Tool Rental Services
Are you looking for a reliable and professional plant hire and tool rental company? Look no further than Rocket Rentals. As Gloucester’s leading plant hire company, we supply high-quality equipment rental services at extremely competitive prices, and are committed to providing a seamless and professional service for all of our clients. Whether you’re looking for gardening hire to complete a landscaping project, or need heavy-duty plant machinery for a larger-scale job, we can help.
Operating across a 50 mile radius, our services cover Gloucester, Cirencester, Bristol, Oxford and Swindon. If you’re looking for a reliable and experienced team to help you with your equipment rentals, look no further. To find out more about our services and what we can offer, get in touch with us today.