How to optimise your garden space

Gardens seemingly reached the peak of their popularity at the height of heatwave lockdown. So it came as no surprise to us that when we asked people in our 2020 Happy Home report what was important to them, outside space was up there.

But things have changed and so have we… right? The great outdoors is open to all and we’re not obliged to spend so much time inside. However, our most recent research shows there’s an even stronger emphasis on people’s desires to have a garden this side of the pandemic. So how can we make the most of our gardens and what do we do if we don’t have one? We explore what a garden era might look like for each of us.

Happiness is a garden

Our recent survey revealed that given the opportunity to spend £10k on our properties, after kitchens, most people would opt to spend on their garden. With the UK housing stock’s notoriously leaky reputation and the public’s penchant for open-plan spaces, we were a little stumped with this finding. It’s not news to us that access to green space and connection to nature has a positive impact on our wellbeing, but the extent to which people are seeing the value in having one is.

We perhaps naively conflated UK gardens with UK summers but it looks like we were missing out. It would appear that gardens really are for the whole year round and – whether we’re crafting our dream allotment space in them or admiring them from the warm comfort of indoors, having them there makes us happier. In fact, people who were unsatisfied with the views from their homes were four times as likely to be unhappy with their homes. With this knowledge in mind, we wanted to hone in on just what we can do to maximise our enjoyment of the outdoors at home.

For those with a garden:

Listen to the experts

We asked Jack, Head of Plants, at Muddy Trowel for some insider tips for how to begin your gardening venture. Here’s what he advised us:

Don't over-stretch! Start small, buying smaller quantities of plants and gradually build up your collection. The same applies to planting borders – fill out the main parts first, see what gaps appear and then plug those with more plants. This way it's always manageable for you, you enjoy the plants as they grow and it doesn't become a chore!
Choose easy-going plants! It is tempting to go for the prettiest of peonies or roses, but if you are new to growing they can be difficult to manage. Instead, start your gardening journey by selecting easy-going plants like climbing jasmine, fatsia, abelia, and ceanothus – easy to care for, prune and won't mind if forgotten for a while!
Know your space. Get to know the different light levels, soil type, rain shadow etc... of your outdoor space. This will greatly help in choosing the right plants and ensuring they thrive!

Find a local gardener

If you’re fortunate enough to have a garden and you’d rather place the responsibility of its upkeep into the hands of well-heeled experts, we’d recommend finding a local gardener who really knows their stuff. Knowledgeable gardeners will also share helpful advice and have contacts with tree surgeons – just in case anything is awry.

Find a local gardener to maintain your garden

Become a green goddess

Another reason that gardening may have become so popular is simply that it can be a real joy to both learn and to practise! For the keen but uninitiated, we recommend diving into the dedicated Gardeners World: Gardening for Beginners archives or listening to the inspiring Gardeners’ Question Time. You can expect friendly, real-life tips from passionate and experienced garden enthusiasts that are easy to follow. And if you’re looking for great value compost, pots and plants to get you started visit our friends over at Muddy Trowel and fill your boots.

Gardening as a new hobby

Maximise your indoor-outdoor flow

Make the most of your garden with a greater view to the outside. There are some great, innovative alterations to your home you can make that’ll allow for this while also flooding your home with Vitamin-D-Boosting natural light. Some of our favourite ways to achieve this include:

Maximise your garden space

If you have a balcony:

Our article on how to create a garden on a balcony or roof is a great place to start for tips and tricks for how to craft a garden haven with the space you have available. Some of our standout tips would be to install and fill hanging baskets with plants that naturally drape downward, as well as nurturing some potted plants to place at ground level should you have space.

Why not endeavour to grow some herbs and vegetables that don’t require too much room to flourish on your balcony? Planted and maintained correctly, basil and coriander will not only provide nourishing greenery for the eye, they’ll also make fantastic additions to home-cooked meals without you having to spend a penny. For small plantings that could make a big difference, we’d also recommend tomatoes and chilli plants.

If you don’t have any outdoor space:

Create a green space

We understand that gardens and green space are a luxury not reserved for all, particularly if you live within a city. This, paired with our growing understanding of the nurturing benefits of greenery, is likely behind the great house plant boom of recent years. There are plenty of places to begin your indoor gardening ventures – from your local garden centre to delivery services such as Patch Plants and Beards & Daisies.

If you’d like to explore how Resi can help you improve your indoor-outdoor flow, book a free advice call with one of our experts.

Entering our garden era

Quick summary

Happiness is a garden