Garden spaces have come to add significant value to properties on the market in the UK, which is an interesting development considering that residents live within a relatively cold and wet climate. Rainfall and low temperatures generally limit the amount of time that a garden space can be personally enjoyed while also increasing the amount of maintenance that must be done in order to keep gardens looking aesthetically pleasing. As such, the actual value of a garden for a home is now being debated.
While gardens might run contrary to those wanting a lock up and leave property, there are ways that residents can still get more use out of their garden spaces, regardless of the weather. Here are six ways to show you how.
Grow For Your Kitchen
Instead of creating a wholly aesthetic garden space, residents can consider designing a practical one. Swapping ornamental flowers for delicious fruits and vegetables means that, even when the weather is too unaccommodating to enjoy, it produces food that can be brought indoors and cooked. As well as being a flavourful endeavour, it is also a money-saving one too, helping residents to reduce their food bill.
Dining Areas
Beyond setting up a table with chairs outdoors, residents would do well to create weather-resistant and cosy dining areas in their gardens. By doing so, they will find themselves spending more time outdoors, whether for a meal with friends or a quiet cup of coffee in the early morning.
Heat lamps and gazebos are two great examples of small purchases that can completely change the comfort of an outdoor dining area, helping to encourage more regular use.
Outbuildings
Log cabins, annexes, and summer houses are each great options for those who want to expand their living space and incorporate their garden into a regular routine. Remote workers, for example, have found outbuildings make superb office spaces being separate from central living spaces, while creatives are celebrating external buildings as ideal rooms for their artistic endeavours.
Sustainable Solutions
Being exposed to the elements doesn’t necessarily mean that a garden will only deteriorate. From a sustainability perspective, being exposed to rain and shine can be incredibly useful. Water butts can be used to collect rainwater, eliminating the need for hosepipes, while solar panels can generate energy even when residents aren’t home.
Welcoming Wildlife
Having a patch of outdoor space dedicated to the natural beauty of wildflowers can be both an aesthetically pleasing decision as well as one that supports wildlife conservation. Birds and insects, for example, can make brilliant use of dense wildflowers, with boxes, baths, and ‘hotels’ giving them even more reason to flutter around your garden and thrive.
Rent It Out
There is a growing community of gardeners who are without gardens. This, coupled with the extreme waitlists associated with allotments, has led homeowners to rent out their garden spaces to interested parties. This mutually beneficial relationship sees those without gardens have access to green spaces to grow while homeowners who might otherwise neglect their outdoor space earn money and see their outdoor areas transformed in positive ways.
