Do you miss your garden during the late autumn and winter? Do you eagerly anticipate the arrival of spring, watching the weather report for that hopeful area of high pressure that promises long warm days that are perfect for gardening, barbecues and other outdoor recreation? Why not retro-fit your garden so that you can comfortably enjoy spending time outside all year round?
Cater for the Climate
Instead of salads and cold drinks, get some marshmallows to toast, make vast mugs of hot chocolate, and serve warming foods like curries, stews and soups! With the right catering, you and your guests will barely notice the cold weather, and you will get to enjoy icy winter days seeing what goes on in your garden in colder weather without suffering too much from the chill! The beauty of delicious and warming meals like this is that they can be made very cheaply in bulk, and frozen until you need them.
Light Up Your Lawn
Think ahead to those short gloomy days when there is barely eight hours of light each day. Usually this is enough to drive us all indoors, but if you plan ahead and equip your garden with a wide array of lights – there are hundreds to choose from: ranging from solar-powered garden bed lights to strings of fairy lights that look very effective wound through tree branches and many more to suit all budgets – then you will be able to enjoy those long lazy evenings with no more interruption to your fun than getting up to turn on the lights. And not even that disruption if you opt for solar lights that automatically turn on when the ambient light drops below a certain point.
Firepits
A firepit is a must for winter garden get-togethers. There is something primitive and yet so satisfying about a nice crackling fire, and as well as warming you all up, firepits add a measure of warm light to the scene, so you all look great as well as being kept toasty warm! Get your firepit in the UK from the Forest Fuel website.
Plan for Seasons
During planting season, think ahead throughout all the seasons. Add in a few evergreens to ensure that your winter garden is still packed with green foliage, and choose an array of plants that flower or bud at different times, so your garden always has something interesting going on. By thinking ahead and buying unseasonal seeds, you can sometimes get them for a bargain price – you must then look after them until you are ready to plant them, but that is easily done.
Get a Greenhouse
With a well-insulated greenhouse, you can enjoy the best of your sun-craving flowering plants at any time, even in the dead of winter – even if you do have to admire the profuse display through the slightly steamed-up windows of your greenhouse!