Spruce Up Your Yard This Summer with These 3 Seasonal Tips

Canadians celebrate Garden Days for a week every June with a variety of events across the country. Whether it’s a farmer’s market, gardening workshop, or a public picnic, you can come together with all kinds of like-minded nature lovers this week.

Like many other arts, horticultural trends can vary from season to season. We’ve put together a few of this year’s most popular gardening tips to help you liven up your space this summer.

Get creative with containers

Containers can be a simple and vibrant way to brighten up any living space. Try combining unique arrangements of different colours, flowers, and plants.

If you have a small apartment, you can fill a pot with a variety of flowers and plants to make your own indoor garden. If you need to make room to entertain guests, Carson Arthur suggests making your creation portable by putting it on wheels.

Not only can you make something original with your greenery selection—you can also create or select the container you put your arrangement in. There are many different colours, shapes, styles, and sizes you can use to express your personal style. Some pots even come in animal shapes! If you’re really interested DIY projects, you might even consider making and painting your own clay pot.

Alternatively, you could upcycle some old belongings and repurpose them as a pot for your garden. Rain boots, mugs, tires, and teapots can all make creative containers for your mini oasis. If you have old dresser drawers that aren’t being used, you could create a unique ecological art piece to display in your front or your backyard. Keep in mind, however, that different plants will require different types of pots and drainage depending on their root systems, the climate where you live, or other factors.

If you’re new to gardening and are concerned about the potential difficulty of caring for different types of plants, succulents may be a good option because they’re generally inexpensive and easy to care for.

Bring your living outdoors

Summers in Canada can often feel too short. One of the best ways to take advantage of the sunny season is to create an outdoor living space. Investing in patio furniture can help you create a comfortable area for you to unwind. Backyard relaxation has graduated from the days of simple folding plastic chairs to more elaborate wooden couches topped with plush, weather-proof cushions. You don’t have to forego extra comforts just because you’re outdoors!

If you find your yard or balcony gets too much sun to spend extended periods of time outside, you could get an awning, umbrella, or another type of shelter to create a shaded space.

A popular trend over the past few years has been the movement of outdoor living deeper into the yard for a more immersive and tranquil experience. Typically, patios would tuck in close to a home’s deck or the side of the house. Now, people prefer to enjoy their meals among the trees and grass rather than just beyond their kitchen doors—they’re creating dedicated spaces within their property, among the gardens and foliage.

Plant your own produce

Apart from flowers and other aesthetic plants, vegetables can make a wonderful addition to your garden. The benefits of growing your own produce are more than you might expect.

For instance, a pack of seeds costs far less than purchasing vegetables at the grocery store. You can also decide what you want to plant and how much, so you won’t need to run around the city in search of that basil you need for the night’s caprese salad.

Additionally, you’re in control of how your vegetables are grown. Whether you want to grow organically or not, you make the decisions and you can feel confident knowing exactly where your food is coming from.

What’s more, you don’t need a large yard to grow your vegetables in. You can use small pots for herbs, or you can grow certain fruits and vegetables vertically to conserve space. You also don’t necessarily need to separate each different plant. Some crops are compatible and can grow together in the same soil. Once you decide which fruits and veggies you want to grow, find out if you have any pairings that can go together to help you save room.

The unpredictable nature of Canadian weather can complicate your summer gardening plans. If you don’t seem to be getting enough warmth this season, you can support your plants by creating mini greenhouses for them. Milk jugs make for excellent insulation. Simply cut open one side and place it over your plant to help it retain heat from sunlight.

No matter what size or type of space you have—balcony or acreage—there are various trends this gardening season you can take advantage of. In a smaller area, you can make your garden portable or vertical. In a larger yard, you can create intimate and tranquil retreats where you can fully immerse yourself in the natural beauty of your garden.

To find out what kind of Garden Days events are happening in your city, you can visit the official website.

If you’re sprucing up your landscaping to help sell your home, visit our blog for more tips.