pring is in the air. The birds have started to return from their long journey south, nesting with their partners and preparing for the beautiful weather ahead. The sun is coming back around again, making the days longer and bringing life back to the hollowed, dead ground.
Like the sun and the birds, we as gardeners must also prepare for the beautiful weather ahead by returning life to our own hallowed grounds. But where is the right place to start? How can a home owner landscape their own garden so that it’s original, earth-friendly and above all, done by themselves? This is what this article hopes to cover by the end, how can a gardener make their garden the best they can by themselves- in other words, what are the best DIY Garden Design Ideas?
1. Make it POP!
A lot of gardeners are deciding to make a change in their gardens this year. Home owners, gardeners and landscapers alike from all over the country, from Stouffville, Ontario to Victoria, BC can agree on one thing- this year they are going to need gardens that make them smile. That make their hearts flutter. That make their eyes sparkle.
This can be achieved in a lot of ways- picking plants that are personal to themselves, growing plants from seed to grown, but one of the easiest ways one can get a garden that looks like a fireworks show is to choose some plants that “pop”.
What do we mean by plants that pop? Plants with colour. Plants with some character. And when a gardener puts enough of these plants together, their garden turns from a drab, muted green to an orgy of colours, a feast for the eyes.
There are two schools of thought for the popping plants garden. The first is most likely the easiest- just picking some of the most vibrant coloured plants and just putting them all together, randomly. And yes, while this will produce a rainbow of beautiful flowers, it may look a little messy. For some gardeners, this sounds like heaven. A random mess of colours and plants could be the exact thing certain landscapers or homeowners could be looking for in order to make their garden pop.
But not everyone is subscribed to this school of thought. Others prefer their gardens to have a little structure, to be more maintained. For those gardeners and landscapers out there who want a little more rigidly planned pop garden, this is our best advice- try to get “complementary colours”.
Red and green, yellow and purple, orange and blue, are all colours that tend to complement each other and thusly, give a more uniform look to any garden. The more a gardener keeps these colours together the better the garden is going to look.
And here is the final piece of the pop garden puzzle- the colours don’t have to stop at plants. One of the greatest kept secrets in the gardening industry, especially for those who want an immensely colourful garden, is that pots can be painted too. Try to keep those pots colourful- take a weekend and get your family together to spend it colouring pots to make that garden pop even more!
2. Get Creative With Pots and Planters
Speaking of pots and planters, painting them isn’t the only thing a gardener can do to add some spice to their garden. Another great thing that one can do is choose not only different types of planters but also how they are positioned.
When it comes to different types of planters, the internet is a vast ocean of purchasable add ons to anyone’s garden. Save space by buying planters that are stacked on top of each other, buy planters that are big, buy planters that are small, buy all the same planter, buy significantly different ones. Window planters are a great way to save space and to add some green to the windowsills- they are also great for those who don’t have much space when it comes to a garden. As the title of this section says- get creative with the planters bought.
One doesn’t even have to buy planters, either. One of the best things a gardener can do for their garden is to keep the foreign materials out instead of a plastic planter, why not plant flowers inside of a tree stump? Perhaps recycle some old rain boots into the newest set piece within a garden. Good for the earth, good for the garden.
Also, one can choose different positioning for their planter. Our favourite example of this in practice is the “overturned” planter. One can put a planter on its side as if it’s been knocked over, and then have a bunch of flowers or plants “spilling out” of the aforementioned planter. It gives anyone’s garden a unique look that is sure to be the centrepiece of any conversation.
3. Add Accessories
There should be more than two reasons to go to a garden. One should want to be around their garden for more than just plant care and showing off. Our best DIY advice this year is to add some more reasons to hit up the garden.
A fire pit is one of the best things one can add to their garden. It’s not only great for socializing, but it’s an all year round accessory.
Treehouses are great for children. Above ground pools can turn summer from a slog into a great time. Hot tubs are hard to maintain but are another year round accessory that is great for parties.
The bottom line is this- a backyard garden space should be for more than just plants. It should be for people, too.
And so, it seems we have reached the end of our article about DIY Garden Design ideas. However, there was a lot learnt, and hopefully, any gardener, landscaper or homeowner who has taken the time to read this has a lot of options going into spring this year. All that’s left to do is start!
