Whilst some may not look upon the garden as a room, to me they are extensions of our houses. We spend much of our time outdoors, or try to at least, and so it needs to feel like a space we want to be in.
When we moved into our new home in November last year, whilst the front garden was complete in that it had been turfed, there was a path and some flower beds, it lacked any inspiration. It was plain, it was simple and it was boring. Bark chipping, which I hate, and small evergreens filled the beds. The front door was black with just a small light next to it. Pretty drab.
So I decided to use the money we were provided with to brighten up my front door. I started by heading to my local garden centre for supplies. I picked up two large terracotta pots, four small ones, two sunflowers, some lobelia, two small conifers, four solar lights and a bag of blue slate. At Asda I found some ready-made hanging baskets and my dad gave me a bracket. Armed with a tin of blue spray paint I was ready.
First I painted all the pots and the bracket in the lovely glossy blue. I left them to dry and then planted up the larger two with the conifers and placed them at either side of the door.
With the remaining four I decided to attempt a project I had seen on Pinterest a while ago. Here is the Pinterest image and here is my version. I think it turned out pretty well and the blue lobelia cascades out of the pots beautifully.
I then got rid of those horrible bark chipping from around the tree in the front garden. I planted the pretty sunflowers on either side of the trunk and moved the existing plants around a bit. I then filled the soil with the blue slate and was really impressed with how much cleaner and prettier it looked.
Finally Mr H put the newly painted bracket up for me and whilst I hung the bracket he put the solar lights down the side of the path. I was quite cynical about how well they would work, as they were only cheap lights, however I was pleasantly surprised when I looked out that night to see them lighting up the path. When the cold, dark nights draw in they will lead Mr H into the warmth of house with a welcoming glow.
So what did we spend?
Three solar lights: £10
Two large pots: £3
Four small pots: £3.60
Lobelia: £2
Conifers: £6
Hanging basket: £8
Slate: £5
Sunflowers: £6
Paint: £7
Total: £50.60
Overall I'm pretty pleased with the results. Whilst there isn't some massive transformation, it has made the front of the house look much more inviting and appealing and it makes me smile to take in the pretty blues and happy flowers as I return home for the day.
*I was given £50 from Money Supermarket for this challenge.
