People let their time go by them, waiting for the perfect moment. The truth is that it will never come unless you create it on your own. Handy or not, new to DIY or a real pro, you should stop waiting. Roll up your sleeves and take things into your own two hands. The projects I have listed below mostly require your time and effort – but in the end, you’ll know that you crafted it all by yourself and you will enjoy every magical inch of your victory.
1. Lay Down a Nice Base
Cleaning is in order – I know this doesn’t sound very magical, but doing any kind of work in a messy environment will only require more work later. What you need is a blank canvas so that you can create your very own art from scratch. If you have any bigger plans for the future, like changing and resizing your garden or building a pool, you should be clearing space in preperation. You don’t want to start a project that gets in the way of other projects you have going; this will only limit space and resources, and you can end up with a great big mess. If your garden has any overgrown plants and an overall wild appearance, get to that first – all you need are garden gloves and any kind of saw. The next step is dealing with uneven parts of the ground – a nice shovel will do the trick. While conducting heavy work, you’ll be able to identify if any pest issues. Naturally, they need to be gone before you even start creating your paradise, so pay attention to nasty roaches and other small beasts that can easily cause you nightmares.
2. Placing Stone Paths
When you’re done with cleaning, it’s time to sketch out and design your garden. Before you even start planting grass, you should create different sections by creating pathways. The least expensive way to do so is by placing stones. Your options are limitless, really – your paths can consist of same-sized cubes, large or small, or you can make it fun by building it out of stones in different shapes and sizes. The greatest thing about this idea is that stones are very simple to come by. Make a day out of it – invite your friends and family to a picnic and have them help you with your stone-finding quest.
3. Plant Flowers
There’s no such thing as a magical garden without flowers – we can all agree on that. A majority of people who are complete strangers to botany consider taking care of flowers to be a full time job and a difficult task – which is not true! Although flowers do need care (which you will love doing, by the way), it’s not like having a baby. If the soil isn’t nutritious enough, you should enrich it by adding fertilizers. This is a matter you should take to your local florist – I’m sure they will be more than happy to help out. The planting process is rather simple – find flower seeds that will comfortably grow in your climate. My suggestion is to get resilient ones for starters. Put on your garden gloves. Make sure to mark those areas you plan on working in by using ropes or small stones so they don’t get stepped on. The rest is simple – create evenly distant holes, about three inches deep, and carefully place the seeds. The only thing left is to water them according to the instructions.
4. Craft Your Furniture
It’s not necessary to get the latest garden furniture in order to make it look magical – on the contrary. You’d be surprised with what you can do with just some sandpaper and paint. For starters, visit your attic (or basement) and see if you have any pieces of furniture that you’ve forgotten about. Visit your neighbors and offer them a symbolic amount of cash for the pieces they don’t use. Gather them all outside and see what you can do with them – creating a furniture set where all pieces are from different sets usually turns out to be a great idea. Now, get those gloves back on and wash the pieces thoroughly. Remove the old paint by using rough sandpaper – this may take a while but it’s a stress relieving action that is simultaneously a great exercise. Now, you can introduce some order to your new furniture by coating all the pieces using the same color (if you have any OCD issues, this is what I recommend). Or, you could create a playful garden by painting them all differently – it’s your choice!
5. Introduce Magical Lighting
It’s time for another trip to your attic/basement and, this time, we’re looking for Christmas decorations, lights and old lamps in particular. Even if you don’t have any, getting them when it’s nowhere near holiday season will turn out to be a cheap investment. This is where your creativity should kick in – wrapping these lights around your trees, using a glue gun to create a flower or a heart or any kind of shape on your fence or coming up with another way to liven up your garden will all have the same result – a magical garden. A fresh layer of paint on old lamps will give them a completely new look and, once again, it’s up to you to do whether you want. You have an idea of how your garden will look like, don’t you? I’m sure you now see that you don’t need an exterior decorator or expensive materials to create your piece of heaven right in your backyard – all you need is to be willing, to invest your time and to be persistent. Enjoying it when you’re done is worth absolutely every second you’ve spent working on it, believe me. Featured photo credit: https://pixabay.com/en/users/Alexas_Fotos-686414/ via pixabay.com
