How to get your garden ready for summer parties

As the weather starts to get warmer, the focus is on the garden. It’s time to clean up, make it shine, and give it some colour. Then, you can take out the barbecue and invite your friends and family over. I can’t wait to get my garden ready to welcome everyone and fully enjoy my outdoor space!

I’d go as far as saying that my garden is my favourite area of the house. Whether I need to relax after a long day or have the girls over for some cocktails, the garden is my go-to place (if the weather allows it!). If you enjoy spending time outdoors as much as I do, you know it’s essential to make your garden looks its best. So, it’s roll up our sleeves and get to work! 

For some tips on how to get our outdoor spaces ready for summer, I’ve partnered up with Designer Shade Solutions Ireland retractable roofs specialists, who create bespoke shading solutions for homes, restaurants, bars and hotels worldwide. They’ve seen their fair share of gardens, so I thought they could give some great ideas and advice!

Make it fresh.

The first step is to clean, declutter and organise your outdoors. Maybe the paving slabs look grubby, the lawn needs to be mowed and the garden shed could use a colour update. The Rare Welsh Bit also recommends pressure washing your patio and cleaning your garden furniture. “Don’t forget to jet wash your patio and give your garden furniture a good clean to make sure everything is squeaky clean for you to use.” she says.

Make it special.

Add something special to your garden to encourage you to spend more time outdoors and ensure you make the most out of your outdoor space. The team at Designer Shade Solutions recommends adding a modern pergola to your garden or patio. Their innovative pergolas feature a retractable and tilting roof which gives you the flexibility to choose whether you want to fully enjoy the sun, simply want some shade or want the roof fully closed as a shelter from the elements.

Make it colourful.

There are plenty of ways to add colour to your garden, from painting your garden fence or your shed to planting colourful flowers all around your outdoor space. For some fun splashes of colour, paint your plant pots with your little ones, you can make a whole day out of it (plus, it will keep them busy!).

Janine Huldie shared a fabulous idea to not only make your garden more colourful but also to make it more interesting – to create a multisensory area in your garden where you can play with different displays of colour, light, texture and fragrances. This multisensory space will offer a fully immersive experience for your senses!

Make it shine.

Outdoor lighting can change up the atmosphere of your outdoor space. As this blog post on A July Dreamer mentions, “It’s not only important to light up access routes to your garden, so your guests don’t accidentally trip over and hurt themselves on the way to your party, but it’s also essential to brighten up the gathering area to create the perfect atmosphere.”