Garden Ideas For Non-Gardeners

You bought the property because you liked the property. That was your focal point: the rooms, the curb appeal, the feel of the floors beneath your feet. You looked around the interior and thought: yes, this could be home.

Very few of us buy a property based on the garden. The most common hope is that the garden is nice, well-maintained, and can be used immediately without the need for renovation. Of course there might be hardcore gardeners out there who don’t care about the actual house so long as the garden is good – but you’re not one of them.

For the non-gardener, a garden is just… a thing. At best, it’s an area you’ll largely ignore; you’ve never seen the fun of eating outside, battling off wasps and risking sunburn. As for the idea of willingly spending your time weeding and maintaining plant life? You can immediately think of ten thousand things you would rather do.

So you have a huge space out of the back of your new house – what are you going to do with it?

Option #1: Build An Extension

If you really don’t want your outdoor space to be outdoor space, then bring it indoors. An extension or conservatory can mean that you’re getting the most from your land, with all of it being used in a way you actually see a purpose for.

Even if you can’t build a full brick extension, then there’s ways and means of separating off an area for an outdoor building. The likes of Fencing Direct have a variety of methods for separating the land into different sections, some of which could be enclosed to at least provide a storage area. It might not be a full-blown extra room for your house, but it’ll save you cluttering up the basement and attic spaces.

Option #2: Decking

If you really don’t want the hassle of regular garden maintenance, then your best bet might be to remove all plant life and just deck the entire area. Once complete, decking is easy to maintain, and you might even be tempted to use it for the occasional al fresco meal – wasps not invited of course.

Option #3: Rent It Out

If you can create an entry point to an area of the garden that you don’t find intrusive, then it might be worth advertising your garden in the local area. Many people would love the chance to garden and grow vegetables for themselves, but they don’t have the chance due to apartment living. You have the option of separating off an area for the use of other people and keeping some for yourself, or just handing over the reins to another person entirely.

Payment may be a thorny issue; some may argue that they shouldn’t have to pay to maintain your garden. It might be best to see it as a mutually beneficial agreement: they get the garden, and you don’t have to do it yourself! That way, everybody wins.