Can you believe it’s only a few months until Christmas? If you’re likely to have some entertaining on your seasonal agenda, now’s the time to get your gardens ready to welcome guests. If you live in the UK, you’d be wise to plan a tidy up and a little holiday planting before getting down to some serious decoration planning. Based Down Under? Yours is likely to be a longer to-do list. After all, a modern Australian Christmas usually calls for an al fresco gathering and barbecue with all your nearest and dearest in attendance. If you tend to put your Christmas focus on the home and what lies within, why not let your outdoor space take a bigger slice of the limelight this year by readying your garden for the Santa season?
‘Tis the season to get planting
Want your garden to look Christmas card picture perfect, complete with traditional plants or flowers in seasonal shades? There’s still time to get planting! If you live in the UK, autumn is a good time to plant forced hyacinths Hyacinths or bed in a holly bush. Your hyacinths should flower just in time for the arrival of Santa himself. As for the Holly bush, it might not be much cop for making a Christmas wreath from this year but it will be a great party talking point and you can expect it to contribute plenty of foliage in years to come.
Australians and Americans who live in places like California on the Pacific Coast, may not have a climate that caters well to the more traditional Christmas plants, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan something special. If you’re planning to have all the rellies round at Christmas, why not go all out and design a flower bed in seasonal shades like red or white? You’re unlikely to have snow on the horizon but with some clever cultivation, you can still have a white Christmas at home!
Channel your inner Buddy The Elf
Have you vowed to up your Christmas decorating game thanks to a poor performance in previous years? Maybe you’re one of the one in four Brits that have previously found their neighbour’s taste in exterior decorating somewhat lacking and you’d like to show those around you how it’s done? A beautiful exterior Christmas display isn’t something that’s thrown together at the last minute. Families spend years collecting decorations, learning to decorate and crafting skills and planning out those intricate lighting displays.
If you’d like to go all out, review the kit you already have at hand before treating yourself to some new decorations and remember, you needn’t stick with lights! Wreaths with ribbons can be a great way to add a splash of colour to seasonal gardens, you can dress benches with decorations too or bring bare branches to life with outdoor Christmas ornaments. LED lights are the most energy-efficient lighting option but you may want to add some more traditional heat and light sources too. A fire pit can be a great spot to gather round and sing carols and if you find a diesel generator for sale, it can open up lots of options when it comes to staying warm in cooler weather or serving up food and drink in all climates.
Get yourself on the nice list
Be honest, how often do you put off those essential garden maintenance jobs just because they’re not particularly fun? The thing is, if you neglect to do a good tidy and clean up before winter arrives – or don’t get into the swing of planning for summer when spring is upon you, you’ll find it a lot harder to create a wow-factor garden come Christmas time. Whether you’re in the northern or southern hemisphere, why not get yourself on Santa’s nice list by doing all those jobs you tend to put off? Start with a good pressure wash of the patio, clean up your garden furniture too, maybe start to plan your custom log cabin ready for the Christmas season, and don’t forget to cover it securely to prepare for any cold spells.
In the UK? Don’t forget to look after the perimeter too. It’s time to prune any deciduous trees and bushes, plus you’ll want to give guttering a clear out as Autumn progresses. You don’t want leaf blockages causing issues in your guttering. You can consider reaching out to commercial gutter cleaning services, like https://idahoseamlessgutter.com, who might offer a thorough and efficient solution to keep your gutter system free of debris and functioning optimally.
Additionally, if your lawn shows the signs of unusual wet spots, foul odour, or lush green patches, there might be a bigger problem. This usually happens when the sewer line gets obstructed due to debris or when tree roots penetrate sewer lines causing a blockage. Further, this can result in water damage and costly repairs. In such cases, you can look for sewer line repair in Lawrenceville or similar service elsewhere that has a set of professionals who can inspect for the root cause of the problem. Moreover, they are known to use modern techniques to fix the poor condition of sewer pipes, thus restoring functionality.
Alternatively, in warmer climates like Australia, you might want to think about feeding the lawn and weeding and mulching flower beds. Invest some time in primping and preening now and you will be able to dedicate more time later on to the all-important task of decorating.
Do you use your outdoor space for Christmas celebrations? Do you keep things simple with strings of fairy lights or do you go the extra mile to make Santa doesn’t miss your house?
