If you are looking to make your time gardening easier, more enjoyable or more bountiful, there are a range of different garden accessories you could consider. What you choose to invest in will of course depend on what you already have, the size and aspect of your garden, and what it is that you love to grow.
Garden storage solutions:
If you’re looking to install new or upgrade existing storage solutions for your garden, you will find a huge range of options. From full scale sheds to storage boxes or benches, you can choose what suits your space for keeping and organising your tools, equipment and gardening supplies. As you make your choice consider which materials would be best for you: wood will weather and need re-sealing, but offers a more rustic look than plastic or metal.
You may also need to think about whether you need to keep tools safe from small children, as well as how easily lockable the storage is for security too.
If you already have a shed but want to improve your set-up, you could invest in shelving, racks or other handy storage options to improve its usefulness, and avoid having to trawl through heaps of items to find what you need. A low-budget option that can make a big difference in a shed is a rack or wall clips for holding rakes, brooms and other long-handled tools.
Watering systems:
An irrigation system will make watering your garden a lot easier, and may even make it possible to grow more delicate or thirsty plants that you wouldn’t have considered before. Whether a drip irrigation system or a sprinkler set-up, you can establish efficient watering to keep your garden looking spritely throughout the warmer, dryer months.
You could also consider rainwater harvesting, with water butts or harvesting barrels, to both reduce your water bill and benefit the environment.
Irrigation systems range from the simple to the elaborate, so have a look at what could suit your space and budget.
Wildlife friendly accessories:
Bird feeders and accessories are a wonderful way of inviting wildlife into your garden, and can be beautiful objects in their own right. From carefully crafted wooden bird houses, freestanding feeders place on the lawn, or hanging feeders for trees, you can find what suits your garden and taste. You can also find which type of feeder works for which type of bird, depending on what you are hoping to invite into your garden.
Birds aren’t the only wildlife we may want to encourage in our gardens. You can make our buy simple bug houses and insect hotels to encourage pollinators to move in. Make sure to place it in a sheltered spot that is warm and dry.
If you don’t have a pond, you can create a home for frogs by creating a small artificial pond. And if you have neighbours who have seen hedgehogs nearby, you could consider a hedgehog house, especially in the autumn, as they may move in to hibernate over winter.
Eco friendly accessories:
Beyond garden accessories that encourage and support wildlife, there are other options you can invest in that are good for the environment. We’ve already mentioned water butts and rain harvesting systems for sustainable watering. You can also think about composting solutions, turning food-waste into valuable organic matter for growing, while also reducing waste to land-fill.
You can also consider recycled or sustainable materials for any other accessories for your garden, from furniture to planters, to the mulch that you use on your flowerbeds.
Decorative garden accessories:
You can give your garden a distinctive look with decorative accessories. The obvious choice is to start with planters and pots, choosing a style that you like and investing in several matching or complementary pieces to give your garden a clear aesthetic.
You could decorate walls with outdoor art, or introduce select statues in your borders.
Other decorative elements could include mirrors. Especially in smaller gardens, mirrors can offer an illusion of more space, and add light into darker corners or shady spots. Make sure you choose mirrors that can withstand the elements, and secure them to ensure that they won’t be blown down in windy conditions.
If you have a patio or deck, you could select an outdoor rug, to give an indoors-outdoors feel to your seating area. There is a growing range of weather-resistant rugs on offer, from natural-looking to bright and colourful. The right choice can also make your patio easier to walk or play on in hot weather, if your stones soak up the heat.
Garden accessories for growing:
If you’re looking for accessories to increase how much you can grow, look into different options for greenhouses and cold frames.
From large and robust greenhouses, with multi-level shelving, to patio greenhouses and smaller cold frame set-ups, you can significantly extend your growing season, protect tender plants over winter and increase your seed planting. A broad range of greenhouses mean you can find a solution that works for your space, as well as your budget. If you already have a greenhouse, you could invest in utilising the space more effectively, with greenhouse staging solutions.
Raised beds are also a great addition to your garden that help you grow. There are many benefits to growing in raised beds, from improved pest control to comfort, as you don’t have to bend all the way down to a boarder or flowerbed. When install raised beds, you’ll want a solution that really lasts, and is well-installed. The last thing you wants is to spend time filling, planting and tending to your raised beds, and then have to dismantle them or replace them. Rhino raised beds come with a 25-year guarantee, so can reliably be planted in for decades.
However you’re looking to invest in your garden, it can be extremely enjoyable to look into the different options that could work for you, whether decorative or practical, wildlife focused or all about extending your growing season.