We all know that the best activity in a garden is relaxing and lounging, but enjoying the garden can be improved greatly by beautiful surroundings. Improving your garden doesn’t take much, just some imagination and willingness to start digging. It can be a great project for over the summer months.
Start at the place you like the least, you could replace an overgrown corner of the garden with a nice flowerbed; add an attractive shingle layer or a roll-out some fresh turf.
The tricky part is removing the old bushes or shrubs. However, all you really require is a good fork that you can sink deep into the soil around the roots of the shrub, enabling you to push down on the handle to tug on and eventually weaken the roots, then lever the shrub out of the ground.
Once the shrubs and bushes are removed the next task is to level the ground. Unfortunately, a simple raking over might not be sufficient; you may well have to dig out lumps of soil with a spade in order to even out the surface. The excess soil can be put to one side in a pile, ready for rubbish removal later. The good news is that the recycling of waste such as garden waste now possible at most local refuse sites.
Soil excavation, basically more digging, is at the root of several other garden DIY projects: creating a pond, for example, is a feature that will really add a touch of class to your garden.
The key to creating a pond is to mark out the area with a piece of rope, and to then dig out the soil or turf in two stages: once around the perimeter where the pond edging will be laid, and then, secondly, deep enough in the centre to accommodate the pond liner. Why not include a water feature?
A garden project can be a great activity to bring the family together and to learn new skills. Everyone will appreciate the garden more and spend far more time there.