If you’re an avid gardener, the winter time can be a slightly slow time of the year as there’s less time to be outside, and the majority of plants die back during the colder months of the year. Although there might be less plant-work to do, those of us who are searching for a DIY project or two have plenty to be getting on with. Here are 3 of our favourite garden DIY winter projects.
Raised Flowerbeds
A raised flowerbed is the perfect winter DIY project, as it helps the plants contained within to keep away from the frosty ground which could potentially kill them. The best material to make a raised bed out of is a hard, stained wood, and if you’re unsure of how to make one, here’s a handy infographic which takes you through the project step by step. You’ll only need a few basic tools for this job, so whatever you don’t have lying around, you can probably borrow from a friend.
Water Feature
Winter is also the perfect time to create your own water feature. The ground is slightly harder, making the digging more difficult work, but the upside is that it doesn’t all cave in when you’ve got half way down. An effective way of creating a water feature could be to build a small pond in the inside of a large, disused tyre placed on its side.
To hide the tire, either sprinkle small pebbles or pieces of slate over the rim, or for something more durable and permanent, you could cut thick pieces of stone into place using a hammer drill (broadly available at DIY retailers like Anglia Tool Centre). Overlapping the pool slightly will also help to protect the water from the harshest attacks of the winter weather.
Winter Furniture
Winter is as good a time as any to build your own simple but durable garden furniture. A unique style which is very on-trend at the moment is to have a wooden table which has a small dip in the middle with a plant growing from it. A good way to achieve this with minimal effort is to use a small wooden crate as the base of the table – it’s the perfect length, and it’s just something you’d have to do yourself otherwise.
So if you’ve been looking for ways to stay busy during the winter. Put your DIY cap on and step outside. The improvements you make could be invaluable.
