When was the last time you went out in the back garden? Maybe you spend a lot of time there in the Winter, or maybe you are preparing the garden for Spring. Generally though we tend to avoid the garden space in the colder months whilst waiting for the warmer, summer weather. There are ways you can make the most of the garden all year round, and with a few easy changes, you can make your home feel bigger, and your garden feel more accessible.
Patio Heaters:
If you haven’t considered them before, do think about adding a heater or fire pit to your patio to make your social gatherings more pleasant. Tall heaters, chimineas, and pits of all kinds, make great centre pieces as well as offering practical solutions to colder Spring and Summer evenings. Of course, ensure the safety of your family if you do use these, and keep children at a safe distance, but they add a stylish, contemporary touch to your garden decor and allow you to use the garden for longer.
Sliding Patio Doors:
You may already have great access out to the garden, but consider putting in sliding patio doors and suddenly you feel so much more connected to your outdoor space. If you can keep the inside and outside flooring on the same level, and even use the same materials you’ll help the flow and continuity too. Albany Windows for example offer really good-looking sliding patio doors with energy-efficient double glazing too, and have many finish options to help you achieve a personal look to your door.
Summer House:
It might be more of an investment, but summer houses are incredibly popular now, and can you give you extra room at the bottom of the garden. You might want to use one as an office, a den, a work area or reading nook, the options are endless, but they will need power and heating in many instances so can be more of a permanent feature. They’re a great way to ensure you’re using the garden more, all year round.
Lighting:
Garden lighting is easy to get right, and adding lots more solar or mains wired lights will help you spend more time outdoors in the evenings. The light isn’t always great at this time of year, but there should still be enough to power some solar lights, making your garden more accessible as dusk falls. And if you need to light a pathway to your new Summer house, this is definitely the answer.
Cleaning:
Ok so it might sound a bit dull, but ensuring you’ve cleaned patios, pathways and deckings is imperative to a safe walkway, and more access to the garden. In the Winter months, these areas get grimy and very slippery and can be hazardous to the whole family. Ensure you give them a good clean, usually with a steam cleaner and moving around the garden will be much easier.
Images: Patio Heater & Sliding doors via Shutterstock || Summer house || Path lighting
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Jen Stanbrook is an interiors writer, blogger and presenter, with an insatiable love of all things home. 
Great suggestions! We have a patio heater for the garden and I love it, it does keep you nice and toasty. We had some small patio doors installed this year, so I am looking at putting in some decking right outside of them so we can open up the doors and make it feel more open.
Put a big canopy/shelter/roof over your patio to protect you from the rain. It will give you some shade in the summer as well.
Great suggestions, thank you! We have very long Winters here in Wisconsin, in the US, and any ways to make them go by faster is welcome. Roof, or large awning or trellis, and the patio heater are all great ideas. Thanks!
Great ideas.. Thanks for sharing