AD – This is a paid advertorial but all thoughts are my own
As we’re all in lockdown right now and spending more time at home in one go than most of us have ever done in our lives, actually enjoying our own homes is vitally important. For so long, we’ve been eager to get out of our homes and out into the world but now, in a time where we’re being told to stay in, it’s time to uncover all those little things that we actually love about our homes. Because let’s face it, we’re going to be here a while.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
And with the weather in the UK this week being utter BLISS if I do say so myself, I can imagine a lot of us are spending more time in our gardens. Probably for the first time this year. Having a garden is a blessing – so if you have a garden during this lockdown period, please give a quick prayer of thanks to whichever higher power you believe in.
There are plenty of ways to be enjoying your garden during this time. We all know what that ol’ vitamin D does for us so getting out into our gardens is a natural way to really boost our mental health during this incredibly stressful time. I know it has for me. An hour doing Yoga in the sun and reading my book was definitely what the doctor ordered to get me out of a COVID-19 induced stress-slump.
Here are some different activities and ways we can start really making the most of our gardens and enjoying our gardens to the fullest whilst we’re stuck at home:
Take up gardening
A good place to start because not only will it help you enjoy your garden a lot more if it looks physically nicer but it’ll also require you to pick up a new hobby – or reignite an old hobby if you haven’t done much gardening over Winter! Check out Lisa’s Notebook for a ton of gardening inspiration!
Grow your own food
Following on from the point above, as well as taking up gardening, you could also start planting and growing your own food. I’d love to do this. It’s something I’ve dabbled in but never got very far but after visiting The Ferry House Inn in March and seeing their garden where they grow ALL their own produce, it really inspired me to want to try again!
Make your garden a place you want to be
You can do this by investing in some incredible garden furniture – like this beautiful collection from Skyline Design. I don’t know about you but although I love spending time in my garden, I can rarely get comfortable on hard garden chairs! Revamping your garden into a proper outdoor living space is a great way to enjoy it even more.
I’m big on interiors and furniture. I spend ages on Pinterest searching for home decor and lusting after all the beautiful furnishings. If I had the space, I’d definitely want to invest in one of these luxurious day beds! Could you IMAGINE the level of relaxation. I’d never want to come inside again.
Photography
This period of lockdown will give us all a chance to discover the beauty within our own home and surroundings. The things we never, ever notice. But now, we’ve got time to notice. Our gardens are always full of animals, wildlife, interesting plants and weeds that we won’t notice unless we look for them. So perhaps spending a couple of hours photographing anything interesting you find in your garden could be a nice way to appreciate it more.
This could also be a really fun activity for if you have kids. Not only could you teach them how to use a camera but also teach them about different animals, species and plants as well!
Do Yoga in the garden
This is one of my favourite things to do when it’s warm outside. Doing Yoga in the garden, in the morning, with the sun on your face is just magical. So I’m really making the most of this one whilst I can (I can’t imagine this weather will last for long!) If you’re a Yoga fan, roll that mat out on the grass and feel the fresh air during your flow.
Invest in fun outdoor activities
And finally, investing in some fun outdoor activities is a great way to enjoy your garden more and want to spend more time in it. In our household, we’ve just bought a small pool table. And we’ve put it on the patio whilst the weather is nice. My Dad and boyfriend have spent hours outside playing pool! Depending on your household, this could mean a paddling pool, sports equipment, pet equipment and more!
Do you have a garden and are you using it more during this lockdown period? What are you doing to try and enjoy your garden more? Let me know!
[…] much potential for a seriously low risk Summer right in your backyard! Now is a great time to learn how to make the most of your garden because if you’re lucky enough to have that outdoor space to yourself, you should use it! Do […]
[…] of us having spent a decent amount of time in our gardens this year and taking part in a variety of garden based activities, I think it’s safe to say that going forward, a lot more people will be taking much better […]
I’m so thankful that I’ve been locked down in my home with its decent sized garden. Being able to go and sit outside in the sun has been such a lifeline for me, I honestly feel so sorry for people who don’t have access to one. We’re about to move, but in my dream house I’d love to have a vegetable patch to grow my own food! My dad has one and I’m always so jealous.
Oh me too, I’d hate to be in a flat right now!
Great ideas! I will definitely add that to my routine!
At home we have a lovely garden and I know my mum has been getting out in it constantly. For exercise, letting the rabbit run round and yes, doing some gardening too. Sadly I’m in lockdown at my boyfriend’s studio flat, so there’s no garden here. But we’ve been making use of other outdoor spaces for exercise. It’s a great break from these 4 walls.
I really couldn’t imagine being in a flat right now, I love my outdoor space so much but I’m glad you’re making use of the outdoors as much as you can!
I’m really enjoying just being in the garden in the sun x
Same girl it’s doing wonders for my mental health x
I feel like I’ve seen so many people mentioning gardening as one of their isolation priorities, and I love that!! It inspires me to actually ask my parents about starting that little fruit and veg plot of land that we’ve been talking about for years :’) I’ve definitely made use of sitting outside and drinking up the sun whilst turning the pages of a book, and that has been so marvellous in and of itself xx
Awh you definitely should, now is the perfect time!
I am so thankful for my garden right now, it’s the only bit of fresh air I’m really able to get!
Rosie
Same girl!
Love these ideas! It’s definitely easy to go a bit crazy whilst stuck indoors so I’ve just been trying to occupy myself as much as possible.
Good idea 😌
Definitely been taking advantage of the garden since the weathers a lot nicer. I wouldn’t know where to start gardening wise but I’m just appreciating reading in this different space so I don’t feel so stare crazy 😂
Haha I don’t blame you – I love reading in the garden too!
Wish I had a garden too! I live in a North facing apartment and have a lot of indoor plants which are now alive only because of grow lights. Wish I could do more with plants in my apartment.
Having indoor plants is great though!
This makes me wish I had a garden! Apartment life isn’t as fun in quarantine.
I can’t imagine it is! Sorry to hear that!
Fab post, I love spending the time in the garden & after reading this has given me a little bit of inspo to order a table-tennis table for outdoor use!
Thank you & stay safe.
Leigh x
A table tennis table is a great idea!
It’s still quite cold in my corner of the country and I tend to hibernate indoors during summer because I’m basically petrified of anything with wings. But we were supposed to be getting our decking and landscaping redone before lockdown which obviously got cancelled so our garden is a bit or a mess right now which makes me feel slightly better about the fact I’d choose to be inside anyway 😂 x
Sophie
Haha fair enough! Tbh, although it’s been warm I’ve been indoors more than I’d have liked because my hay fever is just SO bad
We live in a flat so unfortunately don’t have our own garden but I can’t wait for the day that we do. The weather is beautiful at the moment so it would be the perfect time to take care of a garden and have somewhere else to sit and relax whilst we can’t do much else! xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
Yeah I agree, hopefully you get a garden at some point soon!
Lovely ideas! Makes me wish I had a garden in times like this, I live in a flat so only have a small balcony, however I did do some tidying up on my balcony and planted some flowers and veg, so it is enjoyable just sitting on my balcony after work!
Chloe xx
http://www.chloechats.com
Awh at least you’re using that outdoor space!
You’re right about spending a lot more time in the garden- the weather has been beautiful hasn’t it?! These are all such great ideas and I’m definitely going to look into trying out some yoga!
Soph- https://sophhearts.com/ x
I’ve been LIVING for doing Yoga in the garden recently! So relaxing!
Here you go again…another wonderful and informative blog post that we need to read…RIGHT NOW! 🙂 Being outside in the garden is always a good thing, but now, it is imperative that people get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Thank you!
Totally agree 🙂
I love the idea of doing yoga in the garden!
It’s so relaxing!
Awesome ideas, I hadn’t thought about doing yoga outside. I have a tiny garden but it could work.
You really should!
Getting outside, even for a little bit is so beneficial. Great ideas!
It really is 🙂
These are some great ideas!! Being able to be out in your garden during this lockdown is a blessing. So being in the garden as much as you can is important! Thank you for sharing xx
It really is 🙂
Or we can just sit and enjoy the garden. Gardening can be so relaxing
make some decorations around garden for the spices or similar..
I’ve been doing so much photography in my garden at the moment!
Awh yay! It’s so much fun 🙂
This is so useful; thanks for your post! x
http://www.homeschoolguru.org
Thank you x
Beautiful post! I enjoyed reading it. I wish I had a big garden so that I can do all the things you mentioned. I am staying in an apartment and have a tiny garden on the balcony.
You could still utilize that space as much as possible!
I am so far from green fingered but I have loved spending time in the garden. We had a full weekend of sorting out and since then we have all been out there every day and it has helped us all so much.
Plus the more I am out there, the more ideas I get to make it a really lovely space. Now if the garden centres could reopen so I could make these more than dreams, I’d be happier!
Yes bit of a nuisance that the garden centers are shut!
I wish I had a garden but I live in a townhome. I would love to grow some of my own food though.
You could do some things indoors!
At this point I wish I had a garden so much. I would love to be outside enjoying this sunshine and doing some exercise, it sounds great!
Ah sorry to hear you don’t have a garden!
I’ve loved being outside lately, especially over the bank holiday weekend when the weather was so lovely! I think I’m going to take my workouts outside rather than doing them in my bedroom, great suggestion.
Becca x | http://www.beccaloisblogs.co.uk
Yes get outside to do your workouts! I loveee doing mine in the garden!
I love this – I have definitely been spending a lot more time in the garden! I love watching the birds eat at the feeder in our garden – it’s a nice way to take a second to relax, and pause.
We’ve been spending so much time in the garden during lockdown – we realised we were gonna have to look at it a lot so should probably make it pretty! We’ve made a wildflower bed so far and got our vegetable patch ready for seeds, plus have started sorting our lawn out. I feel so much happier out there!
Oooh sounds like you’ve got this garden thing down!
Awh yes I totally agree 🙂 x
I love this post! I don’t often spend my time in my garden but I certainly have recently! I’ve been doing yoga and photography too, both for my blog and just for fun! Thanks for sharing xx
Same here! Sounds lovely 🙂 x
We’re so excited that it’s finally warm and dry enough to be outside. The yoga here (Vermont, US) is still inside as the ground is still wet from all the snow and frost.
Wow it’s still snowing?!
A little bit every day!
We’ve been weeding and generally just taking better care of our garden now that the suns out and we have time.
Love your photos!
Hope you’re staying safe and well! xx
Hope you are too! xxx
Me and my partner just moved into our new place right before lockdown happened and the garden was not cared for really at all. Neither of us have been big gardeners in the past but we decided with all the time we now had on our hands to make a start on it and it’s so nice that we’ve actually found a new hobby out of this. We’ve been pulling weeds out every day, he’s been keeping on top of mowing the lawn and we’re now looking to start growing our own chillies sometime now! You’re right, we’re very lucky to have a garden in a time like this. Great post!
Awh I’m so glad you’ve both discovered a new hobby!
Firstly, thank you so much for the shout out! Secondly, I feel like you wrote this post for me specifically because you know how much I LOVE our garden and how much time we’re all spending in it at the moment. Those day beds look dreamy, I would love something like that, although I probably wouldn’t get any actual gardening done once I lay down on them, haha! Fab post, Jenny 🙂 xxx
Lisa | http://www.lisasnotebook.com
You’re welcome! Thank you 🙂 xxx
These are some incredible ideas, I’ve not been in my garden very much as it needs alot of work doing to it x
Maybe now is the time to start! xxx