Adulting, A Garden Update and Giveaway

For us, 2018 is the year of change. The next 3 months are going to be spent getting our garden updated, modernising our space, making it a little more dog-friendly and creating an outdoor area that we actually want to spend time in. Fun fact, I’m now totally obsessed with the Alan Titchmarsh gardening show Love Your Garden, it’s set to series link so I never miss one and after watching him turn an overgrown patch of land into the garden of dreams last night, I’m more confident than ever that there is hope for our less than inspiring slab of concrete. We have 4 things on our garden agenda.

So, first off we have 2 trees in our garden that block the natural light and are problematic. This is not a job we can address ourselves as these eucalyptus trees go deep underground so we will need to get a tree surgeon to help like Thor’s Trees.

I’m thinking about creating a dog-friendly corner for our cockapoo Ted. When we have people over (which is rare because of the ugly garden) it becomes really apparent that our garden (i use this term in the loosest sense) isn’t the best for dogs. There’s little shade and no sanctuary to crawl into when he wants to get away from all the noise. As it’s such a small area, it can be quite overwhelming for our dog when it’s filled with people. I also spend an outrageous amount of time running up and down the stairs to get him water, treats and toys. I’ve seen the most incredible pet tipis on Pinterest and you can make your own or buy one ready made like this from Not On The Highstreet. TOO MUCH CUTENESS.

Bench seating is the next thing on our list. I want to to take up 3 sides of our square space with built-in bench seating as I love how rustic bench seating looks and it is a fairly simple DIY job (if Alan Titchmarsh is to be believed). You can also make it look all fancy with oversized cushions and blankets. I’ve been pinning lots of ideas and contemplating adding a statement feature such as a fire pit to make sitting out after dark a little cosier and a lot more atmospheric. Cue lots of lanterns and fairy lights.

Then there are those eco-friendly additions such as a rainwater harvesting system. I’d never even heard of a water butt until I started watching gardening shows and while it may seem like one of those mundane purchases, it’s actually a really handy piece of kit especially in the summer months. No it’s not as exciting as a dog tipi and there are some really ugly ones out there, but the good news is there are also some pretty sleek and stylish options out there too and investing in one will make your garden oh so eco friendly and you’ll save some pennies in the process (more to put in the fancy dog tipi fund). You do have to pay a little more to get one that complements a contemporary garden and I’ve spent ages scouring the web for a sandstone coloured one so that it blends with our walls (for example, a sleek black one like this will set you back over £100) but the great news is that I’ve teamed up with Freeflush Rainwater Harvesting to give you the chance to win one! This luxury wall-mounted design is perfect if you have a small garden like me and it can be used for anything from watering the plants to filling up the kid’s buckets and watering cans. We want one to wash the mud from ted’s paws after he’s been digging in the garden and to water the hanging baskets all year round. The best bit is it recycles rainwater so you can use it guilt free for all those little gardening chores like rinsing your plant posts and messy jobs like washing those muddy boots.

If you want to win The Original Prestige Wallmounted Water Butt from Freeflush pictured above simply enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck! This giveaway is for UK entrants only. Anyone else get ridiculously excited about mundane things like rainwater harvesting systems?