Collaborative / Partnered Post - Turning Your Garden Into Your Own Private Sanctuary*

Every now and then you get an email that arrives at just the right time. After several years of neglect (cheers COVID!) this week we eventually managed to get someone local out to start transforming our all be it, very small garden space into our own personal safe space. 

Like so many modern ish houses, we don't have a lot of garden space, but we do have a nice conservatory and improving the view from it is our main priority. Stage one involved some serious hedge trimming, and some tree and bush removal, and hopefully in the Spring we'll be able to get the main raised bed sorted out and by then we'll hopefully be well on the way to creating our own little outdoor sanctuary.

With all that's happened over the past two years, it is pretty normal to still feel pretty stressed and overwhelmed with life, and as Covid-19 seems to rear its ugly head again, many more people have found themselves dealing with trauma. Even though a lot of the restrictions on travel, and social distancing have now been relaxed, a lot of people are are still really conscious that a third wave is just around the corner, and as a result it's still difficult for a lot of people to concentrate on their own self care and well being.

While not everyone is comfortable with visiting a spa or a wellness centre these days, there are other things that you can do to to practice a bit of self care in the safety of your own home. From cozy movie nights, to creating your own spa experience in your own bathroom, or even turning your garden a safe and private space, there are lots of things we can do to to help us switch off and relax.

Use Your Green Fingers To Create A Mindfulness Garden

I've got to admit that when it comes to gardening, I didn't inherit my mams green fingers. She knows the names of plants and everything she plants be it bulbs, seeds or random cuttings grows. That said I actually did get a GCSE in Agricultural and Horticultural Science, so I do know how it all works, and one project that we did as class was to create a sensory garden. If you love gardening, you should consider using your skills to create mindfulness or sensory gardens. The good thing about gardens like is that you don't need a huge amount of space, you could plant some pots or some tubs or even some hanging baskets with a mixture of scented plants such as lavender, lots of brightly coloured flowers, and even a few pots of herbs for scent and taste. You do need a bit of gardening equipment and a few skills but even the task of planting and weeding can help your to focus and relax. Creating a sensory type garden can be a great way to create an area where you can relax, focus and meditate. If you don't have the skills or if you have a larger space, then you can either buy ready planted tubs, or you can so what me and Mummy Lou are going to do and speak to a professional landscaper who can help bring you vision to life.

Create a Covered Area

One of the best ways to enjoy your garden throughout the year is to do what me and Mummy Lou have done and invest in a covered area. If you've got the space, and the finances you could go for a conservatory, summer house, or even a luxury cabin or shed. If you don't have that sort of money, or like so many modern houses, the space, then you could just add a removable or permanent awning, or a small gazebo to extend your indoor space, outside, and to create more space for entertaining and socialising no matter what the weather.

Use Sound To Relax and Unwind

There are plenty of tools that you can use to create the right atmosphere in your garden, but sound is certainly one of the best ones to use. Again depending on finances, you could install an outdoor sound system, or you could just use a cheap bluetooth speaker - or if you would prefer a more natural or relaxing sound then you could try a singing bowl or my mams favourite, wind chimes! Thanks to the healing power of sound, sound therapy is possibly one of the most important therapies offered as part of today’s wellness therapies. Using sound in your personal indoor or outdoor spa can help you relax more quickly and promote a sense of calm and serenity.

Invest In A Luxury Feature

Each garden is unique and it should reflect your personal preferences. However, adding a luxury feature to your garden does not only elevate the atmosphere in your personal outdoor spa space but it can also increase the overall value of your home. Again dependent on space, and cash flow, some options could include a hot tub, jacuzzi, swimming pool, fire pit, bar, or even a water feature such as a fountain, or a statue with trickling water which can also help create a relaxing environment through sound.

Use Light To Create The Right Atmosphere And Increase Security

To enjoy a moment of relaxation and self-care, you will need the right atmosphere, and how can your garden’s atmosphere be complete without the right lighting?! Make sure you use outdoor lighting to your advantage to create a dreamy ambience and a powerful led floodlight to increase security. Obviously a lot of lights do need to be installed by a professional electrician but solar lights have really improved in the last few years and you can now find solar lights to suit most budgets, you can get lamp posts, lights that change colour, net lights for fences and even solar light wind chimes. Something else to consider to add interest, and light effects to your garden, as well as making it look bigger is to add a mirror to a wall or a fence, to create reflection, and depth.

Obviously a lot of these suggestions are dependant on the space that your have and the amount of money that you have to play with but have a little search online, and there is lots of advice on how to make over even the smallest garden on a budget so there really is no reason not to create your own perfect outdoor space. Alas we're going to have to wait till next year now to get ours sorted but already it looks better than it did last week, and do you know what? If and when it snows every single garden will look the same, and who doesn't like watching the snow fall when you're warm and cozy indoors, if that it's relaxing I don;t know what it x 

*Collaborative / Partnered Post