My simple garden makeover with Wyevale Garden Centres – before + inspiration [AD]

This is a paid partnership written in collaboration with Wyevale Garden Centres

With summer approaching and sunny days ahead, I’m turning my attention to the outdoors with a garden makeover in collaboration with Wyevale Garden Centres. While I’ve been renovating inside, this is a space that has been woefully neglected – it has become a wild, overgrown urban jungle of weeds, creepers and bamboo shoots. I’m so embarrassed by the state of it (I hate to think what the neighbours think when they look down…) I rarely spend time in it, let alone invite friends over for a barbecue or al fresco dinner. But that is all about to change!

I’m planning on transforming this small, London garden into a simple, low maintenance green sanctuary – somewhere we can relax and read a book in, where we can entertain and enjoy in the evenings as well as in the bright sunshine. One of the reasons we moved here from a two-bedroom flat in King’s Cross in the first place was so that we could have a garden, a dog (in comes Francis!) and more time spent surrounded by greenery. I loved potting herbs and growing tomatoes on my small balcony but I longed for a bigger space to cultivate and make my own.

When we bought this house, I initially fell in love with the old brick wall and the backdrop of wild foliage that conceals the garden from the neighbours, but without keeping on top of it, the space has got a little out of control! The membrane under the gravel, installed by the previous owners, has started to disintegrate so it’s just an endless battle with weeds poking their way through. The small picket fence at the end combined with an older fence looks messy, while the bamboo is starting to spread everywhere. It all needs a huge tidy up and re-style.

So my plans! I want to keep the makeover nice and simple, nothing fancy, overly complicated or difficult to maintain. We might do an extension in years to come, so I don’t want to spend a lot of money on expensive finishes, only for the garden to become a building site when the work is done.

The focus for now will be on creating a clean backdrop for some new garden furniture and structured greenery. The foliage at the back will be cut back and new fencing installed, painted a dark colour to give a smart, contemporary finish. This will contrast nicely with the new, light-coloured gravel (with a new membrane of course). I’ll then have some big trough planters that will be the same colour as the fencing, alongside some smaller pots planted with an array of simple, elegant greenery – think fragrant lavender, sculptural grasses and classic bay trees. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Blue Swipe cushions, Brighton Egg Chair bistro set, Terrazzo cube (in store), La Hacienda fire pit, all Wyevale Garden Centres. Image credits: Style Room, Stylizimo blog, have rummet, Karwei, Stil inspiration / Pella Hedeby, House Doctor, Musta ovi

I’ll create a cosy seating corner, clustered around a low fire pit that will allow us to spend more time outside, even if it’s a bit chilly. String lights and candle-lit lanterns will set the ambience for romantic, balmy summer evenings outside. I can’t wait!

It’ll be all go next week, we’ve got a gardener coming to help with some of the work, such as installing the new fence. Then it will be all down to the finishing touches. I can’t wait to show you, but in the meantime you can follow my progress on Instagram stories here. I’ve also created a Pinterest board with some outdoor inspiration below, let me know if you’re sprucing up your garden this summer too!