Contemplating new ways to add character and flare to your garden? Flowers, vegetables and herbs all add life, bounty, and beauty to a backyard space, so if you haven’t gotten a chance to tackle that dirt, I’ll help you get inspired! I put together a short list of creative gardening ideas and garden DIY projects to accent your garden and breathe new life into your summer!
Grow A Cocktail Garden
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Create a cocktail garden with fresh herbs or edible flowers by choosing plants that you can use in all those mouthwatering, summer drinks! There’s nothing like mixing up a garden-inspired cocktail with fresh herbs right from your backyard! A simple herb garden starter kit will get you started with basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, and thyme. Better Homes & Gardens also has this great step-by-step tutorial on what to plant and ideas for fruits and herbs that can inspire fresh summer drinks! Get digging here!
Once your plants come in, the sky is the limit! You can craft tasty cocktails with all those fresh herbs into say, maybe: a watermelon mint smash, a lemon basil vodka martini, a ripe watermelon rosemary spritzer, a pineapple spritzer, a fresh strawberry basil old fashioned, or (my favorite) a cooling basil cucumber gimlet—just to name a few. The easy white wine peach sangria with torn mint (pictured above) is another big summer favorite you can craft for a crowd with your own fresh herbs!
Build A DIY Planter Box as a creative garden idea
Planter boxes are another simple yet functional addition to our list of creative gardening ideas. They can be made from metal or wood and are an easy way to create small garden spaces where you can easily tend to and care for your plants. Plant ornamental greens or flowers, or use your planters to start tomatoes from seed like I did! Planter boxes can be made from wood or metal or purchased from the store, but, if you are pretty handy with tools and wood, here is a DIY photo tutorial from DIY Network on how to make your own! If you’re looking for smaller planters as window accents or table decor, try these wine crate style planters!
Add Color & Dimension to your summer garden With Outdoor Succulents
Most succulents have thick stems or leaves and can hold in moisture for longer periods of time giving them the ability to stand up well to drier conditions. These low-maintenance drought-tolerant plants come in a gorgeous variety of colors and shapes. Succulents can make a unique and interesting accent for any garden. Consider ordering something like a variety of mixed succulents. The Spruce gives you the low down on the best succulents for planting outdoors.
Step Into The Dark Side with Dramatic Dark Foliage
Sometimes the most stunning and visually rich gardens capture my attention and curiosity with dark-leaf plants and flowers. A great way to create waves of contrast and really bring character to your garden is by adding dark foliage. Try a mix of Lenten Rose Hellebore in dark colors or (my personal low-maintenance favorite) Coral Bells in deep purple hues… Perfect for adding drama to a goth garden as well. Gardner’s World walks you through 10 magnificent varieties of dark plants that would give any garden an enchanting style.
Plant Late-Summer Bloomers To Keep Your Garden Rocking ‘Til Fall
Perennials are plants that can go dormant in the winter and then bloom again in the spring. These plants can come back to life, grow and/or bloom year after year. Perennial plants can come in many varieties and make amazing additions to planters and gardens because they can sprout up and bloom at different times throughout the spring and summer depending on the variety.
Costa Farms put together a nice list of late-summer and fall-color perennials that will keep adding life and color to your garden through the summer and fall, bringing you bottomless blooms. If you’re a wine lover like me, you can even plan a garden around wine pairings just like I discuss in this fun post on how to grow a wine lover’s garden!
Try Mounting Plants For A Vertical Garden
A big trend we are seeing in gardening has also been something called vertical gardening where you might consider different ways to mount plants using a wall planter like this one. to create the look of a green wall. You can style it any way you like and have it reflect your own unique tastes. This is a wonderful idea for those of you in search of balcony gardening ideas, or gardening ideas for small spaces in general. It is a chic, stylish yet space-saving way of gardening. Country Living shares a list of 35 beautiful and stylish ways to create a vertical garden. Even bringing small mounted planters and hanging them indoors helps to create the feel of a garden room inside! Choose from any of these easy care indoor plants to build the look of green gardens inside!
Accent Your creative Garden with an outdoor fountain
Water is the essence of life! Water in a garden always brings an interesting and calming element to its outdoor surroundings. The sound of water flowing entices the senses and also creates a relaxing oasis both visually and mentally. There are so many styles and designs to choose from when searching for an outdoor fountain…
I have even seen some exquisite-looking fountains that have been transformed into planters that display magnificent hanging gardens! Something like this adds a really nice accent to any patio or garden space. Whichever direction you decide to go in, it is truly a stunning addition to consider.
Create A Rustic Stone Or Gravel Path for your garden
Also on our list of creative gardening ideas is the use of stones to create a path. You can use stones in a variety of textures and colors to make an easy but elegant stone path. I’ve always thought this pulls the eye further into the garden and adds a sense of welcoming. It invites you to explore further but also engages the eye to notice more than you normally would. Midwest Living maps out 9 ways to create a garden path whether you are looking to do something big and intricate or pretty and budget-friendly.
Add the glow of A warm Fire Pit To your garden
Nothing brings that cozy sensation to an outdoor space like the crackling sounds from the warm glow of an outdoor fire pit. There are so many styles and designs to choose from but they basically all do the same thing: keep you toasty and create a warm desirable space to relax and enjoy…also, you tend to make s’mores on more occasions! HGTV has a list of beautiful outdoor fireplace and fire pit designs that will bring the cozy to your outdoor experience.
Don’t Forget Furniture and decorative accents!
Don’t forget to complement all those creative gardening ideas with a cozy warm fire and a chair or two! Whether your style be wooden benches, modular patio furniture, or a simple set of chairs, adding furniture creates a place of gathering, rest, and relaxation so you can sit back and enjoy all your stunning garden creations.
You can go in any direction with a new idea, so get out and get inspired to make big or small changes to your outdoor space! Sloane & Sons expands a little more on garden design ideas that will inspire you to recreate your outdoor space. Remember, every little detail adds up to something spectacular when it comes to gardening… Plus, the best part? Sitting back and cooling off with a fresh garden herb cocktail to take in what you created.
Don’t forget about that front porch either! Try any one of these easy ideas for front outdoor planters.