Is your garden ready for outdoor entertaining?

Planning a family get-together or a barbecue bash but your garden needs a bit of a tidy-up? The paddling pools make their way out of storage, the barbecues are an essential part of every weekend, and the cocktail jugs are never empty. Weekday dinners are enjoyed Al Fresco, as friends and families across the nation, come together to take advantage of every last drop of sunshine, because, who knows how long it’s going to last?

1) Looking a little unkempt?

If you haven’t touched your garden since last year, you have probably noticed that the grass, hedges, and plants have all grown quite rapidly over the last couple of months.

Your first priority when preparing your garden for your party should be to tackle the biggest jobs first. Cutting your lawn is probably the easiest place to start and is quick and easy to do. If your grass is quite long, say over 6cm in height, you will probably need to use a grass trimmer to cut the grass to a suitable height before using your lawnmower.

Once the grass is short enough for your lawnmower you can then dig it out from the shed to finish cutting the lawn. For the traditional feel, you could add stripes to your lawn if you have a lawnmower with a rear roller, like the EasiStore 340R. If you do not have a suitable lawnmower an alternative is to use an ordinary roller instead. If you are preparing the garden a few weeks ahead of your party, then you will need to cut the lawn again nearer the time and add your stripes to your lawn again.

2) Edging

Why not also edge your lawn so you have a nice small gap between the lawn and any flower beds. It’s a quick and simple fix that makes a massive difference. Try our Contour 500E Electric Trimmer or the Battery-powered 18V EasiTrim 250.

Edging is a great way to add some neat touches to the sides of the lawn. Normally this would be done for the grass by flowerbeds or driveways. It enables you to create crisp edges to the lawn by removing any overhanging blades of grass or debris. This can be done with a grass trimmer by simply turning the line so that it is perpendicular to the grass enabling the cut to be made vertically. This can be easier with some Flymo models that have rotating heads. With most Flymo products, the head can rotate 90 degrees so that edging is easy along the extremes of the lawn.

3) Hedges

Now the lawn is looking great, it’s time to start sorting out those unruly hedges. Use a good hedge trimmer to take back your hedges. Begin by checking that there aren’t any nesting birds in the hedge. If there are, it is illegal to disturb them so you cannot cut your hedge. If not remove any debris and identify any thick branches that your hedge trimmer may struggle to cut. Use a good sharp pair of secateurs to remove these branches before cutting.

Failing to remove these branches may mean your hedge trimmer will jam when cutting and misalign the blades breaking it. Remember not to cut the hedge back too far, leaving gaps in between the leaves. This will make the hedge look unsightly.

4) Tired-looking furniture?

Now it is time for the not-so-fun jobs. Now the garden is looking great you need to dig out the garden chairs, table and most importantly the barbecue. They have all probably been stored in the shed or garage for the last few months so will all need a good thorough clean. Use hot soapy water to do this, before placing them in ideal spots in the garden. Alternatively, use our EasiClean to give it a quick wash down!

If your garden furniture is looking a little tired – treat it with some teak oil to make it look as good as new, and bring back its natural shine. This is much more cost-effective than splashing out on completely new furniture.

5) No lawn?

No lawn, just patio? No problem. Use pots and baskets filled with summer bedding plants to add colour and shape.

You can also create an atmosphere by adding lighting. Place solar lights around the edge of your lawn or patio, to light up your space when the sun goes down. Being eco-friendly at the same time, they can add an extra dimension to your outdoor space.

6) Finishing Touches

Finally, it is time to add the finishing touches to your garden party. Remember to add any decorations or bunting to the windows, and wash any paths and gateways. Provide a dedicated area for guests to collect food and drink from, ensuring that mess is kept to a minimum and that there is some order to the party. Remember to provide plenty of bin bags to collect rubbish - making sure your garden still looks as good at the end of the night as it did at the beginning.