Simple Swaps for an Eco Front Garden Makeover
If your front garden could do with some beautifying, a few simple affordable steps can make it a nicer place to visit. Not just instant kerb appeal, but can even increase your property value, if you own it.
First steps for easy front garden makeovers
- Remove all litter (check for visiting ants and other insects, to give them time to escape before placing unwanted items in bins or recycling bins).
- Refresh paving (better than gravel if you live with pets). If you need to clean dirty paving, slip the chemicals and just use a mix of warm water and non-scented eco dishwash liquid, with a stiff brustle broom to scrub off dirt and algae. Avoid vinegar (this can harm wildlife).
- Use zero waste glass/window cleaner to clean dirty windows. Avoid facing indoor plants to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
- Ensure outdoor solar lights go off when not in use, to prevent light pollution. Report broken street lights to Fix My Street.
- Use a broom to sweep away dirt, taking care not to disturb insects or spiders.
- Hug Rugs are made from recycled rubber in nice designs, with profits helping charities (from dogs to bumble bees). They are ideal to stop people treading mud and dirt into your hallway.
- Replace standard letterboxes with draught-excluding ones to save energy, and also to stop dogs biting postie fingers! If you receive a lot of post, you can buy lockable containers for outdoor walls, to save you having to wait inside all day, or drive to other places to collect deliveries.
Painting doors, window frames and walls
- Prepare surfaces, then use natural house paint to give front doors, window frames and walls a makeover. It’s best to stick to neutral colours (to not upset the neighbours!) Heritage buildings usually have rules on colours you can use (soft whites, sage greens, muted blues, warm red/brown or grey/black for ironwork).
- If you choose a new house name, still put your house number on official documentation. This is because emergency services (ambulance, police, fire) need this information if called out.
- Green Doors is a company founded by a plumber, who rescued a set of French doors from a skip. It now offers thousands of ‘rescued doors’ at affordable prices, from 1930s doors to even a few free ones, if you have some DIY skills. Also contact them if you have old doors and widnows, as they can make use of them!
Plants, flowers and trees for front gardens
- Hand-weed dead plants, and choose an organic lawn, if you have one.
- As long as the surrounding area is safe for local birds and wildlife, consider planting pollinator plants to give food and shelter to local species.Ensure they are suited to your climate and sun/shade needs.
- If you live with animals (or have neighbours with pets), ensure all plants, flowers and trees are pet-friendly. Same with mulch (avoid cocoa, pine or rubber, as these can poison, puncture or choke respectively).
