5 projects to brighten up your garden

Since it's such lovely weather here today, I decided to put together some ideas for brightening up your garden. These are some projects that I've done in my own garden over the years, and they are cheap and easy ways of adding some colour.

1. Use a bright throw and cushions to liven up a plain bench

This has the added benefit of making it more comfortable! This throw is one I brought back from Peru, and I love the vivid turquoises and pinks in it. Of course, with the weather being as unpredictable as it is, using soft furnishings can only be a temporary measure in Scotland!

 2. Upcycle a planter

Either use a brightly coloured container, or paint a container in a bright colour. This 3-tiered storage container was rescued from a skip, and I turned it into a planter by drilling some holes in the bottom of each layer. Fill your container with a selection of plants.

3. Paint some chairs 

Use some brightly coloured gloss paints to make some cheap chairs look bright and cheerful. These chairs were only £3 from my local charity shop!

4. Paint some cheap garden ornaments

This was a quick and easy project to brighten up a couple of cheap looking grey lanterns – I just gave them a quick coat or two of brightly coloured gloss paint. You could also try spray paint – I’ve got a little geisha ornament that I might spray bright pink.

5. Paint a mural

I used acrylic and emulsion paints to paint my mural, and it’s still holding up fairly well 8 years later. When the wall was just painted white, it needed repainted every few years to cover up mossy areas and peeling bits, but the design of the mural makes these less obvious, so it’s a time and money saving solution!