How To Brighten Up A Gloomy Garden

Every garden has its shady spots, but some gardens can feel as if they’re constantly in the shade. Such gardens can be great for cooling off in, but they may lack a certain cheeriness that may discourage you from spending too much time outdoors. By finding ways to brighten up your garden, you can make it a happier place. Below are just some ways of brightening up a gloomy garden.

Trim back trees and high hedges

Trees or high hedges could be casting a shadow over your garden. By cutting these back, you’re likely to greatly increase the amount of sunlight that your garden receives, helping to make it much brighter and cheerful.

Just be wary that cutting back trees could have implications such as disturbing wildlife and possibly reducing privacy. You may find that you also need permission to cut back a tree – especially if it’s on a neighbour’s land or you live in a conservation area. It’s best to hire a tree surgeon to carry out any major work.

Use light colours for fencing, decking and sheds

Structures such as fencing, decking and sheds could be worth considering. If these are built from dark wood or are painted a dark colour, it could be making your garden look gloomier. Repainting these structures with light paint colours or replacing them entirely with lighter structures could help to brighten up your garden. You could also brighten your fence up further with an on-trend neon sign like one from the Neon Mama store – pick the slogan you feel represents you the best!

When replacing structures such as fencing, make sure to engage a reliable fencing company. If you’re using paints to recolour garden structures, make sure that you’re using long-lasting weather-proof paint. Remember that you may not own all the fencing around your property – if you share fencing with neighbours, you should always check with them before making any alterations.  

Add some colourful flowers

Flowers are a great way to brighten up a garden. There are many colourful flowers that can grow well even in shady areas – these include the likes of fuchsia, alyssum and begonia.

Always acquire flowers from a professional gardening company so that you know they’re the real deal. Make sure that you know how to maintain these flowers before you plant them.

Make use of reflective surfaces

Reflective surfaces will help to catch light and brighten up your garden. This could include mirrors, glass outdoor furniture and water features such as ponds.

Place these in areas where they are likely to catch the sun without being too blinding. Reflective surfaces may also be able to reflect artificial light.

Add some artificial lighting

If you can’t find ways to increase sun exposure, you may be able to illuminate your garden by using artificial light instead. Artificial outdoor lighting comes in a variety of forms from flood lighting to fairy lights. Unless your garden is particularly shadowy, you likely won’t need anything too strong during the day (although high intensity lighting may still be useful for illuminating your garden at night).

Solar lighting is the most economical and eco-friendly type of outdoor lighting but may not be that effective in a very shady garden (unless you’re getting sunlight during the day, these solar lights won’t charge up). Battery-powered lights and mains-powered lights are alternative options.

Owing to their practicality, it makes sense to try getting outdoor solar lights for your deck posts and place the fixtures strategically where they can obtain adequate or the highest amount of sunlight. You may have to replace batteries for dimmed lights. 

Look on the bright side with these ideas for a well-lit garden. 

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.