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Summer is going to be here before we know it, so here are some tips to help you get your garden summer BBQ ready! From a few gardening hints and tips to getting your furniture and lighting right, we’ve got everything covered. Whether you don’t want to spend any money or you have a bit of a budget to spend, you can tailor our tips below to suit you. So, let’s get into it and help you get your garden BBQ ready in time for summer!
Have A Good Clean Up
The first thing you should do is have a good clean up around your garden. Mow your lawn, get rid of weeds, tidy up your edging, maybe give your fences a lick of paint. This will depend massively on how much you maintain your garden, as it could be kept in great condition all year round, or you might let it get a bit overgrown over winter and then come back to it in the summer months. So, no matter where you’re starting, get your garden looking great and then everything else will fall into place nicely from here!
Think About Your Furniture and Seating Options
Now you’ve got a good clean slate to work from, it’s time to think about your furniture and seating options. You’ll likely have one main set of garden furniture already, whether that’s a sofa style with a low table or a more formal outdoor dining table that’s higher with chairs. However, if you’re having maybe 10+ people round for your summer BBQ’s, you might need some additional seating options. Depending on how often you have BBQ’s, you could potentially get some fold out tables and benches which are cheap, or if you’re wanting to do a bit of DIY, why not create a palette sofa? You could even just get a few additional chairs to dot around.
A great tip to help you save money here is to have a look at your local marketplaces, as people are often getting rid of spare furniture that could be perfect! They might be quite simple (not in all cases) but then you could even bring a few bits from inside out like your favourite cushion covers or sets to bring the space to life. Even if it’s not your typical garden furniture, as long as you have space to store it in your garage, then you can go bold with it. If this is a one-off BBQ, we’d recommend keeping it simple and asking people to bring fold out chairs to avoid waste!
Create A Palette Garden Bar
If you don’t want either yourself or other people to be going in and out of the house for drinks, we’d recommend creating a little palette garden bar! There are so many tutorials on how to make one, and it doesn’t need to be anything big or dramatic, but just a little space, where you can display and make drinks. You could have a tray with glasses on, a section for spirits and then you could also bring out a little fridge (again have a look on your local marketplaces for this) with an extension lead so literally everything can be outside. This can keep the inside quite nice and clean, plus it’s easy for you or your guests to top up when they’re thirsty.
Get The Lighting Right
Now you’ve got a few of the practical things out the way, it’s time to bring your garden to life with lighting! We’re big fans of solar lighting, and there are so many different styles to choose from, from strings of lights to hanging lanterns and everything in between. When it starts to get dark you want to brighten everything up and this is such a wonderful way to do it. You could also light candles and dot those around the area, to add such a great atmosphere to the space!
Another option if you want a bit more drama is to get tiki torches and to dot those around your lawn. They usually run off gas so maintenance is something to think about, or you can actually get great solar power versions that look quite realistic if you don’t want to have to top them up regularly.
Get Citronella Candles
If you have any issues with insects or bugs in your garden, then get yourself some citronella candles. Citronella works by masking scents that are attractive to bugs and therefore keeping them away from food. So, it’s best to have a few around any tables where food will be. You can get citronella candle garden torches as well that will add a really nice design touch to your space whilst also keeping your guests comfortable without bugs around!
This article is a guest contributution from Natalie Wilson
