revive a garden

BACKYARD PLAN

With its central area of lawn, timber boundary fence and trio of citrus trees, this backyard is typical of thousands around Australia. The renovation plan involved repairing and repainting the fence, converting a section of lawn into a garden bed, and repurposing an old bench and laundry tub into an outdoor table. The projects are all DIY, leaving most of the budget for new plants.

Create a garden bed

To add interest and depth to your backyard, create a new garden bed against the back fence. This not only creates a planting zone, but you can also include a sitting spot within it. Mark out the shape of the bed first, then lift the turf using a shovel. Use a large garden fork to turn the soil over thoroughly to prepare the area for replanting. Position the plants in their pots in the bed and, when happy with the arrangement, dig the holes.

Paint the fence

Sand back any loose or flaking paint, then apply two coats of exterior paint. A paint gun will make the job a lot faster, but to save on hire costs, you can also use a brush. Before you start painting, secure any loose fence palings with nails or screws.

Revamp a garden bench

Make use of existing outdoor timber furniture that has fallen into disrepair, by first sanding it back, then applying two coats of an outdoor paint. This sort of job is a perfect chance to use up any leftover paint you might have in the shed, as was done here.

Make a coffee table

Cost-savvy gardening is all about recycling, like using an old concrete laundry tub as the base for an outdoor table. The top is made from fence palings glued onto plywood..