Make it a neighbour of love

can’t necessarily just cover up a tank or plant around them. But you can stick up a trellis and grow climbers to disguise them.

Go for evergreen or semi-evergreen climbers for all-year-round cover. Honeysuckle is a good semi-evergreen with scent. Winter-flowering jasmine is another, or pyracantha.

The same camouflage technique can work to hide the side of a shed or garage. Alternatively, use a garden standard mirror to reflect another part of your garden. It can also make it look bigger – but be careful it doesn’t dazzle the neighbours when the sun hits it.

A quick hedge trim requires very little effort and will immediately make a garden appear bigger and neater.

Use string to measure out the line then cut along it.

Sharp shears will make short work of even the unruliest hedge. Don’t go for anything complicated – a simple short, back and sides is all you need.

Stained, bleached, rusty or generally dilapidated fences and railings have the power to bring down an entire garden. So a splash of paint or preservative is something that is well worth considering.

Garden centres and DIY stores will have a wide range of wood stains in all sorts of colours.

Try something bright – you don’t

have to settle for dull old brown any more.

Now you’ve tidied up, how about adding some colourful plants? Containers and tubs look brilliant, even in the smallest gardens. I have even seen them on garage roofs.

Ditto some well-planted window boxes or hanging baskets on the porch, garage or house front. They will drastically improve any garden.

They are cheap and easy to plant. You can even buy them pre-planted if you want an expert touch. Remember to water regularly and feed to stop the soil leeching out.

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