5 DIY ideas for your backyard this summer

Over the winter months, our backyards often become the forgotten piece of our homes. After all, nobody wants to go out and work on their yard in the cold, harsh depth of January or February when there is a warm house, steaming hot coffee and Netflix to catch up on.

Now that summer is on its way though, we’ll be spending a lot more time out in our backyards and before she gets here is the time to start getting them ready for the sunshine. From using old wine boxes to create a portable herb garden to turning tires into planters, here are five DIY ideas for your backyard this summer.

Use cinder blocks to create different garden walls and borders

The cinder block is one of the most underused items from the building world when it comes to the backyard. Not only can they provide a border between planting area and lawn, but they can also offer a space of their own in which to plant when turned on their sides. Simply fill the holes in the middle of each block with plants and you’ve got a living, growing garden wall or border.

Use old wine boxes to plant herbs in

If you like wine (who doesn’t?!), chances are you’ll have a few wooden wine boxes hanging around. Rather than throw these away, you can use them to plant herbs and spices in. Not only will this give you a rustic look, but once the herbs and spices have grown you can simply lift the box out of your garden and move it into the kitchen where you’ll have them on hand to chuck into any culinary delights that you are cooking up.

Turn old tires into planters

Take the old, worn tires that you used to have on your vehicle and are no longer road safe and recommission them in your backyard. You can paint them bright colors and then fill the inner of the tire with soil for planting. Anything can go in these unique plant pots, from vegetables to roses – My Gardening Network is full of planting ideas you my like. You can stack even stack them up to create a unique pile of plants.

Create a vertical garden

It only takes a hammer, a few nails or some screws to create a vertical garden. Take miniature lightweight plant pots and attach them to a wall or fence and you’ll soon have a garden that goes upwards rather than one that goes outwards.

Make a rain barrel to catch water

If you like having a pristine lawn that requires plenty of watering but at the same time are worried about the effects on the environment and drought that constantly turning to a hosepipe can cause, then here is one solution – your own rain barrel. They are simple to make, all you have to do is speak to one of America’s 5,000 breweries, a soup factory or any other business that might receive goods in a barrel and ask if you can buy one off them. Some will even give them away for free. Then simply cut the top off, place it in a suitable spot in the backyard to catch rain and all of a sudden, you’ve got a mini reservoir of natural water of your own from which you can water plants and grass.

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