Most of us love getting out into our gardens in the summer, only to lock everything away and close the door to them as soon as the weather starts to turn. During the autumn and winter, we spend far less time in our gardens, preferring to stay indoors.

But there are mental and physical health benefits to getting outside even in colder weather, and if you’ve spent a lot of time and money on your garden, it seems a shame to only use it for half of the year. Here are some changes that you can make to your garden to help you create an outdoor space that you can use all year round.

Add a Deck

If your garden is primarily lawn, you’ll find it hard to enjoy in wet weather. Your lawn will become muddy and perhaps even boggy. You might not be able to sit in a chair on it without causing damage, and you certainly won’t be able to come indoors without walking mud everywhere.

Look for deck builders near me who can add decking to your garden and give you a space that’s suitable to use all year around. Just make sure your decking is weatherproofed and non-slip so that it doesn’t get slippery when it rains.

Add Cover

Adding a sheltered area, over your decking, if possible, is a great way to make sure that you can use your garden even in wet weather. Don’t forget your tools and other items — use small bins to protect them from the weather and add some nice color to your garden as well.

Install a Heat Source

A heat source means that you can sit comfortably even when it is cold. Heat sources could include outdoor heaters or something more natural like a firepit.

Add Evergreen Color

Usually, our garden is at its most colorful during spring and summer. Even perennials that come back every year usually shed during cold weather, and most of your trees will lose their leaves. But not all of them. Some trees and bushes are completely evergreen, and there are lots of plants that flower and bring color to our gardens in the winter months. Add as many as you can to create a cheerful winter experience.

Enjoy Winter Gardening

Some crops can be planted as early as February, and in late autumn and early winter there might be a lot that you can do in terms of moving large plants out of the wind, covering, and shielding more delicate plants that can’t be moved and pruning and tidying bushes and trees.

Throughout the winter, try to be responsive to the weather, moving and protecting when you need to, and tidying up after periods of harsh weather like a big storm. You should also make sure that you are gritting the pavement or any hard surfaces you will be working on to prevent any slips and falls; if you don’t have a grit bin near you, you can buy a couple of small yellow grit bins of your own to use as and when you need to. Try to get out into your garden to make some improvements, however small, every week to keep in the habit of using it.

Making an effort to use your garden all year round, whether it’s taking the time to look after it, eating outdoors or even entertaining friends, can be great for your mental and physical health. It could even help you to avoid seasonal depression and enjoy the colder weather more.