5 Ways To Make The Most Of Your Garden During Lockdown
This is a strange time where more people than ever are making banana bread and, the big one, getting out in the garden. During the current surreal lockdown measures, everyone is turning to their garden as a form of escapism. In fact, a recent study commissioned by Jeyes, found that 6 in 10 people are spending more time than ever in their gardens with 68% of people saying they feel more relaxed when in the garden and around nature.
So, with that in mind, here are 5 ways to ride the isolation wave and make the most of your garden during lockdown:
Try your hand at a spot of gardening
But before you do that… Did you know that 2 in 5 people admit to not cleaning and taking care of their gardens properly? Well - here’s your chance. We’ve found a really useful way to give you some motivation too.
Jeyes has teamed up with Gardeners’ World presenter, Mark Lane, to launch a challenge: ‘The Great British Garden Spruce Up’. The challenge kicks off on April 27th to coincide with National Gardening Week and encourages people to use 30 minutes every day to spruce up their outdoor space in preparation for summer. Which means that, by the end of the week, you could have your own pastoral paradise.
They’ve made it as easy as possible and you can download a gardening planner to go alongside the challenge HERE. The planner contains ideas that you can use (especially handy if you’re parents one inch from madness after home schooling the kids) like upcycling plant pots and planting leftover veggies from Sunday lunch. There’s activities for every garden - big or small - so it’s handy for everyone.
Swap the gym for the patio
Missing the gym more than the pub? Well, with the indefinite closure of gyms, fitness lovers have had to turn to spaces closer to home to fulfil their fitness needs…If you are worried about space or damaging lamps in your home try taking your daily exercise routine outside. Exercise is proven to release endorphins that help improve your mental health - and we could all do with being extra conscientious about our wellbeing right now. There’s a load of free online workouts currently available on social media including HIIT, yoga and pilates from some of the best gyms in the country meaning there is something to help keep everyone fit during the quarantine.
Clean your garden furniture
Did you know that a garden table has as many germs as a bin lid? (Nice) So if you’re planning to haul your garden furniture out of the garage or shed to make the most of the warmer weather, it’s really important that it is thoroughly cleaned to avoid the spread of germs.
When cleaning your garden furniture, much like your kitchen table or countertops, be sure to use a disinfectant such as Jeyes Multi-Purpose Disinfectant to ensure that your furniture is just as squeaky clean outdoors as it is indoors. When dining Al Fresco it’s also probably a good idea to wipe down your garden table before and after every use to avoid a build-up of bacteria.
Take your work outside
There’s a legion of workers now working from home - and maybe we could all do with a change of scenery. So, now that you have newly cleaned garden furniture, why not use this to your advantage and take your work outside for a few hours each day? Whether it’s taking a conference call or working on some personal admin, sitting in the garden will help ease the sense of cabin fever that can come from prolonged self-isolation and give you an important dose of vitamin d.
Tip: Struggling with weak wifi? Consider investing in a wifi booster to ensure your network extends fully to your garden reducing the chances of signal dropouts interrupting your workflow.
Bring nature into your garden
Due to the closure of schools around the country, many parents will be (desperately) looking for ways to keep their children entertained while juggling home and work life. When looking for the next activity consider DIY projects that will encourage nature into your garden. This can range from DIY bird feeders made from empty plastic bottles to creating shelters for hedgehogs out of old wooden crates. You can use your newly renovated, newly cleaned garden space to carry out the projects - all whilst encouraging your children to spend more time outside and educating them on local wildlife and nature conservation. Your kids will be entertained and you can get a bit of peace in the garden. Win win.
Do you have any advice on how to inspire people during the pandemic? Get in touch!