Transform your garden into a useful, comfortable outdoor space, and use it as an extension of your house for eating, drinking, relaxing, and socializing. Bring the interior outside by adding homey touches, such as colorful cushions, soft lighting, and a fire pit to create an area to lounge. Combined kitchen and dining spaces make open-air cooking and eating easy and enjoyable, and if you grow your own crops, make the journey from plot to plate even shorter. For a touch of luxury, consider adding a hot tub with a sauna and lounge chairs.

Whether you have the space to create a full-scale garden plot or you simply want to grow a pot of peppers on a sunny windowsill, the rewards will be tasty, wonderfully scented herbs, fruits, and vegetables— an attractive asset to any garden. The best thing about growing your own is that you can select exactly which varieties you want to eat, including unusual types that are not readily available. You will also know exactly what has gone into their cultivation.

Maximize outdoor family time by designing the garden so that adults and children can enjoy being outside together. Gardens have more to offer children than just fresh air and exercise— they can create opportunities for wild encounters with nature and encourage imaginative play, so create special areas for these "secret” adventures to occur. Screen these and larger pieces of play equipment from view if necessary, or leave the garden layout open, and construct a relaxing seating area so that you can keep an eye on the activities of younger children.

Use your garden as a place to escape from everyday stresses and to ground yourself in nature. You can experience feelings of real freedom out in the open air surrounded by birdsong and the rustle of leaves, especially when your private sitting area is shielded from the house and overlooking windows. Consider using water to create a sense of tranquility. Feed your senses with the sound of a trickling fountain or the sight of reflections in a still pool of water. A single focal point helps to create a perfect space for contemplation.

Attracting a range of wildlife to your garden is as much about your gardening approach as your plant selection— relaxed and not too tidy works best. Use colorful, highly scented flowers to attract hoverflies, bees, and butterflies. Create a woodland environment for visitors as diverse as beetles, hedgehogs, and wood mice. A pond will be attractive to birds and amphibians, and an eco-pile will provide a welcoming habitat for beneficial insects.

Even if you do not have a lot of time to dedicate to your garden, there is no reason why it can’t still be beautiful. Making life easier does not necessarily mean resorting to expanses of paving: use easy care landscaping solutions, such as gravel and railroad ties and select plants that do not require frequent pruning, feeding, or watering.

Some types of plants may interest you more than others, so adapt your garden to suit their needs. With a bit of consideration, fussy plants such as tender types or even exotics can be accommodated if given a warm spot and moved under cover in the winter. There is no need to feel limited by your existing garden: consider adding a pond or bog area, or creating a shaded woodland zone; or build a rock garden.