DIY Gardening Decoration Projects for the Summer

Each season brings with it different considerations for gardening. Summer, with its dazzling rays of sunlight and verdant foliage, is a season of exquisite abundance. While the flowers and vegetables of your harvest are the centerpiece of your garden, you may want to take additional steps to create an inviting outdoor space for gatherings, BBQs, or simple relaxation. Want to start, but are deterred by the cost and time required? Then consider these easy DIY gardening projects for the summer, which can be modified to fit any budget. From building a trellis to making your own birdhouse or plant labels, there are many fun projects you can do in the summer. 

1.Build a Garden Trellis 

Fences, trellises, and other vertical structures are an easy way to create beautiful backdrops in the garden. Not only do trellises help you maximize space in the garden, but they brighten unattractive areas, create living fences, and add visual interest. When placed near a dull wall, it can transform an eyesore into a lavish tapestry of color. Many gardeners choose to install trellises to support vining varieties of plants, such as tomatoes and peas. Others use trellises to display trailing blossoms. Recreate the romantic aesthetic of a cottage garden with popular flowering vines such as clematis, trailing roses, and morning glories. For an easy DIY project, invest in a Vego Garden Wall Trellis System, which is modularly designed to fit any Vego garden bed and lacks the sharp points common to many other homemade trellises.  

2.Make Your Own Birdhouse 

Habitat loss and deforestation are critical threats to endangered bird species, and birdhouses are one way to offset the damage. Those who are more DIY inclined can consider building and customizing their own birdhouse. If you find the process of designing a birdhouse from scratch intimidating, there are many pre-made options you can find online or at your local craft store, awaiting a fresh layer of paint. Latex, acrylic, and watercolor paints are safe for birdhouses. Get creative with your materials – even a gourd can be repurposed into a sustainable birdhouse. Avoid painting the inside or anywhere where birds may peck at.  

3.Make Plant Labels 

DIY plant labels are an easy way to add a creative touch to your garden while saving money. Labeling plants may not seem important, but it becomes crucial once your plants start growing – it is easy to forget what they are, especially if you plant a lot of different varieties. Many common items can be upcycled to make plant labels, including popsicle sticks, smooth rocks, and old silverware. 

4.Create a Birdbath Using Leaves and Cement 

You probably remember using leaves to create simple art in your formative years. Now you can refine this youthful activity into a worthwhile endeavor using less than $25 worth of supplies. Create a unique sand-cast birdbath with a large leaf, concrete, and a few other supplies. This naturalistic garden ornament adds flair to your garden while also providing a welcome respite for birds and butterflies during hot summer days. 

5.Make Wind Chimes 

In Eastern spirituality, wind chimes are commonly used to ward off negative spirits and attract peaceful energy. Regardless of their intended use, wind chimes are pleasant to listen to. If you have spare materials laying around – beads, seashells, bits of glass – then consider making wind chimes. For a bohemian look that evokes the idyllic seashore, use driftwood, string, and drilled seashores; use bamboo sticks for a harmonizing, soothing sound. 

6.Brighten Your Garden with Solar Lights  

Many gardeners underestimate the effect of light in a garden once night falls, but good lighting can transform your garden into a magical twilight realm of light and shadows. Illuminate your garden at night with these easy-to-install solar garden lights. These magnetic, solar-powered lights stay on all night long, lending a whimsical look. Unlike other solar lights, which are attached to the ground, those lights are designed to fit into the gentle curvature of raised garden beds. At night, they resemble glowing fireflies, adorning raised beds with their elegant illumination. 

7.Create a Fragrant Floral Bouquet     

Make use of the last of your spring flowers before the heat sets in by creating beautiful floral arrangements. Arrange hydrangeas, zinnias, and cosmos together for a simple yet vibrant look that you can place on your table or windowsill. Don’t be afraid to get creative and utilize unconventional flowers for interesting textures: fluffy ‘Teddy Bear’ sunflowers, black-petaled dahlias, and the gossamer-like prairie smoke. To harvest flowers, simply cut them off 1 or 2 inches from the bottom at a 45-degree angle. 

8.Make Beverages from Garden Plants    

Sometimes, a refreshing beverage may be just what you need on a hot summer day. From creamy smoothies to chilled cocktails, iced drinks made with fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables from your garden are a great way to complement meals. One delicious drink you can make is a blackberry thyme mocktail, with the option of substituting club soda for sparkling water or alcohol. Combine thyme, lemon juice and blackberries in a large glass pitcher, then muddle the ingredients thoroughly. Add sparkling water, then pour over ice to serve. 

9.Make Seed Saving Containers    

Seed saving, often lamented as a lost art, is the key to preserving the past. In addition to teaching self-sufficiency, it also helps improve seed diversity. If you happen to have tic tacs, save the empty containers and fill them with seeds. Old trunks, cardboard boxes, and pill boxes can be cleaned and decorated into fashionable DIY seed storage containers.  

10.Make Mosaic Garden Stones     

Plain concrete stones are often drab and plain to the eye – add flair to your garden with mosaic garden stones. Created using broken pottery, fragmented glass, tiles, or crystals, these mosaic stepping stones are a swirling kaleidoscope of colors. This activity is a good way to spend a boring afternoon. Get together with some friends and unleash your creativity by mixing and matching various pieces. This method can also be applied to other mosaic garden projects, such as terracotta pots, bird baths, and garden benches.