Looking to revitalize your garden with a quick weekend project? With these 21 easy gardening ideas, you can create the perfect garden oasis without having to deal with landscaping or extreme planning!

Get Creative with Weeding

As you’re weeding your garden, it’s important to keep a few weeding basics in mind: weed on a regular basis, use a garden hoe, don’t yank the roots, and weed when the soil is wet. To keep weeds at bay, you can use a DIY weed killer made out of white vinegar, salt, and dish soap. You can also keep weeds to a minimum by using a plastic bag to cut off their light source, filling your garden with newspaper and mulch, or simply using boiling water.

Plant Perennials

If you’re tired of planting flowers and plants every year, try growing perennials! Perennials vary in size, height, and color, and they’re great for low-maintenance gardens because they come back every year! To diversify your garden, consider planting perennials that bloom at different times, such as peonies (April-June), hydrangeas (May-July), and yarrow (June-September). You should plant perennials when the soil is most workable in the spring or fall. Just make sure to research how to care for different perennials, as their requirements for sunlight and soil may differ.

Fill Gaps with Annuals

Annuals allow you to change the flowers and plants in your garden on a yearly basis! Even though these plants die after the season, they can still make your garden look full and lush. There are many beautiful types of annual plants that all gardeners should be aware of—try mixing chrysanthemums, poppies, marigolds, and petunia between your perennials to fill gaps and add more color to your garden. When planting annuals, it’s important to do so in late spring, summer, or fall because if you plant too early or too late in the season, your plant may not grow.

Opt for a Wildflower Bomb

If you need an easy way to grow flowers in your garden, create a wildflower bomb! This is a fun way to disperse seeds and give your garden a free-form, non-manicured look. When planting your wildflower garden, pick an area that receives adequate sunlight, don’t bury your seeds, and be sure not to overwater. The plus side of growing wildflowers is you’re attracting essential pollinators like bees and butterflies, and they’re easy to maintain with a little bit of water.

Plant a Tree in Your Garden

Is your garden looking a little empty? Consider planting a tree! A tree is a great way to provide some privacy and shade to your garden. Take into consideration the height and size of the tree—in a garden, it’s best to plant small trees like Japanese maples, crab apples, magnolias, or peach trees. And planting a tree isn’t as daunting as it sounds! Whether you’re replacing a tree or planting a new one, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours—just be sure to dig a broad but shallow hole, and make sure the tree is standing straight before filling in the hole.

Build a Raised Garden Bed

Add a raised garden bed to easily harvest your vegetables! Not only do they look great, but raised garden boxes also provide many benefits for your produce and flowers like better drainage and fewer weeds. Building your garden bed can be as simple using several 2×4 boards, screws, and a power drill. If you don’t want to bust out the power tools, you can make a customizable garden bed out of cinderblocks!

Start a Vegetable & Herb Garden

While gardens are a great way to add beauty to your space, you can also use the space to grow produce and herbs! You can easily grow a vegetable garden by sowing seeds or by planting a pre-grown vegetable plant. If you’re new to vegetables, start out with easy vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, green beans, peppers, and carrots. You can also save the seeds from your vegetables and use them to replant next season. Just like with veggies, you can also grow herbs from seeds or you can plant pre-grown ones. Not sure which herbs to start with? Try planting sage, parsley, oregano, or basil, all of which are perfect for first-time gardeners!

Transplant Existing Plants

If you’re buying plants from the store or have shrubs or perennials that aren’t thriving, you can move them to another area of your garden! You might have to transplant your existing shrubs and perennials if they need more sunlight, are receiving too much sunlight, or need room to grow. To complete this simple gardening task, you’ll need to use a wheelbarrow, spade, shovel, and some burlap to successfully move the plant. When transplanting plants, it’s best to do so in the spring or fall, as summer heat won’t help your plants flourish.

Protect Your Plants with a Fence

Looking to keep critters from getting into your garden? Add a garden fence to protect your flowers and produce! You can build your fence out of pressure-treated lumber like 2×4 rails, 4×4 posts, and mesh wiring. Not only is this a great way to protect your veggies and herbs from animals, but it can also act as a barrier from wind.

Build a DIY Potato Box

If you have a small area and need more room to grow produce, add a potato box! Using a variety of lumber, wood screws, and deck screws, you can easily build your own potato box. Spend the afternoon prepping your box with existing soil, potting soil, compost, or finely chopped mulch. Be sure to plant the potatoes about 3-4 inches from the top before covering them with soil. In about four months, your potatoes will be ready to harvest!

Start Composting

A perfect way to nurture your garden is by composting. While adding compost may not be the most enticing part of gardening, it’s ideal for keeping your plants healthy and thriving. You can save money and help your environment by creating a DIY compost out of fruits and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, dry leaves, finely chopped wood, and more!

Make Use of a Window Box

Add curb appeal and visual interest to your space with colorful window boxes! If you don’t have a large backyard with space for a garden, this is a great gardening idea because these can be placed on a window sill or balcony. Be sure to fill your window box with a variety of colorful flowers or herbs like petunias, begonias, thyme, or mint. Plus, planting at the height of your window protects your plants from most animals, and they can easily be maintained.

Create a Potting Corner

Keep your gardening supplies in one place by creating a potting corner. In this corner of your garden, you can build your own potting bench or upcycle old furniture you’re not using like a dresser or table. You can use this cute garden workstation not only to plant, but to maximize your storage options as well. Consider storing garden tools such as shovels, hoses, pruners, or pocket snips here!

Add Fauxliage

Adding “fauxliage” is the perfect option for those wanting a low-maintenance garden project, as faux plants don’t lose their shape or color! Faux plants can be combined with real plants and are an ideal addition to any window box, planter, or hanging basket. Try adding a variety of faux plants like succulents, azaleas, boxwoods, or bougainvillea to your garden—no one will ever know!

Go for Container Gardening

Container gardening is a perfect option for those who want to grow a garden but have limited space like a balcony or patio. Feel free to use a variety of different pots, buckets, or boxes to plant your garden in. Have old flower pots you’re not using anymore? Give them a fresh look by updating the paint. This simple gardening idea can be completed in an afternoon by filling the pots with soil, fertilizer, and plants. Remember to keep in mind the size of your plant, and make sure your container has good drainage.

Utilize Hanging Baskets

Take your garden to the next level by hanging planters full of colorful flowers and lush greenery with macrame! Take your favorite colorful pot and with a cotton cord, you can tie the knot either in a square, half-square, or noose knots. Feel free to hang your planter from a hanger, on your pergola, porch, or trellis panel to add diversity to your outdoor area!

Add a Rain Barrel

Preserve and reuse water for your garden by adding a rain barrel! With this easy gardening idea, you can reduce how much water you’re using from a hose to water your garden, which helps both your water bill and the environment! Simply place your barrel under the downspout of a gutter to maximize water yield. If you don’t want to spend money on a barrel from the store, a 32-gallon trash can, downspout extension, and spigot can be used to easily create your own DIY rain barrel.

Build a Succulent Wall

A simple way to give a boring wall some appeal is by creating a living garden wall made out of succulents! You can make your own DIY succulent wall planter out of chicken wire, potting mix, plywood, and a mix of succulents. This is a great idea for someone needing a low-maintenance garden project, as succulents have to be watered very little. Be creative when designing your succulent wall—try alternating succulents for an eye-catching design.

Attract Wildlife to Your Garden

Bring wildlife diversity to your garden area by adding a birdhouse! You can make a simple DIY birdhouse out of a few pieces of wood and a power drill. Another great way to welcome birds to your garden is to include a bird feeder or bird bath! Create a bird feeder out of old plastic bottles or use an old teacup. Add some bird seed, and enjoy the many types of birds that will visit your home garden!

Save Room with a Garden Ladder

Decorate your backyard with a garden ladder! This garden idea gives you vertical space that’s perfect for planting flowers or herbs on a balcony or small patio. To build an inexpensive DIY garden ladder, you’ll need a variety of cedar fence pickets and several 2x6s. Once you either build or buy your ladder, place your choice of colorful potted plants on the steps of the ladder to complete this weekend project.

Add Height to Your Garden

A great way to add height to a vertical space is by including trellis panels or a pergola in your garden. Due to the lattice pattern on these, they’re perfect for growing vine-growing plants like climbing roses, summer cascade wisterias, or morning glories. You can also add them to your vegetable garden for plants like cucumbers, squash, and peas! For the ultimate garden area, add hanging planters full of colorful flowers to your pergola or trellis to fully surround yourself with nature!

Looking for more gardening ideas and inspiration? Check out these DIY garden ideas to makeover your backyard and tips for designing an urban garden!

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