Transform Your Gardening Routine With 17 Outdoor Features That Can Help

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If you've been thinking your garden could use some improvements and you want ways to step up your gardening routine, then we've got 17 great ideas for you. Whether it's building a pergola to help function as a garden trellis or installing a step stone garden path to help you get better access to certain flower beds, you can brighten up your garden space all while bringing both beauty and functionality to your yard.

Making your garden more welcoming and easier to maintain is important, not just for how our homes look, but also how they make us feel. Science tells us that spending time outdoors helps reduce our heart rate, breathe deeper, and decrease muscle tension. It can help us with digestion and pump up our immune systems. And, as every gardener knows, working in the yard is a great way to get the daily exercise we all need. So it's no wonder you feel better after you spend time in the garden. So, why not spend that time working smarter, and not harder? 

You can upgrade your garden with new features that also will help you garden more efficiently. Maybe that means digging a new garden pond to cut down on time you spend mowing or adding a garden bench for the perfect resting spot to help soothe your aching back. Keep on reading for the best outdoor features that can transform the way you garden and help upgrade your yard.

If you're looking for a pretty feature that can also make gardening easier, try installing a decorative stepping stone path. The variations for a stepping stone path are nearly endless from rustic looking round stepping stones to more formal modern squares. A path makes it easier for you and your visitors to enjoy the garden without stepping on plants. Plus, a stone path gets you better access to the places you want to weed or plant flowers. Making a stone stepping path is something you can do yourself, too. 

Once you install a stepping stone path, don't forget the pathway lights. Lights can instantly brighten up a garden at night, but they can also allow you to go hunting for pests that might be night feeders, like cutworms that munch on the stalks of vegetable plants when it gets dark. You don't even have to worry about long cords or finding a plug. Solar-powered stake lights are now readily available. Try an eight-pack of solar-powered lights from Alepod. 

Not everyone has a huge backyard (or even a backyard at all) so if you're struggling with a small gardening space, try growing a vertical garden of flowers or herbs. You can buy a vertical garden planter or you can make one yourself out of an old wooden pallet. Just make sure that you pick a pallet that hasn't been treated with pesticides like methyl bromide, especially if you're growing edible plants like herbs. These are typically called MB pallets.

Adding a garden sink can transform the way you garden. It offers an easy place to clean dirty hands. But even more than that, it gives you a convenient place to wash garden shears or even scrub muddy garden boots. You can also rinse off vegetables straight from the garden so you don't have to drag dirt and mud inside. Depending on the design you choose, it can also brighten up the look of your backyard.

Pergolas are a fantastic way to upgrade your garden by adding in a vertical space that's both visually appealing and useful. Pergolas help gardening in all kinds of ways. They can offer retractable shade, act as a garden trellis, or become the structure you string outdoor lights on. Buy one at your garden center — or for the handy, you can learn how to build an angled pergola yourself. While estimates vary, you could get a 40% to 60% return on investment with a pergola when you sell your home. 

In hot climates, flowers and lawns need water regularly or they perish. Instead of wasting time dragging a sprinkler in and out of your yard by hand or hand-watering with a hose, install an automatic irrigation or sprinkler system built into your lawn to do all that for you. If you think these automated systems use more water, you'd be wrong. They can save you water since you can adjust the calibration and use of water with more precision. Some new systems even can connect to apps on your phone.

Firepits are great additions to the backyard and can help you enjoy your garden into the evening or on colder fall days. There are all kinds of portable metal fire pits you can add to a deck or patio, or you can build your own fire pit using bricks or stones. Just don't forget how to vent a fire pit, so you can keep the flames going safely. Fire needs air to breathe and ventilation in order to keep on burning.

Garden benches have been around since ancient Egypt, where they were placed in royal gardens for the ruling class. These outdoor additions might be an old idea, but they're also a great idea. Garden benches can perk up your landscape and give tired gardeners a place to rest between digging out weeds or planting flower bulbs. They're a social place to gather in the garden as well. Using benches made of wood or recycled materials can help them blend seamlessly into your yard and look like they belong there.

The hard work of weeding and tending the garden might fly by a little bit faster if you can listen to your favorite tunes while you do it. Think about adding a waterproof sound system to your garden or yard with special speakers designed to live outside. Victrola Bluetooth speakers are shaped like stones that can blend into your garden. They can be charged by USB or through sunlight on their solar panels. These are just one of a number of outdoor sound systems, including those with subwoofers and other added features as well. 

Gazebos are open-aired structures that provide gardeners with much needed shade. Traditionally, they've been known for their ornate wooden designs, often typically in an octagonal shape with fenced walls, one entryway, and a decorative roof often topped with a spire or steeple. Modern gazebos are more streamlined and made of metal or wood, but offer the same benefits of shade and a gathering place. Many have fabric walls or roofs. The best fabric for outdoor gazebos, of course, should be waterproof and able to hold up to rain.  

If you want to cut back on the effort of keeping your lawn in order, think about exchanging some grass for a garden pond. Ponds require less effort and can be even more beautiful. Garden ponds — even small ones — will mean more wildlife will want to visit your yard, including birds, turtles, frogs, dragonflies, and much more. With a pond, you can try your hand at water-based gardening as well, like growing water lilies. Ponds also act as a natural cool air conditioning and help improve air quality. 

Nobody wants to tend their yard with a rusty rake or shovel. A garden shed is a great way to keep tools dry and protected from the outdoor elements. Sheds don't have to be bland eyesores, either.  You can make the shed a focal point for your garden by picking one with decorative accents or using potted plants to perk it up. A useful garden shed will have at least one window, be big enough to walk in, and, of course, be large enough to store the tools you use most. 

Building a greenhouse might seem daunting, especially if you're a novice gardener with little space. So why not try your hand at greenhouse gardening with a mini greenhouse that's also a relatively low-cost investment? If you're not sure if greenhouse gardening is for you, then you can try it out with a mini greenhouse first. Mini greenhouses can keep your vegetables safe from freezes or pests and help extend your growing season even if you have limited space.

Composting is a great way to recycle food scraps from your home and also give the soil in your garden a much needed nutrient boost. To start your own compost project, you'll need a bin that's easily accessible in your yard, since you'll be walking table scraps out to it regularly. The bin should have good drainage and it can sit in either sun or shade. The compost bin can be made of wood, metal, or concrete blocks. 

If you spend a lot of time and money watering flowers in your garden, think about installing a rain barrel designed to catch rain water runoff from downspouts so that it can be reused in the yard. All you'll need to do is learn how to attach a garden hose to a rain barrel. A rain barrel can help you save money on water bills, and they also can help prevent soil erosion by keeping a lot of run off water safely confined. 

Insect pollinators like bees or wasps can help gardeners grow more flowers or vegetables. Add in a bee hotel, like the wooden insect house from GardeningProducts4Less and you can bring more of them to your yard. With declining bee populations in urban and suburban neighborhoods, some people are trying to help out bees with their own houses or motels. There are plenty of solitary bees or wasps out there who might seek shelter in the small, round holes of a bee condo or hotel.  

Gardens can be more than pretty. They can also be helpful and functional, too. Try growing your own vegetables in a raised vegetable garden tucked into the corner of your yard. Growing your own vegetables means you and your family are more likely to eat them, which means everyone gets a more balanced diet. If a full vegetable garden feels too intimidating, start small with a tiny raised bed of herbs or even plant the vegetables in pots.