101 things to do in the garden this year: Outdoor living ideas

Having a garden is fantastic. It’s your own little slice of nature right on your back doorstep.

But sometimes it can feel like a constant chore. The grass needs cutting, shrubs could use a prune and weeds are popping up everywhere. Now, gardening jobs are important because they help you keep on top of the plants and stop them turning wild.

But gardens are meant to be fun too! So here’s 101 ideas for you to do in the garden during the year. Some are practical, some are fun and some are plain silly. All of them should get you outside and enjoying the garden.

1. Cut flowers and leafy stems to display indoors
2. Reuse household items in the garden, like tins and ceramic pots as planters
3. Grow nectar-rich flowers to feed bees and butterflies
4. Put up a garden statue – even a small one makes a great focal point
5. Feed the birds (and put out fresh water for drinking and bathing)
6. Make an insect hotel with this guide
7. Have a snowball fight
8. Organise the shed and clear it out
9. Host a BBQ party
10. Grow veg in pots – radishes and chillies are ideal
11. Get birdwatching! Join the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch
12. Paint your front door
13. Put in a new climbing plant to cover unsightly walls or fences
14. Grow herbs
15. Freeze fruit, herbs and edible flowers in ice cube trays for decorative drinks
16. Play giant jenga on the lawn
17. Plant spring bulbs
18. Build an obstacle course
19. Bake lavender biscuits with fresh or dried flowers
20. Plant a tree
21. Play golf
22. Sow wildflowers
23. Pick herbs to make herbal tea – mint and chamomile are great
24. Install a hedgehog highway by making a hole in the bottom of your fence (13cm x 13cm)
25. Sharpen the blades on your tools
26. Host a street party and invite your neighbours round for tea, cake and plant chat
27. Put in some new solar lights
28. Plant a stunning hanging basket
29. Hang streamers, decorations and candle holders from tree branches
30. Collect seeds from your favourite plants
31. Put in a little sand pit (great for kids and adults!)
32. Move any plants that aren’t growing well to a new home
33. Add an arch and grow beautiful climbers over it
34. Sit out by candlelight on a night
35. Put up sun loungers or deck chairs
36. Add a water feature – even a dish of water will do
37. Build a scarecrow
38. Grow fruit like apples and strawberries and eat them straight from the tree
39. Plant a rose bush – guide here
40. Make garden art using prints and stamps, and stick down foliage and flowers
41. Play Frisbee
42. Hold an Easter egg hunt
43. Have a competition to see who can grow the tallest sunflower
44. Customise terracotta pots with outdoor paint – make your own designs!
45. Set up a scavenger hunt with the children
46. Plant a seasonal container and change the plants every season
47. Pick edible flowers to decorate cakes and drinks
48. Have a water fight
49. Make butterfly feeders with sugar water and scouring pads in a Tupperware box
50. Clean the lawnmower blades and oil them
51. Have a picnic on your lawn
52. Start a new garden game like boules or croquet
53. Paint your woodwork to refresh sheds, fences and gazebos
54. Put window boxes up and grow flowers you can admire from inside the house
55. Fill the paddling pool and splash about (or just dip your feet in)
56. Mulch around flower beds to improve soil and suppress weeds
57. Put up a teepee – stand bamboo canes in a pyramid and drape them with sheets
58. Grow cress heads on the windowsill by sowing seeds in egg shells and drawing on faces
59. Plant a fairy garden
60. Grow a new type of vegetable
61. Take cuttings to make more plants for free
62. Start a compost heap – get the guide here
63. Decorate in summer evenings with solar-powered fairy lights
64. Make perfume by heating water with scented petals like roses
65. Put up a bird table or bird bath where you can see it from indoors
66. Host a seed swap party
67. Light a bonfire to burn garden waste
68. Press flowers
69. Take bark rubbings
70. Make fat balls for birds in winter and spring with this no-cook recipe
71. Personalise your wellies
72. Collect interesting leaves
73. Put up summery bunting around sheds, gazebos, arches or even your house windows
74. Grow trailing strawberries in a hanging basket
75. Build a den or fort
76. Make jam jar candles with tea lights
77. Force bulbs for growing indoors in winter
78. Get kids involved in a nature trail looking for bugs, plants and wildlife
79. Host a coffee morning and cake sale to raise money for charity (try MacMillan Cancer Care’s coffee morning)
80. Make a wildlife corner with log piles, insect houses and hedgehog shelters
81. Cook something different on the BBQ like sweet potatoes in foil
82. Sit out by firelight on an evening with a fire pit
83. Draw, paint or photograph your garden flowers
84. Plant a cocktail window box with strawberries, mint and edible flowers
85. Make candleholders out of recycled tin cans by drilling holes in a pattern
86. Plant new winter colour with evergreens
87. Grow scented flowers like lavender and sweet peas
88. Build a sundial
89. Make or buy new cushions for your patio furniture – look for weatherproof if you can
90. Toast marshmallows over an open fire
91. Throw a garden cocktail party with herbal-infused drinks
92. Spend a sunny Sunday morning reading the paper on the patio
93. Put in a second seating area like a bench or bistro set
94. Host a garden treasure hunt, hiding objects around
95. Make a seasonal wreath with leaves, twigs, pine cones and seed heads
96. String fairy lights or bunting from the parasol
97. Put down beer traps to catch pesky slugs
98. Take cuttings and swap them with friends and neighbours to get new plants for free
99. Grow something new and wacky! Red sunflowers are a great place to start
100. Cut flowers and hang them to dry – lavender and hydrangea are ideal
101. Sit out at night with the lights off and stargaze. You need a dark, clear night with no moon for the best viewing. Keep an eye out for the famous Perseid meteor shower around August 12 too

What do you think? Is there anything I missed? Let me know in the comments below.