Cameron P
EH Smith Staff: Ecom Exec
There’s something about the first properly warm days of early summer this year that made me look out my garden and think "right, something needs to change.".… actually, that may have just been my knee giving way coming down the stairs one time too many, but more likely it's my winter-worn flower beds, the patio that's seen better days, or just the nagging feeling that I could be getting a little more joy out of my garden week in, week out. But if you’re anything like me, these lighter evenings and warmer days come with a little more energy to tackle the jobs I’ve been putting off since, well, October...
So to celebrate the launch of our new 2026 Landscaping Brochure, which is jam-packed with the some of the best garden supplies you could ask for, I’ve asked some of our landscaping experts from across our branches for their honest tips, favourite products, and hard-won advice on getting your garden looking its best this summer. Now I said this was for the blog, and it is! But I was really asking for me……. however, the result has been some really practical, straightforward tips designed to be useful whether you're planning a full garden overhaul or just want to smarten things up over a weekend.
The EH Smith 2026 Landscaping Brochure
Featuring over 1,000 of the very best landscaping products, including unqiue porcelain, clay and sandstone pavers, durable composite decking moulded from natural timber, authentic woodgrain detail cladding, pergolas, drainage, fencing, dectorative garden stones and more!
View Online | Pick up a copy from your local EH Smith Branch
Three blogs, three levels of ambition, all designed to help you get more out of your garden before the summer slips away. This first one is all about quick wins, tips you can realistically plan on a Friday then stand back and admire by Sunday. The second covers refresh ideas for UK gardens big and small. And the third is for anyone thinking bigger, proper overhaul, done properly.
But before you reach for the pressure washer or start browsing our (frankly amazing) collection of paving slabs, I’ve been told it's worth taking a few minutes to ask yourself some simple questions. Your answers will shape everything that follows:
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start Your Garden Refresh:
When asking yourself how much time you want to spend maintaing your garden, the key thing is to be realistic. A garden that suits your lifestyle and fits into the time you can spare for maintaining it is always going to look better, because you'll actually keep on top of it. Think beyond the refresh itself, what looks great in the moment and consider what you're happy to commit to week to week, month to month.
Whether it's entertaining, relaxing, letting the kids run wild, or growing your own, your garden should serve your life. Knowing this shapes every decision, from materials to layout to planting.
There's a big difference between freshening up what's already there and starting from scratch. Both are valid, but they need different levels of planning, budget, and time. A quick re-fresh of your garden might be all that's needed!
If the honest answer is you'd rather spend weekends in it than working on it, lean towards hard landscaping, garden paving, garden gravel, garden sleepers, over large planted borders. Less upkeep but still looks great!
You don't need to spend a fortune for a meaningful transformation. Knowing your goal first helps you prioritise where your money will have the biggest impact and avoid spending it in the wrong places.
Top Tip from the EH Smith Landscaping Team:
"Thinking about refreshing the garden is exciting, planning is key and can save you masses of time before you start. What do you want from the garden? Will it be somewhere to let the kids run ruin, host garden party’s or keep a really low maintenance garden? This decision will be the most important factor."
Andy | Landscaping Development Manager | EH Smith Shirley
Once you've sat with those questions, you'll have the beginnings of something more valuable than any inspiration board: a goal. It doesn't need to be elaborate, it just needs to be yours. Every tip, product, and idea in this guide will land better if you know what you're actually trying to achieve before you start.
Quick Garden Refresh Ideas You Can Do in a Day or a Weekend
Not every garden refresh needs a skip on the drive and a fortnight off work. Some of the most satisfying improvements are the ones you can do in a weekend, a day or even a sunny afternoon. These are the quick wins for your garden, the changes that make an immediate, visible difference without a huge commitment of time or money and (I’ll be honest) the one’s I was hoping for when I started with this question!
1.
Top Up Your Mulch and Bark
Fresh mulch is one of those upgrades that looks like you've done far more work than you really have (a massive win in my book). A generous top-up across your beds instantly tidies rough edges, suppresses weeds, retains moisture in the soil (particualry bark mulch), and gives the whole garden that just-sorted look that's hard to achieve any other way. It's also genuinely good for your plants, feeding the soil slowly as it breaks down over the season. It's that perfect quick garden refresh tip, a great all rounder that does your garden good whilst looking great!
Don't underestimate the impact of simply refreshing what's already there. A tired, thin layer of old bark does very little, but a fresh, generous top-up transforms a border.
One rule worth following: always order a little more than you think you'll need. Running out halfway through a bed is every bit as frustrating as it sounds, trust me I've been there.
We stock bark mulch in 60 litre bags for smaller jobs and larger bark bulk bags for bigger projects, useful whether you're freshening up a couple of borders or tackling the whole garden in one go. Just one thing to note, if you haven’t got any mulch/bark down yet but like the idea, here is a quick tip: you do not need a weed membrane! For most garden beds, a weed barrier is not recommended under bark chippings. While it initially stops weeds, bark & mulch aren’t just decorative, they feed the soil as they decompose and that decomposing bark creates soil on top of the fabric, leading to weeds rooting above it and making it harder to manage in the long run.
Products to help with this tip:
Ornamental Bark
Boughton 500Ltr Bulk Bag Ornamental Bark.
Top Soil
Boughton 500Ltr Bulk Bag Screened Topsoil.
Wood Chippings
Boughton 500Ltr Bulk Bag Play Chip Wood.
Bark Mulch
Hallstone 500Ltr Bulk Bag Bark Mulch.
2.
Refresh Your Beds with Gravel, Slate or Decorative Chippings
If mulch is the classic quick win, decorative garden chippings and gravel are the modern alternative, and the results are even more striking. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as quick as just putting some bark down, but there are massive upsides. A new layer of garden gravel across a border or bed gives an immediately clean, transformative contemporary look while doing some genuinely useful work underneath: suppressing weeds, retaining moisture and reducing the amount of time you spend maintaining that area week to week. Yes, it’s a little more work now… but it’s far less maintenance once done and can definitely be achieved in a weekend (unless your garden is on the large side, in which case it is still possible but maybe time to rope the family in to help).
The key is doing it properly. Lay chippings 1 to 2 inches deep over a permeable weed barrier, Weedtex Weed Control Fabric is ideal, which keeps the stones from sinking into the soil while still allowing water and air to reach plant roots. And one thing worth knowing before you start: don't pile stones directly around plant stems. It might look tidy, but it causes rotting and does your plants no favours at all…
A couple of things to keep in mind longer term. Stone can gradually make soil more alkaline over time, it heats up in a warm summer (not always ideal for roots), and once it's down, it's not the easiest thing to change your mind about. Go in knowing that, and it's a brilliant low-maintenance choice. Go in without knowing it, and it can catch you out. So plants that don’t mind a ‘sweeter’ soil like Lavender, Geraniums or Box Hedging are not going to complain one bit!
The upside? Less weeding, less erosion, less fuss, and it looks great doing it. Let those stones do the work for you! Decorative garden stones are the ultimate low maintenance garden secret.
We stock a fantastic range of decorative chippings and aggregates to suit all styles and spaces. From plum slate that shifts from a soft grey when dry to a rich, deep purple in the rain, to beautiful glacial Scottish pebbles perfect for borders, pathways and rockeries, and creamy Cotswold limestone chippings that bring a warm, inviting feel to any garden.
Top Tip from the EH Smith Landscaping Team:
"Best advice when it comes to garden chippings? Come and chat to one of our landscaping experts in your local branch, we can talk you through options, advise you on colour and even arrange small samples to take home so you can see how the chippings work in your garden."
Dawn | Landscaping Product Leader | EH Smith Leicester
Products to help with this tip:
Garden Chippings
A great all-rounder for Ideal paths, beds & weed control.
Garden Slate
Great for a modern look on paths and decorative beds.
Garden Gravel
Pefect choice for drainage, driveways, and pathways.
Garden Pebbles
Best for garden borders, ponds, and decoration.
3.
Don't Overlook Your Fences
And no, I don't mean having a nose at the neigbours garden.
We get so used to seeing fences as boundaries, the thing that marks where your garden ends, that it's easy to forget they're actually part of our garden too. Get them right and they add real character to a space. Leave them weathered and tired and they'll drag the whole look down, no matter how good everything else looks.
If your fencing panels have seen better days, replacing them is one of the more satisfying quick transformations you can make. It's not a complicated job, and a competent fencer can work faster than you'd expect. New panels bring an instant freshness that's hard to replicate any other way.
That said, if your fencing is structurally sound, there's absolutely no need to start from scratch. A fresh coat of paint for fencing or a new treatment can do a remarkable job of breathing new life into tired timber. Picking a colour that complements your garden rather than just defaulting to the standard brown (not that there’s anything wrong with brown fences, my fences are brown and I like them, they are classic!) it's a small decision that makes a bigger difference than most people expect. Soft blues, greys and sage-greens can really transform your space and make it feel much bigger!
Products to help with this tip:
Garden Fence Panels
Our range of high-quality treated fence panels.
Posts & Gravel Boards
Keeping your garden fences secure.
Fencing Accessories
Everything you need to get your fencing job done.
Fence Paints & Stains
Our range of paints & stains ideal for fencing.
4.
Make Your Garden Somewhere You Actually Want to Be
This one sounds so obvious, but it's worth saying: if your garden isn't comfortable, you won't use it. And if you don't use it, you won't maintain it. Good outdoor furniture and a space to relax isn't a luxury it's half the battle.
A few new cushions, a decent chair, or a proper furniture set can transform how you feel about your outdoor space almost immediately. At EH Smith we have a great range to choose from, including the hardwood outdoor Bistro Sets with roped chairs, sunloungers with pull out side tables (did you know you can genuinely sunbathe in the UK?) and modern large outdoor dining sets, whether you're after a quiet morning coffee spot or somewhere for an evening get-together.
And while we’re thinking about comfort, think about shelter too. Just because you're outside doesn't mean you have to roast in the sun or bolt indoors the moment a cloud appears (and let's be honest, the British weather rarely gives you much choice either way). A garden pergola is a brilliant addition, they add shade, bring a warm timber texture to the space, create vertical planting opportunities and genuinely cool down paving areas on hot days. Available in steel or timber options, they're more versatile than most people give them credit for.
Products to help with this tip:
Garden Furniture
Browse our full collection of outdoor furniture.
Modular Outdoor Sets
Bring style and comfort to your outdoor space.
Roma Sun Lounger
Sun Lounger with Pull-out Side Table.
Pergola Gazebo's
Designed to provide ample shade & shelter.
5.
Give Everything a Proper Clean
We clean our homes constantly, but outdoor spaces? I think I ignore it from October through to April and it’s left to deal with whatever winter throws at it. A good clean is one of the simplest, cheapest and most overlooked garden refreshes there is.
Tired paving, grimy decking and moss-covered patios can make even a well-kept garden look neglected. Get the pressure washer out, but take it steady, too much pressure can damage the surface matrix on concrete products, which does more harm than good. Gentle and thorough beats hard and hasty every time.
Worth knowing: porcelain and concrete paving each have their own cleaning requirements, so it's worth using the right product for the job rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, if in doubt ask your local landscaping specialist at EH Smith or have a browse of our comprehensive garden cleaning & care product collection, and as Suzy suggets below our great range of Azpects Patio Cleaners are a sure-fire win!
Top Tip from the EH Smith Landscaping Team:
"Our Azpects range of Patio Cleaners are great products for sprucing up tired paving. Porcelain paving in particular cleans up really easily, which is one of the reasons it's such a brilliant choice for low-maintenance gardeners."
Suzy | Landscaping Product Leader | EH Smith Cannock
If you've got brick or block paving, there's a separate job worth doing while you're in cleaning mode, and one I'm finally doing properly this year after years of taking the easy route.
Pressure washing block paving and re-sanding the joints is one of the more satisfying garden jobs going. Kiln dried sand is the obvious choice and it looks brilliant when freshly done (by the way I’ve found the secret is to use a super-soft broom to brush in the sand, it goes in so easy). The problem is it doesn't stay that way. Within a few weeks the weeds are back, because kiln dried sand stays loose, traps dust and gives weed seeds exactly the foothold they're looking for.
The better option, and the one our landscaping team pointed me towards, is a resin or polymer jointing compound. It sets slightly, stabilises the joints and actively resists weed growth in a way that loose sand simply can't.
I'm going for EASYJoint Paving Compound in Mushroom, which keeps that sandy, natural look without the weeds that come with it. One thing worth noting: for older or reclaimed bricks, avoid thick glossy sealants, they can make the surface look artificial and take away from the character of the brick. The jointing compound is the change that makes the difference. If in doubt, have a chat to your local EH Smith landscaping team, they will steer you right! It’s more of an investment, particularly for large areas, than your typical sand-job. But the biggest thing in my mind is the fact I won’t have to do it every year!
Products to help with this tip:
Patio & Deck Cleaner
Effective on even the most stubborn dirt and grime.
Joint Compunds
Grouts, Sand & Adhesives for garden paving.
Garden Cleaning
Our full range of garden cleaning & care products.
EASYJoint Sweep In
Quick, effective, & aesthetic way to fill joints.
6.
Refresh Your Garden Edging
Here's one that often gets overlooked, and I'll hold my hands up, it's one I've been guilty of ignoring too. Edging. It sounds like a finishing touch, but it's actually one of the things that separates a garden that looks properly considered from one that just looks... fine.
The good news is it's a job that can be done within a weekend, and the impact is immediate. Clean, defined garden edging between your lawn, beds, paths and patio give the whole space a structure you probably didn't know it was missing. Everything looks tidier, more intentional, and easier to maintain going forward.
Andy from our EH Smith Shirley branch puts it well:
Top Tip from the EH Smith Landscaping Team:
"Consider using edgings, step detail, pathways and defined boarded areas, this will define the edges and make it a safer and more manageable space."
Andy | Landscaping Development Manager | EH Smith Shirley
When it comes to style, the choice is wider than most people expect. Metal edging, particularly Corten steel garden edging, suits contemporary and minimalist gardens beautifully and weathers to a warm rust tone over time. We stock a stunning Flexible Steel Garden Edging which not only looks the part but is so easy to install you can do it in an hour.
Timber edging, garden sleepers and log rolls work well in more natural or cottage-style spaces, while decorative block edging adds a classic, structured finish that ties in particularly well if your house already features brick detailing. For a more modern look, natural stone & exposed surface edging is something to consider. Now this one would take a little longer to install and you may need a professional, but the results speak for themselves. Another big bonus is how well they complement garden gravels, so if you are considering a Mediterranean look, they are a must-view.
Products to help with this tip:
Decorative Edgings
Our range of stone, clay & metal garden edgings.
Flexible Garden Edging
Steel border edgings in a range of colours.
Decorative Walling
To really make garden borders stand out.
Garden Sleepers
A versatile way to add style and dimension.
Well, there we go, our teams top quick garden refresh ideas.. Six tips that have genuinely changed how I'm approaching my own garden this summer, and I hope they're just as useful for you. Whether you tackle one this weekend or work through the lot, the main thing is making a start. Gardens tend to reward effort pretty quickly, which makes it all the more satisfying.
The next blog in the series, covers refresh ideas specifically for smaller UK gardens. If that sounds like yours, keep an eye out for it!
Before you go, it's worth a reminder that our 2026 Landscaping Brochure is packed with hundreds of products across paving, aggregates, decking, garden furniture and more. If you're still in the browsing and planning stage, it's a great place to find inspiration.
And if you'd rather talk it through in person, every one of our local builders merchant branches has a landscaping team who are genuinely helpful and approachable. This blog quite literally wouldn't exist without them, so trust me on that one. Pop in, ask your questions and leave with some actual answers.
Here are some of the questions they get asked most often:
Questions Our Landscaping Team Get Asked Most:
Bark is a specific type of mulch which is made from shredded or chipped tree bark. Mulch is a broader term for any material, organic or inorganic, used to cover soil. Bark mulch is ideal for borders and beds, helping retain moisture, suppress weeds and improve soil health as it breaks down.
You do not need a weed membrane for bark chippings. Unlike gravel or decorative stone, bark mulch is an organic material that benefits the soil as it breaks down. By laying a membrane underneath, it prevents that process and can actually be counterproductive causing weeds to grow above the membrane. For bark chippings, simply clear the area of existing weeds before applying.
You can read this brilliant blog! Alternatively some of the most effective quick wins include topping up bark or decorative chippings, cleaning paving and decking, freshening up fences with paint or treatment, and adding new outdoor furniture. Most can be done in a day or weekend without specialist help.
Consider the style of your garden, the practical purpose and the size of the area. Garden slate chippings suit contemporary spaces, Cotswold limestone chippings works well in traditional or cottage gardens, and Scottish garden pebbles are versatile for borders and rockeries. Talk one of our landscaping professionals for specialist advice, we can even arrange samples for you to take home to see how they work in your garden.
It depends on your paving type. Porcelain paving responds well to a dedicated porcelain paving cleaner, while concrete slabs benefit from a patio cleaner or patio fungicidal wash, particularly if moss or algae has built up over winter. Always follow product guidelines and avoid excessive pressure washing on concrete surfaces.
When laying decorative garden chippings, a depth of 1 to 2 inches (around 5cm) is generally recommended. This is enough to suppress weeds and retain moisture without over-piling and helps prevent stones from sinking into the soil beneath. Avoid placing chippings around plant stems, which can cause rot, if in doubt talk to one of our landscaping specialists at our local builders merchants.
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Images: Supplied by EH Smith, courtesy of our suppliers and valued customers including Picture Perfect Landscaping.
