Is your garden shed just a place where you put your tools and gardening paraphernalia, or do those jobs that don’t need to be done outside? Is it a building that you’ve done your best to hide away in a corner because it detracts from the look of your garden? Well, it doesn’t have to be this way because garden shed designs are now quite attractive and you can make your shed look even better with a little imagination.
Try some of these simple ideas from Shedstore; spruce up your shed this spring and make it a moreeye-catching part of your garden.
Add some colour with flowers
A simple, yet great way to brighten up your garden shed is to add a hanging basket or window box. These can easily be attached to the outside of the shed and it’s a job that only takes a few minutes. For spring colour in a hanging basket you could try lobelias, sweet peas, begonias or petunias, which will look fantastic and will really make your shed an integral part of the garden.
Window boxes, too, add an exciting splash of colour to the shed and you can mix bright colours with foliage to create variation. You can use the same plants as you use in your hanging basket; and you can repel troublesome insects by planting geraniums or lavender. Your window box is also ideal for growing useful herbs, which you can use in the kitchen as well as taking advantage of their insect repelling properties.
Make a trellis
A trellis is an excellent addition to a garden shed because it changes the outline of the shed so that it integrates better into the garden. It is the perfect way to provide privacy and also offers wonderful opportunities for growing a variety of plants. Simple to erect, trellises come in all shapes and sizes and can be shop bought or home made.
A trellis looks superb with a properly trained climbing rose or draped in clematis, but you may be surprised to learn that you can grow vegetables on a trellis too. Snow peas, for example, do well on a trellis, as do runner beans and tomatoes. And, if your trellis is strong you could also espalier an apple tree.
Decorate your shed
You can always brighten up your shed with a splash of paint. With some imagination, you’ll be able to transform your shed into almost anything you want – an old post office, a cottage or even a ship. And, if you are particularly artistic, you could turn the walls of your shed into works of art, perhaps depicting your favourite scene or an eye-catching abstract.
Another fun way to decorate your shed is to put interesting items on the outside. Old tools hung on the sides, pieces of terra cotta or ornaments designed for outside walls will turn your shed into a work of art and create a great talking point.
 Water butt
For an interesting and useful decoration, you could add a water butt to your shed. But don’t just have the water coming down a pipe; instead use water chains for a more interesting and attractive feature. The water you collect, of course will be perfect for the greenhouse or watering your hanging baskets and window boxes. And you can make the butt more interesting by disguising it – perhaps as a well.
 Use your imagination
Your garden shed needs to be functional, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull and uninteresting. With just a little imagination and effort, you can transform your shed into an integral part of the garden that will create interest and look spectacular. And it’s so simple. These ideas will hopefully bring out the creative urge in you so that your shed too will become something more than just a place to store things out of the way or to do those little jobs that you can’t do in the house.
