Find out how MNers are getting on with their Homebase Garden Goals challenge NOW CLOSED

[AmeliaMumsnet]

This feedback thread is for the 10 MNers taking part in Homebase’s Garden Goals challenge. Each MNer is undertaking a particular task to create their dream garden; either making an edible garden, a patio garden, adding some colour, encouraging wildlife or creating a garden for entertaining.

Each tester was given a £100 Homebase voucher and is undertaking a ‘one hour’, a ‘half a day’ and a ‘one day’ task to transform their gardens by following Homebase’s Garden Goals tips and instructions. They will leave weekly updates on their progress on this thread.

Here’s what Homebase has to say: “We have teamed up with Anne-Marie Powell to launch our Garden Goals challenge to help families get their outside spaces ready for summer. We want to encourage those of all gardening abilities to complete a garden project; whether that’s creating an edible garden, creating a patio garden, adding colour to your garden, encouraging wildlife to your garden or creating a garden for entertaining.”

Watch this short video to find out more:

We also tasked 5 MN bloggers with the same Garden Goals challenges, check out how they got on below:

Create an edible garden challenge before and after by Attachment Mummy
Create a garden for entertaining challenge before and after by A Strong Coffee
Add colour to your garden challenge before and after by ET Speaks From Home
Create a wildlife garden challenge before and after by Confessions of a Crummy Mummy
Create a patio garden challenge before and after by Le Coin De Mel

Testers

Throughout the 8 weeks when posting about your progress with your garden, please think about and answer the below:

• Which Garden Goal did you take on and why did you want to undertake this particular challenge? What was your garden like before you started to work on it?
• How did you find your in store experience at Homebase? Were the staff friendly and helpful?
• How useful did you find Homebase’s ‘how to guides’?
• How did you find using the shopping lists provided? Did you find everything you needed in store to complete your Garden Goal?
• Do you feel like you achieved your Garden Goal?
• After completing your Garden Goal, do you feel more confident in gardening and would you like to take on more challenges throughout your home and garden?

Each week we’d love to get an update on how you are progressing with your Garden Goal tasks and to see lots of lovely pictures. Please also share your photos on your social media channels using #GardenGoals and tagging @ Mumsnet on Instagram and @ MumsnetInsight on twitter.

Everyone who leaves their feedback on this thread as required will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Homebase voucher.

Thanks and happy gardening!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Hey ginger, I love the pond. We have an old sandpit I was thinking of using, your's looks fab!!

On the last photo there is a blue-tit feeding, but you can't see it very well!

I'm so inspired by everyone else's efforts too!

And faintly embarrassed by how overgrown and scruffy my garden currently is. DH and I did hack down all the weeds last October when we had the trees removed but they have grown back in abundance!

My next goal will be either to plant a herb garden or to dress the patio, as it was finished on Saturday morning and then left for 24 hours - and now it's raining!

The next task I did was encouraging bees and butterflies into the garden. To do this I used the plants I bought and planted them in two places. I did a row of lavender, a mix of english and french lavender. And on the other side I planted wallflower, delphinium, geum and hardy geraniums; all of which had the bee logo on them. I also added some nasturtiums which I had grown from seed (really easy to do and great for the kids). Having the bee and butterfly logo on the plants made it really easy to select which plants to buy.

I had to dig up a section of grass and then plant, I spaced them out quite well as they will grow. I'm really looking forward to having a big row of lavender when it fills out over the coming year.

I followed the instruction and soaked them well and watered after planting as well. Since them we have had a lot of rain which will have helped!!

Lavender border

I'm not a tester, but all the photos (and the product test) got me inspired about our shady bumpy paved area. Slowly working through it and as a result of the feedback I'd definitely give Homebase a visit as we wouldn't have considered going there previously.

That lavender border is going to be lush chicken, I'm thinking of doing one in the front garden (not as part of this challenge though). The bird feeder is a good idea too, we have a couple of naughty squirrels that are always at the bird feeders, something like that will give the little birds a chance.

Here's my painted bench and table, not totally finished but I'm pleased with the result so far, the paint went on really easily and dries a lovely shade.

@GingerKitCat I have just sent you an email answering your questions

Well I've done my first shop at Homebase and I have to say it was a lovely experience.
I've decided to focus on a herb garden first as we use a lot of herbs in our day to day cooking, so this will be so useful for us.
I was shocked at the amount of herbs available, and the price! Everything is affordable and they were all in great condition. The staff were very helpful too. I took my 86 year old grandma along with me and the staff couldn't have been kinder, they brought her out a chair for her so she could sit and boss me around
I chose a good selection of herbs including basil, sweet basil, mint, oregano and thyme. I am going to do the end of my big flower bed as a herb garden and also plant some up in troughs. I got some pots & soil, also some stones to make my herb garden look nice.
I still have money left over so will focus on my herbs first and then do another visit next week.

Quick question mnhq, are we allowed to do some indoor plants or is it strictly garden only? I saw some great bundles of salad that would do well on my windowsill but wasn't sure if that's part of the rules.

I went to Homebase yesterday and unlike ibuiltahomeforyou I decided to go for the easier tasks first! Particularly planting some pots and planting a herb garden.
I'm planning to actually plant at the weekend so I'll post some pics then.

I was really impressed with the selection of plants and pots available and how healthy the flowers were. I wanted everything and found it hard to choose! It was very affordable and I thought excellent value for money compared with my local garden centre. I am really chuffed with what I bought and how much I got for my money.

I looked at the guide for building a herb garden and decided the pot that I wanted but unfortunately it was out of stock. I easily found an alternative but it wasn't quite what I originally wanted.
I did find the shipping lists helpful but it wasn't always easy to find the items in the shop, it may be helpful to list alternatives.

The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable but not always available. But I went on a Monday lunch time so possibly not the best time.

I still have a bit of money left so I'll definately be going back again.
I'm really pleased with what I bought, and I can't wait to get started.

love the pond ginger!
glad laying the patio wasn't too traumatic Ibuilt I've got to admit I'm a bit scared about doing it.
that lavender looks lush chickens I've chosen some for our garden too, my son loves pointing out the bees already

@IAmTheWorwax I have just emailed you answering your Q

Hi all I'm doing the entertaining garden challenge. I started this week with the one hour task.... went this weekend to Homebase for my solar lights and for the garden arch for the challenge later on. to be honest I've got a bit of a mixed bag to report.... bought some solar stake lights, great value at £1.99 but of the 12 I bought 1 doesn't work and it took my well over an hour to try and peal off the mahoosive unsightly labels!! They look pretty cool now though, pic to follow when dark. I then bought some of the wire tree lights that you wind round the tree, they are impossible! I undid them and started to wind and they are so tangled and impossible to detangle it's not user error I promise as I had mum helping me, me mum and dh tried to untangle them for well over an hour and a half no joy so they're going back!! The plan solar string lights I bought look ok and the little hearts are gorgeous.

Went into Homebase and the service was variable I asked someone for the solar lights as I was expecting to find them in gardening.... not so! I was pointed in the vague direction of over there, still couldn't find them, finally asked a lovely assistant who was actually helpful.

Finally went to buy the arch, not in stock, not a problem the helpful lady on the desk said she'd order it in from another store as most local stores out of stock. Fab! Got a call today to say it was in.... yipppeee but there's a problem the girl nervously giggles, oh yes...? It's huge she says..... how huge?? Over 2ms I don't think it'll fit in a normal car.... ho hum now to the next problem of how do I get it? Got to admit this challenge is becoming a bit of a chore and I love my garden!!!

Hi Tigger sorry to hear you're having issues!

Which solar lights did you buy? I bought a couple for the aforementioned pond that sound a bit like yours, especially the giant sticker bit!! I haven't removed them yet as I wanted to check they worked

Mine are stainless steel with a crackled glass dome on top. I'm actually really impressed as they're only £1.99. They look more substantial than the usual flimsy plastic solar stakes. I've checked and they're on sale for more elsewhere, even Aldi (usually a bit cheaper than Homebase).

If anyone's inspired to buy these lights you need to carefully unscrew the glass dome (it doesn't take much, I nearly dropped it!) and remove a plastic tab from the panel inside to allow them to work. I elected to ignore the instructions printed on the giant sticker and thought mine were defective

Link here:
crackle glass solar lights

The solar lights in my store were also situated in the opposite end of the store to the gardening area which was a bit confusing. They had a vast amount of two types of lights in front of the tills which made it look like there weren't any others available. I asked a Homebase employee who helpfully led me right over to the shelf and was super helpful. I got the impression this wasn't the first time she'd been asked this

I was a tiny bit disappointed at the range of garden furniture on display. I was browsing for a reclining chair/ sunlounger from which to admire my wildlife garden (!) but there didn't seem to be any on display nor on the shelf. There aren't very many of the chair-type (as opposed to sunbed) on the website this year actually. The garden furniture section didn't really look that inviting as it was all crammed in and consisted mostly of dining sets and bistro sets. I gave up trying to find a sunlounger as I hate clutter

Are you able to order the arch via the website with free delivery Tigger or is it out of stock?

I should add the store I visited is the only one left in my area as the rest have converted/ are in the process of converting to Bunnings following the sale. I have to admit it was never my preferred Homebase store (always seemed a bit tattier/ smaller than the others) although I love the Homebase range generally!

Hi chickens, great to compare notes about our wildlife gardening efforts! I'm very jealous of your garden stream

Making the old sandpit into a pond sounds inspired! I'm really hoping anyone passing through this thread realises you can literally sink any old watertight container into the ground and call it a pond!

I did quite a bit of googling as I'm new to the pond malarky but most of the info is helpfully condensed in this RHS link:

RHS wildlife pond how to guide

Mine began attracting wildlife the moment I finished creating it. Apart from the frog (so happy about this, he's still there after a week, I checked he's not stuck ) I've noticed small birds hopping between the shrubs in that border. This has never happened before, they stick to the tree on the other side and occasionally the lawn. Today I was watching a bumble bee chilling on a floating plant having a drink I'm hopeful by next year I might have frogspawn, newts and dragonflies.

I think I'm going to focus on attracting wild birds this week. Fortunately I only have one naughty squirrel to contend with and he's not a regular (yet...)

I've been working on creating bushy thoroughfares for birdlife over the past year or two by planting climbers (particularly evergreen) against my fences. This ensures the birds have somewhere to shelter from the neighbourhood cats, one belonging to me/ I to him. It seems to be working well and the cats are definitely less interested. I would've felt guilty enticing wild birds into the jaws of the resident felines

This thread is moving fast, good work everyone!

ooo I like the look of those lights

Here's one lit up from last night

I'm trying to catch up with everyone's projects. Love the anecdotes about children and grannies helping

Ibuilt I'm so impressed with your patio, especially with a 6wk old and an EMCS. Thanks for the info on how you tackled it and the link to the Homebase 'how to' guide. Patios scare me! Fortunately mine was already newly installed when I moved in but I keep eying up an area at the end of the garden that catches the sun from about 4pm until dusk. I wouldn't mind a smaller mini patio up there

How big is the one you installed out of interest? Do you have an inkling of what's going around it? I can envisage slate chippings and clusters of pots but I might be way off the mark!

scared your project looks awesome, I can't wait to see the next pictures. Do you have plans for the fence/shed to the right of the photo? It would look great painted with one of the Cuprinol garden shades (you already know my love for Seagrass!). I adore the block wall at the back, please say it's staying!

Pixies the painted furniture looks fab

Worwax I love the layout of your garden. I covet raised beds! I'm looking forward to hearing about your herb purchases. Some of mine are looking a bit worse for wear (hardy varieties too ) so I could probably do with a few new specimens. I might tie it in with my wildlife challenge as there are some that are particularly good for pollinators

Thanks for the link Ginger. I'd love a big pond but a small one would be a start. Great to hear you have a frog already.

Another pic. Raining today. Pesky squirrel on the old Bird feeders again. And a robin on the new one.

Oh he's so cheeky!

I actually love squirrels but appreciate they destroy the bird feeders. That is unless you mean business with your latest squirrel-proof feeders

I've had an email tonight from the RHS advertising a new "30 Days Wild" campaign for June. Basically encouraging people to get outdoors and enjoy nature by committing to Random Acts of Wildness

These include things like watching the sunset, lying on the grass gazing at the sky and 99 other ideas! Really easy for everyone to do in the back garden or the local area.

The link is here
You can sign up for a free pack which includes stickers, a progress wallchart and wildflower seeds. Great way to involve children

I thought it tied in nicely with our wildlife goal chickens but it's also relevant to our all gardens as we're spending time out there completing garden goals.

I've joined the 30 Days Wild as well!!

The squirrel managed to open the bird feeder and empty it. They are so clever and so cheeky!!

My daughters love him though!!

Have they named him yet?!