Around the world, many people are staying very close to home. Which means they’re making their own fun right where they live. And a lot of that has been garden-related: from planting vegetable gardens to tending tiny bonsai trees. If you haven’t yet jumped on the green wave, here are 4 ways to start gardening…

1: Friendly front doors: OK, so our front doors aren’t welcoming many guests inside these days. Instead the social interaction is taking place a few steps back from the doorstep. You hear someone at the door, fling it open and there, standing a healthy distance away is a friend, a neighbour, a delivery person. We give them a big smile and enjoy the social moment. Our front entrances are more important than ever so it makes sense to refresh them, to make these spaces happy and welcoming. It’s easy. Order some glossy bright paint, whip out a brush, and paint the door. Then drag two matching pots into place on either side and fill them with something bright, flowering and easy to grow – Flower Carpet® roses or Volcano™ Phlox are great. Toss out the tired old doormat and buy a fresh new one. Before we know it, these new mats will again feel the tread of many visitors’ feet.

2: Ways to have window boxes: Not many houses have window boxes ready to fill with glorious gardens in miniature. But since we’re probably spending more time looking out of our windows, it makes for a fun gardening project to rustle up a few temporary window boxes. If your window is on the ground floor, you can set a few bricks on either side positioned to hold up a board shelf. Onto this you can pop some pots or even foam crates that food deliveries arrive in. Make sure there are holes for drainage, then fill with potting mix and plant with flowering annuals, herbs or even vegetables like carrots, radishes, lettuce and cherry tomatoes. Stick a note on the fridge to remind you to water things regularly, which you can do just by leaning out the open window. And if your window is on an upper floor, just flip things so your homemade shelf is just inside the window. You may even be able to move your furniture a bit so one end of the dining table is wedged against the sill and all your lovely pots can sit down at that end. Indoor pots will also need watering, so protect your table with saucers.

3: Small gardens for young people: if you’re at home with children to entertain, a great way to start gardening is by making a garden in miniature. This is a brilliant idea whether you have an acre for a backyard or live in an apartment. You’ll need to source a big, shallow tray (check out cheap plastic storage containers), potting mix, and fine gravel (try aquarium supplies). You’ll also need some mail order succulents. Get your small gardeners to draw plans of their mini garden complete with any shells, special rocks or figurines they may have. Meanwhile you can put drainage holes in the container with a nail heated over the stove-top held in a pair of pliers. Then it’s all about putting in the potting mix, planting the succulents, covering the soil with gravel and adding in the rest of the garden features.

4: Rearranging the furniture: who doesn’t love moving the furniture around a room? It’s one of the best ways to recapture that just-moved-in feeling. It also lets you enjoy a familiar space in a fresh way. So if you have an outdoor garden space, and it has furniture, have a think how you could shuffle things around. Set things up for break away moments rather than large gatherings that are on hold for the moment. Tuck a couple of chairs into a shady corner with a place to put some glasses and a plate nearby. Position a solitary lounger out in the morning sunny sweet spot. Hang a hammock where someone can hide away from the household and get stuck into a book. And arrange chairs around a fire pit for an evening family moment where the starry sky reminds us that the world is still turning.