By Sonya Percell
Landscaping may seem daunting at first, but with just a little planning and elbow grease, your yard or patio can become a welcome retreat and calming escape from the daily hustle and bustle of life.
First, what do you want to do with your outdoor space? Do you want a place to have picnics? How about a place to relax and catch some sun? Maybe you want a calming place to read a magazine or listen to music. There are many things you can do with an outdoor space. Just look at it as an outdoor room, your own private oasis. Perhaps you want a more family-oriented space to accommodate all ages.
First, do you have a patio or deck? Or maybe just a space in your yard that you can designate for your outdoor room? If you already have a patio or deck of some kind, you're ahead in the game. If not, there are lots of options. You can have a concrete patio poured, or go with stone such as flagstone, or even pea gravel or mulch outlined by landscape timbers. You can build a deck. Most of your large home centers will carry whatever you need for your project.
What size you need will be determined by what your purpose is for your outdoor room. Maybe just a 10 x 12 foot area will work, if you just need a place for a couple of relaxing chairs and a small end table. If you want more furniture or features, size it accordingly. One of the nicest things you can do that will really add to your overall theme is to install a water feature of some kind. There are tons to choose from, for every taste and budget. The sound of running water is soothing and refreshing during those hot summer days.
Next you will definitely need...plants! If your area is shaded, there are several varieties that thrive in the shade and will give you flowers throughout the season. Impatiens & shade begonias are colorful and do well in shade. Hostas have colorful foliage in a wide variety of types, and do fantastic in the shady areas. Your local nursery can recommend dozens more.
You have even more selections available if your patio is sun/part sun. Pick what you like. Just remember, annuals need replaced yearly, and perennials come back year after year.
For example, this year I have roses, dianthus, geraniums, cannas, rose moss, daylilies, daisies, marigolds, some flowering grasses and bachelor buttons in my sunny areas. In the shade I have sedum, begonias, impatiens and hostas. In my water pond I have water hyacinths, lilypads, and water lettuce. Shrub-wise I have Rose-of-Sharon, crepe myrtle, bayberry, and a couple of others I can no longer remember the name of!
Pick planters for your flowers that blend in with your theme. For instance, for a more formal feel, you may want urns or something similar. For a sunny midwest theme, terra cotta is great, or hand-painted planters. Maybe you have a more country, western-type theme. You may choose planters that look like wooden barrel halves. Whichever you decide, you can find something in your budget. You may want to make some flowerbeds as well. You can choose from several premade edging selections that look like stone or wood, or go for the real thing. Landscape timbers make great flowerbed edges. Just remember, on wood items, you'll need to keep them treated so they will not deteriorate.
Next you can decide if you want garden statuary. You can find anything from cutesy type squirrels, turtles, rabbits, etc. to more formal concrete statues or colorful gnomes. Whatever you want or can dream of is pretty well available. One thing to avoid is too much garden decor. If you have too many items, you lose your focal points and it ends up looking like you're having a yard sale, or at least like you need to. The plants are lost, and any really nice items are buried in a bizarre array of knick-knacks.
Another item that can really set the mood for your area is a firepit or standing fire chimenea. These are nice and cozy on cool nights, and...need I say it...a good place to burn up the little sticks that accumulate under your trees after a storm. Plus you can roast weiners and marshmallows, which is great any time of the year. My firepit came with a cover to protect it from the elements, and was very reasonable.
Then there's the patio furniture itself. Adirondack chairs are great and last well. Teak or redwood furniture, though more expensive, will last season after season. Then there's metal, wicker, cast aluminum, or even plastic. You shouldn't have any trouble fitting your budget, your tastes, and your theme.
Last but not least, if you have an outside wall or fence that could use a focal point, there's a variety of metal sculptures for outdoor use. I have a couple hanging on our privacy fence by my water pond. You can also find outdoor clocks and artwork. This is great for patios or anything that has an outdoor wall. Just remember, less is more in this area as well. Don't overdo it.
Now go out and make a plan and get started! You'll reap the rewards for seasons to come.
Landscaping may seem daunting at first, but with just a little planning and elbow grease, your yard or patio can become a welcome retreat and calming escape from the daily hustle and bustle of life.
First, what do you want to do with your outdoor space? Do you want a place to have picnics? How about a place to relax and catch some sun? Maybe you want a calming place to read a magazine or listen to music. There are many things you can do with an outdoor space. Just look at it as an outdoor room, your own private oasis. Perhaps you want a more family-oriented space to accommodate all ages.
First, do you have a patio or deck? Or maybe just a space in your yard that you can designate for your outdoor room? If you already have a patio or deck of some kind, you're ahead in the game. If not, there are lots of options. You can have a concrete patio poured, or go with stone such as flagstone, or even pea gravel or mulch outlined by landscape timbers. You can build a deck. Most of your large home centers will carry whatever you need for your project.
What size you need will be determined by what your purpose is for your outdoor room. Maybe just a 10 x 12 foot area will work, if you just need a place for a couple of relaxing chairs and a small end table. If you want more furniture or features, size it accordingly. One of the nicest things you can do that will really add to your overall theme is to install a water feature of some kind. There are tons to choose from, for every taste and budget. The sound of running water is soothing and refreshing during those hot summer days.
Next you will definitely need...plants! If your area is shaded, there are several varieties that thrive in the shade and will give you flowers throughout the season. Impatiens & shade begonias are colorful and do well in shade. Hostas have colorful foliage in a wide variety of types, and do fantastic in the shady areas. Your local nursery can recommend dozens more.
You have even more selections available if your patio is sun/part sun. Pick what you like. Just remember, annuals need replaced yearly, and perennials come back year after year.
For example, this year I have roses, dianthus, geraniums, cannas, rose moss, daylilies, daisies, marigolds, some flowering grasses and bachelor buttons in my sunny areas. In the shade I have sedum, begonias, impatiens and hostas. In my water pond I have water hyacinths, lilypads, and water lettuce. Shrub-wise I have Rose-of-Sharon, crepe myrtle, bayberry, and a couple of others I can no longer remember the name of!
Pick planters for your flowers that blend in with your theme. For instance, for a more formal feel, you may want urns or something similar. For a sunny midwest theme, terra cotta is great, or hand-painted planters. Maybe you have a more country, western-type theme. You may choose planters that look like wooden barrel halves. Whichever you decide, you can find something in your budget. You may want to make some flowerbeds as well. You can choose from several premade edging selections that look like stone or wood, or go for the real thing. Landscape timbers make great flowerbed edges. Just remember, on wood items, you'll need to keep them treated so they will not deteriorate.
Next you can decide if you want garden statuary. You can find anything from cutesy type squirrels, turtles, rabbits, etc. to more formal concrete statues or colorful gnomes. Whatever you want or can dream of is pretty well available. One thing to avoid is too much garden decor. If you have too many items, you lose your focal points and it ends up looking like you're having a yard sale, or at least like you need to. The plants are lost, and any really nice items are buried in a bizarre array of knick-knacks.
Another item that can really set the mood for your area is a firepit or standing fire chimenea. These are nice and cozy on cool nights, and...need I say it...a good place to burn up the little sticks that accumulate under your trees after a storm. Plus you can roast weiners and marshmallows, which is great any time of the year. My firepit came with a cover to protect it from the elements, and was very reasonable.
Then there's the patio furniture itself. Adirondack chairs are great and last well. Teak or redwood furniture, though more expensive, will last season after season. Then there's metal, wicker, cast aluminum, or even plastic. You shouldn't have any trouble fitting your budget, your tastes, and your theme.
Last but not least, if you have an outside wall or fence that could use a focal point, there's a variety of metal sculptures for outdoor use. I have a couple hanging on our privacy fence by my water pond. You can also find outdoor clocks and artwork. This is great for patios or anything that has an outdoor wall. Just remember, less is more in this area as well. Don't overdo it.
Now go out and make a plan and get started! You'll reap the rewards for seasons to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment