Terri Ramsey Beavers How many summers have you had where you didn’t use every minute to its fullest? When the sun comes out from behind the clouds for the first time, you should go outside and set up a place to relax in your yard. However, you’ll need your back garden to be a comfortable, beautiful place to be, and with that in mind, here are some things you can do to achieve this.
Create A Snagging List
Like our homes, our gardens can sometimes be a case of “that’s just the way it is,” so the first thing to do in the spring is to take a step back. Imagine it’s someone else’s garden and make a list of all the annoying things you’ve been putting up with for too long, like the broken gate or the bench that would look great painted, oiled, or cleaned.
Look for loose paving slabs, uneven or steep stairs that make it difficult to move about the yard with bags of compost or the mowers, and a shed that could be a useful place to store goods as well as an appealing element of the garden with a little maintenance. These things could be done over a weekend and would change the way you feel about your garden. For larger jobs, a custom landscaping designer might be needed.
Mix Bright Colors
Mixing colors is a great idea, so think about lavender mauves and poppy reds. You can also mix different types of roses for both their looks and their wonderful smells. Summer should be a time of plenty, so plant your flowers close to each other. Frame boring driveways with colorful flower borders, and keep the height of the plants low to show off how big your front and back gardens are.
Don’t forget to put down mulch to keep weeds from growing, and find a place to start your own compost pile, like under a bush or tree, so it’s less obvious to the public.
Make Space For Entertaining
With all these beautiful flowers, you’ll want to make sure you can show them off to your family and friends while having a drink and a snack in your beautiful summer garden.
So, when you’re planning your entertainment area, think carefully about where your hard work in the yard will look best. The next step is to decide what look you want. Are you more traditional? In that case, you might want to build a decked seating area out of wood and add wooden planters, steps, and/or paths to match. You might live in a more modern home or just like how modern products and ideas stand out against the green grass and bright flowers in a typical summer garden, so perhaps this would be a better option for you.
Clean The Decking And Furniture
With warmer, sunnier weather in sight, now is a great time to fix up garden furniture and decking that has been damaged over the winter. Dirty wooden furniture should be easy enough to clean with soapy water and a brush. Take this time to re-oil your wooden furniture so it will last another season.
Get out the pressure washer for a quick way to clean the decking. Set it to the lowest setting and leave some space between the nozzle and the decking boards. If you don’t, you could remove the stain or paint from the decking and cause the wood to become brittle.