House & Garden

Your Ultimate Outdoor Lifestyle Guide

It’s been a long winter. You may be sick of staring out the window at your yard and garden. We all love spending sunny days outdoors. But the winter has taken its toll on the garden. Where once flowers bloomed only weeds sit tall. And the decking looks more like a shipwreck! If you’re up for a long weekend of hard work, you can bring your garden back to life. And if you can put in a little more TLC, you may even be able to make it an all-weather haven.

 

Start by clearing out all that is old and unusable. This might be weeds, debris, broken fencing or decking. Perhaps the shrubs have turned into trees and there simply isn’t the room for them anymore. Starting afresh is one way to begin making the garden of your dreams. But you don’t have to. Most things in the garden are salvageable, although you may need a little help from a professional lawn service.

 

Define where you want the lawn to be. This will help you decide the best layout for the rest of your garden. If outdoor dining is your priority, then start with that. The best area is one adjacent to the door. If you can build a permanent gazebo, you may be on the way to making your garden an all-weather entertaining hot spot. Garden heaters and solar powered lighting can help you create the perfect outdoor cooking and dining room.

 

Paths leading from one area to the next are important. You may choose to make this an extension of your deck. Or you might prefer something quaint like stepping stones. The lawn, the deck, and the planting areas could be linked in this way. If you have children, you may want a designated play area. Perhaps you have a pool? What about a vegetable patch? Each area should be easily accessible from each other.

 

Real wood decking can perish in the winter if it wasn’t properly protected. However, it is possible to bring a deck back from the brink. Wood treatment oils and stain can go a long way to restoring a wooden deck. You may need to spend some time sanding, oiling, and then painting all the wood in your garden. This could include fencing, balustrades, decking, and doors. But once it’s done, it should look incredible, and you can enjoy a stylish garden all year.

outdoor-deck-lifestylePic from Flickr

 

Relaxing in the garden is good for your health. Invest in garden sofas and recliners. With a good landscape design, you can be guaranteed a beautiful view to enjoy. If you have a roofed patio area, you may be able to enjoy this almost all year round. You can also use the garden as your exercise studio. Install a zen garden and enjoy Yoga, meditation or Tai Chi.

 

Using your garden all year for cooking, dining, relaxing and entertaining isn’t impossible. You may need a couple of extra heaters in the colder months, though! With all-season planting and a great landscape design, your garden could be the perfect space to enjoy.

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.