The frost has melted, and we’re consistently seeing warmer weather and more sunshine. It’s the perfect time of year to spend time outside in the yard enjoying the spring weather. Sometimes though, in order to make the most of your outdoor space, you need to make some adjustments. Renovating the yard isn’t the same as constructing an addition to the home, but it still takes some planning. Here are some of our tips to revitalize your yard space!
Revivify Your Lawn
Over the late fall and throughout the winter, leaves and debris can cause your lawn to become patchy or uneven. Once the snow has melted and your grass starts seeing more sunlight, those areas where the lawn isn’t bouncing back quite as well will become more obvious. Some ways to improve lawn health include aerating your lawn to improve drainage, reseed and protect new growth, using natural fertilizers, and water it more thoroughly with longer stretches between watering sessions. Alternatively, if you’re finding maintaining a traditional grass lawn is proving difficult, consider switching over to a moss lawn if the conditions are right for you.
Break Up The Monotony In Your Garden
Most gardens feature a lot of green, which makes sense because so many plants are mostly green when not blooming. In order to get the most impactful visuals for your garden, think about including plants that aren’t green at all! Bushes and shrubs with other vibrant colors like red or purple are great additions to any garden. Another great idea is to specifically incorporate blooming plants that bloom at different times of the season. That way, your garden won’t have any downtimes without beautiful colors! Always check to make sure you’re not introducing an invasive non-native species to your garden.
Light Up The Night
Adding landscape lighting is a fantastic way to ensure that your yard and garden maintain a level of relevance and impressiveness throughout the non-daylight hours. They can be as complicated as a wired system with a timer/switch accessible from inside the home, or as simple as individual solar powered LEDs on garden stakes. Illuminating your walkways or garden bed contours with simple lighting can add great ambiance to your outdoor refuge.
Go Beyond Sights
Your yard isn’t just something to look at! Consider what you and your guests will be smelling and hearing as well as how it looks. Adding plants that have a specific scent profile can bring out the light flowery feeling or warm earthy tones that you’re looking for. Planting spices like thyme, rosemary, and basil can really put a true flavor profile in your guests’ minds. These plants are also great insect repellents as well!
A water feature is also a fantastic addition to any garden. The sound of a lightly trickling waterfall or fountain can set the mind at ease and allow for a soothing atmosphere to really take hold. Moving water is also far better for your yard as it prevents insects from growing in any standing water. Utilizing natural objects like stones, plant life, or even weathered wood to decorate and accent the feature is a great way to incorporate it into your life.
Commit To Furniture
Many yards have movable seating and chairs to adjust to variable needs. While being able to adapt is important, sometimes making a permanent decision is what is necessary for a defining backyard experience. Consider building a permanent seating feature or table in your lawn, and make the rest of your yard adjust to accommodate the seating instead of the other way around. It can be as useful as a dining space, or as indulgent as a private reading nook surrounded by a thick curtain of taller plant life.
Stand Your Garden Up
While raised beds are always a solid choice for organizing plants in your garden, consider bringing it to the next level. By using vertically raised beds or other ways of hanging your garden, you not only increase your growing potential and create an interesting visual, but you can also create a kind of privacy screen. Embrace the vertical nature that your garden can provide.
Whether you’re looking to change everything or just make a few simple adjustments to really make your garden pop, there are pretty much an infinite number of options available to you. Find what suits you, your needs, and your wants. It’s your yard so you should make it work for you! There’s no reason not to make your yard your own private garden oasis.
