How to Prep Your Backyard For the Summer
With the summer months approaching, I am starting to get excited. I usually get happier when the nicer/warmer weather hits. To me, that means, cookouts, parties, fires, S’MORES, and just quality time with friends and family. I don’t know about you, but this year has definitely got me even more excited. I missed this quality time last summer, so I really want to try and make up for it this year.
With throwing any type of cookout or PARTY at my house, one of the things I think about is getting my backyard in order and prepped for when I actually have people over.
Last week I talked about how you could bring Hygge to Your Backyard by adding a few different decor elements. But this week I’d like to explain some of the things you can do to prepare your backyard before you even start to decorate it.
1. Spring Clean Your Backyard
One of the things you will want to do is to clean the areas in your backyard. If you have patio blocks, a deck/porch, fencing, furniture, a grill that wasn’t covered, etc. you are going to want to wash those. You will have to determine the best way to clean these based on the type of material you are cleaning. You can pressure wash things and they also make different types of cleaners with no harsh chemicals that attach to a garden hose to make for a simple spray and wash.
During the cleaning process, this will also be a good time to make any necessary repairs or even upgrades. If your deck needs repainting, if a railing fell off, if the pool ladder broke, any furniture is broken, or maybe a tree fell in the winter and you never fixed it yet. Now is the time to do all of these things.
2. Lawn & Garden
The Lawn: If you have weeds growing in your lawn, or maybe want to bring it back to life and make it greener, try some fertilizer and weed killer. Now, I am certainly NOT AN EXPERT on how to care for or treat your lawn. If you have no clue, like me, then your best bet would be to go to your local garden store and get some advice there on how to treat your lawn. Or, hire an expert to do it for you.
Speaking of fertilizer . . . As much as I love our 4 legged friends . . . their poop is NOT a good fertilizer for your grass. You should make sure to clean up any dog poop from your yard on a regular basis. I mean, who would want to be at someone else’s house and step in dog poop over there??? That would be a real sh**** situation. I don’t usually swear but this time I had to do it! lol
Don’t like cleaning up after your dog? Well, who would actually like doing that? I should say, if you just flat out don’t want to do that, there are companies that will do that for you! Seriously. Do a Google search and find a company to give you a quote. Or even pay a neighborhood kid to do it for you!
Gardening and Plants: You also want to check on those bushes, hedges, and trees that you may have in the front yard and backyard. Sometimes those will need some fertilizer and some food as well. Adding colorful flowers (perennial or annuals) is a great way to spruce up the yard and to make it feel more inviting. You could plant some in the ground, add some hanging plants, and/or add some deck boxes or planters around the yard.
Don’t have a green thumb? You could always use artificial flowers in those deck boxes and planters around your yard.
Once you have checked the plants in your yard, you will want to put down fresh mulch. The mulch you put down last year has likely lost its color and faded away from being in the sun. Adding new and brightly colored mulch will give your yard that fresh inviting look. Tired of mulch? Maybe consider stone instead. Again, not an expert here, but maybe something you could look into.
3. Set The Mood
Setting a comfortable mood and creating a “chill” atmosphere would just be “the icing on the cake”. If you don’t already have these things, then I would recommend investing in a nice patio furniture set. One that is comfortable and durable. Adding some lighting and building or buying a fire pit would also make your backyard a more enjoyable spot. You can see what I love about lighting and having a fire pit in my previous post HERE.
Along with furniture and decor, another thing you will want to think about is creating some sort of shady area in your backyard if possible. If you don’t have any trees, then I would suggest getting a patio set with a gazebo to create some shade. If you are having a party with multiple people, then think about multiple ways to create shade. Get extra tents or EZUps/pop ups that people can stand under if they want/need.
Looking for more tips on how to throw a stress free party (no matter what the occasion?)
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Talk soon, Friend!