Rose Cottage Ltd

As I continue to watch the “House Hunters” and “House Hunters International” on HGTV I am sometimes still surprised at the lack of interest in the “outdoor” portions of a new home visit or, the total dismissal of a great home – simply because it lacks “landscaping.” In some cases, this leaves a great opportunity for the next prospective owner.

Trying to decide, “what to do with the yard” can be filled with so many options and look like so much work that another season may be spent doing nothing. Mow the grass and forget about it. I blame the media a bit for some of this since their “one show” before and after results may intimidate viewers into thinking this has to be an all-or-nothing, big-bucks project. It doesn’t. But it can be…

Who would leave this to vacation elsewhere?

So, sit back in a comfortable lounge chair, get something to drink, and ponder your outdoor environment. Maybe this year, this is all you should do. Here are a few points to consider before spending a dime or picking up a shovel…

Space

No, not the “final frontier,” but how much do you have or how much would you like to restructure or redesign for better use?

A small patio or apartment balcony is “outdoor space.” So is 30 acres, but except in unusual circumstances, not all of that needs structure. No matter how much space you have to work with, how large is your new “room” to be? If your indoor living room is 20 x 20 feet, try marking off a 20 x 20 foot area outside and start designing that. Are you wishing you had a specific grilling and entertaining area outside? How big is your current kitchen? Will that same amount of work space be acceptable for your outdoor grilling and entertaining?

Do you only have an apartment balcony to work with? There are many tabletop fountains available that allow you to add a water feature to your small space. Get yourself a reader’s chair and a good book and let the relaxation begin.

Also study the nature of the space you want to work with. Is it flat or sloped? Are there drainage issues in the area? Sunny or shady? Are there structures that could or should be removed to give you a clean slate to work from?

And speaking of structure…

What structures would you like to see in your yard?

There is a wide open field of possible additions to your outdoor living room, with hundreds of material options to choose from. Walls, patios, walks, pergolas and arbors, fountains, fences…all help define and add interest to your outdoor living space. Once you’ve decided how much space you want to work with, think about usage of the space and how the area should “flow” – maybe from indoors to out or from the first area you design to the next. Low walls and garden paths will help you design the “walls” of your new living area. The use of stone, wood, brick, etc., help you make it your own. Plan on mulching or blocking/covering areas in which you want nothing to grow – you’ll save time later as I mentioned in a prior post.

Plants

This is where you can really customize your new living area outside. Plants are great for privacy, for softening a hardscaped area (brick walls, etc.), for color, and for fragrance. Just remember that in a perfect garden, plants grow. Think about the ultimate purpose for the plant before you purchase. That two-foot Euonymus with the pretty green and yellow leaves can become a monster-shrub blocking out a good hunk of your usable space unless you are willing to keep it trimmed. Plant bee-loving flowers too close to a sitting area and you won’t want to sit there during high Summer. Fortunately, you can find out plant “stats” on almost any plant you can imagine online. Beware going to a nursery without this plant info. You may see a beautiful plant, shrub, or tree that seems to be screaming “Buy Me” – that will be exactly the wrong choice for your space.

I picked out a few things of interest – my online shopping plant “wish lists” if you’d like to get a start on plant research…

Extras

Selecting ornaments for your new outdoor living space can be a LOT of fun! Fountains, stone benches, statuary, pottery and planters…your imagination is all that sets the limits since products are in abundance, and many can be purchased online and delivered to your door. This is an important fact for someone like myself who drives a small car. I don’t have room to carry much in a Mini Cooper unless the item is relatively flat – and there are no “flat” fountains to be had!

But I have managed to purchase 3 fountains for the acre or so of space right around my home. Two are solar, one is not, all are fairly large and were delivered to my driveway – one with free shipping! Cool!

Your lifestyle

Are you formal or informal? Like a bit of clutter or prefer clean lines? Study your current indoor living and that will provide most of the clues you need in designing your outdoor living space as well. I can’t stand clutter. Some backyards I have visited make me actually claustrophobic – while I am OUTSIDE! My outdoor space – with a few ornamental elements and fountains here and there, may seem boring to others who need and want more structure. This is all about personal choice and your personal space being the way you want it.

Time, money, and workload

Time – do we ever have enough of it? Sometimes it doesn’t seem so. If you don’t have a lot of time to build a true outdoor space either limit your expectations accordingly, or have someone else do the work. I have seen more than one person with huge plans who spent a lot of money getting materials and plants, and then never had time to do the job. This is a waste of effort – and money. Although you may be able to just relax and enjoy your outdoor living area in future, it can take a bit of time getting there. In the meantime, a half-completed outdoor project will be sitting there like a silent beacon, annoying you, all season.

Be realistic, from a time standpoint, about your new garden room design.

I see images of outdoor living spaces in magazines and online and I KNOW for sure my garden or managed area will never look like those photos. Although I have had a landscape architect help me plan a backyard re-do in the past, that isn’t happening here. You can, however, have an architect draw up some plans, and work with you to do some of the work, which gains you their expertise while limiting some of the total cost by adding your labor.

Start small versus not starting at all

If you have a large backyard area, take a section of it and just do something. Sometimes it all seems like too much work until you realize how easily you can make an impressive impact to your space. This is how I am managing my current property which is 7 acres with a 4-acre lake right smack in the middle. Each year I have selected a new area to conquer – for lack of a better word – and after 5 years, major improvements and better use of those areas is very evident.

Money – always an object

You can probably pick up a nice mosaic stone table and chairs, and maybe a tabletop fountain for a few hundred bucks. Maybe this year you just buy a hammock and spend some time figuring out where to hang it. Or have a nice brick path put in and do a little updating and maintenance of your grassy areas. If you have $100,000 budgeted for your new space, go for it. You may be able to go from “before” to “after” in a few weeks – with everything you wanted in place. (Please send pictures!)

This is your project. You can break it down to as many small objectives as you see fit. Maybe you buy one really nice Adirondack chair and that one chair starts your outdoor living scheming! Now it needs a side table, etc., etc. Let the plan grow a bit if it needs to – there is no time-clock running on this project and you set the dealines for completion.

Find some additional product ideas and recommendations for your outdoor living space. Be creative and have fun!