All Outdoor Patio Furniture

This week our guest blogger is Helen Yoest, owner of Gardening With Confidence.  Helen Yoest is a gardening coach, stylist, writer, speaker and expert.

As a garden writer, she has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Nature’s Garden, Fine Gardening, and Carolina Gardening.  As a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and their special interest publications, she scouts great gardens as well as presents her work to Martha Stewart Living, Architectural Digest, and other noted publications.

She travels as a  garden speaker to both motivate and teach other enthusiasts on the art of gardening and design.  Her Gardening With Confidence gardening coach service assists clients with all levels of gardening experience to create the design they desire.

This week she is using her wide array of expertise to explain the importance of garden paths and how they can best be created and used.

A journey down the garden path is poetic and practical.

Paths play an important role in the garden. More than a map through, paths fill a void in the garden, particularly in the winter, give sturdy passage, and invite you into the garden.

Chances are, you’ll know where to put a path. Over time, a path will make itself. Cut across the lawn enough times to smell the roses and you will begin to see where a path may go.

Casually sketch your house and garden. Map out where a path might lead. Adding curves will slow the pace and reveal the garden slowly.

Know the purpose of the path and how it may be used. This will help plan the width and path material considerations. Will your path be used by two to journey though or is it for easy access for the wheelbarrow?

Here are five materials to consider when planning a path:

Gravel and Other Loose Material Gravel paths are ideal for budget conscience homeowners. They also provide traction and allow for good drainage. Gravel looks nice too and the sound of the crunch is somehow
reassuring as you journey down the garden path. In more informal areas, paths made of mulch, such as wood chips and bark, will define an area. Paths made from these materials are best in areas not traveled with bare feet.

Brick Brick is probably the most versatile material to use in creating garden paths. Complementing most home styles, brick can be laid in many different patterns and can also accept a gentlearch. Set in sand or mortar, brick is equally suitable for a passage to the front door as it is for a service area. Remember, paths made of brick in moist, heavily shaded areas can retain moisture and form moss, creating a slipping hazard.

Pavers Concrete pavers for paths offer the consumer many options in design. Available in noninterlocking
styles with smooth edges, and interlocking styles with patterned edges to allow the pieces to fit together like a puzzle, as well as, unique shapes needed for complicated patterns. There are circles, hexagons, squares, triangles, and of course, rectangles. Pavers can be laid in sand or mortar making their use versatile and
with many choices to match to your home’s style.

Stone Flagstone and cut stone tile lends a more formal feeling to a garden path. Flagstone is a natural choice to compliment garden plantings. The available colors are naturally subtle, resulting in restful looking paths. Flagstone can be laid in sand or mortar, but if thick enough, flagstone works well laid directly on top of leveled ground. Cobble stone, fieldstone, river rock, and other irregularly shaped stone lend a more relaxed look to the garden path. The use of various sizes in the design allows for some very creative patterns.

Wood Wood can be used as raised decking in the garden or as an edging to other path materials. Boards can be positioned widthwise to visually slow movement or lengthwise to provide a sense of forward movement. A level path can be constructed with wood to line out the dips and valleys irregular surfaces. Left natural, stained or painted, wood lends itself to just about any home style.

Digging Deeper The path width is best determined by its use. If the passage is to only be used as a service area, such as a path from the front yard to back yard, enough space to allow the passage of a single person is all that is
needed; therefore, a width of 2 – 3 feet will be plenty. If the path width is needed for two to travel through, then a width of 4 – 5 feet is needed.

Installing your garden paths this year will be a dream come true for many years to come.

Editor’s Note: Don’t let your garden path rush people out of your pleasant scenery.  A well placed garden bench or patio chair will allow both you and your guests to have a place to stop, rest, and truly enjoy the beautiful garden around them.  If you’re feeling a little bold, try stringing a hammock just off the path for a shaded and serene escape.  Also consider having your garden path lead to more than just through the garden or to the house.  Imagine a rich and long pathway to a secret hide-away in a gazebo or cabana, or under a pergola.  Even a comfortable dining set or patio group would be a fine destination after all of your hard work.

Tags: cabana, dining set, garden bench, garden paths, Gazebos, hammock, patio chair, patio group, pergola

1. Feed the birds! This was mentioned before, but it’s worth bringing up again.  Many birds and small creatures are having an awfully hard time finding food in the snowy cold.  Put out birdfeeders and birdhouses full of seeds and birdfeed.  Without spending a lot of money, you can help a wide variety of creatures.  For our non-feathered friends, try putting out a piece of old plywood on the ground and spreading nuts, seeds, beans, oats, corn, or other wildlife friendly foods.  And don’t worry, your work won’t be completely selfless (though you can tell everyone how charitably kind you are), because you’ll get to enjoy a show of birds and other animals right in your own backyard! Note: Urban Gardeners Beware, birdfeeders will work great, but plywood left out with food might be a project best left to more rural dwellers.
2. Keep an eye on your bulbs! While weather changes that create one or two warm days can sometimes trick bulbs into thinking spring is on its way, we know that frigid weather is not finished yet! So, if you see your bulbs peeking out of the soil, cover them with a thick layer of mulch and compost to protect them from the snow and ice.  And remember, this is a great way to reuse the branches of your old Christmas tree!
3. Turn your soil! Now is the perfect time to turn your soil (assuming the ground is not frozen or sopping wet).  A rich loose soil is vital for ideal gardening.  To keep it rich and crumbly in the spring, remove any grasses or weeds from the area you are planning to garden and spread two or three inches of compost or other organic matter (old Christmas Tree branches?) on top of the soil.  Then, using a garden spade or fork, break up any heavy clods to keep the soil movable.  Good garden soil should have the perfect balance of air, water, and nutrients to support a strong system of roots.
4. Prepare to work! Now is a good time to start inventorying your tools.  Make a list of tools you want to buy or replace.  Willi Galloway outlines ten basic tools every gardener needs: a sturdy hand trowel, a stirrup hoe, a square blade spade with a D-shaped handle, bypass hand pruners, a garden fork, a leaf rake, a bow rake, a hand cultivator, a wheelbarrow or garden cart, and a hori hori knife, which is a serrated Japanese garden knife used for dividing plants, making furrows, and weeding.  In a few months, many garden supply stores will start jacking up prices.  But, if you start early and plan well—you won’t have to spend a lot of money to have the proper tools for your garden.
5. Prepare to Enjoy! So, you’ve helped the animals, you’ve protected your bulbs, you’ve turned your soil, and you’ve prepared your tools.  Now– help yourself.  It may seem like the warm weather will never come… but just as we have to work hard to prepare to… well… work hard, sometimes there are simply delightful tasks to prepare us to enjoy our gardens.  You envisioned the different vegetables and flowers you will grow in the “just right places” as you turned your soil, and you planned which plants will get the most use out of each tool.  But, have you taken time to arrange your patio furniture?  A garden can be more than just plants: add a garden bench, rocking chair, or porch swing for a small place to sit and enjoy your hard work quietly.  Consider a picnic table, outdoor dining set, or patio group if you’re hoping your whole family will come out and enjoy the beauty over the spring and summer months.  And, if you’re planning a garden so wonderful you could practically live in it… a gazebo, cabana, or pergola would be the perfect structure for your outdoor parties and afternoons to revolve around.  And, unlike jeans… garden structures and furniture are FUN to shop for!

See You Outside!

Hazel

Tags: birdfeeders, cabana, garden bench, garden furniture, garden structures, garden tools, gardening, gazebo, January, outdoor dining set, patio furniture, patio group, pergola, picnic table, porch swing, rocking chair, wheelbarrow

As I swept heaps of snow from my car this morning, I admit, it was difficult to think what kind of new years resolutions I should be putting in for my backyard, patio, and garden.  It seems like the days of crowding around picnic tables and lounging across Adirondack chairs to take in landscapes and gardens will never be upon us again.

But, isn’t that one of the wonderful things about gardening?  A new beginning stumbles to our feet every spring so we can try the flowers again that failed us last year, and even improve upon our vegetables that were so delicious last summer.  Gardening is a great reoccurring experiment; endlessly forgiving and always beckoning for more.

While many gardeners are vowing to pick their squash before they get too large, to keep up with weeding, or to stake their peonies and lilies to ensure they stay upright through rainstorms… my resolution is a bit more simplistic.  I want to spend more time outside, and to enjoy my time there.

It would seem that we spend all winter waiting for a day that doesn’t chill or shock us as we walk out our front door… but then we spend all summer inside our houses. Instead of spending my free time as the weather gets warmer on airplanes taking me far from home, I plan to stay in my own back yard.  Whether it’s the economy encouraging people to stay closer to home, or more environmentally conscious minds are realizing their ecological footprint grows with cross-country travel—the draw to your very own patio oasis is cost effective, family centered, sustainable, and… well… worthy of your New Years Resolution. Take more time for you and your family.

Instead of spending hours and hours (and dollars and dollars!) scheduling trips to spend time with my family, I want to have a place to casually gather without notice, without traveling, and without planning.  Though many are committing to weight loss, I’m committing to fire-fly blinking summer nights rich with the smell of bug spray and dinner on the grill.  The best table in the house will be my very own, and always open for picnic lunches and raucous dinners.  With a croquet or quoits game set up, some patio chairs, and maybe even a porch swing, I’ll be on vacation all season with plenty of activities and fun for my friends.  Let’s be honest: summer television is never worth it anyway, and the gentle breeze blowing through a gazebo or cabana is absolutely irreplaceable.  Who needs the traffic on the way to the shore, when I can just string my hammock between the posts on a pergola, and read a beach romance novel all afternoon?

a moment to treasure

Of course… I’ll also be spending plenty of days digging up vegetables, tending flowers, weeding with dedication, and creating the perfect scenery for my backyard oasis.  I’ll always mow the grass before it gets unruly and never forget to…

….I’ll never forget to have the garden hose ready when my puppy needs a bath on a sweltering day or a baby pool is looking dry, to keep the grill clean for perfect dinners “out,” keep my patio groups pulled close for get-togethers where no one has to worry about talking too loud, and always remember that my swing bed is waiting for me on the porch when I just need some time to relax.  If my flowers droop and weeds grow… my garden will always forgive me and wait until next year.  If I miss enjoying a beautiful season… that’s one thing I’ll never get back!

See you Outside!

Hazel

Tags: adirondack chairs, cabana, Croquet, gazebo, hammock, new years resolutions, outdoor living, patio chairs, patio groups, pergola, picnic tables, porch swing, Quoits, swing beds, tables

If you’ve taken any time to look through Cedarstore.com, you know that it makes you feel like the proverbial kid in a toy store. Porch Swings, Garden Benches, Adirondack Chairs, Accent Tables, and Hammocks all set up and waiting for you to give them a home.  But, then you start to think, a doll without a dollhouse? How would she live?  Worry not, we have all your perfect Gazebos, Cabanas, Sunrooms, Pergolas, and Pool Houses too.

Well, now that we’ve gone down a fine stroll down memory lane… you have to remember the little ones in your life!  Sons, Daughters, Nephews, Nieces, and Grandkids are all looking for their own slice of perfection.  While you may have thought that Cedarstore.com was only filled with “toys” for adults… we have plenty for kids too!    

Cedarstore.com is running a ton of holiday specials—many of them on kids’ furniture.  Our Treated Pine Kid’s Picnic Table is the perfect size for the youngsters to pile into for crafts, meals, and fun.  And at the end of the day, our Ash Kid’s Rocking Chair is a great place to page through a picture book with a favorite teddy bear or doll.  Need a place for storing all those toys? Our Stained White Pine Toy Chest with a Hand Painted Eagle Design is also on sale.  And though… we can’t guarantee that it will keep all the toys and games off the floor, it will absolutely be a step in the right direction! Don’t forget the really little ones!  We also have a Select Pine Kid’s Swing great for letting your child fly high, while staying safe!

Now, before you start to lose your child-like wonder by imagining the disaster of trying to fit all of these great pieces into your child’s bedroom… don’t forget the doll house part of the equation!  We also offer custom playhouses.  With a porch, railings, windows, door and big enough for your kid AND her toys… the Barbie Dream House has nothing on it! A playhouse is a perfect place for children to engage their imagination and create their own world where everything is just their size. Don’t forget, a kid in his playhouse is a kid not underfoot while you’re trying to get dinner together! And, available in three different styles, over thirty sizes, and countless customizations—it’s a one-of-kind, not-available-on-the-shelf, absolutely fantastic gift.

The best thing about Cedarstore.com is that after you’re finished getting all the great toys for your kids… there’s plenty of great toys for you too!

Now hurry up and order; make time for shipping!

 See you Outside (in the playhouse!)

Hazel.

Tags: adirondack chair, gazebo, Holiday Specials, kids' furniture, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, pergola, Pergolas, picnic table, Pool house, porch furniture, porch swing, sunroom

Okay, where were we?  Oh, yes – I was counting the ways in which our outdoor furniture is extraordinarily gracious and obliging; and this, naturally, includes our garden structures, outdoor décor, home accents, and accessories.  As I pointed out, this is not just a fair-weather stance, as much of it is designed to stand up to the even the harshest elements of winter; and a lot of it is stylish enough for indoor use.    

 Moreover, during the holiday season, we all need the cooperation of everyone and everything around us; and that’s another way in which our furniture will help.  Besides the outdoor dining tables, porch swings, bar and bistro sets, hammock chairs, kids’ picnic tables, and settees that you can proudly use inside to accommodate guests at your holiday parties, there are many items that lend themselves to your outdoor displays.      

 Among the leaders in this category are arbors, trellises, and pergolas.  I’m not sure, but I may have mentioned these before; but even if I have, they deserve more press.  After all, they’ve been garden favorites for centuries, which means that they have endured the test of time, and passed it with flying colors.  In fact, they’re famous for flying colors, which are usually those of the gorgeous flowers that climb and envelop them.

 Of course, at this time of the year, the colors may be emanating from Christmas lights, which look equally stunning on planters, planter trellises, and planter benches with lattice backs.  You can also get very creative in decorating our wheel barrow planters. 

 Another way to light things up brilliantly is by using our solar-powered post caps, which come in Tiffany-style, clear, and solid-colored glass.  On fences, gazebo railings, and garden bridges, they’ll enhance your holiday displays, and make your yard absolutely spectacular all year long.  

 Indeed, our outdoor furniture can assist with many of the details of your Christmas decorations.  Speaking of details, there’s one other thing, of which I was reminded while watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special (don’t bother snickering, because I know you still watch it, too!).  Although your dog isn’t as sophisticated as Snoopy, he or she still deserves to share in the holiday fun; so don’t forget to decorate the dog house! 

 Yours Outdoors,

 Kathy

Tags: arbor, bridge, dining sets, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, pergola, Pergolas, picnic tables, Planters, porch swing, trellis

Speaking of getting creative with your garden structures, the one that will particularly appeal to your inventive side is the pergola.  Fun and versatile, it will easily lend itself to nearly any landscape project that you can dream up. 

For example, if you have a plain, open space in your yard, you can use a garden pergola to instantly transform it into a shady little haven.  Just add a few Adirondack chairs and ottomans, some accent tables, and a few planters, and you have a nice, breezy little place to relax; or put in a picnic table and make it a cozy outdoor dining nook.      

Millions of people have also discovered that one of the coolest ways to use a pergola is as a patio cover.  The reason that it’s the coolest is that the shade that it provides prevents the brick, stone, or cement floor from heating up, which is doubly cool.  Moreover, in most cases, it keeps the sun out of at least one window, holding the temperature down in the house as well, which is triply cool. 

Another great use for a pergola is as an enclosure for a hot tub.  This one is wildly popular, and ideal for hot tubs in any location, because you can use a plain pergola for cover and shade, or get one with privacy panels, which come in solid and latticed versions.         

You can use pergolas anywhere, no matter how large or small the area, because they are available in all sizes; and they can be free-standing, or attached to your house, garage, or any other stable structure.   

On top of that, even though they are already adaptable to a variety of purposes, here at GazeboCreations.com, our pergolas are even more flexible, because of the talents of our designers and woodcrafters.  In addition to the dozens of sizes in which we already offer our cedar, treated pine, and vinyl pergolas, they will customize them for any situation.

So, put your imagination to work, then put us to work on your special project.

Of course, that’s easy for me to say – I only have to write about it!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: pergola, Pergolas

It’s interesting, the way that people tend to make associations about things.  Sometimes, it can involve colors; everyone develops ideas about which ones go together, and, before they know it, they have these unbreakable, personal rules.  That’s not really a good thing, because it can get them into a rut.  What’s even worse is when they take the advice of so-called experts who tell them what goes with what, and end up adopting someone else’s senseless views as their own. 

The same is true for food and beverage pairings.  While, undoubtedly, these usually stem from our own preferences, they are also notoriously dictated by self-proclaimed authorities who profess to have educated palates.  Unfortunately, these blowhards are everywhere, telling us, for example, that there’s only one specific wine that simply must accompany a certain dish, and if you serve anything else, you belong in a doghouse.

Sometimes, we relate things to particular seasons, and can’t envision them in any other context.  Garden structures, for instance, have long been connected almost exclusively to the warm-weather months.  While they have always looked spectacular in the spring and summer, covered with colorful climbing flowers and vines, pergolas, arbors, and trellises were often left looking forlorn and lifeless in the winter, standing dejectedly in a corner, entwined with a few dead branches.

Luckily, however, this practice is also becoming out-dated, as millions more people each year are realizing that their garden pergolas, planter benches, trellis screens, arbors, and arbor extensions can be fantastically integrated with their holiday displays.  In fact, in many cases, these structures, as well as planter trellises, garden bridges, and, of course, gazebos, can even be the main attractions, when adorned with strings of lights, holly, tinsel, and other ornaments.

Even beyond the New Year – in the time that’s known as the dead of winter – outdoor structures can bring new life to your landscape and brighten your outdoor décor.  Moreover, there’s no standard way to use them; they lend themselves to creativity, so you can show off your own, individual style.

Remember, the only rule that everyone really should live by is the Golden Rule. 

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, bridge, gazebo, outdoor structure, pergola, planter, trellis

You have tons of options for designing your garden.  On top of the endless varieties of flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs, there are countless types of mulch, as well as decorative rocks, stones, and gravel, in every color imaginable.  Selecting from among them can be difficult and time-consuming; in fact, it may take so long that you could actually miss planting season. 

When everything on that lengthy list, from the necessities, to the accessories, is finally planned, picked out, planted, and placed, you can begin to make decisions about the ideal garden structures to complement your motif.  Once again, you’ll have an incredible assortment from which to choose. 

This, however, does not have to be a long, wearying process, if you know where to look; and that, of course, is right here at CedarStore.com.  Our unparalleled collection of cedar, treated pine, vinyl, polywood, and wrought iron backyard structures includes arbors, trellises, pergolas, and garden bridges, in dozens of sizes, and styles that range from simple, to sensational.   

For example, along with our plain arbors, we have arbors with gates, swings, benches, and extensions.  If you want more than a basic trellis, you can choose an elegant planter trellis, a garden obelisk, a classic five-spoke trellis, or a single, double, or triple garden screen.  We also have planter benches with lattice backs.            

Our equally-impressive array of garden pergolas features free-standing and attached pergolas, as well as pergolas with built-in benches.  You can even use our Custom Pergola Creator to craft a maintenance-free vinyl pergola , or a decay-resistant wood pergola, to your specifications. 

Of course, nothing will give your landscape a lift like a garden bridge; and we have several styles including plank, single and double rail, picket and half-picket rail, as well as captivating covered bridges that you can customize right on our site.  This is also the only place you’ll find the spectacular Opti-Breeze™ Bridge, which is bound to astound, as its dazzling design induces a delightfully deceptive optical illusion that will throw your eyeballs a tantalizing curve.     

This is truly something that you have to see to believe.  Really, you won’t be able to get over it!  Or, uh, I mean, of course, you’ll be able to get over it; after all, it is a bridge.  However, since it’s so hard to describe, I’ll just say that it puts the focus on hocus pocus!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, bridge, pergola, trellis

Trellises, arbors, and pergolas have been popular since ancient times; and it’s not difficult to understand why.  In the spring and summer, bursting with colorful mantles of climbing flowers and vines, they can bring an enchanting, exciting, and aromatic aura to any setting.  They make striking focal points, and attractive camouflage for unsightly landscape features, and can be used, along with planter benches with latticed backs, to create separate outdoor rooms, or cozy backyard hideaways.   

This time of the year, however, with Halloween quickly approaching, it’s even more fun to use them to enhance the eeriness of the occasion.  For example, you can string them with orange lights to create a truly bewitching effect (especially if the lights are twinkling).  On an arbor over your front walk, this is a fun and spooky way to greet trick-or-treaters and party guests.  If you have a gated arbor, or an arbor with extensions, cover the entire thing.  To conjure up an atmosphere that’s even more magical, decorate nearby patio furniture, such as garden benches, porch swings, lounge chairs, and picnic tables, as well. 

Along with plain lights, you can also use strings of light-up ghosts, skulls, or jack-o-lanterns, which can be found in most retail or Halloween specialty stores.  To make things a bit scarier, hang a skeleton, ghost, witch, or “dead body” from the arbor.  You can even rig it with a wire or rope so that you can raise it up, out of sight, and let it drop suddenly, in front of some sweet, unsuspecting, innocent little child coming to get some candy (that’s always a hoot!). 

Other items that are suitable for hanging are fake spiders and spider webs, which are available in abundance this time of year.  A few phony bats dangling from an arbor, trellis, or pergola, will also help to give ‘em some goose bumps.  If you’re having a backyard Halloween party, you can also use trellises to conceal fog machines, or boom boxes or speakers that are supplying spine-chilling sound or light effects. 

Indeed, these backyard structures are great, throughout the year, for so many things besides displaying beautiful, flourishing flowers and foliage.  In fact, it’s quite appropriate that, in many parts of the country, the flora will be dead by the end of October; it will only add to the delightful creepiness of it all.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, Arbors, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, pergola, Pergolas, trellis, trellises

Before long, children in costumes will be roaming the streets in search of candy.  With all of the craziness in the world, however, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of this tradition.  Therefore, instead of letting their kids go trick-or-treating, they often choose to have Halloween parties. 

Although the themes of these get-togethers will naturally be scary, for those who choose to host them, the most terrifying part is all of the destruction that may be wrought by a houseful of little gremlins. 

If you’re debating about having such an affair, remember, you can still hold the party outdoors; in fact, that’s the best place to evoke the, uh, spirit of the occasion.  Furthermore, there’s a lot more room for playing games; and if anything gets spilled, it will be on the ground, instead of on your carpet. 

Halloween decorations are also a lot spookier under the moon and stars.  You can string trellises and pergolas with orange lights, and hang a ghost, a spider, a bat, or even a “dead body” from an arbor.  Planter trellises and planter benches with lattice also look wonderfully eerie when decked out with twinkling lights. 

Use orange and black disposable cloths on your picnic table or outdoor dining set, and use jack-o-lanterns or candles as centerpieces.  Additional picnic table benches, folding chairs, and patio chairs can be used for extra seating, as well as for a game of “musical chairs.”       

If you have a gazebo, you’ve really got it made.  Gazebos are great places for outdoor entertaining, all year long, especially if they’re enclosed with screens, doors, and windows, and have some extras, such as built-in benches and hidden wiring.  They also look spectacular when they’re decorated, with lights, scarecrows, pumpkins, and bales of hay.

So, you see, there’s nothing to be afraid of; you can host your Halloween party without destroying your house.  You’ll also be very popular with the little neighborhood boos and ghouls, who will think you’re the ghost with the most!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: arbor, bench, Chair, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, pergola, table, trellis