Like closing up your cabin for the winter, certain measures should be taken to brace your patio and its patio furniture for colder months. Post-hibernation however, it is equally as important to inspect and treat a patio in the spring for the bumps and bruises that can occur while we were inside. Thankfully for our weary, cold weather spirits, springtime weather is just around the corner and with the help of these hints on how to spring your patio back into action, you’ll officially be ready for the sun.

1)  If your patio is concrete, make sure it’s free of cracks before bringing your outdoor furniture out of your garden shed.  To do this, first make sure that all of the outdoor decor is  cleared off. Then, with either caulk or epoxy, begin to fill in any of the cracks. You’ll want to add sand to epoxy for aesthetic purposes – making it a perfect match of the concrete – and then smooth over the epoxy just as you would flatten out concrete itself.

2)    Using a concrete sealant after filling in the cracks will help prevent future cracking. You should first make sure the area is swept, and cleaned with an acidic cleaning agent to best remove stains, before applying the sealant to the patio.

3)    Look over all of the patio furniture for damaged areas and reconfigure the pieces on the patio. You may notice a bit of rust or patina to the garden furniture, so if necessary repaint, reupholster, or purchase new additions as needed. Set them out according to a plan you have in mind from the previous year, or adjust as necessary.

4)    Speaking of new additions, one thing you’ll definitely want to add this year, if   you don’t have one already, is a grill. Together with the outdoor furniture, bringing a grill into the scene adds a charming outdoor dining effect and is convenient for warm summer parties. If you have one already, make sure it’s positioned right where you want it, equipped with its tools and gas or coal, and polished up for use.

If you go through the simple steps of ensuring your patio is topped off with all cracks filled, all outdoor furniture touched up, and with a new sealant, all you’ll need then is to pull out the grill and do some entertaining to officially get rid of the winter blues!

Outdoor spaces grow with every season, as homeowners create alfresco dining spaces with picnic tables and outdoor napping spots with swing beds.  However, the greatest opportunities can sometimes serve the greatest challenges.  I love the limitless prospects of decorating without walls or ceilings, but creating distinct spaces can be difficult without these go-to dividers.

Many people want a space for dinner parties as well as space for casual socializing.  Using creative barriers can help define spaces and communicate an open, yet structured outdoor space design.

Pathways: Often, space can be the best friend to the outdoor decorator.  If you’re lucky enough to take advantage of an expansive backyard, don’t feel pressured to pile your outdoor rooms on top of each other.  Housing your living space in a gazebo and your dining area under your porch (near the kitchen!) will clearly delineate your outdoor rooms.

To propel guests toward different outdoor rooms, use inviting pathways.  Paver stones and brick walkways work well, but treated pine roll-up walkways are an economical and portable option. Laying out pathways and walkways clearly tells guests where to explore!

Structures:  Using backyard structures like gazebos, pergolas and pool houses is another easy way to clearly separate outdoor spaces.  If you’re back deck is lined with patio chairs and chaise lounges, make your backyard gazebo a destination spot for dining.  Using structures not only adds dynamic architectural elements to your landscape, it creates more covered areas for relaxing and entertaining.

Flora: Using vertical gardening techniques can also create private spaces and living walls between outdoor rooms.  Growing wisteria or trumpet vines up a trellis or garden arbor will develop colorful, living and growing walls that will make guests feel at home in a secret garden.  Using garden arbors with gates and softening the latticed edges with growing morning glories will let beautiful color spill over into every available outdoor space.

Separating living, dining and lounging spaces within your outdoor rooms will make your backyard areas seem larger and more encompassing.  Group your outdoor furniture and patio furniture into outdoor rooms and make entertaining easy by cuing your guests around your outdoor living spaces.

Have Fun!

Hazel.

Long before we considered white pine outdoor furniture a style, we used thick conglomerations of earthy wood to make everything from patio chairs and picnic tables to garden benches and planters. Nowadays, with plenty of manmade options attempting to conquer the market, we’re seeing the about-face towards whole log outdoor furniture as the most natural way to achieve rustic beauty in natural, high quality materials that can play easily with colorful cushions to create a comfortable deck or yard design.

Blend Wood Furniture Into its Natural Environment:  The best part about using rustic white pine or cedar patio furniture is that the stage has already been set. No need to match colors, patterns, or infuse textures into your patio design – with whole log furnishings, you automatically mirror the beauty of the trees and plants that surround your yard. Open up your back door and enjoy the seamless beauty of the planet earth as a functional patio seating arrangement or cozy garden bench.

White Cedar and White Pine Furniture Understand Nature:  If you’re concerned about weathering materials, the logical solution is to infuse hearty woods that understand what it is to reside outdoors in their natural state. With pine log and white cedar log furnishings, you obtain some of the highest levels of resiliency in wood. Each piece – rain or shine – will look bright and new year after year, with proper care and maintenance.

Add Comfort With a Cushioned Effect:  Since we speak so highly of its durability, wood is naturally not going to be the softest material to sit on while reading or laying out while the kids play for hours on end. For this reason, the easy addition of colorful outdoor furniture cushions is a great way to bring in the soft, comfortable qualities that don’t take away from your ability to breathe in the fresh air for extended periods of time. Look into cushions that blend in with mellow, neutral tones or stand out with bright, solid colors or patterns.

The unison of nature and patio furniture comfort blends together perfectly with rustic outdoor furniture built to last.

It’s officially 2011.  And, if you’ve returned to work, you’re well aware that the holidays are over.  The everyday stresses of gift-buying, family visiting, and home decorating are behind us.  But, I’m still finding some Christmas tunes in my head.

While, I’m not sure if the show tune “Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music is considered a Christmas song, they certainly play it a lot this time of year.  It makes sense, after all, some of her favorite things are warm woolen mittens, sleigh bells, brown paper packages tied up with strings, and snow flakes that stay on noses and eyelashes.    These are all things that are fairly prevalent during the holiday season. Paired with other favorite things that span seasons, like whiskers on kittens, crisp apple strudels, and wild geese, I found myself particularly struck by the simplicity of all of her favorite things.

The modern equivalent of brown paper packages, our heaps of expensive wrapping paper with bright colored ribbon, have all been thrown out with the leftover green bean casserole that no one was going to reheat.  So today, especially, this tune struck me for its simplicity of enjoyment.  Is it possible for working, parenting, frantic adults to truly appreciate warm woolen mittens? Does snow smudging your mascara make you smile? Will the cheerful sound of sleigh bells ever catch your attention as quickly as the ringing tone your smart phone makes when you get an email? Perhaps this is a good time for us all to be grateful for simpler things.

Cultures across the globe celebrate a mid winter holiday.  It’s a chance to gather together and know that we’ve made it halfway through the dark winter.  So, after the Winter Solstice, I can never stop thinking about the coming spring. I spend my days dreaming of the end of the dark and frigid weather necessitating those warm woolen mittens.

So, here’s to silver white winters that melt into springs.  Here are a few of my favorite things:

Walking on nature paths with quaint garden bridges

Casual meals enjoyed outside on picnic tables with friends and families

Sharing naps and stories with a loved one in the informal comfort of a hammock

Family get-togethers in gazebos and backyards

What are some of your favorite things that you’re looking forward to this year?

Have Fun!

Hazel

On a picturesque summer morning, we grab our cup of coffee and the daily newspaper before stepping outside to enjoy the start of a new day. From here, the many almost perfect options might feel a bit cumbersome. Garden benches, picnic tables, a few steps down, or perhaps a swimming pool chaise lounge – nothing feels quite right for the intimate morning air until you find an outdoor bistro table or patio bar set.

Similar to an outdoor dining table, an outdoor bistro table offers an alternate, cozy solution to the expansive tabletop and bench seating of a picnic table. A bistro table comes in a lower height and with a round- or square- shaped, elegant design that is paired with matching dining chairs. Perfect virtually anywhere due to its small stature, the patio bar sets and bistro tables resemble European restaurant seating. Use it on a balcony overlooking your property, on a roof or backyard deck, or even in the midst of a blooming garden.

If a higher table setting with barstools is more your cup of tea, consider a corner deck placement or in a nook on your terrace somewhere. Based on your personal preference, a stylish patio bar can be outfitted with two or four higher barstools that can be accompanied by outdoor furniture cushions for an extended stay adding both charm and comfort to the mix. If you opt to add more zest to your outdoor bistro tables or patio sets, consider the inclusion of a colorful patio umbrella that can both block direct sunlight and cover you from raindrops.

Whether you’re out to sip a coffee or have a chat over a glass of wine with friends, the addition of a cozy, outdoor bistro table or patio bar set on your porch can liven up your backyard design.

Why is it that on those warm nights we imagine the perfect table for dining to be one on a patio of a restaurant? Perhaps your very own backyard could serve up the same upscale or romantic charm if you just went for it. This is a question many of us ask ourselves when we cook for our family, friends, spouse, or when we bring take-out food home and decide that a serene dining experience is more what we’re in the mood for. To transform your picnic table into an outdoor dining set, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Start by making your dining area more upscale with a quick consideration of how many people might be spending time in your outdoor eating space. Once you determine whether it is you and your spouse, your family of six, or maybe large gatherings for groups of friends, the list of options will narrow to a more selective group of outdoor dining sets.

The next step might be to realize how a picnic table is perceived on your deck or patio area, in comparison with how a dining table set – with detached dining chairs instead of bench seating – might appear. The inviting appearance of larger dining room chairs with backs and armrests invites guests to sit down and enjoy their time at the table instead of hunching over to finish eating before running off to another game of bocce ball.

Another way to ensure your outdoor dining table and chairs appear luxurious instead of rustic comes down to the materials used. Clearly, a cedar, teak, or oak wood table will look and seem more elegant to the touch. Include the use of durable wood tables and chair sets instead of less hearty woods prone to chipping and water damage to extend its beauty and its lifetime as a piece of outdoor furniture.

In the end, the accent pieces you add to an outdoor dining set are the staging key to a creating an upscale dining experience in your very own backyard.

Now that November is here, things are really getting serious.  The Christmas commercials have already started to air (unfortunately), and, from here on out, everything is going to be about the holidays.  In just a few weeks, it will be Thanksgiving, and, in all probability, you’ll be getting ready for that; but, before you can relax and enjoy your turkey dinner, you’ll have to make sure that your home is prepared to deal with the cold weather ahead.

Of course, this includes its interior, exterior, and landscape.  Indeed, even though there’s not much heavy gardening to do, there are a few outdoor chores, including some yard work, left to be accomplished.  So, dig your thick, warm sweater out of the closet or cedar chest, get back into the crisp, invigorating air, and finish those tasks before it’s too late.

Actually, even if you live in an area that’s facing a harsh winter, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re completely finished with planting.  As long as the ground is not frozen, you can still plant the spring-flowering bulbs of crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.  You can also put in some trees and shrubs now, so that their roots will have a chance to establish themselves before spring.  Just remember to cover the trunks of saplings, and other tender trees, with paper tree wrap, before the end of the month.

If you’re going to transplant any shrubs, plants, or trees, such as azaleas or rhododendrons, excavate their new holes before you take them out of the ground.  Make them roomy enough to give the plants plenty of space to grow; and when you dig them up, extract large root balls that include as much of their root systems as possible.  Replant them right away, using a blend of the existing soil, along with healthy doses of compost, peat moss, and transplanting fertilizer.  Stake taller plants and trees, until their roots become steadfast; otherwise, they may be toppled by strong winds.

You can prune the vines on your grape arbors, after they’ve gone dormant; and any climbing vines, roses, or berries, should be secured firmly to their trellises, so that they won’t be whipped around by gusty winds.  If you’re planning to move things around next year, this is also a good time to sketch out a fresh garden design, and to put in new garden structures, such as trellises, arbors, and pergolas.

Another way to ensure that you’ll be prepared for next year is to clean, sharpen, and oil your garden tools.  Besides having your lawnmower’s blades sharpened, have its oil changed, bolts tightened, and other parts inspected and/or cleaned.  Use a file on trowels, hoes, clippers, and shovels, and a whetstone on pruning shears, then coat the metal parts with penetrating oil; and apply heavier oil to any moving components.  Sand rough spots on wood handles, and then rub them lightly with some linseed oil.

It’s also time to put your patio furniture into the garage or storage shed for the winter.  However, if you don’t have a large enough storage area, protect your porch swings, patio chairs, and picnic tables, with outdoor furniture covers.  Just make sure that they have heavy-duty ties that can endure even the fiercest winds.  Remember, you’re tucking them in for a long, winter’s nap.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

These days, when you’re shopping, you’ll notice that there are tons more choices, for pretty much everything, than there used to be.  Sometimes, this is good; but other times, it’s just overkill.

For instance, the spectacular improvements in outdoor furniture that have occurred over the past several years, are wonderful, and long overdue.  No matter what you’re looking for – porch swings, patio chairs, or picnic tables – in addition to the classic wood types, you’ll also find polywood, vinyl, and aluminum pieces that are nearly indestructible, and available in dozens of colors.  So, it’s great to have a huge selection of patio furniture.

On the other hand, the constant expansions of some product lines can reach ridiculous proportions.  One example, which is truly monstrous, is in the world of Halloween decorations.  It wasn’t that long ago that most people would simply have a few cardboard witches, skeletons, cats, and jack-o-lanterns in their front windows.  Moreover, among the store-bought items were many things that were made by the kids who lived in the homes, including those tissue-and-pipe cleaner ghosts (of course, that was when it was strictly a kids’ day); and nothing went up until deep into October.

Well, things are different now – and how!  First of all, many people treat Halloween like a major holiday, and begin decorating for it two months early, as elaborately as they do for Christmas.  There are also enormous Halloween “superstores,” filled with costumes, outdoor lights, full-sized mummies, zombies, skeletons, and vampires that actually rise from their coffins.  Then, there are those ghastly, gigantic inflatable decorations, which feature ghosts popping out of pumpkins, skeletons riding motorcycles, and witches on broomsticks.  Sheesh!

Okay, sure, it’s fine to have more Halloween decorations to pick from; but the true, uh, spirit, of the day calls for more of the homemade touch.  After all, kids still love to make Halloween decorations; and, in fact, because they have help from their computers, they can produce things that look as good as any that you can buy.  Of course, it’s even more fun when you go to a craft store and get them some supplies, or even dig up things around the house, that they can use to create their decorations by hand.

Don’t worry, though; there are many larger things that adults can tackle, like, say, making corpses, monsters, scarecrows, and giant spiders.  Heck, with all of the phony blood, stick-on scars, and severed body parts that are available at those Halloween stores, it’ll be a cinch.  You can sit them in your porch glider, pose them in a lounge chair, stretch them out in a hammock, or even hang them from the roof of a gazebo or garden shed.  You can also make fake spider webs for your handmade arachnids, and wrap them around arbors, pergolas, and trellises.

Naturally, the kids can help with these projects, too.  It’ll be a great way to spend more quality time together as a family, teach them the lost art of Old World craftspersonship, and let them feel the pride of creating things, such as authentic-looking monsters and spiders.  At the same time, they’ll be learning how to use porch furniture to its fullest potential, as well as the proper techniques for applying fake blood.  You know – all of those good, old-fashioned family values.

That is, if you’re the Addams family.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

I must say, those birds really know how to party, for they are not only hardy, but hearty.  Although it may be rainy and cold, from Cardinals, to Chickadees, all remain bold.

Braving the elements, they come out to feed, on millet and nyjer and sunflower seed,

Devouring it all, to the last crumb of suet; and it’s just so amusing, watching them do it.

Yes, the birds continue to gather in full force today, despite the nasty turn the weather has taken.  Of course, it’s no surprise, because that’s just what wild creatures do.  However, they can always use a little help, especially during the winter; and, in return, they will provide a source of constant entertainment.

So, if you’re going to put up some birdfeeders, whether they’re tube, hopper, platform, hanging, or post-mounted types, it’s important to situate them properly.  Naturally, they should be placed where you and your friends will be able to watch the flying circus when you’re outside, relaxing in your Adirondack chairs.

On the other hand, for more than one reason, they should be kept at a respectable distance from your patio chairs and picnic table.  For one thing, birds won’t come around if you’re hanging out too close to the birdfeeders.  For another, obviously, you won’t want them, uh, loitering, on your outdoor furniture.

Now, there’s no way to avoid the occasional airstrike (shall we say?); but that’s going to happen, whether you’re feeding the birds, or not.  In fact, one of the good things about having birdfeeders is that you have some control, as you can contain the largest concentration of bird activity in the area of your choice.

Mine are on the perimeter of my patio, at the edge of the woods, which is the perfect spot for them.  Although the birds land everywhere, including on the patio furniture, they bounce around so quickly, that they rarely stay in one place – except at a birdfeeder – for more than a few seconds.  Anyway, I don’t have to worry too much about it, because I have some very durable outdoor furniture covers that are easy to clean.

Birdfeeders – and birdhouses – should also be placed near sources of shelter, not only from the wind, but from predators.  At the same time, you’ll want to be able to observe them from inside your home.  So, pick a location that’s near the house, and a few feet from shrubs, vines, or even a brush pile, where they can escape from prowlers; but make sure that it won’t make a good hiding spot for potential attackers.

If you keep your birdfeeders no more than five feet away from a window, birds will be less likely to fly into it.  Then, if they do, at least, they will not have built up enough momentum to seriously injure themselves.  The chances of such accidents will be further reduced if there are curtains, blinds, or sun-catchers visible in the window.

Indeed, the birds will appreciate anything that you can do to spare them the pane.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Around here, it has been unseasonably warm since late last week; and, this past weekend, it was downright hot, and relentlessly sunny.  In fact, the weather was so deceptively summerlike that people were dressing in shorts, tank tops, and sandals, and relaxing on their porch swings and gliders, drinking ice-cold beverages.

There were also many outdoor parties going on, as yards were filled with folks sitting on outdoor furniture, gathering around picnic tables, cooking on grills, and playing lawn games.  Moreover, with the temperature only a few degrees cooler today, it continues to feel like July.

Undoubtedly, it can be easy to forget how far autumn has progressed; and even the leaves are unreliable gauges, because the trees enjoy playing the game of stealth changing.  It’s kind of a combination of make-believe, and strip poker, wherein the goal is to keep up the pretense of summer for as long as possible.  The trees score points for every day that they can trick us into thinking that it’s still summer, rather than well into fall; and the last tree to lose all of its leaves is the winner.

Naturally, their success depends upon various outside factors, including having the weather as an ally, and getting full cooperation from all trees, plants, and shrubs.  Because there are so many types of them, a number of which are certain to be dissidents, it can be a challenging, unpredictable game.

Yet, it seems that the trees manage to fool us, to some extent, every year; but often, it’s because we don’t want to acknowledge what’s really happening.  I mean, even those who love this season, and prefer cooler weather, don’t like to see time passing so quickly.  Therefore, we tend to go into a short period of denial; and that always tilts the odds in their favor, even if some of the young, inexperienced trees start dropping their leaves too early in the game.

Truly, when we look up at the trees, from our hammocks and chaise lounges, if the big picture hasn’t changed much, we can ignore a brief, mysterious shower of leaves, now and then.  When eating at our outdoor dining sets, we can pretend that we’re using our patio umbrellas for protection from the sun, and not to keep leaves from falling into our food.  As long as the trees are standing around, acting all casual, as if everything is fine, we’re willing to play along with them.

Of course, this game has many exciting twists, and some spectacular turns, especially when, one day, we wake to find the trees sporting cloaks of magnificent colors.  Then, though we can no longer deny the calendar, we don’t care, because having such breath-taking scenery makes us feel triumphant.

That is, until the inevitable time when the north wind finally prevails, dropping temperatures sharply, launching blustery barrages of freezing rain, and stripping the defenseless trees of their remaining leaves.

Although that may seem a humiliating ending to the game, we can be sure that the trees will not stand bare for long.  No-o!  Indeed, they will soon be covered in blankets of snow.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy