A few days ago, I attended one of my favorite annual events, which is my family reunion.  Every year, on the first weekend in August, for as far back as I can remember, we have assembled at Fort Niagara, in Youngstown, NY, just north of Niagara Falls.  We always meet at the same pavilion, and eat at the same picnic tables.  Cousin Jim always cooks on the charcoal grill, and the aunts always bring plenty of outdoor chairs and lounge chairs.

Indeed, no matter how much is changing around us, or in our lives, we know that we have that old, familiar picnic shelter waiting for us every year.  It’s among the few things in life that we can count on; a comforting constant.  It’s that one same that helps to keep us sane.

As it gets on toward dusk, the long (and I do mean long!) good-byes begin, before most of the relatives fade away with the sun.  Naturally, there’s always a group of us, the resistant stragglers, who remain, dodging the park patrol cars until the last possible minute.  Then, another of my favorite annual events is about to begin.

We drive a couple of miles to my cousin’s house, on the shores of Lake Ontario.  After hanging out around the outdoor dining table on the patio for awhile, we head down to the beach.  There, we look out, across the lake, at the passing ships; and, on clear nights, we can see Toronto.

Then, moving on to more important sights, we position ourselves in chaise lounges, steamer chairs, Adirondack chairs, and on blankets, and focus our gazes skyward.  It’s time to watch the Perseids!  Although it’s a few days before they peak (they begin in late July), we always see many spectacular meteors.

The Perseid meteor shower has been observed for centuries; but it wasn’t until 1867 that it was discovered that the “shooting stars” are actually fragments from the Swift-Tuttle comet.  As the Earth passes through the trail of space grit that it left behind, the particles enter our atmosphere, heat up, and create bright streaks, which appear to radiate from the constellation Perseus.

If you’ve never seen this breath-taking display (or even if you have), you really shouldn’t miss it this year, as it promises to be particularly brilliant.  That’s because, when it peaks, around August 12-13, the sky conditions will be nearly ideal, as the faint, crescent moon will be far below the horizon by midnight, causing no interfering glare.

Of course, artificial lights can spoil the show as well; so find a dark spot, with a wide view of the sky, and settle into a lounge chair, hammock, outdoor reclining chair, or a swingbed, with some comfortable outdoor furniture cushions and outdoor throw pillows.  Prime time for viewing is between 3:30-5:30 a.m., when you may be able to see at least one meteor every minute.

Now, if you’re not a nocturnal creature, that’s okay.  You can still see some magnificent meteors earlier in the evening, when, though fewer, they streak across the sky at a narrow angle, and often produce longer trails.

There are many people who have made it a yearly tradition to watch this magnificent meteor shower with their families.  Like our reunions, it’s a comforting constant that we can count on; a same that helps to keep us sane.

On the other hand, there’s no denying that our families can sometimes drive us crazy!  Oh, well, I guess we just can’t have it all.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

So, last week I did some problem solving for small porch design.  But, I can hear you southern belles of the large, wrap around porches calling out!  After all, decorating an expansive banquet hall is just as, if not more, difficult than creating a functional closet.  Sometimes you just don’t know what to do with all of that space!

Many people give up all together, thinking that they either cannot afford enough patio furniture to do the space justice, or wouldn’t know what to do with it once they got it anyway. Don’t feel overwhelmed or pressured, because some simple tips for outdoor furniture arrangement can help you get the most bang for your buck!

If there’s a section of your porch that has a better view than other parts, you can still use the facing-out technique (for those who missed the last porch post, arrange your outdoor seating to face out toward the view, instead of facing in toward each other like most indoor living rooms).  But, for the widest sections, group your pieces together for a more “interior-room” look. Using outdoor deep seating collections, I would still position your largest piece with its back against the house so it can face out.  Mixing areas with facing out seating and spaces that have seating grouped to face each other will add a dynamic element.

If you’re worried about overspending, look for outdoor furniture that can serve multiple purposes. Double or triple-duty pieces can transition between different kinds of get-togethers, so you don’t have to buy a separate piece for every occasion.  Outdoor ottomans can also serve as side tables, and picnic table benches can be pulled out for additional seating elsewhere.

You likely have enough to room to section off different areas into different uses.  Map out “rooms” where they best fit.  Outdoor furniture designed for sitting and talking can easily be arranged to face outward to survey views during quiet pauses in conversation. While, dining areas will be focused on what is sitting on the table… so views need not play a factor!

Group your seating areas and dining areas together separately to create division; for example, put the backs of your outdoor sofas and loveseats to the dining area.  That way, each section looks like a completely separate space.  Also, try adding outdoor rugs to give each space definition.

But, while defining separate areas is good, you’ll still want to keep color schemes coordinated to bring the entire area together. Three different outdoor spaces on one porch using three completely opposite color schemes might make people think they’re on a movie set with changing scenes.  Each area of your porch may have a different use, but its all part of your home.  Fabrics are the easiest way to coordinate colors.  Table cloths can work with throw pillows and outdoor rugs can certainly complement outdoor furniture cushions.

Don’t forget that you still need a secluded section for your own peace of mind, as well!  When decorating any part of your home, certainly consider your guests, but never forget yourself! A spot for a secret alcove will probably be a bit easier to find on a larger porch instead of a smaller one.  So, be shameless with your private nook! Add a big, deep, swing bed with a plush, comfortable cushion that you can truly stretch out on.  And, of course, make sure you have an outdoor coffee table or patio accent table for newspapers, books, lemonades, and sandwiches!  If you really want this area to be yours and yours alone, try facing it away from the rest of your porch.  That way, it will be difficult for parties to spread themselves out to the space.  Don’t feel guilty; every person needs their own section of outdoor bliss!

So, come on! Go out and make yours!

Have Fun!

Hazel

Nearly everything, including the way we dress and decorate, the tools and equipment we use, the food we eat, the places we go, and even the way we live, changes with the seasons.    Consequently, many of our possessions are stored in garages, sheds, attics, and cedar chests, for the better part of the year.

Right now, for example, patio furniture, grills, picnic tables and baskets, shorts, tank tops, lawn games, and mowers, are being used or worn every day.  Two months from now, however, we’ll be packing them up, and getting out our warm clothes, rakes, and fall decorations.

Even those who live in regions where the weather barely changes throughout the year, have to adjust to the seasons.  The only difference is that they don’t have quite as many things to put into storage; and that’s good.  After all, it’s sad when something that has been indispensable for months, suddenly becomes a worthless object that’s merely taking up space.

So, it’s always nice to find ways to be able to use things beyond their traditional seasons.  For instance, many people who live in cold climates enclose their porches, patios, and gazebos, so that they can enjoy their porch furniture year-round.  Millions of people have also decided that their Christmas lights, rather than being buried in boxes, should be strung around their arbors, trellises, and pergolas, to add permanent sparkle to their outdoor décor.

Picnic baskets, too, can be functional all year long; yet, people usually put them away at the end of summer.  That’s a shame, because they sometimes get dirty or damaged, or even gnawed by rodents, during the winter (the baskets, that is, not the people – or so one hopes).  Furthermore, like the other types, picnic baskets are attractive, and available in different designs and colors; and they can serve a number of purposes.

Therefore, it doesn’t make sense to keep them hidden away, especially if you have more than one picnic basket, as many people do.  Keep one on your porch or deck, near your favorite lounge chair, and use it to hold magazines, board games, knitting supplies, binoculars and bird books, or anything else that you want to have handy.

In your pool house, you can fill picnic baskets with towels, tanning lotion, bug spray, hairspray (just don’t get those two mixed up!), or other health and beauty products, for guests to use.  Larger baskets can hold extra blankets or outdoor throw pillows, for those chilly nights when you’re lying in your hammock or swingbed, gazing at the stars.  At backyard parties, put them on your outdoor buffet table, to hold napkins and utensils.

Of course, you can always use picnic baskets in your kitchen.  Fill them with snack foods, such as cookies, crackers, nuts, protein bars, and even cereal, rice, and beans (as long as they’re sealed in plastic bags).  You can also keep napkins and tablecloths in them.

In the summer, drape some cloth napkins in pretty patterns, such as gingham, around the edges of the picnic basket, and put a bouquet of dried flowers on top.  Use russet-colored napkins and, perhaps, dried leaves or Indian corn, in the fall.  At Christmastime, use red and green napkins, along with any of the multitude of seasonal decorations.  When spring comes around, try flowered or pastel napkins, and some colorful flowers.

Truly, if you let your creativity flow, you’ll think of a hundred uses for picnic baskets.  If you can save just one of them from the jaws of a rodent, it will be worth it.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

One of the things that many people love about summer is being able to relax on their porch swings, chaise lounges, and Adirondack chairs, and admire their gardens.  If you’re in that number, you know the feeling of satisfaction that comes from having created such beauty through hours of hard labor.  Unfortunately, for a lot of people, much of that effort has gone toward trying to keep pests from destroying their handiwork.  In fact, they will continue their struggles in on-going, and, what often turn out to be losing, battles.

Indeed, it seems unfair that, even as you toil in the soil, there’s a host of bugs looting the leaves, pillaging the petals, stalking the stems, and ravaging the roots, of the plants that you are trying to nurture.  It appears that the only course of action is to assault them with a barrage of sprays, powders, and anything else that’s available at garden centers.  These days, however, because people are becoming increasingly loath to use pesticides that can harm the environment (thank goodness), they’re searching for other ways of rubbing out those little wretches.

Luckily, there are dozens of organic products to choose from; but applying these will also take up precious time that you could be spending cooking on your grill, eating at your picnic table, and napping in your hammock.  Moreover, they will wipe out things that are valuable to your garden as well.  Remember, not all of those creepy creatures have malicious intent; many of them are actually waiting in the, uh, wings, to support your endeavors.

Seen and unseen, they are always there, patrolling above and below the soil, and carrying out their vital missions.  With pistils at the ready, these unsung heroes deliver much-needed supplies of pollen to waiting troops.  At the same time, special units are deployed to devour enemy insects that would cause the annihilation of your vegetation; and all of this is accomplished without the use of chemical warfare.

Therefore, instead of attacking everything that crawls, start a recruiting drive to enlist these beneficial bugs as allies.  Whether you’re trying to cultivate flowers, fruits, shrubs, trees, or vegetables, your first tactic is to strategically place the nectar-rich plants in your garden that will entice them over to your side.

These powerhouse pollinators and elite exterminators include bees, lacewings, ladybugs, flower flies, and mini-wasps.  In many cases, their larvae alone have insatiable appetites.  For example, a ladybug larva can consume up to 40 aphids per day, while a single lacewing will eat as many as 10,000 of them over the course of its lifetime.

The favorite flowers of these famished forces include Dill (Anethum graveolens), Korean angelica (Angelica gigas), Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), Poached egg plant (Limnanthes douglasii), Goldenrod (Solidago), and French marigold (Tagetes patula).

Add these lovely plants to your landscape, and you’ll soon have some selfless soldiers doing your drone work for you.  Of course, you’ll have to return their thoughtfulness, by being kind to them as well.

So, the next time you’re bothered by buzzing as you snooze in your swingbed or steamer chair, look twice before you bring in the swat team!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

1. Create an Entry Way

Even if your whole yard or property isn’t fenced in, it’s good to create a sense of transition from the outside world, to the whimsical home of your garden.  Guests will be put immediately at ease knowing that they are entering a place of tranquility and hospitality.  Most people spend a lot of time decorating their front doors to give their visitors the same feeling, so make sure to do it with your garden as well.  A good way to create an entry way is through the use of arbors or gates.

Choose a flat top or arch top arbor to fit your personality and vine it with colorful and eye-catching plants.  This wide array of climbing color will immediately spark your guests’ interest, inviting them in to see what else your home carries.

A gate can be another way to transition visitors from the outside world to your garden.  If your yard is fenced in for privacy or pets, an arbor with an attached gate will allow you to keep your garden and lawn enclosed, while giving you plenty of space to vine plants and flowers.  Remember that no small touch in your garden will go without notice, and though we should not judge books by their covers, your entry way will set the tone for the entire journey through your yard.  A rusting metal gate will not welcome people in like a friendly gated arbor.

2. Plant Gardens that Work Together

Your entry way will be more interesting if you use a variety of plants; shrubs, vines, and perennials can be plotted to work together if done with a bit of forethought.  Your guests will be surveying the entry way throughout their walk, so make sure they are never bored by breaks in vegetation or jolted by sudden changes in plant life.

Variety is the spice of life, so don’t stick to one color pallet or one type of flower.  Shrubs, like the Winter Gold Winterberry, that produce colorful berries will make sure that your garden is still vibrant with interesting hues long after the flowers have faded.

If you thought you only had plants to work with, think again!  Use fragrant plants to attract wild life, such as butterflies and hummingbirds, to animate your garden and produce endless hours of entertainment.  Planting Shasta Daisies, Cosmos, and Delphiniums will be sure to invite colorful wild life.  And, to entice all sorts of birds, using an out of the ordinary bird feeder will add more curiosity to your space, while inviting the birds to come and play as well.

Make sure your entry way garden is exciting and varied to keep your visitors’ interest, but don’t allow any large breaks or sudden changes to draw the eye to one specific spot that would pull them out of the entire scene.

3. Have a Place to Gather

Having a welcoming entry way garden will put your guests into a calming mindset, eager to enjoy your tranquil space.  The cruelest trick would be to catch their every interest, then force them inside and away from all the natural beauty.  Having a porch swing, patio group, or garden bench will give you and your friends a bright spot to gather for coffee, tea, and conversation.  Folding Adirondack chairs will allow you to move your party anywhere in the garden, while heavier dining sets and deep seating will form an outdoor living room where guests will feel free to lounge and feel at home. But don’t forget, it’s not always just about your guests!  A well placed hammock or swing bed will give you the perfect spot to relax and enjoy all your hard work (without any outside interruptions!)

See You Outside! (in your entry way garden!)

Hazel