Summertime is one of the best times of year to get out into the yard and do some work – a time to make your property really stand out. For many it is a favorite weekend pastime, while for others it is just good exercise and an excuse to get some sun. Whatever your reason, we have put together some great ideas to help you landscape your yard this summer.
1 – Edges and Mowing Strips
Summer comes with more maintenance on the lawn. A great way to spruce up the yard and make the job of mowing the lawn easier is to install a mowing strip. This can be a relatively easy DIY project that makes your yard look great by clearly defining the lawn and planter beds in your yard. You can use virtually any style paver, brick, or flat stone you like to create a nice and easy to maintain edge to your lawn. Just dig a shallow trench in the line you choose, level the pavers with sand and a carpenter’s level, and install a plastic lawn edge.
2 – Planters
Summer is the perfect time of year to spruce up your planters as well. Take advantage of all the bright colored flowers that are available during this season. This annual color makes a great accent for lining the edges of your driveway, brightening up your garden, and livening up your porch. You can also take advantage of this time of year to invest in your planter’s long-term care. By combining a weed barrier, bark groundcover, and a drip irrigation system in your planters you can make your planters practically maintenance free for years to come.
3 – Vegetable and Herb Gardens
Texas is blessed with an almost year-round growing season. This makes summer as good a time as any to build a garden. If you have a sunny patch of land to transform into a vegetable garden, it can be a great way to get out and enjoy the summer sun. Beans, eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins and squash all make excellent vegetables to plant in the summer for Texas residents. For a more ambitious project try using old railroad ties or retaining wall blocks to raise your gardens bed. Raising the garden up a couple of feet will keep the herbs and veggies away from pets and make the garden easy to maintain and harvest.
4 – Retaining Walls
Retaining walls are a must for any yard with multiple elevations. In the summertime when the weather is most dry is the best time to install them. Hardware stores make it easy to DIY small walls with a wide variety of retaining wall blocks. Smaller elevations can use loose brick or rock, even broken concrete can create a nice effect. Once installed retaining walls give great contrast to your planter beds and will hold back mud and water in the rainy season.
5 – Small Touches
Little accents can give a garden variety that is pleasing to the eye or create a focal point to enhance a particular view. Others can attract wildlife to give you more to enjoy out in your yard. Try adding a nice bird bath, bird house, or bird feeder to attract small communities of birds into your space.
For a real ambitious project, add a water feature. Garden centers usually come equipped with all the DIY equipment you need to build your own small pond. For an even simpler water feature, simply transform an old whisky barrel or wash basin into a fountain. With some water plants and fish, you will be ready to relax in the yard to the sound of trickling water.
After putting all this time and effort into your garden, it is important to get the most of it even after the sun goes down. Invest in some creative light sources to illuminate your yard. Lighting can range from tiki torches to spotlights, but they always make the yard enjoyable at night. Try adding some lights to highlight your favorite plants or install fairy lights and lanterns to add ambiance.
If Landscaping Isn’t Your Thing…Or You Want A Home With A Bigger Yard
We can buy your home so that you can move into the home that best suits your needs – whether you are moving out of a home with a yard or moving into a home that allows you those weekend projects. It is important that as a homeowner you can enjoy the luxuries of homeownership – and if you feel your home does not match your lifestyle, it may be time to move. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us today!
