19 Sep Home Tip Of The Week: Four Tips to Improve Your Backyard This Fall
Whether you love to entertain or you just want a place to relax, these tips can help turn your backyard into your personal oasis.
Add some plants
At the first sign of spring, the home improvement stores and nurseries are packed with people getting plants and flowers for their gardens. Don’t let the cooler weather be an excuse for letting your garden wither. Choose flowers that bloom in the fall, like mums, pansies, and marigolds. With all the orange and garnet colors, you’d think nature was getting ready for football season!
If you want to take your landscaping to the next level, try to find ornamental plants that are green all year around. If you plan carefully, you can use these as a visual focal point, to create extra shade, or to create a sense of privacy in the yard.
Remember, great landscaping isn’t just something you can enjoy, it can add curb appeal to your home when you’re ready to sell.
Create some sitting areas
A beautiful yard won’t do you much good if you can’t be out there to enjoy it. When fall weather comes, there’s nothing we like more than cozying up to a warm fire. So, find a good spot in your yard and make or buy a fire pit where you can roast marshmallows on those crisp fall nights. Add comfy chairs and some outdoor twinkle lights and you have the perfect fall hangout.
If you’re looking for something a little more permanent, consider improving or expanding your patio or deck. You can even include built-in bench seating or planter boxes to help make it a great place for entertaining.
Find some shade
It’s starting to cool off now, but, boy, does it get hot in those South Carolina summers. Make your yard work for you by creating some permanent shade areas.
Shade trees are a great option if you plan on staying in your home for a while as they can take years to grow big enough. If you’re looking for something a little more eye-catching, a pergola can be a great alternative. The beams on this structure provide a mix of sun and shade in the cooler months and a temporary covering the top can provide a great respite from the South Carolina summer sun.
When you’re building, just be sure you’re getting the proper permits and building everything to code.
Keep it private
It can be hard to enjoy your yard if you feel like you’re constantly on display. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to make the area more private.
If there’s just one corner of your yard that’s exposed, you might want to try a privacy screen. This can be as simple as installing some lattice in that corner. And you have the bonus of being able to train a flowering vine to climb the lattice creating a magazine-worthy look.
If you don’t already have a fence, you could also consider installing a tall one. Not only will it turn your backyard into your own private area, it will make it easier to let Fido out or to create a safe space for your kids to play.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start improving your backyard!
This week’s Home Tip is courtesy of Kylee Della Volpe, a writer and editor for mortgages.com, a site for home buyers and sellers.
