Liven up your landscaping

As the days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting colder, it seems like the perfect time to talk about landscaping! What!? OK, bear with me. We are having a little work done on the house. The updates include a new front door, re-patched hole in the ceiling where the house fan was, new door to the garage, and last month we had some landscaping done. That's what got me thinking. In a time where xeriscaping and hardscaping are becoming a trend, what about those of us who still love green grass and gardens? Well fear not, fellow floral fiend. Today we're going to explore some of the landscaping trends sweeping the nation.

As we're all being directly or indirectly affected by this virus, our priorities have shifted towards getting OUT of the house and away from our family. No. Wait. That can't be right. The goal is simply to enjoy the outdoors. Yeah, that sounds better. So as we're tucked away in our cozy homes this winter, we can be creating strategies and plans for our outdoor spaces. You could even take it as far as starting to save up some money for whatever awesome project you dream up this winter. Let's dig in and help you start dreaming.

Before we totally give up on the winter season, let's consider the outdoor space that we already have. We have a deck with a fairly comfy couch (although I did move the cushions into the garage last month). If you have a space like this consider those outdoor heaters or a fire pit. Anything you can do to make the space a little more cozy will go a long way to encouraging those in your household to get the heck out of the house, err, I mean, enjoy the outdoor space. My roommate also splurged last year and bought a "previously loved" hot tub. All installed and operational for under $5,000. My only comment here is: Do it if you can! They are heavenly. Nothing like a hot soak after a day in the snow!

Moving away from Old Man Winter, let's dig back into the back yard, literally. Vegetable gardens saw a huge surge in popularity this past summer for obvious reasons. I don't know about you, but I detest going to the grocery store in these times. So many hands touching so many things. Instacart has become my best friend. For those with a little more gumption than myself, the garden has become the next best thing to food delivery. My honey carved out an entire third of her backyard for a garden and it was amazing to see the bounty that was produced (pun intended!). As long as you've got some decent sunlight, I can't encourage this project enough! You won't be disappointed.

On the more playful side of backyard projects are things like monkey bars, jungle gyms, zip lines and even swimming pools. If you grew up in Maine and New Hampshire like I did, swimming pools always seemed like a luxury and a bit of a fool's errand. That mentality has changed a bit and they are soaring in popularity. You also don't need to blow your life savings for any of these projects. The jungle gyms are certainly budget friendly and if you are handy with these kinds of projects (or have some good friends and a couple pizza coupons) you can do many of them yourself. Even inflatable pools, makeshift ninja warrior courses and even a small half-pipe (yes, I'm reverting back to my BMX glory days) can make your backyard a place where you and your kids want to be.

On the other side of the house, our front yards are becoming much more social. While we may not be sipping iced tea on the front porch like in Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine (read it if you haven't!), we are working to create safe, social spaces so we CAN visit with our friends and neighbors. I have been to a handful of "happy hours" this summer where we brought our own chairs and sat around the front yard, driveway and even (because it was raining) the garage. It's wonderful to be able to visit with friends and even chat up those folks walking by. It brought a sense of normalcy and community back to our lives that had gone missing.

One of the more interesting trends coming about is the focus on the exterior from the interior. Not just because it's cold and we're nestled inside our homes, but also because we are spending far more time inside overall. Some of the focus is being placed on how the landscaping (or flower gardens or shrubs) appear from inside the home. "Not only do homeowners want an attractive exterior for those passing by and for themselves to come home to, they are also interested in flower boxes and attractive 'framed' landscaping that looks great from inside the home," notes Badger Realty agent, Bernadette Donohue. This trend fascinates me and I'm interested to see how it progresses through next summer. Only time will tell.

Working on our yards, wherever that may be and however you define it, has always been a project that some love, some do out of a sense of duty, and some simply detest. As winter comes along and coats us in her white blanket, most of us can forget about the yard for the next few months. That said, I'd still encourage you to give it some thought and see if you can come up with a strategy to make the most of your yard and get your kids out of the house. No, wait. I mean: give your kids an awesome place to play (out of the house!). Happy planning.