Backyard makeover — from humdrum to backyard fun: Part 2 by Diane Morey Sitton
Gardeners, especially, know the value of flowers when it comes to adding color. Red, yellow, pink, purple, white…flowers span the spectrum, adding accents whether planted as specimens or in mass. Plus, flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Better still, by planting flowering plants and vines in pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, tubs, troughs, and planter boxes, you can enjoy beautiful blooms in backyards of all sizes, shapes and degrees of sunlight. Summer sun-lovers include geranium, marigold, moss rose, periwinkle and zinnia. Impatiens and begonias thrive in shade.
Foliage, too, provides quick, affordable color. Grow sweet potato vine for its bright, chartreuse foliage and cascading stems. Caladium, coleus and croton offer vividly-patterned leaves. Copper plants’ coppery-red foliage pairs well with marigold and lantana.
Water features ramp up backyard appeal with their burbling sounds and mesmerizing motion. It’s hard to resist the gentle splashing of tabletop fountains and mini waterfalls. And what could be more refreshing than water lilies and other aquatic plants afloat in large basins, galvanized tanks or small pools.
As you plan your garden makeover, remember that birds, too, relish clean, fresh water. Include shallow birdbaths and water-filled saucers. Appeal to their love of moving water with misters, burblers, and drippers. Birds will enjoy your hospitality, and you’ll get to enjoy the birds.
And don’t forget that kids and kids-at-heart like diversions. Whether it’s pitching horseshoes, swatting shuttlecocks or tossing a bag at a cornhole board, no backyard makeover is complete without games. If lawn space is limited, include chess, checkers, tic-tac-toe and other tabletop contests. Young kids are happy in sandboxes where they can use toy shovels to fill plastic buckets or dig for plastic dinosaurs.
But don’t stop now. For evening, nothing adds enchantment to gardens faster or easier than string lights. Stretch them overhead across patios, wrap them around posts and handrails, attach them to garden umbrellas, drape them in trees, and use them to outline arbors. Garden lights are available in shapes that resemble mushrooms, starbursts and flowers. Solar-powered lights add flexibility to makeovers. Use them along paths, near gates and next to steps. Use the soft glow of lanterns to illuminate porches and patios.
It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy – as they say – so pick your passion. Whether it’s lounging by a fountain, watching bluebirds flutter in a birdbath, setting up a game board or counting fireflies at twilight, your backyard makeover awaits!