15 Simple Steps for a Sensational Outdoor Setting!

Sharon Hanna | Image: Barbara Rayment

Got the backyard blahs? It’s that time of year when we long to entertain outside, but things can feel a tad dowdy after months of dark and dreary weather. Here are 15 quick fixes to take your outdoor space from drab to dynamic.

1. PLENTY OF POTS
It’s been unseasonably cold this spring! Warm weather is here at last (hooray!), and many folks have been encouraging seedlings to get growing. They will, but in the meantime get a jump on the season with large, potted-for-you tender perennials like Brugmansia, velvety purple Tibouchina and colourful Bougainvillea. A few large specimens will add some instant “WOW” to your deck or patio.

Create a mini-jungle with hardy bananas, passion vines, cannas and taro. Go ahead and move houseplants outdoors, too – but not into direct sun. Unless you do it gradually, they may suffer sunburn. (Start with half an hour in early-morning sun, double the length daily for about five days, and they’ll be good to go!)

Tender, exotic Echeveria, as well as hardier Sempervivum and Sedum look great in shallow ceramic bowls or round containers. Decorating with sand, pebbles, beach glass and bits of driftwood creates a “Georgia O’Keefe” desert-y feel. Choose containers in natural, sun-bleached pastel tones – pale rose, turquoise, celadon – these harmonize beautifully with succulents.

Jungle or desert leave you cold? If “The Tudors” is more your style, a few David Austin roses in large containers (kept well fertilized and watered) and a couple of pieces of wrought-iron furniture will do it. For authentic Henry VIII ambience, light the night with candles – dozens of them.

It’s handy to be able to move containers about to suit the occasion or to catch the sun. Filling a huge container with soil all the way will make it difficult to manoeuvre. Instead, place a layer of packing “peanuts” in the bottom and top with a screen or landscape fabric, then add 45 cm (18 in.) of soil. If you plan to move the container regularly, set it on a saucer with wheels before filling. Don’t forget to fertilize your plants regularly to keep them looking their best.

Still stumped? GardenWorks offers Saturday-afternoon seminars throughout the season, taught by experts in the field: edible container creations and more. Visit the GardenWorks website for more information.

2. LAY DOWN SOMETHING LOVELY

Highlight patio furniture with floor coverings. For a quirky old-fashioned look, use burlap sacks (often available free from coffee roasters). Decorate and define the edges of the seating area with a dozen or more terracotta pots planted up with hardy Gerbera daisies or vivacious red geraniums. For a homey look, try an old Persian rug or buy a Mad Mat. Available in a variety of patterns, they are made of recycled plastic in standard rug sizes. They can be placed anywhere (even on the lawn), and they’re easy to clean – just hose them down!

3. SPLASH THINGS UP

Create a water bowl with a used container – anything from a washtub to a Chinese egg pot. Plug any drainage holes with bathtub plugs or wine corks (from winemaking supply stores) and fish-tank caulking. Add a small pump to circulate the water and floating glass balls to move in the wind.

4. “RE-PURPOSE” GARDEN ACCESSORIES
Bright, pliable rubber containers (with handles) in psychedelic chartreuse, strawberry pink and vivacious violet make groovy ice buckets for parties – perfect for Pinot Gris storage! Making a salad for 40? Guests (kids, too) will want to help toss your greens in a (brand-new, of course) “muck bucket.” Afterwards, these "trugs" are ideal for leaf-gathering or bringing finished compost to your veggie bed.

5. LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE
Lighting reflects the personality of an outdoor space. Votive candles can be used airport runway–style to edge a walkway, highlight stair risers or outline railings on the porch. Use metal and glass lanterns to highlight entrances and welcome guests to your front door, patio or even at the front edge of your garden. Tiki torches create a festive luau atmosphere! Carry on a southwestern Christmas tradition with luminarias – brown paper bags holding an inch of sand and a lit candle.