Are you concerned with the cool weather this week harming your plants? Hopefully, the cool weather will do more good than damage to your spring flowers and newly planted plants. The warming soil coupled with the cooler air temperatures is ideal for root growth. The better the initial root system develops in the spring, the better the growth and flower production later in the growing season. We may not like the cold spell interrupting our warm spring weather but your plants are very appreciative of the effects!

Next, let’s discuss a different concern. Rising fuel prices are impacting the amount of disposable income everyone has to spend on hobbies and the leisure activities we enjoy. During these times, homeowners put off buying a new car, taking a luxury vacation, or any number of big ticket purchases to conserve funds. So, how do we utilize our precious resources to get the most enjoyment, pleasure, and fun? One of the wisest ways to actually invest your money in times like these is in your home and landscape. Think about your own backyard and how you can create a private vacation retreat that you can enjoy for the entire summer. No longer considered just a trend, improvement of outdoor living areas is the fastest growing segment in the home improvement industry.

For half the money (or even less) you spend on a short vacation complete with accommodations, food, and transportation, you can create a beautiful outdoor setting to enjoy for the entire summer instead of a short-lived vacation. Outdoor projects are fun, provide plenty of exercise, and create a great feeling of satisfaction. Using plants as the accents, your backyard can be transformed into a stylish outdoor room where you can get that vacation feeling for months, not just a week or two.

Plants play an important role in the outdoor setting. Color is an obvious element in designing any room, indoors or out. So, much like choosing paint or curtains for your space, plants create the tone for the entire area and soften architectural lines and structures such as fencing or exterior walls. Plants also become the accents to display your personality or theme for the area. With numerous choices in plants today, you can choose a monochromatic look by using the same color theme throughout the design or you can use sharp contrasting colors and textures for a more dramatic scheme. The options are endless when you mix in container gardens with your landscape and bedding plants.

Container gardening is a very effective way to make a splash in outdoor living areas by creating an accent area or a focal point of your outdoor room. Containers take the garden off the ground and move it up where people are living. They allow the beauty of the plants to be moved to create focus wherever you want it to be. Even the containers themselves provide ambiance and color to your area. It is easy to create your own work of art by using our new pre-designed container garden recipes which can be found by clicking here.

To simplify creating your outdoor living area, use plants that have the same watering, light, and maintenance requirements or that carry a commonality such as color or texture. One easy way to get a head start on the type of plants that work well together is to utilize Cottage Farms’ garden options. We have done the homework for you by compiling these groupings of plants that perform in the same type of situations or have a common theme to give your garden that professionally planned look. The Gardens are a great place to start and build your landscape plan that incorporates a “theme” into your living space.

Another way to create a relaxing, vacation-like atmosphere in your outdoor living room is through color. Always in vogue, color plants are a creative avenue to provide consistent color to your landscape as many of these plants repeat bloom the entire summer. We highly suggest using color plants in your outdoor area to add a focal point, drama, or to simply enhance your outdoor experience. Our best recommendations are:

Color Annuals

1. Abutilon (aka: Flowering Maple)
2. Lantana
3. Calibrachoa
4. Torenia

Start to enjoy your summer now by planning and developing your backyard into your own vacation retreat. You can add value to your home and create a beautiful oasis when you put your money and efforts into your outdoor living area. Plus, remember that plants are one of the “greenest” ways to help the environment!

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Thought for the week!

It's the little things citizens do.
That's what will make the difference.
My little thing is planting trees.

~ Wangari Maathai ~