What better joy is there in life than spending time with your loved ones? Incorporating the visits of family and friends into your backyard design may help these occasions happen more frequently, and it takes a little thought and planning to make this happen.
You might be thinking that your backyard is perfectly adequate: A well-trimmed and mostly green lawn, a tree for shade, and a few chairs you picked up on sale at Costco. Sadly, the majority of suburban backyards in America today are relatively indistinguishable from one another and not all that inviting. What makes a backyard inviting? Here are five ways you can turn your backyard into an entertainer’s delight – without an inground pool and a diving board.
Resort-style atmosphere
As you flip through home and lifestyle magazines, what do you notice? Plants. That’s right, plants are the number one way that you can turn your backyard into a place where people will love to spend time. You don’t have to be a decorator, but it doesn’t hurt if you are! The first thing to realize is that there’s no such thing as having a green thumb. There isn’t a division between people who can communicate with plants like some kind of botanist Dr. Doolittle versus people who will kill a plant just by watering it once. Yes, there was a time when information wasn’t as freely available as it is today, but if you combine the practical advice you’ll find on the internet with the local-specific advice you can get from someone who works at a nursery, you should be able to handle adding some wonderful atmosphere to your backyard.
Water features improve your backyard
Yes, your friends and family would probably be very happy if you let them know that you have just installed an inground pool and that they are welcome to stop by anytime. However, most of us don’t have that kind of budget. Luckily, you don’t need a pool to add some pizzazz to your backyard. Shop around for a water feature instead. This could be anything from a small electric fountain to a wading pool. There’s just something about water that makes people feel relaxed and social.
Outdoor cooking makes your backyard sizzle
Part of what makes gatherings among friends and family so enjoyable is the sharing of food. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a way of preparing food that is more sociable than when you cook in an outdoor kitchen or on a grill. If you’re one of the lucky ones with a complete outdoor kitchen, rejoice. However, don’t fret if it’s not in your budget. A charcoal or gas grill can provide plenty of fun and entertainment, and with a little online research you can narrow your search down to some of the best grills available on the market today.
Shade from the sun is a must
An easy backyard feature to overlook is also one of the least expensive to buy: Any kind of shade. If you’re lucky, nature will have provided shade in the form of trees. However, a visit to an outdoor furnishings store will have a variety of options. Umbrellas are popular; in fact, you may be able to find a vintage umbrella at an estate sale. Some entertainers go further and build pavilions for their backyard. In between those two options are a variety of other structures, often made of canvas, which can be assembled and taken down with relative ease.
Stay outside with comfortable furniture
Lastly, how is the furniture set-up in your backyard? Are there comfortable places for everyone to sit? A set of outdoor furniture will be an investment that pays for itself over and over again with dividends of rest and relaxation. A properly-placed couch is something that can be lounged upon when the weather is just right, and you’ll find yourself spending more and more time in your backyard – even when you aren’t entertaining.