With summer just weeks away, you may be wondering if you’ve missed anything on your spring to-do list and whether your landscape is ready for a summer of fun. The good news is that it’s not too late to get your outdoor spaces in top shape. Here’s a landscaping checklist for the summer in Smithtown, NY that will help you add features that will make your landscape “the” place to be.
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A Patio Renovation
If your patio feels cramped or awkward, a patio renovation could help give everyone plenty of elbow room, and make it usable and comfortable.
1. Your outdoor cooking/dining area should be convenient to your home, and with a clear path between the two (navigating patio furniture with arms full of lasagna is a recipe for disaster). Cooking and dining are central to most people’s outdoor activities, so make sure your cooking space is adequate for your needs. A hot trend is adding a peninsula bar to a grill station - effectively doubling the space, without the need for a full outdoor kitchen.
2. Seating area(s) should have the perfect mix of shade and sunshine. If you feel you can only use your patio when weather conditions are perfect, a pergola or pavilion can let you use your patio much more. Both pergolas and pavilions have open sides to let the breeze through; the only difference is that a pergola has an open roof which is perfect for letting hot air escape; and a pavilion gives you full shade as well as shelter from the rain.
3. A fire pit or fireplace is the perfect complement to outdoor living. In fact, for many people it’s a must! Position this feature out of the way and be sure to include either plenty of space for portable seating, or if the space is more intimate, built-in masonry seating.
A Water Feature
Water makes an outdoor space special. Water adds the soothing sounds of nature (and invites butterflies and birds into your landscape). A specific type of water feature calle a water wall can also serve as a focal point and do double duty as an outdoor “room” divider or privacy wall that looks just as gorgeous in summer when water is flowing, as it does in winter when the water is shut off.
Landscape Lighting
Warm evenings invite you to enjoy your landscape after dark. But, if your space is not well-lit for safety, or if you feel like you’re sitting in a floodlit sports stadium, it’s time to update your landscape lighting. Contemporary landscape lighting design incorporates specialty fixtures and artistic placement to add beauty and drama while lighting your way.
Retaining Walls
You may think of retaining walls as a utilitarian feature designed to hold back earth; but they have many more uses: to define and divide spaces, serve as overflow seating, guide the eye (for example, along a walkway or driveway), and to enclose features such as planters. Masonry walls are always valuable additions to a landscape and help tie various outdoor spaces together.
Nature Is Important!
As people are discovering during the Covid-19 shelter-in-place rules, having a pleasing outdoor space is good for the soul and a necessary part of mental health. Investing in your landscape will pay off in greater life satisfaction (as well as increased property values). Harmony between your hardscape and softscape is key to optimizing your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces. Our designers can help you check all the boxes on your must-have list and create a special at-home outdoor experience that’s uniquely yours.
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