Preparing Your Outdoor Space For Warm-Weather Entertaining

Preparing Your Outdoor Space For Warm-Weather Entertaining
Written By Guest Blog AJ Earley

Every day the sun is shining a little brighter and longer, and if you’re like me, you can’t wait to have your first backyard barbeque. Even just having a few friends over to sip some drinks on the back porch or around the fire pit is a telltale sign of warmer, more relaxing days to come.

As the temperatures creep up, be sure you’re working on getting your outdoor space ready to entertain. You won’t want to be stuck doing everything the weekend before a big get-together, and those pesky drop-in guests can pop by at any moment. Make sure you’re ready for anything and everything by following these tips:

Grass

How’s your grass looking after all the snow melts and weeds start to poke through? Lush, dry, overgrown, patchy? Sometimes winter wades away and leaves us with a lawn that was different than the one we had in the spring.

The first thing you’ll want to do is add a fertilizer to your lawn. There are a lot of good options, but if you are going to fill in patches, you’ll want to use a starter fertilizer before you lay your seed, as well as a thin layer of lawn soil. If you are seeding patches (or even an entire lawn) this year, head on over to the resources page and check for detailed information on the process.

If you are not seeding, you’re okay to use a weed and feed fertilizer, otherwise you’ll want to wait for the young grass to get some hearty roots before applying any herbicides. Also be careful with weed killing products if you have children or pets. Read the warning labels and follow the directions. There’s always the good old fashioned solution of getting on your knees and pulling the weeds yourself (which is a great chore for the little ones if you ask me.)

Once you’ve mowed your lawn 4-6 times, apply another round of fertilizer, and remember that you need to keep that you need to water water water throughout the entire process. If you’d rather not deal with all of that, a professional landscaper can help get your yard ready for summer guests.

Garden

If you have a garden, vegetable or otherwise, now is the time to start planning and preparing (if you haven’t already.) There are few things more satisfying than harvesting, preparing, and eating your own produce, so if you have the space, consider trying out a few fruits or veggies this year.

Decorative plants and flowers may be more your thing, and if that’s the case, you’re in the right place. You can use the plant finder to look up the ideal selection of plants based on a vast array of factors, including color, size, water and shade requirements, and a whole smattering more. Once you’ve compiled your list, bring it on down and we’ll do everything we can to help you obtain the garden of your dreams.

Water Features

If you’ve got any sort of water feature, from a small birdbath to an extravagant inground pool, now is definitely the time to start getting it ready for the warmer weather. Any birdbaths or other small water features will need a good cleaning before putting them into commission for the year. If you have a pond, you’ll want to test and treat it, especially if you have fish, frogs, or other wildlife who call it home.

If you’re the type who likes to cool off in the summer with a splash, you must be excited about the weather warming up! Make sure you prepare your pool for warm weather safely, otherwise you could have serious problems down the road. There are several steps, depending on what type of pool you have, but the two most important ones are cleaning the pool and balancing the chemicals.

Shade

In the dead of summer, there’s nothing worse than a backyard with absolutely no shade. Everyone is sure to want to stay inside in that situation. If that scenario is you, don’t worry: there are lots of ways to obtain comfortable shade in your outdoor areas. Something as simple as a patio umbrella is an inexpensive way to obtain heat and sun protection and can even be outfitted with lights or other convenient accessories. The next step up would be a gazebo or arbor, followed by an awning or roof over your patio. All of these become increasingly more expensive, but over the years, having the shade available will be well worth it.

If you’re a little more patient, you can consider planting and nurturing a good shade tree or two. Even the fast growing varieties will take several years to provide shade, but future you (and future earth) will thank you in the end.

Warmth

While warmer weather and longer days are well on their way, we know that it’s still going to get cold at night, and who wants the party to end just because it got dark? Ensure that you and your guests can have outdoor fun as long as you like throughout the spring, summer, and fall by adding something to create warmth.

There are a lot of outdoor propane heaters available that look quite snazzy, and those work best in somewhat enclosed spaces, like a covered porch. You can also consider having a fire pit installed, which is the perfect place to gather at night and roast marshmallows or just shoot the breeze.

Grub

Don’t forget that you’ll need something to cook all those summer favorites on. Why work in a hot, sweaty kitchen when you can barbecue in the shade? There are so many options to choose from, whether you visit our Weber Grill Showroom or have us install the custom outdoor kitchen of your dreams, you won’t be disappointed! Nothing draws a crowd like the smell of summer grilling, so make sure you keep ‘em coming all summer long with the best in outdoor accessories.

Happy warm weather relaxing and entertaining from Melka Landscaping and Garden Center!

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