If you want an inexpensive way to improve your outdoor living space, look no further than improving your lighting.  Better lighting can instantly make everything look brighter, happier, and more appealing.   Improved lighting also increases the amount of time you can spend in your outdoor space, which maximizes its value.

If you have lights already installed outside, it can be extremely simple to update them.  Changing out a light fixture is not very difficult – just make sure to shut off the power first!  Most home improvement stores will be happy to give you advice on how to change out your fixture.

Changing the fixture may be a bit over your head; if so, consider switching your light bulb.  New LED lights are now available that last for years and have better color and lighting quality than they used to.  You could also try compact flourescents, but these I’ve found to have a more harsh lighting, take a while to turn on, and burn out much faster than the five years promised.  They are also difficult to dispose of, since they contain mercury.

You could also try solar lighting, though my results with this have been mixed.  While the lights are very easy to install, they tend to be dim and useless for any more than lighting a pathway.

Another update to current lighting may be installing a dimmer switch.  With a dimmer switch, you can change the mood quickly.   This type of switch can also save you about 10-40% off your energy used, and increase the light span of your light bulb.  It’s fairly simple to change out – if you can change a light fixture, you could also change a switch.

If you’re having a themed party, such as a Halloween party, consider getting a colored light bulb.  This can cheaply set a spooky or even romantic mood if you choose the right color.

Photo by peasap via flickr

As the outdoor season winds to an end (at least for us in the Northern states!), days get shorter and trees turn beautiful colors.  And then they drop all those beautiful leaves right onto the lawn, leaving a raking chore to last for several weeks to come.  What should you do with all those leaves?

In most areas, it’s illegal to rake the leaves into the street.  Instead, you’ll need to bag them to be picked up with the yard waste, if your city provides that service.  In some areas, you may be able to burn them.  However, the best option is mulching.

One of the easiest ways to mulch is with a good mulching lawn mower.  If you leave the bag off, you can create a nice mulch over your yard.  Scott’s even has a product for fall lawn care that we’re going to try this year – you create the leaf mulch then spread the Turf Builder over top.  It’s supposed to help the roots grow stronger, which will give you a thicker greener lawn in the spring.  I’ll have to let you know next year if it works!

If you have too many leaves to leave all of them on your lawn, try mulching them and then adding them to your compost container.  If you’re not doing compost, but you have wood mulch in your garden, try adding a layer of leaf mulch underneath.  This will decompose over the winter, adding valuable nutrients to your plants for next year.

Whatever you decide to do with your leaves this year, make sure you enjoy the last bit of being outside for the season!

Back in college, we perpetuated a fundraiser known as the “Pink Flamingo Removal Service” We would sneak into the yard at night of our intended victim and plant hundreds of pink flamigos. For a small fee, that person could then hire our services. It actually worked better than you would think – we raised quite a bit of money! I guess pink flamigos were the most hated lawn decoration of the time…

Now, you have so many different choices when it comes to yard and garden accents. There’s designer stepping stones. There’s giant spiders made from bowling balls. There’s just about anything you can imagine!

If you want a more formal look, try a reflecting ball. You can go classic with Greek columns. Or you can go natural with animal topiaries and bird baths. For a more abstract, architectural look, think about salvaging old window frames or wagons.

However, to avoid a flamigo problem, try to keep your decorations all in the same theme. Don’t overdo it – we all know the house with 20 million gnomes. While five might be okay, 20 or 30 can make it look like Halloween. Or a giant Travelocity gnome party – which might actually be fun in Phil from the Amazing Race shows up!

I recently found this video on youtube and had to share it – it’s a great and easy idea to add if you’re going for a country look on your patio.  Plus, having fresh herbs is a great bonus!

photo by whiteafrican

Looking to add a little interest to your potted plants, but don’t have a lot of money to spend?  Consider using cast off containers you may find in your basement or garage!

Just about any container can be repurposed as a flower pot.  Consider using old pots and pans, or old serving bowls.  You can use old tires, wheelbarrows, shoes…anything that can hold soil or a plant will do, with just a few simple adjustments!

If you use a wooden container, you’ll want to treat it to prevent rot.  Then, you’ll need to use a liner if you intend to grow anything edible in that container.  (Or you can leave it untreated – I’ve had untreated wood in my garden for about five years without any visible rot.  It will start to rot eventually and need to be replaced.)

If you use a metal container, you’ll need to make sure it won’t rust.  Consider using a rust retardant.

Drainage can be a factor in containers without drainage holes.  You can either create your own drainage holes or go without one.  If you want to go without, simply place about 1-2 inches of small rocks or gravel  in the bottom of your container.  If you want to make a hole in a ceramic container, see this how to.

I’d love to know what else you’ve used as a container for your potted plants! Leave a comment below so we can share our ideas for different ways of potting plants!

Planning on making a sitting area outdoors? Wrought iron furniture is one of the best choices, both for beauty and for durability. Wrought iron provides a sense of elegance and class to any outdoor living space.

Wrought iron is iron that is worked, with about 15% actual iron content, along with some slag. This makes the finished product both tough and malleable. It’s easily welded into different designs that are extremely durable. It also has some corrosion resistance, which makes it ideal as outdoor décor.

Wrought iron carries many benefits as outdoor furniture. It’s very strong and long lasting. The look of outdoor wrought iron décor is extremely elegant, but easy to transform with tablecloths or cushions.

The main drawback of wrought iron is the price. It is more expensive than most types of patio furniture. However, you can pick up decorative pieces for less. Wrought iron is also a conductor of temperature. It will get hot in the summer and cold in the winter, so it’s best to place cushions on any seating you use. It also is vulnerable to rust if you don’t maintain it.

Fortunately, wrought iron is easy to maintain. Simply by painting regularly, you can prevent rust. Make sure to touch up any cracks in the finish with some paint. To wash, just use a mild soap or water.

Outdoor wrought iron décor is a sure way to add elegance to your outdoor living are or patio. With many different designs, you can find pieces to fit into your own style, whether it be classic or modern. If you decide on wrought iron to decorate, you’ll have a made a good choice!

Memory gardens are a timeless method to add beauty to your outdoor garden décor as well as honor those you love. It’s common to use one to remember and honor those who have gone before and to mark the new births and weddings of those you love.

A memory garden can be as big as a whole yard, or as small as a potted plant. Your plant choices are only limited by what grows in your climate. Many people choose to plant trees to honor those they love. You can also choose to plant a flower that is a namesake, such as Daisy or Violet. Another method is to choose to plant favorite plants of those you love.

If you want to plant a garden to honor each child or grandchild as it is born, why not choose plants based on birth month?  The plants are

• January – Carnation

• February – Violet

• March – Daffodil

• April – Daisy

• May – Lily of the Valley

• June – Rose

• July – Larkspur

• August – Gladiolas

• September – Aster

• October – Calendula

• November – Chrysanthemum

• December – Narcissus

Many people plant memory gardens in honor of those they’ve lost. For this type of garden, you should choose flowers or plants that your loved one enjoyed. You can also choose decorations based on what you know they would have liked, or even ones that might resemble them a bit. For example, if your sister was known for good deeds, you might place a statue of an angel in your memory garden.

Your garden should also give you comfort. Make sure each item you place in the garden is one that evokes happy memories of the time you had together and the best features of the one you loved. Just the act of creating the memory garden can help you ease the pain of losing someone you loved and create a healthy way of honoring them.

Yesterday’s post inspired me to search a little more into weatherproof art.  Where can you get all weather prints?  How are they make?  Is it something you can do yourself?

Weatherproof art is created by using a combination of UV resistant paint and a sealer to keep out the moisture.  With UV resistant paint, you avoid the fading that would come from a picture being out in the sun.  The moisture barrier then protects the art from high humidity and rain.

There are a few sites which sell weatherproof art. One is Yardiac.com   They have a nice selection of fine art, with an average price around $150. I highlighted my favorite picture at the top of this post.

Another is Darby Creek Trading Company.  They offer more country style prints, and take about 3-4 weeks to ship.

Interesting in pictures printed on tiles instead?  I found a neat photography site at J. Katch Creations.  They use an ink sublimination process to create a picture on a ceramic tile.  They look just like real photographs, only more weatherproof.

If you’re interested in making your own outdoor art, you can try painting an existing picture with a thin layer of polyurethane.  It may take more than one coat, but you should be able to waterproof your painting in this way.  However, it won’t protect the picture from sun damage.  But if you have an inexpensive picture, this can be an affordable way to add wall art to your outdoor space.

It seems everyone is talking about outdoor decor these days.  Maybe it’s just because summer is finally here, and people are staying home more, but it seems that we want a nice area hang out in at our homes.  And the options that are available are becoming nicer and nicer.

I found an interesting news story at The Daily Journal.  It talks about creating living spaces outside, including waterproof rugs and wall art.  One idea mentioned was making family photos waterproof to hang on the walls.  They suggested taking your prints to a local copy center and asking for them to be weatherproofed.  If the copy center does not offer that service, you can coat your prints with a thin layer of polyurethane.

Also, Joanie Richard wrote that we should embrace the outdoor living room.  I agree!  When the value of your home becomes less than you payed for it, you should maximize every inch of space that you’re paying for, including the outdoors.  And being outside lets you get to know your neighbors.

Is it even possible?  If you have a modern or playful style and need to conserve water, you might be interested in this neat little gadget.  This rain collector (RC-1) holds 45 gallons of rainwater.  You can also attach it to your gutter to collect the runoff, and it has a screen on the top to filter out leaves and such.

My favorite feature is a spigot on the front, which lets you pour the water into a watering can, or even attach it to your hose to water the plants.   Inhabitat wrote that “the RC-1 is the perfect example of an accessible and sustainable gardening tool.” 

They also make a drying rack (DR-1) which doubles as a garden screen.  I could see using it to cover your air conditioner while airdrying a few items, though it does not look like it would hold that much.