If you live in the northeast US, you may be still waiting for a break in the rain. It’s been a soggy Spring, and your garden patio may not be as filled with beautiful blooms as you’d like. Early plantings may not have happened, as most perennials probably needed to be planted last month. And perennials are great: You plant them once and they come back every year (well, they’re *supposed* to come back). But even if you missed this year’s planting window there are still some perennial varieties you can plant now. An informed salesperson at your local plant nursery or home DIY store can help you find some perennials to plant now.
But even if (shhh) you aren’t much of a gardener like some of us here at EP Henry, you can still have beautiful May flowers in your garden. It’s never too late for that. Today you can tuck bits of color into little spots around your hardscaping in easy and creative ways that are trendy and dynamic.
Here are 2 things you can do now that the rain’s stopped to brighten up your brick patio and landscape.
1. Insert some annuals. Annuals are plants that last for one season. These are popular because of their variety and the ease of changing them from season to season. This is a super easy and quick way to add color to your yard. You can buy annual plants already in bloom at any nursery or home DIY store. Then you take them home, dig a hole and stick ‘em in. Throw a little water their way, according to the tag. Make sure to know whether the space gets a lot of sun or a lot of shade before you buy the plantings. Grab a sales rep at the store to help.
2. Buy some “Cheater McGeeter” outdoor decor. This trick is great. Search for big, colorful “garden accessories” and install them in clumps (of at least 3 each) around your landscape. Poppies made out of tin and painted brightly are popular. Metal flowers of all kinds are available and affordable. Another new trend is a “bottle tree” – a sturdy metal frame that holds multiple colored bottles. You can even buy these frames in the shape of an arch. The effect is a kind of real-life cartoon tree. Eye-catching, actually. The list of non-natural, man-made flowers and accessory possibilities go on and on. Or, find a favorite font and transfer a message onto a rock with outdoor paint.
The best thing about an outdoor living space is it’s highly customizable and a lot less serious than your indoor design. Have fun with it. Gardens are made for dreamers, after all!
Happy Spring.