Pockets of Peace and Quiet – Backyard Niches
By Lisa Markowski
People are finding new appreciation in their own backyards, not just for enjoyment of the space itself, but for the time spent with each other. Soaring gas prices are keeping us home in favor of hitting the highway, and that’s not a bad thing. More together time means more talking, and a dose of imagination can transform the space outside your door into a peaceful, at-home retreat; a pocket within your backyard where you just want to stay for hours, talking and unwinding or just reflecting by yourself. It can all be done with less effort than you might expect, and at price points that fit any budget.
Working With What You Have
Smaller backyards are the norm around here, and that’s just fine; you want a niche, not a dance floor. Niches by definition are small. What defines the space is the atmosphere you create for it. Look around your yard for the ideal site. It might be obvious: a tucked-away nook just begging for a table and chairs, or an especially lovely (and quiet) corner of the garden. Or you might have to think outside the box to find it. Take some time to brainstorm, keeping solitude, natural beauty, and, for practical reasons, shade in mind. Consider, too, what the main purpose of each niche is to be. If it’s dining, then you’ll need room for a table large enough to enjoy outdoor meals, with extra chairs for guests. For niches where intimate conversation will be the primary activity, focus on seating that allows people to face each other and elements that provide separation from the rest of the yard.
A Quiet Corner
To make a quiet corner into a conversation retreat for two to four, consider adding a quaint, cast iron bistro table, or arrange two benches at right angles to each other. Glider benches, cedar and wicker varieties topped with colorful outdoor pillows are great for visual appeal and comfort. Outdoor pillows made of fade-resistant, water-repellent fabric are available at Pottery Barn, Lowe’s, Overstock.com and other retailers at prices ranging from $10 to $90, depending on quality and size. Here, if shade is not already provided, you’ll want to create some using natural elements. This could be as simple as enclosing the area in trellis, climbing vines and a few thoughtfully chosen potted plants.
As much as those long, summer days can scorch us, it’s easy to forget about the shivers of winter nights. That’s when a quiet corner can come to life with the addition of a crackling fire. Metal fire pits and, even more so, chimineas fit the bill by providing warmth in the chilly season along with ambience and Southwestern charm the rest of the year. They’re relatively cheap and abundant at garden centers and department stores and work very well tucked into that once-forgotten corner.
Garden Paradise
A well-kept garden is an ideal spot for resting between weed pulling and tilling sessions. With foliage already in place, all one really needs is a carefully placed sandstone bench or maybe a couple of deep wicker chairs with a complementary accent table for ice cold lemonade. Creating a garden paradise from scratch requires some planning, but not necessarily a lot of work. Container gardens can add beauty to any conversation niche, especially if they’re grown in interesting planters and pottery. Use these generously to create a partial enclosure. Double or triple planter benches like those found at www.benches.com are excellent choices for combining container gardens and seating.
Another place to start is with a mature tree that serves as the focal point of your property. Finding suitable seating is quite easy; curved tree benches in wood and iron that wrap around the trunk of a tree (or even an oversized planter container) are abundant on www.nextag.com. Without an existing tree, you may want to plant now for shade in the future. Mesquite trees’ wide-spreading branches provide ample shade, but they do call for more real estate than other desert-loving options. Palo Verdes have a less-dense branch formation. Acacias and desert willows are also pretty choices for low-water trees.
Smaller, potted trees can even provide some shade, with the added advantage of portability. Something like a dwarf citrus tree will love spending most of the year outdoors, as long as you have a spot indoors for the winter. Use a plant stand with casters for moving potted trees more easily in and out of the house as well as into or out of direct sun as needed.
Kiss the Cook
Barbecuing and enjoying home-cooked meals al fresco is a great alternative to dining out. If the grill is set apart from the dining area, make it inviting so that people are drawn to it as the food is being prepared. Add a high-top table or a portable bar set. Target has several sets available that include a bar-style table and pairs of stools in bamboo, wood, resin, metal or wicker. If there’s room by the grill, a console table is a great place to keep some potted herbs to garnish dishes and beverages. What’s better than pinching off some fresh mint to dress up those mojitos?
For the dining table, some degree of enclosure can define the area, so try to plan it against an existing wall or similar structure, such as the side of the house or a row of hedge. Rather than setting up in the standard spot under the patio awning, setting it away from the house, maybe in a patch of green grass, leaves endless possibilities for sprucing it up. Patio screen panels, available from www.improvementscatalog.com, set off the space and can even become a vertical garden with the addition of some crawling plants.
Canopies with gauzy drapes or pergolas add visual appeal and texture, especially when they’re accessorized with strung lights or climbing plants. Plant desert-hardy vines that flower or bear fruit, such as climbing snapdragon or canyon grape, and train them up the pergola so they can eventually cover it with lush growth. Until then, you can attach shade cloth to the top of the structure, or even improvise with an all-weather tablecloth. More of those outdoor chair cushions and small pillows will keep your guests comfortable from appetizers to long after dessert.
Pool Time
The swimming pool is the main attraction in many Vegas backyards, and it provides an obvious hot-spot for conversation. Adirondack chairs and chaise loungers reign supreme on the deck, but it’s the shade elements that will set this area apart from the rest of the yard. Most patio furniture stores offer a vast selection of patio umbrellas, from simple, center-pole versions for less than $20 to cantilevered, canopy-style umbrellas for $1000 and up. Sail shades are another quick solution for anywhere from $35 to $150 either online (www.csnstores.com has a fantastic selection) or at outdoor-living stores. These triangular or square canvases come in many fade-resistant colors and can be installed permanently above a deck or patio or moved as needed. Just remember to check with your homeowner’s association rules before installing a permanent fixture.
Potted trees or shrubs on casters can play multiple roles here to define and beautify the conversation niche: roll them around the pool area to create shade where you want it, or line them up to form a beautiful, living wall that doubles as a privacy screen. That sort of intimate space will encourage and enhance conversation, whoever your companion may be.
It’s All About You
Your backyard conversation niche should not only be an extension of your home, but an expression of yourself. Do something unique to really set it apart from the rest of your surroundings. That could mean using a more daring color scheme or even a theme that you wouldn’t use indoors. (Can you say Tiki bar?) More conservative folks with strictly neutral indoor décor might base the niche’s design around a color that’s off-limits inside. Think lemon-yellow chair cushions, kiwi-green glazed pottery, and blazing orange flowers. Let your personality lead the way, and the spot will be undeniably you. And if you’re comfortable there, everyone else will naturally feel the same.
Spring Spruce Up
Bringing Your Backyard Back to Life
By Patricia Guth
Spring is here, the perfect time to think about opening your home to family and friends for pool-side BBQs, lawn games and fun get-togethers. What better place to gather than your backyard! But if you’re like most homeowners, your backyard probably suffered a bit of neglect during winter. Now is the time, while the weather is still mild, to rejuvenate that barbecue, landscape, swimming pool and outdoor furniture. Come summertime, you’ll be ready to cool off in a beautiful, well maintained backyard oasis.
Get Cookin’
Spring is a great time to do the necessary annual maintenance that will keep your BBQ grilling all summer long. Set aside one weekend afternoon to perform a few essentials.
Rub a Dub
Preheat your barbecue in order to soften any food residue, then turn off the heat. When it is cool enough to touch, yet warm enough to easily remove greasy byproducts, don heavy work gloves and remove any parts that aren’t fastened down–such as grills, warming racks, rock grates/bars and lava or ceramic briquettes–and lay them on newspaper. Scrub the inside of the grill with warm, soapy water (dish soap is fine), commercial cleaning agents like GooGone BBQ Grill Cleaner or environmentally friendly products like SoyClean or SunBrite, and a steel wool pad. Rinse with a hose, let dry, and coat with cooking spray or oil to prevent rusting.
Next, clean individual parts in hot, soapy water, spray them with cooking oil and let air dry completely before re-assembly. Check for any broken or cracked parts, replacing as needed. You may also want to replace lava rocks or briquettes, available at most garden, home and barbecue stores, or update your cooking surface with modern, non-flare up ceramic grill tiles available at www.thenoflaresquare.com.
Making the Connection
For gas or propane grills, test hoses and connectors for leaks by applying soapy water at the connections. Turn the gas on briefly but do not light barbecue. If the mixture bubbles, you have a leak that needs repair. If the propane tank valve is leaking, simply tighten the connections. If hose fittings are leaking, you may need to replace them. In addition, if one side of your gas grill doesn’t produce a good, blue flame, you probably have a blockage in a gas jet or venturi tube. Check out the “Grill How To” section at www.gasgrillsnow.com for detailed information on cleaning these and other important parts of your grill. Always use extreme caution when dealing with propane and natural gas. If you feel hesitant, contact Southwest Gas for help and information.
Adding Sparkle
Brighten up the outside of your grill by using high-temperature barbecue paint on any outside surfaces that have faded. (Try Krylon or Rust-Oleum, available at Lowes or Home Depot.) NEVER paint the inside of the barbecue. Wait for paint to dry before re-assembling grill.
Clean stainless steel grills with warm, soapy water or industrial stove or barbecue stainless steel cleaner, using a non-abrasive sponge or brush (never steel wool), and buff with a soft cloth for a brilliant shine.
Pool Particulars
Getting the pool ready for summer playtime also requires some routine maintenance. Probably the most overlooked task is cleaning out your filter pumps. Ideally, these should be rinsed out every month or so, as they become clogged with debris. This causes the water pressure to drop, preventing your pool sweep or in-floor cleaning system from operating at full capacity.
Follow the directions from your pool equipment manual for removing the filters from their housing. Rinse the filters until the water runs almost clear. This is best accomplished by using the high pressure hoses at a self-serve carwash rather than a home garden hose, and because they recycle their water, there’s no water waste. In addition:
• Inspect the deck for cracks or areas that need to be repainted or refinished.
• Check inside the pool for loose tiles or plaster chips, and give your grout a good cleaning with special grout cleaner (available at pool supply stores) to prevent calcium buildup.
• If you don’t have an auto-fill, bring the water level to its proper height.
• Have your water analyzed by a professional (Leslie’s Pool Supply will do this) to determine what chemicals are needed for proper balance. You may need to drain the pool periodically if the water will no longer hold chemicals.
Sprinkler Savvy
As the heat arrives, nothing will kill your lawn quicker than a broken or leaky sprinkler system. Look for signs of underground leakage or breaks in the pipe by testing each individual station and observing its performance. Tell tale signs include reduced water pressure in a specific station as well as muddy ground water or sink holes near the pipes or sprinkler heads. During this same check, also look for missing, broken or clogged heads, and be sure that all the sprinklers are spraying in the right direction and proper pressure. Replace and adjust as needed. You should also check for watering schedules in your area by visiting the Las Vegas Valley Water District website at www.lvvwd.com.
Yard Work
Once hot weather comes it may be too late to treat your grass with certain chemicals, so now is the time to fertilize and treat for annoying pests and fungus that can kill your grass and plants in a matter of weeks. Take this opportunity to put your lawn and flowers on a fertilization schedule. An easy way to remember to fertilize is to do so on every major holiday. Choose a fertilizer that incorporates a fungicide agent to protect against airborne fungus, prevalent in the summer months. Be sure to consult with your garden store for the best percentage of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus suited for the outdoor temperature at a given time, as high concentrations of some chemicals can burn your lawn and flowers in the summer heat. Inspect all plants for nibbles, treating as necessary to eradicate pests.
Finally, prepare your lawnmower by taking it in for a check-up and having the blade sharpened. You may also wish to rub the blades periodically with rubbing alcohol to kill any fungus and prevent a previous infestation from reoccurring.
Finishing Touches
If your patio furniture is looking less than fabulous, take time to restore it to its original beauty. Any metal, plastic or wood furniture can be painted for a quick fix. (Use rust-proof paint on metal furniture.) Replace loose bolts, screws, etc. Wash vinyl seat cushions with soap and water. Fabric cushions can be put in the washing machine if small enough, otherwise, use upholstery cleaner.
If your cushions are beyond saving and you wish to invest in some new ones, check out www.customcushions.net or www.patio-furniture-cushions.com for a large selection of replacements. For odd sized pillows or for a more custom look, consult with companies that restore outdoor furniture cushions. They typically provide better quality and more varied fabrics, and can also fix and coordinate matching umbrellas, throw pillows and even patio curtains.
Add some new accessories, including potted plants, backyard wall art, a small fountain and perhaps even a comfortable hammock strung between a few sturdy trees – a perfect place to rest after spring cleaning is completed!
