Does your porch still look like it's mid-February? If so, it's time to get moving to make your outdoor room user friendly! If you live in a heavy pollen area like me (pine, oh, there's just so much of it) the cleaning will require a little muscle. But once you're done you'll reap the benefits for months on end.
This is what my deck looked like a week ago, saturated in thick pine pollen, chair cushions still in the garage and planters with no flowers. Not awesome.
Before I could do any decorating I had to clean. First, I swept all the debris I could and then washed down the deck and furniture with a hose. I had the setting on jet in order to get as much pollen out as possible. I cleaned in early afternoon. I was in full sun (wear sunblock!) and the temperature was about 80F. So, the water felt really great. We had guests coming to dinner but I knew everything would quickly dry.
Sling fabric chairs will take on a lot of dirt if you leave them out all year uncovered. It is recommended to cover them. I didn't and the consequence was that after I hosed everything down I still cleaned the chairs and table surfaces with soap and water to make sure they were really clean. All said, the cleaning took about 2 hours but it was well worth the time.
I decided not to worry about gardening until the next day. I love to do this every spring and decided to give myself time to enjoy it without any time constraints. Anyway, because weeds get everywhere in my neighborhood - including deck planters, thanks to birds - I clean off the top couple inches of soil and remove any weeds already growing. If I don't I will have a deck full of strange tall plants that aren't very pretty. Because I have to clear soil I plant annuals in my deck planters. The big benefit of annuals is that I can change the look year after year. Last year I went with red and white. This year I'm going whole hog with bright & cheery yellow, orange, pink and red.
I like to mix more than one plant or flower type in a pot. It gives good depth of color. And, if I'm experimenting with a new plant I can easily remove ones that are failing without leaving the pot empty.
Placing your planters is also an art. I put them in strategic places such as in front of a drain, by the window and next to seating areas.
Hands down my favorite planter is the wide rectangular one I have in front of my large kitchen window. If you have a large low window like I do a wide planter looks amazing indoors and out. Mine was made for $20 with leftover deck materials a few years ago. I always choose flowers that bloom through the fall. This year I went with impatiens and marigolds. I've used impatiens lots of times and they always work great and bloom until Thanksgiving. Marigolds are the wild card. I have no idea how they'll fare but I'm gonna give them a go.
The one thing that I don't have purchased yet which I love are outdoor lights. Last year a squirrel decided to use my set as a trapeze and destroyed the set. So, I'll be going out this weekend to get a new set. I prefer solar powered ones and think I may go with butterfly or flower shapes. There are loads to choose from. I'll add a photo once I get those set up!
Anyway, here's a photo of the deck so far. It's quite nice and I think it's time for a break and a second cup of coffee... outdoors!
I hope this post inspires you to create a cozy space for yourself, your friends and your family. Fresh air and relaxation is so good for you. We are all busy people but it's important to give yourself a moment of quiet every day. Even if you can spare just 5 minutes a day, get out there and breath it in.
This is what my deck looked like a week ago, saturated in thick pine pollen, chair cushions still in the garage and planters with no flowers. Not awesome.
Before I could do any decorating I had to clean. First, I swept all the debris I could and then washed down the deck and furniture with a hose. I had the setting on jet in order to get as much pollen out as possible. I cleaned in early afternoon. I was in full sun (wear sunblock!) and the temperature was about 80F. So, the water felt really great. We had guests coming to dinner but I knew everything would quickly dry.
 |
| The sling chairs and deck were dried by the sun in less than 15 minutes! |
I decided not to worry about gardening until the next day. I love to do this every spring and decided to give myself time to enjoy it without any time constraints. Anyway, because weeds get everywhere in my neighborhood - including deck planters, thanks to birds - I clean off the top couple inches of soil and remove any weeds already growing. If I don't I will have a deck full of strange tall plants that aren't very pretty. Because I have to clear soil I plant annuals in my deck planters. The big benefit of annuals is that I can change the look year after year. Last year I went with red and white. This year I'm going whole hog with bright & cheery yellow, orange, pink and red.
I like to mix more than one plant or flower type in a pot. It gives good depth of color. And, if I'm experimenting with a new plant I can easily remove ones that are failing without leaving the pot empty.
Placing your planters is also an art. I put them in strategic places such as in front of a drain, by the window and next to seating areas.
Anyway, here's a photo of the deck so far. It's quite nice and I think it's time for a break and a second cup of coffee... outdoors!
 |
| This Sling Dining Set was purchased at Sears years ago. I think it was a Ty Pennington design. The umbrella was purchased at Target at the same time. All are holding up very well even though they are outside 24/7, 365. |