Turn your renovations into resolutions!
A new year brings new opportunities, fresh ideas and changed habits. But what about your scenery, shouldn’t that also get an update? Your outdoor environment can be just as important as the inside of your home and it too deserves a revitalization. View the next 12 months as a clean slate for developing happier, healthier patterns in your life, starting with spending more time outside. Here are five landscaping resolutions you could adopt for 2021 that will encourage more open air activity.
1. Attainable additions
Winter is the ideal season to make landscaping plans. Since many plants will need time to establish their roots, build out your design now and choose which types of additions you would like to have flourishing by the time spring rolls around. Set your garden up for success by picking climate-appropriate plants that will not only survive but will last much longer. Lay down fresh mulch to areas that could use some sprucing up or add low maintenance, native plants that will be easy to care for. Try being conscious of items you could upcycle that you would normally discard as trash, like pallets, old wheel barrels, glass jars, etc., and instead incorporate them into your landscaping design. Be creative and efficient by using what you have at hand. Just switching up the layout or color scheme in your yard can sometimes be enough to give a needed renewal. It’s simple additions and changes like these that will have you and your family enjoying more time alfresco without making huge dents in your wallet or calendar.
2. Grow your own goals
Growing your own garden will reap many benefits. Not only will it require you to dedicate time outside tending to it, but you’ll be eating healthier and cutting down on grocery costs. There is something satisfying about seeding your own food, watching it grow and taking that first bite. With homegrown fresh fruits and vegetables, you’ll be starting off your year organically proud!
3. Dial in your drainage
We have yet to receive substantial rainfall this winter season, but I can assure you the storms are coming. It’s important to review and inspect your drainage system before the large downpours arrive. Do you have water under your house after the large rain event? It may be time to install a French drain to reduce water collection under your home. Another potential issue are clogged drain lines, leading to backups which can eventually flood your landscaped areas, or even worse, your home. Be sure to tighten up your drain system in the first month or two of the new year.
4. Invest in irrigation
If there’s only one area you choose to invest money into this year on your landscaping, let it be an irrigation system! As water conservation is becoming ever-increasingly important, having an irrigation program will be extremely beneficial. Drip irrigation systems reduce wasted water, allowing it to slowly trickle into needed zones. Technology is constantly evolving and there are now systems you can conveniently monitor through your phone or tablet. Smart controllers can even sense rainfall and soil conditions to automatically adjust the flow as needed. Another helpful feature is a flow sensor and master valve combination that will shut your irrigation off in the case of a leak and send you an alert – this is a must for your second home or if you travel often. The return on an irrigation investment is large, with water, time and money well-saved over the years to come.
5. Bring the indoors outside
Make additional use of your yard and turn it into another room of your home. Take the inside outdoors by building a congregation or cooking area. With an outdoor fridge, sink, countertops, woodburning stove, BBQ and even a TV, you’ll have a functional, entertaining, outdoor space for you and your guests to utilize year round. Add a firepit for chilly evenings or find comfy furniture to host game nights. Whether it’s basking in the morning sunlight or under a star-filled sky, an outdoor “living room” will serve its purpose well throughout the year.
Above all, pledge to utilize your outdoors as much as possible. Vow to sip every Saturday morning coffee on your deck, dedicate your daily yoga under the sun, or promise to stargaze on your lawn once a month. Whatever it is that could encourage you to uncage yourself from indoors and take in more fresh oxygen, resolute to do more of that in 2021!