How To Have Attractive Plants On Your Verandah All Year Round

There is nothing better or more joyful than seeing gorgeously full hanging baskets creating a splash of colour during the summer months. They can also add a nice finishing touch to any verandah and make it even more welcoming and enjoyable.

But while there is no doubt we will use our outdoor spaces more during the summer, it’s still nice to see some colour during the winter too. We may not go outside quite as often but we can still see our garden from indoors, and this means it’s nice to be able to see a riot of colour throughout the winter too.

And it’s not as hard to make this a reality as you might think. The only thing stopping you from having a gorgeous looking verandah or patio area all year round is knowledge – knowledge of what grows at what time of the year, and how to grow it.

Some people are unaware that it is perfectly possible to have hanging baskets all year round, but there is no reason why you can’t; you just need to know which plants will be coming to fruition just as your summer ones finally reach the end of their life.

The trick to having a verandah or outdoor space that is always rife with colour is to learn which plants to use at which time, and to be ready with replacements when you dig out the ones that need removing. Alternatively you could buy ready made hanging baskets so that all you need to do is take down your summer ones and put the winter ones up! It feels a little like cheating and it isn’t as much fun, but it could provide a good answer if you are a beginner and you don’t have the confidence to choose individual plants and plant them from scratch.

The best bet is to choose small plants that are ready to plant straight out when they are in season. If you lack knowledge in this area ask the advice of an assistant at your local garden centre. They will know which plants should go in the shady area at the rear of your verandah nearest your house, and which ones can tolerate the sun at the edge of the verandah, where it meets the garden.

You should also consider having a variety of items such as hanging baskets and pots in the area. If you are keen on gardening then you can include troughs or beds that are built into the floor of your design; these could be raised to allow for easier planting, and to enable you to plant trailing plants that will grow over the edges and down to the floor.

Finally why not consider buying small evergreen trees in pots that you can place at the rear door of your house if it opens directly onto your verandah, for a grander and more elegant feel? These take the minimum of work and they will look wonderful all year round.

Install-a-Veranda is Australia's leading supplier and installer of verandas, patios, pergolas and carports. For a free consultation please visit Pergolas.

Ideas and Online Deals For a Garden That Blooms

My wife, three kids and myself have just moved into a new home: a four-bedroom, two-storey house located in the outskirts of the city. It’s a lovely place, simply but practically furnished, and I am in charge of developing an outdoor space at the family backyard to sort of put the finishing touches on this new domestic life. Planning a garden can be a pain, so I am working on a few ideas and considering a good number of online deals to make this project less stressful and more affordable.

Using my architectural skills, I created a design of something that would serve as a place for play and barbecue. Play because my kids are easily bored indoors – video games don’t cut it for them, which is good – and because it’s healthy to be able to have outdoor fun, be it in a swimming pool, on a mini-playground on the grass, or a makeshift backyard camp with tent. Barbecue because – well, because it would be nice to meet our neighbors, introduce ourselves, and start new friendships in a relaxed, casual, albeit smoky and slight alcoholic atmosphere. (Yes, I am bringing beers, folks!)

Thus I am assessing the condition of lights and soils and shade and trees and plants; I am taking pictures, rendering new designs, reading magazines, listening to suggestions, and consulting relatives and colleagues. I am thinking of ways on how to provide for shade: a sun-resistant parasol? A sail shade? I am also talking to my kids about what they want: Do they want a place where they can nurse pets? Would they like a playhouse complete with a sandbox and swing set?

I have also looked up the Smith & Hawken website to find out which garden structures would be appropriate for my needs. They have plenty of affordable online deals – be it for garden structures (I love their trellises and English-style arches), window boxes, plant stands, terrariums, plaques, stepping stones, fountains, and other such materials for landscaping a backyard paradise. What’s nice about most of the stuff that they have on sale is that these are being offered to be shipped for free.

Of course, while designing and building, I am keeping in mind outdoor safety. It’s a must in households with children: such as mine. That’s why I am looking to build a small storage area – by refurbishing an unused gazebo located in an area near the garden – so that my power tools and equipment are out of my playful children’s reach. Oh, I’ve seen enough TV reality shows and documentaries to exercise precaution in the backyard.

My wife, meanwhile, is the one in charge of all things flora and fauna. She loves the job; I believe that she herself has been looking for online deals for sweet-smelling, double-flowering, butterfly-attracting stocks. Like lilacs, Susans, daylilies and campanulas. She is also researching on elegant but affordable planters, pots, urns, cast-iron trivets and caddies. I am very confident that with her work (and her wisely calculated budget), our garden will bloom – as does our love, marriage, and family life.

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