Photo by Manfred Richter via Pixabay
If you're like many homeowners who are busy with work and family obligations, you love the thought of your outdoor living space serving as a personal sanctuary during the occasional moments when you manage to get some downtime. However, it may also be true that the time you spend in your yard and garden area is more about chores than anything else, with very little room for relaxing with a book and a beverage, enjoying a cookout with family and friends, or simply sitting quietly on a garden bench while listening to the birds sing. Following are several suggestions for how you can exchange some of that outdoor task time for outdoor leisure time.
Rethink Your Lawn
You can save yourself hours of mowing, weeding, feeding, and other lawn chores every week by seriously downsizing your lawn. If you've got active children in the home and want them to have a soft surface to play on, consider creating a play space with playground mulch instead of lawn. Leave a small patch of lawn so that you can still enjoy the occasional gratification of bare feet on velvety green grass.
Go Native
Ask your local garden retailer for recommendations on flowers, shrubs, and trees that are native to your geographical area. These plants thrive in local soils and climate conditions, and they've developed natural resistance to regional pests and pathogens. You won't have to spend time babying them along with special fertilizers and pesticides -- at most, they'll need an extra drink of water during drought conditions and routine clipping and mulching.
Use Plenty of Mulch
Which brings us to mulch. Mulch provides multiple benefits in the yard and garden area. Organic mulch slowly releases nutrients into the soil, and any type of mulch acts as an insulator for plant roots, protecting them from temperature extremes on both ends of the scale. It also acts as a deterrent for the germination of weed seeds, as well as, helps provide your outdoor living space with a pulled-together appearance.
Build a Rock Garden
Rock gardens provide an almost maintenance-free way to maximize the aesthetics of your outdoor living space. Most rock garden plants don't require extra water and fertilizer once established. Rock gardens are also ideal for placing on slopes because they significantly decrease soil erosion from precipitation runoff.
Install a Smart Irrigation System
Smart irrigation systems save homeowners money as well as time. They're equipped with sensors that determine the amount of moisture in the soil, for instance, and the water won't come on unless the soil is dry, and they can also be set to shut off if it begins to rain.
About the Author
Rossy Figueroa
“Real estate” means so much more to me than simply buying or selling property...I believe it’s all about the people behind those transactions. A house would never be a home without them. That is why my first question to you will always be “what are your goals and how can I help you get there?”
Helping someone to plan and achieve their goals is just as important as listening to what they are. I know first-hand from over a decade of experience just how much it can take to make it happen. With honesty, diligence, and resilience, however, no hurdle is unconquerable. I can guide you through the entire process, always making you feel comfortable, informed, and in control. Like I said before, you are always the first priority.
I chose to partner with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Real Time Realty because, just like me, they realize that real estate agents are much more than salespeople. Every person and every goal is just as important as the last - and Berkshire Hathaway has all the tools and resources to get the job done.
It’s been an absolute privilege to meet some of you and help you achieve your goals. I can’t wait to meet the rest. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or both, I am confident that I am the last agent you’ll need. A better future awaits...give me a call and let’s get started!
