Your outdoor space can be the place you go as a welcome retreat . . . where your backyard becomes an extension of your interior living space. As designers, we think of the outdoor space as livable square footage that can add ‘value’ to your home.

Turn your patio into the perfect outdoor living room by creating a colorful perennial garden or building the ideal outdoor kitchen for cooking and entertaining.

Customize your yard by adding sculptural art, outdoor furnishings, a fireplace with a hearth, a relaxing water feature, an appealing arbor and or even an outdoor sound system.

The first step in planning your ultimate outdoor space is to evaluate the way you live and the way that you would like to live. Both are about your family’s needs and habits. Then you’re ready to contact a professional landscape designer who can make your dreams a reality.

• Plant warm-season flowering annuals, vines, herbs & vegetables. Pinch back one-third of new growth to encourage stocky habit (except vines). Avoid fertilizing newly planted annuals for 2 weeks.
• Stake tall perennials before they reach 6 inches. Begin to regularly pinch back fall-blooming perennials—mums, asters and tall sedums. Pinch once a week until mid-July.
• Cage or provide support for peony blossoms and tomatoes now.
• Spray emerging lily shoots with Plantskydd if rabbits and deer have been a problem.
• Monitor all annual plantings in window boxes & containers. On warm, windy days, hanging baskets require daily watering. Terra cotta pots will dry out faster than plastic. Use a moisture-conserving potting soil like Miracle-Gro Nursery Select Potting Mix formulated for containers.
• Plant tender water lilies and lotus when water temperature is over 65 degrees.