How to Keep Your Backyard Well Maintained

Spring is here and as the Summer months quickly approach, we are getting ready to spend warm evenings outside with our friends and family. Your backyard is the perfect place to relax and entertain, but getting it to look cohesive, clean, and put together can be a difficult task. Here are some tips to keep your yard well maintained:

1. Put in Mulch Beds Instead of Grass

   Placing mulch beds around plants or rock features in your outdoor living area is an inexpensive option that greatly reduces yard work. Some mulches break down, adding nutrients to fertilize plants, while preventing excess weed growth. There is no need to water or mow, and your mulch needs only be replaced once a year. Two popular long-lasting mulches are shredded hardwood, perfect for more woodsy, natural yard areas, and cocoa bean mulch that is a lovely rich brown and gives off a pleasant chocolatey scent in the summer sun.

2. Plant Lavender

   Lavender is a colorful herb with a soothing aroma that comes back with a beautiful show, year after year. Lavender is a natural insect repellent, and does not require much water. If you live in a climate with lower rainfall during the summer months, lavender beds are easy to care for and always look beautiful.

3. Buy the Right Tools and Equipment

   Having the right tools can make quick work of a task that would otherwise be time-consuming. Do the research to make sure you have easy-to-use, effective pruning, raking, and digging equipment, and keep your tools sharp and clean and stored out of the reach of children.

4. Use Stone for Outdoor Landscaping

   The right landscaping stone is durable, looks beautiful, and feels pleasant on bare feet. Natural stone comes in a variety of colors, allowing you to create a unique look for your outdoor living space. Crushed stone on pathways and around planters is also an effective material for beautiful landscaping that can help minimize yard work.

5. Create an Outdoor Living Space

   Put in a deck, a fire pit area, or a stone patio with a grilling area, seating, and dining table. Extending your home living space into your backyard means less maintenance of lawn and other landscape features.