Summer is basically here and that long green grass seems to grow faster than you can cut it! There has GOT to be a way to enjoy your yard after you take off your grass-stained shoes and wipe the sweat off of your face from lugging around that mower for half and hour…right?!?

If you’re a beginner, like most homeowners, you might catch yourself looking into the yard and thinking up a bunch of things that ‘would be nice’ to do year after year but never actually getting anything done.

Here are some tips for beginners that everyone, at every level of skill, can benefit from:

Just like when you bought your home, you need to figure out first what you NEED and then what you WANT. If you’re a visual person, draw your backyard the way you want it to be and figure out if you can make it happen. Do you want room for a swing set or a deck (eventually)? Do you want to minimize the grass you need to mow? Do you need to make space for the barbeque and a patio set?
Try to figure out where the sun shines in your yard, and where it is most windy. This should be a factor when you are placing your patio set or a fire pit. It might be better to make sure that the late afternoon sun is not shining right on your outdoor dinner table and that the wind won’t extinguish your fire pit before you get to enjoy it.
Try things out before you implement a permanent design. You want to figure out what works best for your family and where everyone will naturally want to sit and spend time.
Try to start small. When you watch shows on TV that perform backyard makeovers, they usually have a large budget and a lot of help. Try to implement small things and slowly build from there until you have a backyard that you can enjoy!
Use a main point and build around it. A good garden design typically has a focal point, or many of them, and it’s easy to do this as a beginner. You can use a tree, or shrubs, or even a fun outdoor sculpture if the mood strikes you!
Focus on a theme to make sure everything ‘flows’. You can include different elements of various sizes, shapes and colours as well as a path that leads people further into the yard. Try to make it flow and keep it exciting without being TOO busy.
The Dollar Store or even a second hand store can be great places to find unique and fun elements to add to the fun in the backyard too.
Try lightening things up! You can add ambiance with plug-in lights or candles in the back yard as well. Anything to create the perfect spot for you and your family/friends!
Embrace the possibility of change! Be as patient as possible and be open to trying new things. If you have too much bare open space, you could try simple things like annuals or mulch to cover up the area while you try to decide what to do over the long term. If you put in trees, it will be much harder to move them later but at least with smaller plants or mulch, you have something there ‘for now’.

These ideas, along with many others, can be found online but the best advice I can give is to avoid re-inventing the wheel! Take some tried and tested ideas and personalize them for yourself!

For information on this and FUN ideas to make your home an even BETTER place to live in, please get in touch with YOUR Guelph REALTOR®, Krystal Moore, today! Krys@KrystalMoore.com or 519-400-8394

Krystal Moore, Sales Representative
Royal Lepage Royal City Realty, Brokerage
Independently Owned and Operated
214 Speedvale Ave. W.
Guelph, ON N1H 1C4
Phone: 519-821-6191
Direct: 519-400-8394
Fax: 519-821-6764

Email: Krys@Krystalmoore.com
Email: K moore@rlproyalcity.com

Why choose Krystal?

I have over 15 years’ experience in Sales and Customer Service, I am motivated, dedicated
and have a solid background in law. I consistently go above and beyond to make my clients
feel important, valued and appreciated!

Want to know Moore?

www.facebook.com/KrystalMooreRealEstateSales
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twitter: @Krys_Guelph
www.KrystalMoore.com

**information in this post was taken in part from BHG’s article on the same topic.

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