Why a backyard oasis? With tough economic times and saving money being a top priority for many families this is the time to think about creating your own backyard oasis to chill out from your daily stresses. With proper planning you can make your backyard into a paradise that fits the activities of the entire family. You can even add a nutritional garden area to save additional money.

photo credit: zenera

One of the first steps in planning is deciding on what you will spend.  Many backyard accessories can be made or may already exist in your landscape. You can hunt at auctions or garage sales for any additional furniture, garden supplies or children’s play equipment.

The next step is to evaluate your space. It’s amazing how much you can fit into a very small area and still have a spacious feel. An area under a shade tree may become a place for children to play. Your patio can double as a family leisure area for picnics or camp outs or even be set up as a patio gardening area.

Plants add a relaxing atmosphere and seem to extend your yard. By arranging your plants in layers such as raised beds, containers, or climbing plants, you can grow upwards and save space and add privacy to your backyard oasis.

One more addition to any yard is water. Water tends to make people feel at home. Water fountains cover up traffic and neighborhood noise while small pools can contain fish, or be a place for the family to cool off on hot days.

With an enclosed porch or additional building you can extend the time you can spend in your yard. I have a small sunroom and a greenhouse that I spend hours in during my cold Northwest Pa. winters. It extends my spring and fall seasons by several months.

Backyards can also look beautiful and inviting even in cold weather. Many of my favorite childhood memories include bonfires and cookouts in January and February, our coldest months.

If you live in town or a city you may still have a patio, a deck, a room with windows, or an area by a garage that you can turn into your own private getaway. There are many renters who have rooftop garden and living areas that are a special and very inviting oasis.

Your backyard can be made to fit you and your families needs for family leisure activities, such as sports, gardening, and entertaining. Make this season the time to create your own backyard oasis.

The backyard is for the entire family to enjoy but when there are young children extra precautions must be taken to protect them.
photo credit: Tammra

If you have very small children make sure they have an area to play in close to the porch or door. They must be within eyesight at all times when very small. It would also be advisable to have a place for them to sit in the shade or lay down if they get tired.

Set up a rest and snack area for children. Remember that a child can get overheated in the summer and may suffer heat stroke so keep cool water within reach. Suntan lotion is equally as important and should be used before the child goes outdoors and be within reach.

Make sure all play equipment is properly anchored. Swing set seem to be one of the biggest villains when it comes to being improperly anchored to the ground. Don’t take chances with your children’s safety.

Put soft material like mulch, wood chips or sand under swing set, climbing equipment or a favorite tree they climb. This will minimize an injury if they fall. And if you have a trampoline children must be watched at all times.
photo credit: whgrad

Pick up loose debris on the ground. Sticks, rocks glass, and forgotten toy can cause injury to children. Take a quick look around the yard in the morning and again at night for any items that can be tripped over.

Put lawn equipment away when you are done using it.  Garden tools, lawn mowers, weed eaters, hoes and rakes can cause serious harm to children. If you have a garden shed lock them away when you are done using them. Also lock up any chemicals used in the yard and paint. These items are toxic and could cause a serious problem if used by a child.

It only takes a small amount of water to drown a small child, so buckets should be emptied. If you have a wading pool, it should be turned over when empty to prevent it from filling with rainwater.

If you have a swimming pool have a gate and make sure it is locked. With a pool make sure your child is supervised at all times. This may mean locking the doors to make sure the child dos not go to the backyard unsupervised.

Ponds, water fountains and electrical outlets should also be taken into consideration for safety if the child is very young.

The backyard is a perfect place for a child to play and they will have wonderful memories for years to come from their outdoor adventures. With a little thought and planning your backyard oasis will be child safe.

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Its summer and backyard picnics are a popular weekend event. 
photo credit: Tobyotter

Backyard furniture, comfortable furniture and a patio or water fountain and garden will add to the atmosphere.

But a backyard grill or barbeque pit will also add to your family entertaining.

This you tube will show you how to make a very nice barbeque grill.

A nice grill and picnic area will add to your backyard fun and entertaining. Add a shady area and flowers or vegetable containers and you backyard will have a new look and feel

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, backyard projects

Having a fourth of July party in your backyard for friends and family will add to the holiday. But it’s best to start planning little early so you can enjoy the party without having to rush around at the last minute.
photo credit: TMAB2003

First, do any yard work that is necessary such as mowing the yard, cleaning the pool or repairing a door or window. This is also the perfect time to decorate your patio or add a few containers of flowers, preferably red white and blue flowers.

And if you party is running into the night add tiki lights, backyard torches or solar lighting. It will add atmosphere and safety in maneuvering about the yard

Decorate your patio or tables in a patriotic theme. Purchase tablecloths, plates, cups and napkins in red, white and blue. Add to the fun and have everyone dress in red white and blue. Or plan your party around a theme

Prepare and check your grill or collect wood for your fire pit. And if you want total ease in party planning organize a buffet or order out.
Serve “all-American” foods. Hamburgers, hot dogs, apple pie, potato salad, deviled eggs, corn on the cob, watermelon and lemonade.

Make sure that you have any extra supplies. Tables, chairs, yard games or possibly a canopy or tent might add to your party.
photo credit: Seth J

Pools, badminton baseball, croquet or Capture the Flag will add to backyard activities. And if you have the supplies for horseshoes, this was a favorite game at many picnics and gathering years ago.

When planning, set your party for early in the afternoon. Many may have plans for the fireworks or another community event nearby. It may be possible to all go as a group.

Have a few activities for children so if they get tired they can color, draw or create a craft and relax. A tent in the backyard will also keep younger children busy.

Above all plan your party to be safe and to celebrate the history of the fourth of July.

Technorati Tags: backyard event, backyard oasis

When you live with an Interior Designer there is never any question about what to do on the inside of your home; they always make it look spectacular! I have also recently discovered that their design knowledge carries over to the outside as well with a couple of tweaks here in there.
photo credit: Jeff Sandquist

One such issue has to do with the look and feel of your yard as well as what you would like to plant where. It is very important to think about placement and color as well as season. Plants come up at different times of the year and some need full sun while others will require shade.

Once you realize the differences you will need to consider, the help you may need to hire and the time it will take you from start to finish, you can then get down to business. To begin with let us look at some of the design elements you will want to consider.

One that comes to mind first is always balance. At first it would seem that balance would be whatever is on the left should also be on the right but that’s not really true. Balance is achieving a flow throughout your outdoor space where no one thing that overwhelms the whole.

In other words, putting up a large greenhouse in the middle of your backyard does not create balance. Having paths that go to the greenhouse along with other gardens and areas can create a wonderful balance throughout the entire space.

If you can look at your outdoor space as a natural place for meditation and think in terms of what one would love to hear, see, touch or smell then you can imagine bringing in elements such as water, fire, wind and earth.
photo credit: Scoobymoo

Planting flowers that bring the earth out of its shell or a water fall or small stream to listen to and just relax. All of these are wonderful ways to fulfill this since of balance in a natural way.

This brings us to the next element of design; rhythm. Nature has natural rhythm’s that you hear and see in the earth, wind, fir, water elements but you also find it in colors or plants, even in the types of grass or grasses you use in the different parts of your yard.

The patterns you use in the stonework or pattern you plant with in a garden. All of these things have an impact on the rhythm of your outdoor spaces.

You want you yard to sing in perfect harmony with you and you do that by using the rhythms and balance that we have discussed. The thing I love about harmony is it’s not all packaged and pretty for to have harmony there must be contrast.

There is always a little “bad” to make sure the “good” is noticed. It is almost always subtle and wonderful.

That brings me to the last element I will discuss, which is focal points. You might have one main focal point or main one and several smaller ones. Either setup can work as long as you remember the other design elements.

You might have a storage shed towards the back of the yard that you do not want to highlight though it’s large so you use an elegant cedar arbor to bring your eye away from the shed to a lovely garden area.

Everyone in your household has great ideas that should be explored and developed to see if they can be incorporated into your overall plan. To help you eliminate, design and decorate your yard it is well worth the effort to hire someone with a design background and experience.

Every effort should be made to have the best outdoor spaces to match the great indoor space of your dreams. Get started today!

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, design elements, garden decor, greenhouses, home decor, landscaping