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.

Inexpensive garden décor is in and one reasonably priced backyard project is a Shabby Chic garden wall. Am old window door will make a great DIY project for your garden areas at a reasonable cost.

photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

A garden wall adds color, privacy and beauty to a patio, garden area or yard. It can be set up in a few hours but totally change the look of your backyard. You could even bring it indoors for winter use if you live in a cold climate and want to extend your gardening.

I have found that if you use an old door that has the windowpanes and build a planter box on the bottom you have a beautiful garden wall that can be made to match any décor style.

I can find old windowpane door in my area for free or up to $10. The average price is usually $2. I carefully remove the glass from the windowpanes and save the glass for other projects. (Make sure all pieces of glass are gone from the frame)

Sand the door down a bit to get an older look. You can add another color to the door to emphasis your colors in the yard or house.

Make a planter box, or buy one if the door measures the same length. I make my planter about 9 to 12 inches tall and one foot deep. I also use old barn board or recycled boards and paint the box to match the door.

Attach the old door onto the back of the planter with nails or screws. Screws work better if you plan to take the garden wall apart or move it much.

Put the garden wall in place and fill the planter with soil.

A garden wall looks great with vines in the back that will travel up the wall and lower flowers or herbs planted in the front of the planter.

This planter will also make a great mini small space garden with beans; cucumbers or tomatoes planted in the back and trained to grow vertical. In the front you could plants greens, onions, and other smaller vegetable crops.

This project ranges anywhere in price from free if you do some “scrounging” to $10 0r $15 dollars. And when it’s done it adds priceless beauty and many comments to your backyard décor.

Note: If you can’t find an old door windowpane windows will work. Thyew just make a smaller garden wall. Or you can use an old screen door.

Technorati Tags: Backyard Garden, DIY projects, inexpensive garden decor, shabby chic garden wall, Small Space Garden

Spring is just around the corner for many of us and this is the perfect time to prepare your yard for spring.

photo credit: robynejay

What makes spring a perfect time for sprucing up the backyard, gardens and shrubs or trees? That spring feeling of energy and new growth and the fact that with your backyard area coming back alive it’s easier to see debris and evaluate your plants.

Start by raking your leaves and any dead grass. Add this to a compost bin so that you can create your own healthy compost for gardens. Small sticks can also be added, particularly if you can chop them up.

Trim any shrubs or trees and pull off the dead heads from any flowers or plants. While doing this take a good look at the property. You will see if you need to trim around any
Flowerbeds or gardens. Make sure they aren’t being overrun by grass.

Give the yard a fresh look by cleaning mulch in the yard. Remove the top layer or mulch, pull any weeds and put down a fresh coat or your favorite mulching material. I use pine needles, tree chips or leaves, depending on what area of the yard I am working on.

Mow the lawn if it is tall in some areas, but don’t cut it as short as you normally would in the summer. The first mowing is always my favorite. The smell of fresh cut grass and the bright green color makes the spring season special.

Clean up after any pets if you have them.

Till any gardens, move, redo or remove any garden area that you didn’t like. This is also the perfect time to prepare pots for new plants and flowers. Some plants may have to be potted indoors so they start out healthy before moving outside.

Patch any bare spots in the yard with grass seed. You may want to add slow release fertilizer and/or weed stopper to your yard. If there are big brown spots, consider doing a ground test and adding some nitrogen. Brown spots may also be a pet problem too.

Plant some spring flowers and add any window boxes. Window boxes can hold spring bulbs or early spring flowers.

Bulbs are the most versatile of spring flowers and will do as well in pots as the ground. I grow mine in pots now to protect them from small animals and so that I can bring them in or mover them around the patio or porch areas.

Clean and spruce up your porches, patio or entertainment areas. Bring out the lawn furniture and fire pit if you have one, and enjoy spring and the promise of summer that follows.

Technorati Tags: backyard planning, backyard spring cleaning, spring flowers

I have run off problems from rain if we have a heavy storm. Thankfully it does not happen often, but when it does it causes a lot of damage that can take months to clean up.

Rain gardens can alleviate this problem plus they are beautiful. The following you tube has information of rain gardens. Its a bit long but the information is fantastic.

This you tube also has beautiful flowers and outdoor images. Since its February where I live this was a great pick me up from winter weather.

Rain gardens also serve a purpose for the environment. They recycle rain water, feed small animals and beneficial insects and will help with flooding.

Even a small backyard will benefit from a miniature rain garden if you have drainage problems or want to recycle water. These gardens are often recommended in dry or drought prone areas.

I have one area in my backyard that would really benefit from a rain garden plan. It may have to be added to my backyard summer projects. I know it would definitely add beauty and peace to my backyard oasis area.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, backyard projects, backyard rain garden, rain garden

Many people picture a cute furry groundhog with a hat and a holiday all to himself but backyard gardeners know the damage that Groundhog or “wood chuck” can do.

From Millan.Net

If your not familiar with these garden hazards, they are a tunnel-digging rodent common throughout eastern North America. Also known as woodchucks, they can wreak havoc on your backyard garden in no time. I have seen a groundhog destroy a row of beans in less than an hour and ruin a patch of melons overnight. And their homes leave a mess in yard pastures and even under homes.

Groundhogs can produce tunnels forty-five feet in length that are buried up to five feet underground. And if they decide to tunnel under your home or an outbuilding they can damage the foundation.

It is best to deal with groundhogs before they decide to vacation in your backyard paradise. Prevention is the key and here are a few tips to keep your backyard groundhog free.

Protect your gardens

When you plant a vegetable garden it’s like rolling out a red carpet to an all you can eat vegetable bar. The groundhogs will be waiting in line unless you plan ahead. Raised beds, container gardens, patio gardens or a garden fence will discourage these hungry rodents.

Some people use cages to catch groundhogs or dogs to scare them away. I have also used shiny objects, wind chimes and a radio to scare groundhogs away from the backyard garden area.

Maintain your property

Groundhogs are attracted to the edges of woodlands and next to open areas. Old pastures, empty lots and overgrown areas will quickly become their home. They also love to burrow under rocks, tree stumps or by shrubs or bushes. They are making a home in a protected area

Know your property.

Is the edge of your woods overgrown with brush? Do you have firewood or other objects piled in the yard? If so, you are creating a perfect home for a groundhog. Clear away any brush, wood and debris. Keep the grass cut short around your home and outbuildings. Or remove the grass in this area and put down mulch.

When you find a groundhog hole, fill it and make sure the area is cleared. You may want to walk a dog around the area to discourage it from staying. I have also poured cat litter down the holes, and then filled them in.

Groundhogs are stubborn when they decide to move in, so the best policy to keep them out. And Happy Groundhogs day!

Technorati Tags: backyard gardening, garden pests, garden problems, groundhog control, groundhog damage