How To Enjoy Your Garden During Winter Time

Enjoy your home’s garden even in the cold winter months. Here are some easy and super affordable ideas on how on how to turn winter gardens into a reality.


Photo: AJF Design

When the cold winds come knocking, most of us take a step back from our outdoors and start to spend our leisure time on the inside instead. It’s easy to see why – the temperatures start dropping quickly and spending time outside comfortably gets increasingly more difficult – and even though it can leave you wishing for summer back, you don’t have to worry any longer – there are ways to fight the cold back. Out of the dozens of options out there, today we’ll be taking a look at only the very best steps you can take in order to enjoy our outdoors all year round! They’re simple to put into practice, inexpensive and mightily effective so without further ado, let’s begin.

Heat It Up

The most obvious and popular counter-measure – heat. By getting yourself a good looking and potent fire pit or a versatile patio heater, you’ll instantly be on the right track to beat the cold. While a simple patio heater is great and allows you to enjoy your outdoors more easily, a fire pit is another experience altogether. It combines the usefulness of a heat source with the comfortable look of real flames and packages it all up in a gorgeous looking decorative piece that’ll bring everyone together in a warm, cozy and happy atmosphere. Choosing the best fire pit is fairly easy and comes down to one major differentiating trait – is it a propane unit or a wood burning one? Depending on your personal preference and available space, the best choice will differ but you can rest assured that both of them will do the job extremely well. Heat sources like these are the pillar of any winter-proof garden or patio as it will be around them that every other piece such as chairs, sofas, tables and the likes, will stand in order to benefit from the blanket of warmth that is created.

Get Some Cover


Photo: Artemesia Landscape Architecture

Getting some sort of cover from the direct wind is a great upgrade to your garden and cold open-air and even some rain is essential in order to properly use your outdoors during autumn and winter. There are two ways to go about this – either go big or go small. Going small means setting up some windbreakers – either acrylic, glass or simply fabric – which generally is an inexpensive but effective way to protect yourself from the elements. Going big means setting up some large, permanent structures instead such as a pergola or a gazebo which effectively create a season-proof area, allowing you to comfortably use those spaces all year-round be it hot or cold. While windbreakers typically only cover you from the sides (even though you can pair them with a few sturdy wind-resistant umbrellas to get some top coverage), these larger structures give you protection from all sides which is much appreciated not only during the cold seasons to fight off wind and rain but also during the hot ones to get some cool shade. They’re also incredibly good looking, super impactful decorative pieces and last a lifetime but that’s just the cherry on top.

Get Nice and Comfy


Photo: Meridian Estate Greenhouses

With the other steps covering the structural basis, now you only need to take care of the details. When you’re sitting around the fire pit, joyously relaxing, having a nice conversation and sipping on some hot cocoa, there’s only one thing missing – a blanket. If you’re still feeling a little chilly despite all, a blanket will be the finishing touch of heat and comfort, making you impervious to the cold as well as feeling fantastic. There are other little steps that you can apply to create a warmer, more comfortable aura such as placing a couple of rugs outdoors, a set of comfy pillows and even a couple of warm lights as well, all of which work together to create a real sense of hearth and true comfort that not even the harsh elements can disturb.

Bonus tip

Drinking a hot beverage is a classic and surprisingly effective way to warm up. Keep a hot pot of coffee, tea or cocoa nearby and sip away while you relax! Enjoying your outdoors during the colder months is a bit trickier but just as fun, if not more, than during the hot ones. The comfy ambiance, warm flames and cozy conversations are quite unique and make for excellent, long lasting memories so don’t hesitate and let the cold win again this year – roll up your sleeves and fight back by following the 3 simple steps shown above!

3 Reasons Hardscapes Are Trending in Today’s Landscaping Design

Hardscapes are a low maintenance way of achieving a beautiful landscaping design without the up-keep! Keep reading to find out why we are in love with hardscapes!


Photo: Thompson Custom Homes

If you are looking to undergo a total renovation to your landscaping design this year, have you considered just what a hardscape could do to totally change the look of your lawn and garden? Just browse the Internet and you will see that hardscapes are trending in 2018. There are some lovely examples of Architectural Landscape Design with the inclusion of hardscapes you can get ideas from.

No, you don’t need to live in Minnesota to employ ideas from that site, but if you do, that may be one company you could consult with if you live in or around Minneapolis and are looking for someone to take your project from design to completion. Nevertheless, here are three reasons hardscapes are trending this year.

1. Little-to-No Maintenance

Many homeowners find that they simply don’t have the time to keep up with lawn care as it should be. While working long hours and having many family responsibilities, it’s hard to find time more than once a month to get out there long enough to mow the lawn. Forget about planting and caring for decorative flowers, shrubs, and other plants because there wouldn’t be time for that. Therefore, the most common reasons why so many homeowners are leaning towards hardscapes is the minimal care they require.

Photo: K&D Landscape Management

2. Outdoor Living Space at Its Finest

Hardscapes can be used for anything from a peaceful place to rest after a long day at work to the backdrop for an outdoor kitchen. Whether covered or open to the blue sky above you, you will begin to discover multiple ways in which a hardscape area of the lawn can serve as extra space outside the home. These are especially useful if you often entertain outdoors in the summer. Enjoy friends and the fresh outdoors without adding mess and clutter to your home.


Photo: Van Puette Lanscape

3. Well Suited for Small Lawns

Even homes in suburbia are often situated on small postage stamp-sized lots. When this is the case, hardscapes come in handy. With a natural stone floor, a fire pit for warmth and beauty, and a chair or two to rest in, you can appreciate nature even more when you know you need to do nothing more than hose it off a few times to keep it fresh and clean. Why buy a lawn mower when your backyard is hardscaped? Don’t forget, you can add potted plants for a bit of color if you so desire.

Along with those leading reasons why hardscapes are trending, you will find homeowners saying that it is also easier to keep their homes clean because dirt and mud aren’t getting traipsed into the house after a heavy rain. On the flip side, hardscapes can help to keep dust down during dry months when there has been little rain. With a few potted plants, you can enjoy the same natural beauty as you would in a traditional softscaped garden and some of those plants can even be used for vegetables and herbs.

Hardscapes are a major trend in landscaping that is growing by the day. Now you know why