In this tribute to spring,
Landscape Smart host Ken Bastida walks you through a special project designed to give a small backyard a ritzy resort feel. How? With a cabana, of course! In addition, he shows how to transform an uninteresting tool shed into a charming spring cottage and gets tips from an expert on planting a summer lawn unlike any of the neighbors'.
Below we explain the specifics for those projects, as well as offer ideas for spring planting and steps for making a unique wire-mesh arbor. You may not want to tackle all these projects at your house right now, but you can try one or two or--even better--adapt a couple to your own landscaping situation so that you'll be all spruced up for spring!
A Spring Resort Northern California homeowner Linda Kendall doesn't have much room to play with, but she's seeking a backyard transformation that will provide her and her young daughter a place to retreat and relax in the coming warm months. Landscape architect David Yakish has just the plan: a new design that incorporates a lot of color and interest to give a "vacation" atmosphere. He'll use diagonal design elements to break up the rectangular space and will install plantings to soften the corners of the back lot. (See video at right.)
Professional installation of this design would cost around $13,000, says Yakish, but homeowners can reduce the cost to about $6,000 by taking on parts of the project themselves. The concrete work should be hired out, he suggests. Otherwise, he considers the project just an average one in terms of difficulty (a rating of 3 on a scale of 1 to 5) and says it can be completed in four or five weekends.
Step One: Framing the Cabana Though this particular cabana frame was welded together, the average homeowner probably shouldn't attempt that type of construction, according to ironworks expert Vince Walker. The framing used here can be built with a traditional nuts-and-bolts technique too. "Anybody with a nice little tool kit in their garage could put it together," he says.
If you have a cabana professionally built, says Walker, it would cost around $2,600. But by doing part of it yourself, you can save at least $1,000. The best way to create a cabana is to hire a professional to lay down the specs, then have the frame pieces fabricated and assemble them yourself on site.
Here, the crew hangs the cabana frame from the house using specially designed brackets and lag bolts to securely anchor the structure to the wall (
figure A). Next, they weld the two-inch tubular steel corner post to the frame (
figure B), making sure the canopy has a half-inch slope away from the house so that rain won't puddle on top. Remember: unless you're an expert welder, don't try welding at home. Instead use a drill and a half-inch carriage bolt to attach the two pieces.
Step Two: Drilling the Posts Three pieces of regular two-inch tubular steel provide the vertical support for the cabana; one-inch tubular steel forms the roof framework on which the canvas canopy will rest.
To install the vertical supports, Yakish uses a drill and wood bit to attach a support on the deck, and a masonry bit to attach supports to the poured concrete (
figure C). (Note the circular pieces of steel that have been welded to the bottom of the vertical posts.) To ensure a tight fit, the crew drills holes that are slightly smaller than the wedge anchor bolts that will be driven in to attach the posts to the concrete.
Next, the canvas curtains and vinyl canopy, which can be made to order by any tent or awning manufacturer, are attached to the framework and tied on securely (
figure D).
Plantings: Forcing Spring Bulbs For pots of spring color around your deck or patio area, try forcing bulbs such as daffodils. Here's what you do (see video at right for details):
- Place about two inches of soil in a clay pot (make sure the pot has good drainage). Sprinkle on a layer of bone meal, to give the bulbs added nutrients, then fill in with more soil.
- Plant the bulbs root side down and cover with soil. Water the pots thoroughly and place them in a cool, dark spot (about 45 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Keep the soil moist, and when foliage begins to appear (this could take several weeks, depending on the variety of flower you've chosen to force) move the pots into a shady location. Gradually move them into brighter and brighter light, and you'll have a cheery container garden, even if you did forget to plant bulbs last fall.
Kendall's backyard tool shed is a large feature in a small landscape, so a "face lift" will help the structure better match its new surroundings. Using simple acrylic house paint, homeowners can transform any similar outbuilding for about $100.
First prime the shed to get it ready to take color. Then apply a couple of coats of terra-cotta acrylic base paint and add a custom-made window box for charm (figure E).
Next, have a little fun. Paint on colorful designs of your choosing and use a dry -brush technique to create a weathered look (figure F). Try adding rough lines to simulate the look of a trellis or lattice, or make cut-out floral doorknobs for an especially creative touch (see video below to learn how).
When the paint is dry, go over parts of it with sandpaper to give an aged look and help layers of paint blend.
Step Four: Building a Unique Arbor
To spruce up the French doors leading outside, the crew makes an unusual arbor of bendable four-inch wire mesh set on wooden posts on either side of the doors.
Begin by setting galvanized brackets on the wall to hold the arbor braces. Next secure the 4" x 4" wood braces in the brackets (figure G) and to the wall.
Finally, take a piece of wire mesh and curve it gently over the braces. The mesh is available where you buy rebar for concrete and costs about $50 for a 7' x 20' piece. Use a nail to hold the arch in place over the door, then clip the nail heads and bend some nails to use as "staples" to attach the mesh to the side braces. The finished arbor looks great (figure H).
Planting a Spring Garden
"You really want to plant a garden for all seasons," says Yakish, "so that you 've got something happening in the summer and the fall and not just everything happening in the spring." Here are some tips:
- Choose plants that have seasonal interest and change color. That way your garden will show many faces during the year.
- Interplant bulbs with plants and shrubs. The shrubs will hide the fading foliage of bulbs as they grow up in the summer.
- Consider foliage color as well as flower color when planning your garden. Think ahead to autumn and how the garden will look then. Oakleaf hydrangea, dwarf pampas grass, black-eyed Susan and Sedum 'Autumn Joy' are all plants that offer various forms and colors throughout the seasons.
Getting Your Lawn Ready for Spring
Sod or seed? "It depends on whether you're in a hurry, whether you have the money to spend on sod, or whether you want to do it yourself and seed it and wait," says Alan Heath of Delta Bluegrass Company.
Homeowner Linda Kendall has about 400 square feet in her backyard that needs new grass. It would cost between $2 and $2.50 a square foot to have sod laid professionally, says Heath. If homeowners want to take on such a project themselves, however, they can reduce the cost by one-third.
If you choose to lay sod, it's important to first prepare the soil so that the new grass can take root. Use a rototiller to loosen the soil, then sprinkle on a timed-release fertilizer so the grass receives nutrients throughout the growing season.
Before making a purchase, carefully consider how the grass will be used. For instance, if the grass will get heavy play, such as with children playing football or soccer, you might choose Bermuda grass. If you need a drought-tolerant variety, try fescue. Bluegrass or a blue-rye blend provides a nice soft texture.
In Kendall's yard, landscape designer David Yakish has decided to lay in two types of sod: fescue and bluegrass. He'll install wedge-shaped strips in the semicircular lawn area for a unique effect.
Use wooden stakes and mason's line to mark off the distinct sections of grass (figure I), then cut sod pieces to fit each section
New Life for Old Furniture
To revive old wooden patio furniture, start by removing the old paint. Use a power sander with a medium grade sandpaper or do the sanding by hand. Next, use galvanized screws to tighten up any loose joints; fill in holes with wood putty and sand a second time when the putty has dried.
Choose a shade of acrylic house paint and cover the entire piece. Later, accent the furniture with leaf-and-stem patterns or designs of your choice in a few different colors (figure J).
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