By Molly Cooper, Cooper & Co. Design
Helloooo Springtime! It’s my favorite time of the year. I love all seasons, but spring has always been my favorite. It is a time to get outside and shake off the winter “cabin fever” blues. Everything comes back to life, flowers bloom, birds sing and all the pretty spring decor is placed. We have gotten our homes “spring cleaned,” and now we are ready to get outside in our outdoor living spaces.
I think I have to start any project I do with a good cleaning. I power wash the house where it is needed and the porches too. Get the outside of the windows all clean and shiny too. I clean the grill, the trash can (I hate a dirty trash can sitting out back) and the porch furniture, too. Once it is all clean, I start with a blank slate and begin bringing my outdoor environment back to life with all things spring!
Tell me, how do you decorate your outdoor living spaces? New cushions for your rocking chairs, a new metal piece to hang on the exterior wall or pot and planters full of ferns and beautiful spring foliage? No matter how you decorate your outdoor spaces, have fun with it. Even if your home employs a neutral palette, the outside can be symphony of bright colors. Find a one-of-a-kind planter to fill with mixed flower, or plant a macho fern to hang from the shaded porch. No matter how or what your choose, spring flowers are pretty however you arrange them. I love adding a wind chimes on my porch along with feeders for the songbirds and hummingbirds (my favorites).
Spring is also a time to update your landscaping and replace any dead shrubs and bushes that didn’t make it through the winter. If you are like most folks after the harsh winter we had in 2022 with its abnormally sub-0 temps, a number of your plants probably did not make it.
When you’re planting back take into account the roots of the plants and how they might affect your foundations. You don’t want to plant anything that would cause damage over time, you also don’t want to crowd your more mature plants and take nutrients away from them. Bushes and shrubs make a home more inviting and definitely increase the curb appeal. Just make sure to not over plant and cause damage in the future.
No matter what you do outside, it will be an improvement from what the winter had taken away. The colors and freshness of spring will make your home more inviting, and you’ll have plenty of time to sit in the rocking chair and enjoy all you have created.
