Your yard is likely the picture of perfection during spring and summer. The lawns are mowed, the gardens look tidy, and all the weeds have been taken care of. With the sun shining and no rain to impact your efforts, you can spend as much time as you need outside.

That can change with the adverse weather conditions of autumn and winter, but you don’t have to put up with a sad-looking property for those six months of the year. Consider jazzing up your backyard with some of the following tips.

Install Fairy Lights

We are fortunate to have long sunshine hours here in New Zealand, even in winter. However, the nights do still draw to a close quicker over autumn and winter than in spring and summer. Make your property as pretty as a picture, even once night falls, with the addition of fairy lights.

While you may have to put up with grey days and dark evenings, your yard can become much more aesthetically pleasing when you’ve got beautiful coloured bulbs lighting up your private space.

Fairy lights are affordable and available in a wide range of colours and styles. The majority are also now solar-powered, which means there’s no need to worry about using extra electricity.

Add Shelter

One of the hardest parts about waving goodbye to summer is having to venture back inside. Rainfall, snow, and hail are all too common in autumn and winter, which means you aren’t able to sit out on your deck and enjoy a book and a cold beverage as often as you once did.

However, you may be able to enjoy your yard year-round if you include some form of shelter. There are plenty of options to choose from, such as pergolas, canopies, awnings, shade sails, and arbours. What you choose may depend on your budget and home layout, but all may provide a form of shelter and protection from the elements so that you can enjoy spending time outside in your yard any time you like.

Install Outdoor Heaters

Many parts of the North Island of New Zealand have mild winters, which means you may be able to enjoy your backyard more often than people living further south. However, that’s not to say that you won’t experience the cold.

Fortunately, many companies manufacture outdoor heaters that you can set up in your outdoor space for extra heat. This means that instead of having to head inside once the mercury plummets, you can switch on your outdoor heater and make the most of your evening.

Choose Plants Carefully

Watching plants that once thrived look like mere shells of their former selves can be disheartening. While they’ll bounce back in spring, you have to put up with a bare-looking garden for at least three months of the year.

If you’re worried about the aesthetics of your property over winter, consider plants that bloom and look at their best year-round. Some hot contenders for your garden slice of paradise include lemon myrtle, Alberic Barbier (an evergreen rambler rose), and the snowflake variety of oakleaf hydrangea. Your local garden store or lawn mowing expert may be able to offer some advice and other options.

Install An Outdoor Fire

On those chilly, clear evenings, there’s nothing quite like wrapping up in your winter woollies and sitting around a fire. If your local council permits it, install an outdoor fire that you can use for ambience and warmth while spending time outside.

You may even like to cook or toast marshmallows on this fire to give your family and friends something to look forward to on those colder, quieter evenings.

Create Indoor-Outdoor Spaces

With the right construction experts, you may be able to create indoor-outdoor spaces that you can use year-round. Generally, they are small patio areas that connect to your home but aren’t entirely enclosed.

You can perform outdoor tasks like cooking on the BBQ and firing up the pizza oven, but without having to be mindful of heat and odour as you would indoors. The best part is, you can enjoy summer-like vibes with heat, lighting, and comfort – but in the dead of winter.

Such spaces are quite common with new builds, and homeowners generally decorate them with outdoor furniture and soft furnishings like rugs and cushions.

Request Expert Help

If you generally get a case of the winter blues each year, your yard may not be doing anything to help. You might be tired of staring at all the dead leaves on the lawn or the gardens looking sad with dead plants.

Without the motivation or inclination to take care of it yourself, you might decide to bring in the experts. Many lawn mowing service providers offer winter and autumn tidy-up services. They may even be able to assist with other seasonal tasks like de-thatching, fertilising, and repairing your dead and dying grass.