New Zealand homeowners take pride in their outdoor spaces. Whether it’s for entertaining guests, enjoying family barbecues, or simply relaxing in nature, having a clean and well-maintained backyard adds significant value to homes. However, over time, dirt, grime, algae, and mildew can take their toll on outdoor areas, making them look tired and worn.

This is where water blasting, also known as pressure washing, comes in. Using high-powered jets of water, this method can effectively remove built-up grime from hard surfaces, breathing new life into your backyard. Let’s explore seven ways water blasting can revitalize your backyard space and enhance its appeal.

1. Restore Your Deck to Its Former Glory

Decks are often the centerpiece of a backyard, providing a perfect space for outdoor lounging and dining. However, wooden decks are prone to dirt, moss, and algae buildup, which not only dulls their appearance but can also make the surface slippery and dangerous.

Water blasting can thoroughly clean wooden decks, removing accumulated grime and revealing the natural beauty of the wood beneath. Regular pressure washing not only restores the deck’s aesthetic appeal but also helps extend its lifespan by preventing moisture retention and rot. If you plan to reseal or stain your deck, a thorough water blast is the perfect way to prepare the surface.

2. Revive Patios and Pavers

Patios and paved areas are often exposed to the elements year-round, making them susceptible to dirt, algae, and weed growth. Over time, your once-pristine pavers may look dull and weathered.

Water blasting is an effective solution for cleaning patios and paved surfaces. The high-pressure water can easily remove built-up dirt, stains, and moss that may be deeply ingrained in the material. By eliminating weeds and debris from the gaps between pavers, water blasting also helps prevent further growth, keeping your patio looking fresh and well-maintained.

3. Clean Driveways and Walkways

Driveways and walkways are high-traffic areas that endure a lot of wear and tear. Oil stains, tire marks, and general grime can build up on these surfaces, diminishing the overall appearance of your home’s exterior. For homeowners looking to improve curb appeal, water blasting offers an efficient solution.

With the right equipment, water blasting can remove even the toughest stains from concrete, asphalt, and stone driveways. This not only revitalizes the look of your driveway but also reduces the risk of slipping on oily or algae-covered surfaces.

4. Refresh Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture, especially in New Zealand’s often unpredictable weather, can accumulate dirt, mildew, and grime over time. Plastic, metal, and wooden furniture are all prone to weathering, which can make them look worn and unattractive.

Water blasting offers a quick and effective way to clean outdoor furniture without harsh chemicals. Whether it’s removing bird droppings, mildew, or dust buildup, pressure washing can make your outdoor seating areas look as good as new. Be sure to adjust the pressure setting appropriately to avoid damaging more delicate materials.

5. Revitalize Fences and Retaining Walls

Fences and retaining walls play a crucial role in defining the boundaries and structure of your backyard. Unfortunately, these features often collect dirt, algae, and mildew, which can lead to discolouration and decay over time.

Water blasting is a fantastic way to revitalize fences—whether they are made of wood, brick, or concrete. By stripping away the grime and exposing the original material, you can refresh the look of your property’s perimeter. If you’re planning to paint or seal your fence or wall, a water blast beforehand ensures the surface is clean and ready for treatment.

6. Restore Your Pool Area

If you have a swimming pool, you know that maintaining the area around it can be a challenge. Pool decks, tiles, and surrounding concrete surfaces often accumulate dirt, algae, and mineral deposits from pool water splashes, making them slippery and unsightly.

Water blasting can restore these areas to their original clean state by removing tough stains, algae, and mildew. This not only improves the appearance of your pool area but also ensures the safety of those using the space by reducing the risk of slipping on wet, grimy surfaces. For best results, use a professional water blasting service that can adjust pressure levels to suit delicate tiles or stone.

7. Brighten Your Home’s Exterior

While water blasting is excellent for cleaning hard surfaces, it’s also incredibly effective at revitalizing the exterior of your home. Over time, dirt, mold, and mildew can build up on siding, cladding, and roofs, making your home look older than it is.

A professional water blast can restore your home’s exterior to its original brightness, removing years of grime in just a short amount of time. For New Zealand homes that endure a mix of sun, rain, and humidity, regular pressure washing is a simple and cost-effective way to maintain your property’s appeal. 

Benefits of Water Blasting for New Zealand Homeowners

Water blasting isn’t just about aesthetics—it offers several practical benefits that make it a must for homeowners looking to maintain their outdoor spaces:

• Preventative Maintenance: Regular pressure washing removes harmful substances like mold and algae that can damage surfaces over time, helping to extend the life of your outdoor features.

• Increased Property Value: A clean and well-maintained backyard enhances the overall appeal of your home, which can boost its market value if you ever plan to sell.

• Eco-Friendly Cleaning: Water blasting typically doesn’t require the use of harsh chemicals, making it an environmentally friendly option for keeping your outdoor areas clean.

• Time-Saving: Water blasting is a quick and efficient cleaning method that achieves results much faster than manual scrubbing or other cleaning techniques.

Water blasting is a powerful and versatile tool that can transform your backyard space. From restoring decks and patios to cleaning driveways, fences, and outdoor furniture, this method offers an effective way to refresh and maintain your outdoor areas. For New Zealand homeowners, regular water blasting is an excellent investment in the appearance, safety, and longevity of your property.

Ready to revitalize your backyard? Contact a professional water blasting service today and experience the difference a thorough clean can make! Reach out today to enlist our local Crewcut team nearest you.

As the warm weather sets and ushers in BBQ season, many are eager to fire up the grill and enjoy alfresco dining in the backyard. However, alongside the delicious smells of sizzling meats and fresh salads, there’s often another unwelcome guest—pests. From persistent flies and ants to pesky mosquitoes and birds, pests can quickly turn your BBQ from a fun summer gathering into a frustrating experience.

The key to keeping pests away from your BBQ is to be proactive. By taking steps to create a pest-free environment, you can ensure your backyard remains an enjoyable space for family and friends. Here are some tips to keep pests out of your BBQ area that make for a welcoming atmosphere for your future guests.

Maintain a Clean BBQ Area

The foundation of any pest control plan is cleanliness. Pests like flies, ants, and even birds are drawn to food and food waste. Keeping your BBQ area clean is essential to preventing these unwanted visitors from crashing your party.

Clean as You Go

Food scraps, spills, and grease attract a wide range of pests. While hosting a BBQ, make it a habit to clean as you cook. Wipe down surfaces, remove any dropped food, and keep your grill clean. If grease splatters around your BBQ, clean it up promptly to prevent ants and flies from being drawn to the area.

Proper Waste Management

Place a sealed trash bin close to your BBQ area so that waste can be disposed of immediately. Be sure to use a bin with a secure lid to prevent flies, ants, and rodents from accessing food scraps. Consider double-bagging your rubbish if you're dealing with strong-smelling food or fish to minimize odor attraction.

Store Food Properly

Keep raw and cooked food covered when not being served. Use tight-fitting lids, cling film, or foil to prevent pests from getting into food. Serving bowls with fitted mesh covers are also great for protecting food while keeping it accessible.

Repel Flies and Mosquitoes Naturally

New Zealand summers are prime time for flies and mosquitoes, especially when BBQ smells are in the air. To protect your guests from these nuisances, consider both natural and strategic repellents.

Citronella and Essential Oils

Citronella candles or torches are popular for repelling mosquitoes. Place them around the seating and BBQ areas to keep mosquitoes at bay. Essential oils like eucalyptus, lavender, and peppermint can also help repel flies and mosquitoes. You can create your own repellent spray by mixing a few drops of essential oil with water and spraying it around your BBQ area.

Fans for Airflow

Flies and mosquitoes struggle to fly in windy conditions, so setting up fans in your BBQ area can be surprisingly effective. Fans create a breeze that makes it difficult for these pests to land on food or people. Plus, the added airflow can help keep guests cool during the summer heat.

Bug Zappers and Traps

Bug zappers are effective at attracting and killing flying insects like flies and mosquitoes. Position these devices at the edges of your backyard, away from the cooking and eating area, to keep pests at a distance. Fly traps with non-toxic baits can also help to reduce fly populations near your BBQ.

Prevent Ant Invasions

Ants are notorious for showing up at outdoor meals. They can quickly find their way to food left unattended and will soon invite their colony to join them. Here’s how to keep them in check:

Create Barriers

Ants navigate by following scent trails, so disrupting their paths can keep them from reaching your food. Sprinkle natural deterrents like cinnamon, coffee grounds, or chalk around table legs and BBQ surfaces to create barriers that ants won’t cross. You can also use commercial ant deterrents if the problem is persistent.

Remove Food Sources

Avoid leaving sugary drinks or fruit uncovered, as these are prime targets for ants. Once ants locate a food source, they communicate this to the rest of the colony, leading to an influx of ants at your BBQ. Cleaning up spills and covering food will minimize this risk.

Seal Entry Points

If your BBQ area is near the house, ants may use cracks and crevices to enter and access food. Seal any potential entry points around windows, doors, and outdoor areas to reduce the chances of ants infiltrating your space.

Birds and Larger Pests: How to Keep Them Away

While birds are often a welcome sight in New Zealand backyards, they can become a nuisance during BBQs, swooping down to snatch food off plates or scavenge leftovers. In addition, larger pests like rats and possums can be attracted to rubbish left out after a BBQ. 

Cover Your Food

Birds are opportunistic feeders and will not hesitate to grab unattended food. Keep all food covered when not being served, especially meats and bread, which are particularly appealing to birds. Use lids, mesh food covers, or foil to protect your food. 

Install Bird Deterrents

Visual deterrents such as reflective tape, fake owls, or scarecrows can be used to scare off birds from your BBQ area. Hanging shiny objects like CDs or wind chimes around your garden can also deter birds from coming too close. 

Secure Your Waste

Make sure all waste, especially food scraps, is secured in tightly sealed rubbish bins to prevent rodents or possums from being attracted to your property. Don’t leave trash bags sitting out overnight, as this can entice nocturnal pests to forage through your rubbish. 

5. Maintain Your Lawn and Garden

Well-maintained lawns and gardens play a significant role in reducing pest activity. Overgrown grass, stagnant water, and debris can attract a range of pests, including mosquitoes, ants, and rodents. 

Regular Lawn Care

Keep your lawn trimmed and free from tall grass, weeds, or dense foliage where insects like mosquitoes and ticks may hide. Regular mowing and garden maintenance help to reduce the number of places pests can nest.

Remove Standing Water

Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so it’s important to eliminate any potential breeding grounds. Check your garden for puddles, bird baths, or water-collecting pots. Empty any standing water regularly to reduce mosquito populations.

Tidy Up Garden Debris

Fallen leaves, branches, and other organic debris can harbor insects and pests. Rake and clean your garden regularly, especially during the BBQ season. This will reduce the likelihood of insects making their home close to your outdoor dining space. 

A little preparation and attention to detail go a long way in creating a backyard environment that keeps pests at bay while allowing you and your guests to fully enjoy the delicious food and great company. By maintaining cleanliness, using natural and chemical repellents, and making your backyard less attractive to pests, you can enjoy BBQs without the annoyance of unwanted guests.

Need further help to do this? Contact us to take control of your BBQs and ensure that pests don’t spoil the fun. With Crewcut, you’ll be able to host outdoor gatherings with confidence, knowing that your backyard is a pest-free zone.

Here at Crewcut, we’re passionate about creating beautiful outdoor spaces for you to enjoy. But a thriving garden isn’t just about aesthetics it’s about fostering a healthy ecosystem that benefits everyone. That’s where pollinators come in – these incredible creatures, from bees and butterflies to hummingbirds and hoverflies, play a vital role in our environment. By creating a pollinator-friendly garden, you’re not just helping these fascinating critters you’re contributing to a more balanced and productive ecosystem for your backyard.

Why Pollinators Matter

Pollinators are the unsung heroes of the plant world. They transfer pollen between flowers, enabling plants to reproduce and ensuring a bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables, and seeds. In New Zealand, we have a diverse range of native pollinators, including many unique bee species. Sadly, their populations are declining due to declining due to habitat loss and pesticide use. By providing a haven for these essential creatures, you’re helping to reverse this trend.

Creating a Pollinator Paradise

Transforming your garden into a pollinator haven is easier than you might think!

Here are some key steps to take:

Plant a Pollinator Buffet: The foundation of any pollinator-friendly garden is a diverse selection of flowering plants. Choose a variety of blooms that flower throughout the season, ensuring a constant supply of nectar and pollen. Here are some New Zealand favourites:

Early Spring:

Kowhai (Sophore microphylla), Pohutakawa (Metrosideros excelsa)

Spring/Summer:

Flax (Phormium tenax). Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), Ngaio (Myoporum laetum)

Autumn:

Kānuka (Kunzea ericoides), Awatea (Corokia cotoneaster)

Winter:

NZ Fuchsia (Fuchsia excorticata), NZ Broom (Carmichaelia aligera)

Don’t forget about herbs! Lavender, rosemary, and thyme are not only delightful additions to your kitchen but also irresistible to pollinators.

Embrace Native Plants:

New Zealand boasts a wealth of beautiful native flowering plants that are perfectly adapted to our local pollinators. Consider incorporating species like Kowhai, Pohutukawa, and Flax into your garden design. These plants not only provide a vital food source but also create a habitat that native pollinators recognise and thrive in.

Skip the Chemical Cocktails:

Pesticides and herbicides might seem like a quick fix for garden pests, but they can be devastating for pollinators. Opt for organic pest control methods whenever possible. Encourage natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings by planting companion flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums.

Let it Bloom:

Resist the urge to have a perfectly manicured lawn. Letting a small portion of your lawn flower with clover or dandelion provides a valuable food source for pollinators in the early spring.

Provide Shelter:

Pollinators need a safe place to rest and raise their young. Consider creating a pollinator haven by providing nesting sites for bees and butterflies. Leave some hollow stems in your garden beds, or build simple bee hotels using recycled materials. Planting shrubs and small trees with dense foliage will also create a sheltered environment for pollinators.

A Watery Oasis:

Just like us, pollinators need to stay hydrated. Provide a shallow dish of fresh water with some stones in it for perching.

Beyond the Bloom

Creating a pollinator-friendly garden isn’t just about planting flowers. Here are some additional tips:

Think Long-Term:

When designing your garden, consider the mature size of plants to avoid overcrowding your pollinator haven.

Go Local:

When choosing plants, look for varieties that are native to your region or specifically attract New Zealand pollinators.

Spread the Word:

Once you’ve created your pollinator paradise, share your success with your neighbours! Encourage them to join you in creating a connected network of pollinator-friendly gardens.

At Crewcut, we’re passionate about helping you create a beautiful and sustainable garden that benefits everyone. We can help you integrate pollinator-friendly elements into your existing garden, or advise on organic pest control methods. Contact us today to see how Crewcut can help your garden buzz with life!

Maintaining trees' health and aesthetic appeal requires more than just an eye for design or a love for nature; it necessitates the right tools and techniques. Among the various tasks involved in tree care, pruning is a critical practice requiring precision, skills, and the proper equipment. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the essential tools necessary for safe and effective tree pruning.

The Pruning Essentials:

Pruning Shears/Hand Pruners

Shears are the backbone of any arborist’s toolkit. They come in two primary types: bypass and anvil pruners. Bypass pruners work like scissors, making clean cuts ideal for live branches, while anvil pruners have a blade that meets a flat surface, suitable for deadwood and thicket branches. Look for ergonomic designs with high-quality blades to ensure effortless and precise cuts.

Loppers

For branches too thick for hand pruners, loppers come to the rescue. These long-handled tools provide extra leverage and cutting power, enabling you to reach higher branches and tackle thicker growth. Opt for loppers with sharp blades and extendable handles for added versatility.

Pruning Saws

When facing larger limbs or through wood, pruning saws are indispensable. Choose saws with sharp, impulse-hardened teeth and ergonomic handles for comfortable and efficient cutting. Folding saws are convenient for easy transport and storage, while pole saws extend your reach for high branches.

Pole Pruners

Pole pruners offer a safe and effective solution for branches out of reach. These tools combine the functions of pruners and saws, allowing you to trim branches without needing a ladder. Look for lightweight and adjustable pole pruners with sharp blades and sturdy construction.

Safety Gear

Prioritise safety when pruning trees by wearing appropriate gear, including gloves to protect your hands from thorns and cuts, safety glasses to shield your eyes from debris, and a helmet to safeguard your head from falling branches. Additionally, consider using ear protection, especially when operating noisy power tools.

Ladders and Climbing Gear

While pole pruning provides extended reach, there are instances where ladders or climbing gear are necessary for accessing higher branches safely. Choose stable and sturdy ladders with non-slip feet and consider using climbing harnesses, ropes, and helmets when ascending trees.

Advanced Equipment

Chainsaws

Chainsaws are indispensable for larger pruning tasks and tree removals. Whether electric or gas-powered, select chainsaws with ergonomic designs, anti-vibration features, and safety mechanisms like chain breaks. Prioritise safety by wearing protective clothing and following proper operating procedures.

If you’re dealing with substantial pruning debris, a woodchipper can save time and effort by converting branches and brush into mulch or compost. Invest in a chipper with sufficient capacity, safety features, and easy manoeuvrability for hassle-free operation.

Climbing Spikes (Spurs)

Arborists use climbing spikes, also known as spurs, to ascend trees quickly and securely. However, they should only be used for tree removal or pruning deadwood, as they can damage living trees. Ensure proper training and certification before using climbing spikes to prevent injury and tree harm.

Bucket Trucks

For professional arborists or large-scale tree maintenance projects, bucket trucks provide a safe and efficient means of accessing tall trees. These hydraulic lift platforms enable workers to reach high branches while remaining securely grounded, enhancing productivity and safety.

Leave it to the Professionals:

While pruning trees can be a rewarding endeavour, it's not without its risks and challenges. For those who lack the time, expertise, or necessary equipment to tackle tree pruning safely and effectively, it's wise to enlist the help of a professional. At Crewcare, we specialise in tree care services, including pruning and trimming. Our team of skilled professionals possesses the expertise, experience, and equipment to handle tree-pruning projects.

Don't let tree pruning become a daunting task. Contact Crewcut today to schedule a consultation and discover how we can enhance the health, beauty, and longevity of your trees through expert pruning services. Let us be your partner in preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of your landscape.

The average Kiwi backyard can take a real hammering over the summer break. With Christmas celebrations taking place outdoors across the nation (when weather permits, of course), our yards can definitely look worse for wear once the cooler weather rolls in.

Once the last guests have packed their bags and headed home, it can be time to add ‘revamping your backyard’ to your to-do list. If you’re unsure where to begin, start with the following tasks:

Clean and Declutter

After several days of celebrating outside, it’s only natural for your outdoor area to be looking a little tidy or uncluttered. Take time to clear away anything that isn’t usually there so you can start fresh for the new year. This can involve tidying away lawn games, storing extra chairs, and getting rid of rubbish.

Repair the Lawn

After spending time running around the backyard, playing that all-important game of backyard cricket, your lawn is likely not as healthy as it could be. Repeated use can cause the grass and soil to become compacted. Compacted lawns can struggle to access sunshine, oxygen, and the nutrients they need to thrive. Before long, they can weaken and succumb to disease.

Prevent that from happening by aerating your lawn. Aerating involves poking small holes into the grass to provide it with access to water and nutrients. Depending on the size of your yard, you might use special aeration shoes, dethatcher and aerator machines, or rotary aerators.

While you’re aerating, take the opportunity to look out for other potential lawn problems, such as weeds, diseases, and dead or bald patches. Address these issues to help your grass thrive.

• What Are Those Weeds in My Lawn?

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Reviving Your Dead Lawn

• How to Fix Lawn Bald Spots

Weed the Gardens

Lawns aren’t the only part of your yard that likely suffered during the summer break. Your gardens may have, too. Time-intensive tasks like gardening can fall by the wayside when you’re so busy entertaining guests and spending time with your family.

With big plans to revamp your backyard, add gardening to your to-do list. Make it a family activity because, after all, many hands make light work. Otherwise, consider outsourcing this task to the experts.

Inspect and Repair

Additional guests staying over the holiday period can sometimes mean accelerated wear and tear. With the last guests leaving for home, now can be the perfect time to inspect your yard and its contents and make any necessary repairs.

Look for imperfections in outdoor furniture, backyard games, BBQs, and general furnishings. Taking care of any issues before you store them away means you don’t have to worry about making last-minute purchases or repairs when you haul them out of storage the following summer.

Clean the BBQ

Cleaning the BBQ is easily one of our least favourite jobs. But after a summer season of use, a complete overhaul can be needed to ensure it’s fresh and ready for the next BBQ season.

While your BBQ will likely never look as good as the day you bought it, some elbow grease and a few helpful products can certainly make a difference.

Purchase:

• Aluminium foil

• Aluminium drip trays

• Paper towels

• Rubber gloves

• A cleaning scrubber toil

• Dishwashing liquid

• A fat-absorbing agent

• A grill brush with a scraper

• Canola oil in a spray can

• BBQ wipes

• A bucket or tub for cleaning

Take these steps:

1. Turn the gas bottle off and disconnect it

2. Remove the drip tray, scrape out the fat, and wipe out excess grease with BBQ wipes

3. Fill buckets with hot, soapy water and scrub your hot plates

4. Clean the BBQ with BBQ wipes

5. Replace the drip tray and line it with aluminium foil and fat absorber

6. Spray oil on the hot plates to prevent rust

Make Long-Discussed Improvements

Sometimes, it’s not until you’re outside sitting in your entertainment area with loved ones that you start thinking about everything that could improve your outdoor space. It might be a taller fence, a privacy hedge, a larger deck, or simply a new BBQ.

As another entertainment season comes to a close, now might be the right time to start planning those upgrades so they’re ready for next year.

Replace Plants

Summer conditions can sometimes take their toll on plants. Depending on how the weather Gods have treated us, they may have experienced too much sun or didn’t get enough water. If any of your plants are looking worse for wear or can’t be saved, visit your local nursery and purchase replacements. You may even be able to find helpful plant health products to give suffering plants a new lease on life.

Get Professional Help

You don’t have to tackle all backyard revamping projects on your own. Reach out to lawn care experts for help. They can take care of a broad range of outdoor tasks, from tree trimming and lawn mowing to water blasting, weeding, and everything in between.

In recent years, the New Zealand population has been increasing by at least 1% yearly. That’s 1% more people to find homes for. A standard solution is to make yards smaller, allowing more homes to be built in a much smaller area.

Small backyards suit many people’s needs perfectly since they require minimal upkeep. However, their small size means we must get creative with how we turn them into usable spaces. If you’re stuck for ideas on converting a small backyard into a functional space, you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled a few helpful ideas below!

Assess Your Needs

Assessing your needs is the first step towards creating a functional backyard with everything you need. Think about the activities you’ll want to enjoy on your own property.

For example, you might be an eager gardener keen to grow your own vegetables. You might also want a space for entertaining guests, somewhere for the kids to play, and a safe and secure area for your pets. Assessing your needs can help you start planning how to make the most use of your small yard.

Establish Zones

We can’t all be living the quarter-acre dream with a sprawling lawn and no defined areas. When you’re short on space, it can be important to create zones. That way, you can avoid your small yard looking cramped and chaotic with no organisation or order.

Dividing your backyard into functional zones can be easier than you think. For example, you might use planters to border an entertainment area. Furniture can also signal where an entertainment area ends and a play area starts. Some people even use border gardens to establish pathways and provide a space to grow fresh vegetables.

Use Vertical Space

We tend to spread outwards when we have the space to do so. However, using a small space to its full potential can sometimes mean using more vertical space. When you have no room for a garden shed, you can install shelves, racks, and hooks on fences and walls for all your gardening goodies. Fences and walls can also be the perfect places to show off your outdoor décor.

With a lack of space for garden beds, consider buying hanging planters and vertical gardens. These can ensure that you’re able to grow as much as someone with a larger yard but without the need for extra square footage.

Focus On the Illusion of Space

Sometimes, you don’t need more space to make it look like you have more space. It’s all about perception. For example, light-coloured furniture can make an entertainment space look open and airy. Mirrors can also trick the mind into thinking there’s more space than there is.

It can also be a good idea to avoid clutter since too many knick-knacks and garden ornaments can make a yard look much smaller than it is!

Get Creative With Flooring

Defining different areas can require a lot of planning, especially when using furniture and accessories. However, you can also let your flooring materials guide the way. For example, outdoor rugs can take pride of place in an entertainment zone, while grass might be your flooring option of choice in an area set aside for your children and pets. You can even create magic with deck tiles, gravel, and paving stones.

Use Space-Saving Furniture

Browse your local outdoor furniture shop, and you’ll notice that the most popular options are large outdoor table and chair sets and loungers. While these are the perfect option for large patio areas and decks, they are less suitable for small yards.

Fortunately, plenty of standout options exist for properties on the smaller side. You might opt for affordable folding tables and chairs that you can put up and take down at a moment’s notice. Some people also invest in built-in benches that can function as both tables and chairs.

Storage benches can also be a suitable choice, especially when you can tuck away gardening goods underneath the seat. Finding the perfect outdoor furniture can take time, but you’ll be surprised by how many great options there are.

Be Careful With Plants

The plants you see at your local nursery might look nice on display, but don’t let them fool you. If given room to grow, they can quickly expand to a size that might not be suitable for your conservative yard.

Always research plants for small spaces in NZ before shopping. You’ll find a number of suitable options, such as pansies, dwarf fruit trees, salad greens, and herbs.

Convert Your Small Backyard Today

Starting is often the hardest part about converting a small backyard into functional spaces. Now that you have a few ideas up your sleeve, you can have the confidence to begin! When in doubt, talk to your local landscaping and gardening company for help. They’ll be more than happy to roll up their sleeves and help you create something special.

The warmer the weather gets, the more use your backyard gets. Backyard parties and BBQs are a staple of the average Kiwi summer. After all, who doesn’t love inviting their friends and families around to enjoy the sunshine and a bite to eat? It’s the perfect way to reconnect with people you might not have seen as much during the winter hibernation season.

Despite the excitement and joy of backyard parties, you might dread the state of your yard the next day. However, by following this clean-up checklist, it might take far less time to return your yard to its former glory.

• Take Care of Rubbish and Recycling

• Organise and Maintain Your Outdoor Furniture

• Inspect the Lawn

• Compost Leftover Scraps and Waste

• Clean the BBQ 

Take Care of Rubbish and Recycling

When you’re having fun with your loved ones, taking care of rubbish can fall by the wayside. Typically, that task falls on you the next day. Start your clean-up efforts by grabbing three containers to organise your rubbish and recycling.

Use one bin for rubbish that will go directly into your rubbish wheelie bin. Your second bin can be for recyclable products, such as bottles, cans, and cardboard. Set aside a third bin to gather up servingware and items you can wash and use again. This can be the most important task to focus on when you wake up the next day.

Organise and Maintain Your Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture can look a little worse for wear the day after a backyard BBQ. Food and beverages can be spilled on them, and they’re unlikely to be in the same position they were when you set them up. Make outdoor furniture maintenance and organisation your next task during your party clean-up efforts.

Use a furniture-cleaning product and a wet cloth to wipe them clean. This process can get rid of any sticky tomato sauce from a sausage and bread mishap and residue from spilled drinks. You might then set your furniture back up where you had it or store it away in a garage or shed until it’s required for another party.

Staying on top of outdoor furniture maintenance can be important for its longevity. The more time and effort you put into keeping it in excellent condition, the longer it will be around to cater to your future party guests!

Inspect the Lawn

If you usually hold backyard BBQs on your lawn, take the time to inspect the grass after your party. It’s not uncommon for stray bottle caps and general rubbish to end up on the grass. This can be a recipe for disaster when the time comes to tackle lawn mowing.

Compost Leftover Scraps and Waste

There can often be a great deal of wastage after a BBQ. Salads can be left to wilt away in your salad bowls, and used napkins can litter every surface. Rather than throwing everything in your rubbish bin for kerbside pickup, think about the waste that will be suitable for your compost bin. You might be surprised by what can break down in your compost bin to become nutrient-rich matter for your gardens.

• Eggshells

• Coffee grounds

• Potato peels

• Lettuce

• Avocado skins

• Bread

• Onions

• Cardboard

• Napkins and paper towels  

You can also tip half-empty beer bottles and cans into your garden. It can work as an excellent fertiliser due to the yeast, sugar, potassium, magnesium, and calcium content.

Clean the BBQ

As you would be unlikely to clean the BBQ on the night of your backyard party, the morning after is the perfect time to do it.

1. Start with the drip tray. Remove it from underneath your BBQ and scrape away the fat with a metal scraper. You can also use dedicated BBQ wipes to eliminate any leftover fat and grease. Line it with foil and sprinkle a fat-absorbing BBQ product on it for future use. This eliminates odours and makes it easier to clean in the future!

2. Focus on the hotplates next. Fill a trough or multiple buckets with hot, soapy water, and use your scraper to remove excess fat and grease. Leave them to soak to make cleaning them a little easier!

3. While your hot plates are soaking, use BBQ wipes to wipe down your BBQ. Get into every nook and cranny. The cleaner you keep your BBQ, the longer it will remain in good condition for future parties.  

4. With that job complete, you can finish cleaning your hotplates and put them back in the BBQ.  

How to Make Backyard Party Clean-Ups Easier

Cleaning up after a backyard party can take a great deal of time, but it doesn’t have to. Take some of the following actions, and you might enjoy a far easier cleaning experience:

• Keep rubbish and recycling bins nearby for guests to use

• Clean up as you go

• Use tablecloths on tables to protect your outdoor furniture

• Don’t do it alone – get your family involved in the clean-up!  

Spruce Up Your Yard for Your Next Outdoor Party

All this talk of backyard BBQs likely has you thinking about planning your own! Is your yard in need of a tidy-up? Call the experts for help! Lawn care experts can assist with a wide range of backyard tasks like lawn mowing, gardening, edging, water blasting, and more.

While most families don’t mind wandering down to their local playground so their children can play, others would much prefer if their children had a safe play space in their own properties. That way, parents and caregivers can enjoy peace of mind knowing they have secure fencing and can keep a watchful eye on them from their own homes.

If you’ve been thinking about turning your backyard into a playground for the kids, here are a few top tips to get you started.

Start With Fencing

You will most likely be keeping a watchful eye on your children and pets while they play in the backyard, but it doesn’t hurt to have an additional layer of protection in the form of a fence. Tall fences are generally preferred for safety and privacy, and building laws dictate that you can build fences and garden walls up to 2.5m high without building consent.

If your budget doesn’t allow for a complete fence surrounding your property, consider installing one around the backyard, ensuring your children and pets can play in your rear yard safely. Many worthwhile and affordable fencing materials, such as wood, metal, and composite, are worth exploring for this project.

Sow Hardy Grass

We are spoilt for choice here in Aotearoa New Zealand regarding grass types. There are plenty of options to choose from, such as:

• Tall fescue

• Fine fescue

• Couch

• Kikuyu

• Rye

• Mixed blend

While you might base your choice on aesthetics, it’s important to think of hardiness when your backyard is going to be transformed into a playground for your kids. The hardier the grass, the more foot traffic it can withstand.

Kikuyu grass is a firm favorite for outdoors-loving families who spend a lot of time playing lawn games and running around. It’s hard-wearing and robust to handle plenty of traffic and a variety of weather conditions. However, Kikuyu grass can also be quite weed-like, especially when the roots take hold in your gardens.

If you live near the beach or your soil has high salt content, couch grass might be worth exploring when you require something hardy. It grows sideways, so it can take daily trampling in its stride, and it’s quite rugged and robust. However, like Kikuyu, it can sometimes be invasive, and you’ll need to stay on top of maintenance.

Make Trees a Feature

While you might have originally planted trees for the shelter, protection, and privacy they provide, they can also be the star of the show in a children’s playground. They can form the foundation of a tree hut or be the perfect structure for a tire swing. Trees can also just be fun for children to climb.

However, don’t forget to prioritise tree care while utilising your tree for play purposes. A healthy tree is typically a safe tree. Give it the fertiliser, nutrients, and water it needs, look for signs of disease, and undertake regular tree trimming.

Take Care of Hazards

We want our children to be safe when they play, which is perhaps why you wanted to create a fun and safe play environment in your own yard. As construction and remodeling efforts get underway, don’t forget to thoroughly inspect your yard to take care of anything that might be or become a hazard for children and pets.

Poisonous plants, tree stumps, holes in fences, or hazardous trees can all be backyard elements that require your attention for your family’s safety.

Invest in Quality Playground Equipment

It can be tempting to purchase the most affordable playground equipment you can find, especially when you plan on buying multiple items to give your children plenty to choose from. However, as a general rule, the more you spend, the better the quality of the equipment.

For example, spending more on a trampoline typically allows you to take advantage of safety features like nets and spring-free mats. More expensive swing sets also tend to be made of higher-quality materials designed to stand the test of time.

Create Areas

While some families are more than happy dedicating their entire yard to children’s play, others want to be able to use their yards for themselves, as well. Before any yard work gets underway, sketch out your current yard and devise a plan for developing it for everyone’s enjoyment.

For example, you might create a fenced-off area for children and pets, an entertainment area for the whole family, and a well-established vegetable garden with a tool shed for all your gardening supplies. With enough forethought and planning, everyone can have their needs met.

Start Planning Your Playground

Why venture down to your local playground when you can build your very own in your backyard? Take note of these tips above, and you can be on your way to creating your children’s dream playground that they can enjoy with their friends and family.

Nature lovers can find themselves in a bit of a predicament when it comes to establishing an area of shelter and shade in their backyard. On the one hand, they might want to ensure as much of their yard is as natural as possible. However, on the other hand, they also want to ensure they benefit from as much shade and shelter as possible. That isn’t always achievable with nature alone.

And this is where the hard decision comes in. Should you purchase a gazebo using high-quality materials like premium-grade timber, or should you plant a tree for the specific purpose of enjoying a natural canopy? We hope the following information assists in the decision-making process.

Gazebos Are Ideal for Shelter Year-Round

Perhaps the most standout benefit associated with choosing a gazebo instead of a tree providing a natural canopy is its ability to provide you with year-round shelter. It doesn’t matter whether it’s windy, rainy, cold, or warm, you’ll be able to enjoy protection from the elements within the secure structure of a wooden gazebo.

Natural Canopies Are Aesthetically Pleasing

Undoubtedly, some gazebo manufacturers in Aotearoa New Zealand do a beautiful job crafting a gazebo shelter out of wood to work in harmony with its natural surroundings. However, you can’t beat the authentic beauty of real trees.

Planting a spreading, weeping, or columnar tree to provide a gorgeous canopy over part of your property can transform your yard’s aesthetics and draw the eye for all the right reasons.

Gazebos Are Easy to Look After

While experts are available to assist with your tree trimming requirements, you don’t need to worry about plant health with a gazebo. Any wood present in its final form has already been milled, and there’s no need to stress about it surviving drought conditions or being impacted by tree pests and diseases.

Typically, most wooden gazebos can be brushed to remove spider webs, painted, and water blasted. These tasks are usually the extent of their long-term maintenance requirements.

Trees Provide Many Benefits

You might plant a tree to form a natural canopy in your yard, but that’s not all it’s capable of offering. Trees are ideal for shade, screening, noise reduction, ornamental purposes, oxygen, and much more.

Whether you have nosy neighbours, a noisy road, or an idyllic entertainment area missing a form of shelter and a hint of nature, trees can tick all those boxes.

Gazebos Are Instant

Trees can take several years to mature and produce their desired canopies for your backyard shade and shelter. While you might be a patient person, not everyone wants to wait decades to enjoy something they can get nearly instantly with a gazebo. Once you build or buy a gazebo, you can enjoy the instant shade, shelter, and protection.

Plenty of Tree Varieties to Choose From

Gazebos don’t vary too much from their standard form. Once they change shape or size, they’re typically no longer a gazebo. However, natural canopies from trees are wide-ranging and still called natural canopies.

There is an expansive range of shade-producing trees in NZ that can enhance your backyard, such as flowering cherries, silk trees, fruit trees, pūriri, pōhutukawa, karaka, and titoki. While you’ll need to choose a variety that suits the size and shape of your yard, you’re certainly not limited in your options.

Gazebos Stay the Same

With upkeep, the gazebo you buy today will look and feel the same in the years to come. The same can’t always be said for a natural canopy. Its health, shape, and even its colour can sometimes depend on the environment it’s growing in, the weather it’s exposed to, and various other factors.

You might love everything about your tree canopy one year, only to find it’s changed and no longer suitable just a mere few years after.

Trees Are Affordable

Gazebos can cost several hundred dollars – whether you build them yourself or buy them pre-made. Wood in its milled form can be expensive, and you also typically pay for labour if you’re hiring a company to make it for you.

Trees cost a mere fraction of the costs associated with a gazebo. For example, a Putaputaweta tree can grow up to 10 metres tall, yet you might pay less than $10 per pot-grown tree. There are, of course, ongoing costs, such as water, nutrients, and tree trimming if you hire the experts, but they can be minimal over the tree’s lifetime compared to those upfront associated with a gazebo.

Natural Canopy or Gazebo – You Choose

Now that you’re aware of the pros of both natural canopies and gazebos, you can make an informed choice for your unique needs. If you need a helping hand managing your current natural canopies, contact a Crewcut expert for canopy reduction, canopy thinning, canopy lifting, and other helpful services.

The COVID-19 pandemic was challenging for most people, but potentially more so for those who loved nothing more than entertaining friends and family. Suddenly, everyone had to remain in their own bubbles, and people you used to spend much of your spare time with could only connect with you over digital platforms. 

While COVID-19 restrictions are now much looser, many people are still opting for outdoor entertaining rather than large group events in a confined space. If you’re exploring your options for turning your backyard into the perfect post-COVID hangout spot, you can find some helpful tips below.  

Provide Plenty of Seating 

Outdoor entertaining can be just as satisfying and comfortable as indoor entertaining, provided you have enough seating for everyone. Purchase outdoor furniture to suit your space, paying particular attention to your elements to determine the most appropriate options. 

For example, materials like plastic can often be much more robust and long-lasting in shady areas, while wood can require a great deal more care if it spends too much time in a damp, dark part of your property. 

If you’re purchasing anything with cushions and fabrics, ensure these elements are removable for storage once winter arrives.  

Position your seating around a focal point, such as a fire pit, a heater, or a table, and consider adequate spacing to ensure everyone can feel comfortable with the lingering threat of COVID in the air. 

Don’t Forget the Lighting 

After a full day of entertaining outdoors, many homeowners welcome their guests into their homes where there’s enough light for several more hours of fun. However, in the post-COVID world, many homeowners are still wary about entertaining large groups in a small space. 

Keep entertaining outdoors for as long as everyone’s eager to stay by lighting up your outdoor entertainment space. Purchase solar-powered fairy lights, professionally-installed outdoor lighting, and solar garden lights for as much light as you need for a patio, deck, or another area.  

Purchase a Heater 

While New Zealand experiences beautifully warm days from December to March, the night air can be cool. Fortunately, that won’t be an issue for you and your guests if you purchase an outdoor heater.  

You might opt for something rustic like a fire pit or brazier, a clean heating option like an electric heater, or a straightforward and affordable heater, such as a gas-powered patio heater. Even a chimenea can provide the heat you need to keep the party going. 

Choose Hardscapes 

Unless you like spending every waking moment pulling weeds out of your garden, hardscapes might be a crucial consideration when creating the perfect post-COVID hangout spot. Many benefits can be associated with hardscapes, such as low maintenance, expanding your living space, increasing your yard’s functionality, and potentially increasing curb appeal and property value.  

Many possible hardscape materials might grab your attention as a suitable option, such as gravel for pathways and walkways to limit weed growth and improve drainage and wood chips for ground cover and aesthetics. Bark is also a firm favourite with many Kiwis because it is inexpensive and doesn’t require any water. 

Bricks, rubber mats, concrete, tiles, and stepping stones might also be options you consider as you start bringing your entertainment area to life.  

Plant Low-Maintenance Plants 

If you want to spend more time entertaining and less time gardening, purchase low-maintenance plants that thrive without your constant care and attention. Most garden stores have an abundance of standout options, such as dwarf agapanthus ground cover plants, star jasmine, New Zealand cushion bush, and tussocks. 

Once established, these plants hold their own, add much-needed greenery to your outdoor space, and work in harmony with any hardscape elements you’ve introduced.  

Consider Comfort 

Our homes are typically more comfortable than our yards, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. If you’d prefer to entertain your guests outdoors, there are plenty of ways to ensure people want to stay outside for as long as possible. 

Alongside having adequate lighting and heating, you can also design your outdoor patio area or deck to have exceptional indoor-outdoor flow for shelter from the elements. Privacy walls might also help guests feel more comfortable, as well as soft furnishings and floor covers. 

If you have a covered outdoor entertaining area, an outdoor kitchen might also be a worthwhile addition, as it allows guests to enjoy food in an outdoor environment rather than having to enter your home to satisfy their hunger. 

Enjoy a New Form of Entertainment 

Whether your home isn’t large enough for how many people you want to entertain, or you’re interested in an outdoor oasis that enables people to practice social distancing, you’ll be surprised by easy it is to create the perfect outdoor space. Take note of these tips above, and it might not be long until you’re spending more time outdoors than indoors. 

Many Kiwis love nothing more than sunbathing on the lawn, playing a game of backyard cricket, or simply just feeling the lush carpet of grass underfoot.  

But others hate nothing more than having to keep a tool shed full of lawn equipment like mowers, trimmers, and leaf blowers just to keep it looking neat year-round. And let’s not even get started on lawn pests and bald patches.  

However, what are the alternatives? If you don’t have a sprawling lawn on your quarter-acre section, what do you have? Well, you might just opt for any of the following substitutes. 

Creeping Perennials 

As much as you might not like the idea of turning some of your lawn into a garden, it’s not as labour-intensive as it sounds. At least not when you opt for creeping perennials. Dedicate an area of your property to these plants, and they can spread out in the area you set for them and leave very little to no space for weeds to grow. 

We’re spoilt for choice in NZ regarding creeping plants and groundcover plants. The New Zealand Cushion Bush, also known as Schleranthus Biflorus, is a popular option. It thrives in various environments across the motu and looks like a velvety and soft blanket that covers everything you want it to cover. 

You might also look at Baby’s Tears as a suitable option. This groundcover plant forms a barrier against weeds and thrives in shady, moist environments. Not only is it an effective form of lawn-like carpet, but it’s also aesthetically pleasing in both traditional and contemporary backyards. 

Hardscapes 

Some people love lawn but simply don’t have enough time to maintain them. While you could rely on lawn care experts to help, you might simply want something a little more low maintenance that still allows you to entertain friends and family in the same space.  

That’s where hardscapes come in. 

Hardscapes are non-living landscaping elements made of materials like wood, pavers, brick, and gravel. You can create pathways, planter boxes, seating arrangements, decks, and other aesthetically pleasing features in your yard without worrying about lawn mowing and line trimming.  

Hardscapes allow you to get creative and can include various natural elements, but they are predominantly easy-care non-living features. 

Fake Grass 

Some homeowners genuinely love grass. They love how it looks and feels and even how much of it they have. But the problem arises on the maintenance side of things. Not everyone has time for all the many lawn-related tasks, and they don’t always want to reach out to lawn care experts for help. 

The good news is that you can have your cake and eat it too with fake grass. Artificial grass has come a long way in a short amount of time, and many varieties don’t even look fake. The grass blades are green, soft, durable, and feel gorgeous underfoot. 

However, rather than having to mow it and keep up with its maintenance, it remains the same length throughout its lifetime. Many homeowners with small yards install artificial turf and are satisfied with how real it truly looks and feels.  

Rock Gardens 

Many people who tire of mowing lawns turn them into gardens, not realising that they can require just as much maintenance and, perhaps, even more. However, you can have an almost-maintenance-free garden. It just has to contain rocks rather than soil and plants. 

Rock gardens are growing in popularity by the day, especially as they can take up a lot of space in your backyard, are affordable to make, and are attractive. You can have one large rock as the centrepiece, smaller rocks surrounding it, and a few easy-care plants dotted throughout for colour.  

Succulent Gardens 

Not all parts of Aotearoa New Zealand will be suitable for succulent gardens, especially as succulents require well-draining soil that doesn’t get too cold in winter. However, if you live in a reasonably warm part of the country and want to get rid of some of your lawn, a succulent garden is certainly an option worth considering. Succulents are easy-care, hard to kill, and come in some beautiful varieties. 

Aloe vera is one of the more well-known options and is adored for its ability to tolerate neglect and dryness. It also thrives in full sun. Alternatively, you might consider aeonium, a versatile succulent that can grow small or large, depending on your preferences. 

Enjoy Grass and Hire the Experts 

Your final option is not to change a thing. You might love your slice of paradise with all its grass, so why not hire a lawn-mowing business to take care of it? They can handle everything from lawn mowing and mulching to line trimming and lawn clipping removal. Sure, you might decide to opt for these grass-free ideas above, but you’ll be pleased to know there are other options.

There’s no denying that summer is the season of outdoor entertainment. You generally feel more comfortable inviting around friends and family, knowing the weather will play its part and help you enjoy your time outside.

However, your eagerness to spend time with the people you love shouldn’t have to end with the changing seasons. If you want to ensure you can host parties and get-togethers long after the mercury drops, you just have to do some of the following things.

Create a Sheltered Area

Shelter is the most critical upgrade you need to make to your outdoor space for year-round parties. If you have a roof over your head, you can still entertain outdoors in the sunshine, rain, hail, or even snow.

There are many different options you might like to consider, and the perfect solution might depend on your yard and the features you already have in place. You might go all out with a manual or electric louvre roof system, which you can open or close as the weather allows. Alternatively, you might even consider the installation of a carport, which now no longer requires consent in NZ, as long as they meet a range of criteria.

Pergolas, gazebos, cantilever patio covers, and patio PVC blinds are also all excellent options, depending on your budget and aesthetic preferences.  

Install a Source of Heat

Even the warmest regions of Aotearoa can experience a few cold days, which might put a dampener on your outdoor entertaining plans. However, a few cold days don’t mean you have to stay cooped up inside. Install a form of heating in your entertainment area, and you can remain warm, dry, and comfortable.

Once again, there are options aplenty, and your choices can depend on how much you’re willing to spend and what you prefer. Some people like the rustic vibes and price tag associated with a fire pit, while others want the click-of-a-button convenience of outdoor radiant heaters. You can also purchase heater bars designed for outdoor use, portable fire pits, gas fire tables, large outdoor area heaters, and many other desirable options. Rather than venturing inside when the mercury drops, you can remain outdoors and ramp up the heating.

Take Care Of Outdoor Seating

Many people become frustrated by how much money they spend on outdoor furniture. It can sometimes seem like you’re replacing your seats more often than anything else.

No outdoor furniture can escape the elements, no matter how much money you spend or the materials you opt for. UV rays and sunshine can fade plastic and make it brittle, while wicker and wood can warp, crack, split, and rot in the sun and rain. Metal, of course, can also succumb to rust, even if it’s of the highest quality.

If you want to enjoy year-round entertainment without having to stop at your local furniture store at least once per year, make sure you take care of any dining sets and seating arrangements that will be exposed to the elements. Store cushions inside your home or garage when they’re not in use, and keep chairs tucked under pergolas and patio shelters at all times. Don’t forget to oil and treat wood, and even consider using UV protectant sprays to reduce color fading.

Add Lighting

Extended sunshine hours are one of the best parts of summer, which is what can make it so hard to say goodbye to this season as autumn arrives. Soon enough, you’re plunged into darkness, and the fun has to stop. Add lighting to your outdoor space, and the fun can continue for as long as you want.

Fairy lights can be inexpensive and exciting, while solar lights don’t cost the earth to purchase, install, or operate. You can even look at in-stair lighting, illuminated garden ornaments, park-style lighting, and wired-in lighting you install on your home’s exterior walls and fascia to brighten your deck or patio area.

Grow Year-Round Plants

Your garden might look the picture of perfection during spring, but what happens when the cooler weather arrives? Don’t have your guests staring at a bare garden in the middle of winter. Be proud to invite your friends to your home at any time of the year by growing plants that look beautiful year-round.

Flaxes look stunning in all weather conditions and are reasonably easy-care, and daylilies provide some gorgeous flowers from spring to late summer. If you opt for an evergreen variety, you can also enjoy their foliage year-round.

Hydrangeas, tussocks, and succulents are fabulous and easy-care options for time-poor and house-proud entertainers.

Get Ready for Year-Round Entertaining

You’re undoubtedly going to spend more time entertaining in the summer months than in winter, but how good would it be to have the option to spend time with loved ones outside year-round? Make some of these changes above, and you can be on your way to having a completely functional and comfortable entertainment space before you know it.

Christmas is just around the corner, which means it’s time for the craziness. Supermarket lines will get longer, retail stores will get busier, and families will start putting their heads together planning who will host the ever-popular Christmas lunch.

Around this time, it’s also a good idea to consider how you’ll set up your yard for Christmas festivities. After all, we celebrate Christmas in summer, so there’s a reasonably good chance that most of your entertaining will take place outdoors.

If you need a helping hand making sure your backyard is the picture of perfection once the in-laws roll in, consider doing some of the following things.

Mow and Edge the Lawns

Backyard cricket is a Christmas day staple, so make sure your lawns are ready for the fun times ahead. Mow your lawns at least weekly or every two weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, but make sure you set your mower to cut no lower than 25mm. You can also use a line trimmer to go around the edges to ensure they’re neat and tidy around pathways.

If you know you’re going to have your hands full with shopping, tidying up your home, and looking after the kids, consider outsourcing your lawn care to the experts so that you have one less thing on your to-do list.

Do a Garden Tidy-Up

Weeding is most people’s least favourite task, and it typically isn’t a priority when it’s just you and your immediate family enjoying your backyard. However, it can become more important as soon as you start welcoming friends and other family members to your home. It’s your flowers’ chance to shine, so get stuck into the gardens, and they’ll be weed-free in no time.

Trim Trees and Hedges

The warmer months of the year are when hedges and trees start to thrive. Typically, they’re getting plenty of sunshine and moisture, and they’re loving life! Don’t forget to trim them to ensure they’re neat and tidy once Christmas festivities begin in earnest.

When it comes to your trees, you can focus on removing dead wood, decreasing branch weight, canopy thinning, canopy lifting, and canopy reduction. You can also have your hedges looking at their best by focusing on care throughout the year rather than performing a quick trim in December.

Create An Entertainment Area

There’s no denying that your lawn will get a lot of use over the Christmas break, especially if you’ve set up a pool for the kids and have already invested heavily in lawn games like cricket and swingball.

However, if you plan to entertain your guests outside, you’ll also need to set up an area for day-long comfort. If you already have a patio or deck, you’re halfway there. If not, there’s no reason why you can’t set up outdoor furniture on your lawn and create a temporary al fresco dining space.

Make sure you have plenty of seats for all guests, a large table for food and drinks, a source of heating if you plan to be outside at night, and lighting for when night falls.

Tidy Up the Yard

It’s hard to make a property not look ‘lived in’ when you enjoy it to its full potential. However, it’s worth doing for at least one day of the year so that you can invite guests with confidence.

Take the time to view your property with a critical eye and think about what you would notice the most as a guest. You might want to store away all the kids’ outdoor toys like bikes and balls, or finally water blast that slippery pathway that’s currently green and covered in moss. A fresh coat of paint on wooden outdoor furniture or fencing can also make a yard look like a million dollars.

Sometimes, all the motivation you need is knowing you’re going to be welcoming friends and family onto your property, and you might be surprised by how much you can achieve.

Set Up Tents

Having all your friends and family together in one place over the Christmas break can be wonderful, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have enough room inside your home for everyone to sleep. If you plan to have people camping on your lawn, consider setting up your tents before Christmas day. That way, you can focus all your attention on meal preparation and cleaning rather than tracking down missing tent poles while your roast chicken burns in the oven.

Let Lawn Care Experts in NZ Take Care of Your To-Do List

December is a chaotic time of the year, and you’ve likely got more things on your to-do list than you have at any other time of the year. Let us share the load. Our lawn care experts can take care of a number of tasks to help you prepare for Christmas fun ahead, such as lawn mowing, tree trimming, hedge trimming, water blasting, garden tidy-ups, and more.

There may come a time when you tire of looking out your home’s window to the same view. Or, you might have purchased your dream home with a backyard that definitely wasn’t your dream. In either of these situations and possibly others, a backyard upgrade could be on the cards.

However, as excited as you might be about the possibility of transforming your yard into a space you adore, you might not know exactly what you’re looking for. When you start sketching out a few options, keep the following ideas in mind. You might just find something that grabs your attention for all the right reasons.

Create An Outdoor Entertainment Area

Kiwis are entertainers. Most of us love nothing more than taking advantage of the warm weather by sitting outside with a refreshing beverage, a good book, and maybe a few sausages on the barbecue.

Therefore, when you’ve decided to spruce up your backyard, it makes complete sense to build an entertainment area if you have the room to do so. You might opt for something simple like a small paved area with a quaint outdoor furniture set, or you might go all out with an expansive deck, barbecue, and outdoor loungers.

Whichever option you choose, consider the elements that can make it something truly special, such as lighting, shelter from the weather, a touch of nature with potted plants, and a central focus, like a firepit or spa pool, that you can design the rest of your yard around.

Develop Defined Areas

When you have a large backyard, it can be challenging to know what to do with it. In fact, coming up with design ideas for a large space can be so overwhelming that you might decide to do nothing at all.

However, if you were to break up your yard into smaller, more defined spaces, the ideas might start flowing rapidly. Sketch out your section and consider allowing room for pathways that can lead to each area.

For example, you might have a path leading to a vegetable garden area, complete with raised beds, a potting bench, and a tool shed. This path might then lead to a flower garden area where you can grow any number of beautiful flowers and plants.

You might also allow room for your entertainment area and free space for the kids to kick a ball and your pets to sniff to their heart’s content. Before long, you can have a well-designed, developed yard that caters to your entire family’s needs.

Focus on Fencing

Sometimes, our yards can start to look a little drab, even if we can’t put our finger on how. You might have kept on top of lawn mowing and weeding, but there’s still something that’s not quite right.

Take a look at your fences. Could they be to blame? With time and a helping hand from the elements, they can start to look worn out and a little bit dilapidated. You might find that water blasting and a fresh coat of paint might be all it takes to upgrade your yard.

However, if one of your fences bordering a neighbouring property is in a state of disrepair, consider your options around replacement. Under New Zealand’s Fencing Act 1978, neighbours can share the cost of a new fence equally, so have a chat with your neighbours and see if you can come to an agreement about the type of fence you’d both enjoy.

Perform Maintenance

While your backyard might be in dire need of an upgrade, see if simple maintenance might start you on the right track to having a yard you can be proud of.

Consider lawn repairs if you notice bare spots and get stuck into the weeding if it’s been some time since you gave your plants any attention. You might even find that a fresh layer of mulch paired with some vibrant new flowers transforms a previously dull and uninspired part of your section.

Revamp Your Outdoor Furniture

The sad reality is that no matter how much you spend on outdoor furniture, it doesn’t last forever. Steel rusts, rattan rots, wood warps, and plastic perishes. Unless you take great care to protect your furniture from the elements, it probably won’t last a lifetime.

You might be able to take one step towards a complete backyard upgrade by giving your outdoor furniture some love. Invest in cushions for your outdoor seating, paint or stain your wood seats, and replace anything that no longer serves its purpose.

You might then be inspired to revamp your outdoor area in earnest by water blasting deck and patio areas, installing new lighting, and repotting plants that aren’t as healthy as they could be.  

Get a Helping Hand

One of the easiest ways to upgrade your backyard is by asking for help. You might not have the expertise, time, or knowledge to do it on your own, and you might even be worried about not getting the results you desire.

Fortunately, there are plenty of lawn care, gardening, and landscaping experts available to help. All you need to do is pick up the phone and make a call. 

In an ideal world, everyone would have enough money to spruce up their backyard without worrying about spending too much of it. You could drop thousands of dollars on a new deck and tens of thousands on outdoor lighting and entertainment without concerning yourself with where that money was coming from.

However, that’s not the reality for many Kiwis. Although, that doesn’t mean you can’t spruce up your backyard. Here are a few budget tips that might help you do more with less. 

Make Furniture Out Of Wooden Shipping Pallets

Wooden pallets are one of the most effective ways to ship goods to businesses, which means there is an abundance of them available in New Zealand. Companies often don’t know what to do with them once they’ve removed their stock, so they place them outside their business residence and offer them free to whoever wants them.

Take advantage of these freebies and transform them into beautiful outdoor furniture. Even the most unskilled DIYer might have no problem whipping up sturdy chairs, benches, and tables and making them look brand new with a fresh coat of paint.  

Purchase Discounted Plants

Many garden centres don’t like displaying row upon row of dying or damaged plants. It’s not a good look, and they are typically the last plants that eager gardeners reach for. However, this often means that these plants are heavily discounted.

While they might not look like they’ll survive the trip home, the more hardy varieties might just surprise you. With a bit of care, compost, and patience, they might thrive in their new home, and you might have just scored a real bargain.

Use Solar Lights

Hard-wired outdoor lighting is convenient because you don’t have to rely on the elements to ensure they’re working at their best. However, installing outdoor lighting can be expensive and contributes to your power bill.

Not installing permanent lighting doesn’t mean you can’t have any outdoor lighting. You can purchase inexpensive solar lights that add much-needed ambience to any outdoor space without the hefty price tag.

Solar fairy lights, globe lights, and even security lights can all be options you consider, which might just mean you can entertain outdoors long into the night.

Purchase Materials and Goods Secondhand

Purchasing anything brand new can blow your backyard spruce-up budget. If you’re a savvy internet user with a tight budget, turn to the internet to find what you need. Many homeowners offer leftover materials for sale from their own projects on social media platforms, such as pavers, concrete, fencing materials, decking timber, plants, and much more.

You might even be able to secure plant cuttings at a fraction of what they cost to buy from garden centres, as well as outdoor furniture, pergolas, spa pools, fire pits, and more.

Plant Grass From Seed

Few things are as dull as watching grass grow, but the cost savings can be phenomenal. While there can be instant satisfaction from the installation of instant turf grass, it can be a much more expensive purchase than grass seed.

Fortunately, growing your own lawn from scratch is not as complicated as you might think. You just have to prepare the area by removing old turf, amending the soil if it needs it, levelling the ground, and planting the seeds. After consistent and thorough watering, grass will have sprouted within just a few weeks.

Hold a Friends and Family Working Bee

Friends and family are always willing to lend a helping hand when you need it the most, and that time might come when you start sprucing up your backyard. Rather than pay for labour, which might set you back several hundred dollars, put on a lunch or dinner for your loved ones and ask for their help with particular tasks you can’t do on your own.

For example, you might need someone to operate a digger or help you build a deck. These are perfect opportunities to spend quality time with people you might not see as often as you would like.

Make Your Own Mulch

Mulch can be an attractive addition to any garden while also providing your prized plants with the nutrients they need to survive and thrive. However, it can also be expensive, especially when you need significant volumes of it.

If you have the time and patience, consider making it yourself for free. You might be surprised at how many everyday materials make up a high-quality mulch mixture, such as lawn clippings, newspaper, pea straw, compost, and sawdust.  

Start Sprucing

You might not have a large budget, but that doesn’t mean your backyard has to miss out on the spruce-up it deserves. Take note of these budget-friendly ideas above, and you might be well on your way to a peaceful backyard paradise your whole family loves.

There’s no denying that our gardens don’t look at their best during the winter months. But that doesn’t mean the planting season has to be over.

Despite there being a limited number of fruit and vegetables you can plant during winter in NZ, you may still find that there are several delicious options that you can grow in seed trays, pots, or directly into your garden.

Broad Beans

From May onwards is when you can get away with planting broad beans in your garden, ready for harvesting in 3-4 months. Broad beans can be directly sown into your outdoor garden between 15-25-cm apart in 60-75cm rows.

After planting, you’ll need to provide support up to heights of around one metre and pick them frequently. Once your broad bean plants start to flower, pinch the tips to encourage the pods to fatten. If you prefer sweet beans, harvest early.

Carrots

Carrots are one of the most versatile, cost-effective, and robust vegetables, so it’s probably not surprising that you can plant them in winter – or at any time of the year. You can directly sow them into your garden 5-7cm apart and in rows 15cm apart. You can harvest them after 2-3 months, but consider harvesting them all before they grow too big.

Top tip: Remember where you planted them the previous year so that you can rotate them annually.

Peas

Peas are one of those hardy plants that don’t seem to need much of a helping hand aside from a support structure. You can plant them directly into your garden at any time of the year, and they’re ready to pick from around 2-3 months.

Don’t forget to provide strong support for any climbing varieties and harvest them when the pods are 7-8cm long.

Broccoli

Broccoli salad is a summer favourite, but why should you only get to enjoy it in summer? Plant your broccoli in the ground from early April and get ready to enjoy fresh broccoli in as little as 2-3 months. If you plant broccolini varieties, you’ll be able to snip off pieces as they grow.

Onions

Onions can take upwards of three months to grow, so there’s no time like winter to plant them for harvesting as soon as barbecue season arrives. However, you can plant onions in the ground at any time of the year, and they’re ready when the green tops fall over and begin to turn yellow.

Lettuce

It might seem strange to be planting lettuce in the middle of winter, but there’s no reason why you can’t have success. As long as you choose a sheltered part of your garden and select a hardy variety, there’s no reason why your lettuce can’t survive and thrive in plummeting winter temperatures.

How to Protect Your Plants

While many plants are more than capable of thriving as the temperatures drop, that doesn’t mean all will. Sometimes, you have to give your plants a helping hand to survive. When the time comes to plant vegetables in winter, consider doing some of the following things.

Add Mulch to Your Garden

Mulch is basically a warm blanket for your plants. Put around 5cm of mulch around your plants to conserve moisture, add nitrogen to the soil, and protect the seeds from the cold.

Purchase Frost Cloth

Most parts of New Zealand experience frost, and it can have a devastating effect on crops. Be proactive and purchase frost cloth so that you can cover your plants if you need to.

This might require you to keep an eye on the weather forecast over the winter so that you can pre-empt frosts before they bite.

Use Plant Tonics

Just as we can struggle with the cold temperatures of winter, so can our plants. Consider investing in plant tonics that can stimulate growth, promote root health, and help your plants cope with weather extremes. You might even find that some plant tonics can assist with pest and disease resistance.

Add Compost

Ideally, you should apply compost to your garden beds before winter – generally at the end of Autumn. This gives it enough time to work its way into the soil and load it up with essential nutrients for plant growth.

Water With Care

You won’t need to water your winter vegetables in the same way you would those planted at other times of the year. Try to water during the warmest part of the day and avoid watering the leaves.

Harvest With Care

When the time comes to enjoy the literal fruits of your labour, take care with how you harvest them. Try to harvest them during the day to avoid shocking the plant. If you like crisp, sweet vegetables, consider waiting until your area experiences an overnight chill or frost before you harvest.

Start Planting

Winter might not be the most ideal time to be out in your garden, but there are no rules against it. Choose hardy vegetable varieties, purchase products to help their growth, and you can be well on your way to enjoying your favourite vegetables in just a few months.

Groundcover plants are a time-poor homeowner’s best friend. Rather than spending countless hours pulling out weeds, you can plant ground cover plants that fill every gap to squeeze out weeds and even provide other benefits like erosion control.

However, there are many different options to choose from, and not all of them will be suitable for your property, soil, or region. Before you spend up large at your local garden store, take a moment to consider the following details.

Your Growing Zone

When you see a particular type of ground cover plant thriving in photos on the internet, it’s easy to believe you’ll have the same luck with it. However, what thrives in someone’s yard might fail in your own.

Before planting any unfamiliar plant, check out the New Zealand Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This map details the temperatures experienced in certain areas, allowing you to make an informed choice about the type of plants that can handle your environment.

You may not know it, but certain plants that grow in abundance in the North Island can barely survive in the South Island, and vice versa.

Pest Plants

Not every plant currently growing in your garden is welcome. We have an abundance of pest plants in little ol’ Aotearoa, and you must be careful not to introduce any new ones – even if you believe they’ll be excellent ground cover plants.

For example, Akebia quinate, also known as chocolate vine, looks as pretty as a picture and can be a twining vine or ground cover plant. However, it can also form incredibly dense patches in your garden that kill young trees and shrubs. Birds are also known to spread their seeds, meaning you can end up with more than you anticipated.

Then there’s Fairy Crassula. This creeping succulent with fleshy leaves and pale pink flowers grows well across rocks and in shady areas. However, it often competes with native species and comes out on top.

Your Planting Location

If you have a bare area of ground and believe ground cover plants are the best option for it, consider why it’s bare in the first place. Is a tree blocking light? Does it not get any water? While there are many ground cover plants to suit such environments, it pays to identify the cause of the issue so that you can find a plant to solve it.

For example, anyone trying to deal with shady and damp conditions may like to consider Baby’s Tears. It’s a carpet-like plant that can stop weeds in its tracks.

Protective Barriers

Most ground cover plants don’t know that they’re only allowed to stay where you planted them. Some are spread by undergrown roots, and your lawn can look reasonably attractive for them to head out further than you intended.

If you’re planting your ground cover plants next to a lawn area, consider installing depth edging to separate the garden from the lawns. You can dig narrow trenches where the grass meets the garden, install the barrier, and prevent your ground cover plants from growing over into your lawn area. Otherwise, lawn mowing might just become a new nightmare.

Spread Coverage

Everyone’s needs are different, and every ground cover plant is also different. You might have a small area to cover, or you might have an expansive area to cover. Pay close attention to the spread of any plant you intend to purchase to ensure it’s suitable for your needs and that you buy the right quantity.

Measure the bare area and do some quick maths based on the approximate spread area. For example, if you have a 10x1m area and each plant you buy can spread one metre, you’ll need at least ten to fill the space.

Aesthetics

While your ultimate goal might be to save time weeding the gardens, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider the aesthetics of the plants you’re using to solve that problem.

As you browse the many different options, think about how their textures, shapes, and colours will tie in with the overall style of your garden and home. You might be surprised at how the appearance of ground cover plants can speed up the shopping process.

The best part is, you don’t have to buy just one. Many ground cover plants work in harmony with each other, which means you can end up with a kaleidoscope of colours to enhance the appeal of your garden.

Get Ready for Ground Cover

Now that you know just what it takes to choose the right ground cover plants for your home, it’s time to go shopping! You can then leave weed control up to your newly-installed plants while lawn care companies like Crewcut can take care of lawn mowing, hedge and tree trimming, and much more.

Outdoor entertaining is a huge part of who we are. If we’re not setting up quaint patio areas for enjoying cups of tea and good books, we’re building expansive decks with room for a barbecue, a spa pool, and plenty of tables and chairs for family and friends.

However, when you just move into a property and need to create a barbecue area from scratch, it’s not always easy to know where to begin. When planning gets underway in earnest, consider some of the following backyard setup ideas.

A Paved Patio Area

If you’re a fan of how easy-care paved patio areas can be, consider one as the foundation for your new entertainment area. Concrete is easy to clean through water blasting, suits both contemporary and classic homes, and can be an affordable alternative to decking timber in many cases.

Paved patio areas can also be separated from your home on another part of your property, or they can lead seamlessly from it. The latter allows for indoor-outdoor flow for complete enjoyment.

A Large Deck

Entertaining friends and family can be challenging without an outdoor space like a deck. Not everyone feels comfortable being crowded inside, and it can seem like a waste of good weather.

An expansive deck that wraps around your home’s exterior can be an exciting way to take full advantage of your property. You can open your doors leading to the deck for indoor-outdoor flow and invest in outdoor furniture to invite friends and family over for dinner.

All that’s left to do now is brush up on your decking consent requirements, and you can be on your way to a brand new deck.

Softscapes

Softscapes are the horticultural features of a landscape, such as trees, flowers, and plants. Along the same lines, softscaping would refer to their maintenance, such as mowing, trimming, spraying, and planting.

When you’re trying to come up with the perfect setup for your next BBQ party, creating a brand new softscape may be worth your consideration. Create a defined lawn area, invest in some new plants, and create a peaceful, private sanctuary that will be the envy of all your friends and neighbours.

Hardscapes

While many people love opening their curtains in the morning to see bees buzzing around their vibrant flower beds, some prefer a more low-maintenance yard. Therefore, when the time comes to spruce up your property, consider which hardscape elements can be both perfect for entertaining and easy-care.

You might invest in paving stones, defined concrete entertainment areas, and even raised flower boxes rather than dedicated gardens.

A Focal Point

Sometimes, the most challenging part of creating the perfect backyard setup for entertaining is establishing your central element. What’s the one thing that all other features can tie in with?

For some, it’s a fire pit surrounded by chairs for those late-night smores sessions. For others, it’s a large barbecue. You might even decide to make your focal point a spa pool, a swimming pool, or a beautiful pergola.

When you lack creativity, you may find that establishing the most exciting part of your entertainment area will allow you to get your creative juices flowing to complete the project.

A Games Area

Who doesn’t love a fun game outside on a warm summer’s day? You can invite your friends and family around, cook a feast on the barbecue, and dust off your petanque set or cricket bat.

While you’re in the early stages of planning your new backyard setup, consider dedicating a small grass area to games. You can then stock up on a few different options that the younger and older members of your family and friends circle can enjoy.

A Sheltered Space

When you picture an outdoor entertainment area, you might imagine a quaint but open patio or an unsheltered deck with the sunshine beaming down on every inch of it. However, winter can be cruel in some parts of Aotearoa, leaving many entertainment areas unusable.

That doesn’t have to be the case. If you consider the four seasons early on in your project, you might end up with a space you can enjoy year-round.

Some people install shade sails as an affordable form of basic shelter, while others go all out with permanent roofing over their outdoor space. If you’re unsure what options might suit your space the best, you may see the value in contacting a construction expert for help.

Comfortable Furniture

Choosing outdoor furniture can be as challenging as choosing indoor furniture. You know what you like, but you also have to factor in its longevity when spending a lot of time outside in the elements.

All materials have their pros and cons in this regard. Timber furniture can last for several years, but only if you keep up with maintenance. In contrast, wicker furniture can look spectacular but can be harmed by our intense UV rays.

Even plastic, which is robust and long-lasting, can become brittle, faded, and cracked when exposed to too much sunshine.

It’s Time to Build

Now that you’ve got a wide range of ideas to consider, it’s time to start building. Before long, you might end up with an outdoor entertainment space that you can’t get enough of.

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.

Sometimes, it’s not until you have to pass up a social gathering with friends to mow your lawns that you realise your yard maintenance is taking over. All your free time can be taken up by lawn mowing, gardening, hedge trimming, and other tasks, just to make sure you’re still able to use your yard and keep it tidy.

There is more to homeownership than trimming shrubs and edging lawns. Take back control of your weekends by following these steps to achieve a more relaxing, low-maintenance yard.

Step 1: Outsource Maintenance

Your time is precious, and the last thing most people want to be doing after spending 40 hours in the office is spending even more time tending to their properties. If you’d prefer to spend more time enjoying your space rather than maintaining it, outsource as many outdoor-related tasks as possible.

Hire someone to mow your lawns, get rid of garden waste, and trim your trees. You can even outsource the task of fruit tree care, hedge trimming, water blasting, and gardening. More and more people are seeing the value in hiring people to help with their homes, and now might be the right time for you to take the same action.

Step 2: Downsize the Gardens

Property trends are changing all the time, and one of the more recent ones relates to the size of your gardens. While extensive, sprawling gardens are beautiful to look at, they take a lot of time and effort to maintain.

Rather than sitting on your deck relaxing with a beverage and a book, you have to be ankle-deep in soil, pulling out weeds and making sure your prized peonies are growing perfectly. You deserve a more relaxing, low-maintenance yard, and reducing the size of your garden may be how you do that.

Turning gardens back into grass can require a significant amount of effort, but it’s a one-off amount of effort. You then only have to worry about lawn mowing, which is a task you can pay someone to do for you, anyway.

Step 3: Focus On Hardscapes

Hardscapes are built environment structures incorporated into a landscape. They include retaining walls, stairs, walkways, paved areas, and similar, and often contain materials like concrete, stone, and wood.

While you may like to welcome nature with open arms, having a balance of hardscapes can mean you don’t have to undertake as much weeding, gardening, and lawn mowing, as you would if you didn’t incorporate these hardscape features.

Install large patio areas, pathways, and retaining walls that can function as controlled gardens. More and more people are seeing the value in hardscapes, particularly holiday homeowners who can’t shoot away to their holiday destination to mow lawns and pull up weeds each week.

Step 4: Choose Your Plants Carefully

Whether you purchased your property as a blank slate or you inherited the gardens of a previous owner, it’s worth putting a lot of thought into the plants you keep on your property. Some are more low maintenance than others.  

Flaxes and grasses tend to be among the most popular options, particularly as they grow in the toughest of environments and require minimal care. Succulents are also preferred for their beauty and basic needs. 

You might also decide to choose a variety of ground cover plants. These can prevent water loss and erosion while also covering bare soil that may otherwise give weeds somewhere to grow. Some of the most popular varieties include New Zealand Daphne that grows in clay soil, Tinkerbell that grows in clumps, and Star Jasmine that can provide dense coverage in a dedicated part of your garden.

Step 5: Make Small Changes

Making drastic changes to your property for the sake of more relaxation and less maintenance can be overwhelming. Rather than getting started, you may be tempted to do nothing at all and just put up with your predicament.

However, small changes may make a world of difference. For example, you might add weed mat material to a garden bed to prevent weed growth, or replace a small garden bed with potted plants, instead. Ripping out high-maintenance plants and replacing them with lower maintenance varieties may also be something you consider.

Over time, these tiny changes may make a noticeable difference, especially when you have one less item on your list of chores to do on the weekend.

Enjoy Your Yard Sooner Rather Than Later

By hiring lawn care experts, adding more hardscapes, and downsizing your gardens, you may be in a much better position to enjoy your garden rather than seeing it as a labour-intensive chore. Take these five steps above, and you may be surprised by how much free time on weekends and evenings you and your loved ones end up having.