4 ways to get your porch and patio ready for Spring Time
4 ways to get your porch and patio ready for Spring Time
Show of hands….who’s ready for Spring? Although I love every season ( summer is my least favorite) I can’t help but get excited for Spring to show up. You may or may not know two things about me. 1. I would rather be sitting outside on the porch or patios then inside the house 2. Gardening and getting my hands dirty is right up there with my love for design and decorating. Actually a bit more. That’s why we bought the Duke Manor Farm property. You can see more of that story here.
4 ways to get your porch and patio ready for Spring Time
Each year I pretty much go through the same list of things to do to get my front porch and patios ready for spring. Usually it’s right after all signs of pollen are gone. In Northeast Georgia it’s pretty bad, and the fact that Duke Manor Farm sits on 25 acres with lots of different kinds of tree doesn’t help.
Freshen things up with pillows and flowers
Each year before Spring shows up, I decide on a color palette for my porches. Last year I wanted to use green so I started with a couple pillows and built around my design using what I had. You can see how I used them on the screened porch here. As soon as all signs of frost are behind us I will go get coordinating flowers and pick up a few new plants for the porch. Boston Ferns are a big winner here in the south and will last spring until fall and even longer if they are winterized. I treat them as annuals.
Spring Cleaning……outdoors
Each season, I do a complete clean of the front porch. Floors, windows, cleaning furniture, cushions…you name it. I start with blowing off everything followed by pressure cleaning. Each Spring I schedule my window guy to come and clean all the windows, inside and out. I do not like dirty windows…and I have a lot, so I try to schedule him at least 2 times a year. You can see some of the gadgets and tools that I use every year….faithfully, here.
Refresh the porch floor
Another thing I do every year is apply a new sealer to our floors. I just love the look of a fresh floor that looks wet. Although my floors are stone there are many products out there for concrete, brick and wood. If you can roll a brush, you can do this. You can see how simple and easy it is to do yourself here.
Make a pretty wreath for your door
I love to hang a pretty wreath that ties it all together. I have double front doors and a door at our breezeway so I need 3 wreaths. Most times I will make something that complements the colors in my pillows. Last year I tried something new and made a hanging wreath using live plants and flowers. I am probably going to do the same thing this year. This Spring wreath that I made 7 years ago is still my most pinned post on the blog. I also made it in blue here.
I hope my 4 ways to get your porch and patio ready for Spring Time will inspire you to start thinking about Spring time……and your own porch.
grateful
for the beautiful colors of spring
Laura, I enjoyed reading about all your plans! You are so fortunate to have Spring so early! Even though we have lots of snow — and will be getting more — I have just put a Spring wreath on my door! The wicker porch stuff will just have to stay in our garage for a few months yet! We love Spring. It is such a beautiful time of the year! Blessings!
hi maryann- still not confident that we won’t get a bit more wintry weather here. I love spring….just not all the pollen that comes with it.
You have me thinking about my porches and patios, Laura. My husband likes to do a good cleaning and then I fuss with the cushions, pillows, and plants. I think we are going to add a sitting area on the covered patio–chairs, sofa, coffee table. I’m not sure if we will do wicker or metal. We have to store everything over the winter so its been just an up-in-the-air thing for awhile. I may change out the cushions and pillows in my little guest house, too. So exciting to think of summer coming. So much to do!
Hope you are feeling better with each day. Go slow!
Jane