A clean patio cover is a happy patio cover! Here are some helpful tips on…

5 Ways to Turn Your Backyard into a Calm Oasis
During the summer, as everyone packs up everything to hit the road for their summer vacation, you could cut the costs and have one in your very backyard. Envelope yourself in the tranquil, relaxing sounds of nature and let them block out the city atmosphere and all its hostility.
Before you proceed, please note that despite these steps, building a peaceful oasis may or may not be as practical as some may like. Your outdoor area’s arrangement must be set up correctly with a design. Some processes may also be more involving than may seem, so you should understand the initial and maintenance financial implications of setting up some of these projects. Space may also be a limiting factor. Please consider these before you begin.
Here are a few tips to help you build your very own personal summer vacation home in your backyard.
1. Plant lush trees
The sight of the road as you relax will immediately destroy the illusion of a calm oasis. And can easily be gotten rid of at a relatively low cost and without prior gardening knowledge.
Get a variety of fast-growing trees (softwoods like pines and cypress) and plant them along the periphery of your backyard to give you the illusion of ultimate seclusion. Fast-growing trees can take time to grow and mature. Low growing bushes can fully mature in as little a couple months; Bamboo is an excellent option if you have the space to grow them as well.
Plant trees and trees of varying heights to create a fresh, textured feel of your environment, which doubles up as a privacy barrier between you and the outside world. If done right, you could have a beautiful little jungle in your suburban home.
Pro tip: trees need constant care and attention. Otherwise, they will wither out and die. Be sure to water them as regularly as possible.
2. Use lots and lots of water
The very essence of an oasis includes a water feature. The sound of trickling water combined with the alluring smell of blooming water lilies create a comfortably relaxing combination.
Pond plants are vital to creating a beautiful, low maintenance environment in your pond.
Place bulk or marginal plants like reeds, grasses, cattail, and irises around the perimeter of the pond. These serve to filter out harmful micronutrients from the water and convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.
Floating plants like lilies and hyacinth add to the beauty of the pond and also function to keeping your pond clean.
It’s important to note, however, that like any plant, they need to be taken care of and fertilized.
You could also get a pond that includes fish (or buy your fish) that you could roast and eat over a fire.
You could also use a fountain that comes with the advantage of the relaxing sound of flowing water.
3. Create some comfort
Create a space outside just as you usually would indoors. Set up the patio furniture like you would in a living room to create a calm atmosphere for conversation.
Take a hint from nature and use the natural colors she provides. Use plush pillows with light to neutral colors and fabric to accent with the view that surrounds you.
White, ivory, and green are some of the colors most commonly found in nature and are also pretty easy to find. White and ivory also complement each other well because of the subtle differences in their shades. When used together with the color green, they contrast each other perfectly, accenting with nature’s lush green.
4. Add some fire to the mix
You could either build a permanent fire or buy a portable fire pit to warm you up during those lazy, cozy summer evenings. The fire pit should be some considerable distance from the place where you will be seated, however, so think of proper placement before proceeding.
There are lots of models of portable fire pits you can pick from both online and from your local dealer. Some cities have limits to the maximum size of fire pits you can have in your home while others outlaw it altogether.
5. Use some stones
Find stones that are native to the area you live in and add them in places around your self-made oasis. If it’s within your budget or rocks are simply unavailable in your area, you could alternatively buy stones from your local supplier and make yourself a temporary builder during the summer.
These serve to improve the visual aesthetics of the surroundings, but you could go all out and create a stone walkway to create a natural division between the trees, or even wall. Combining rock salt with fresh concrete will create the best textured and natural feel to the surroundings, which in turn is also cheaper in areas where limestone is not exactly readily available.
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