Whatever your mind can envi­sion, you can create that stylish outdoor living space and the team at Bayview Florist and Garden Center are here to help. We will work with you to make creating your home landscape a simple, fun and satisfying experience so you can spend less time working “on” your project and more time enjoying it now and for years to come.

Getting Started On Your Outdoor Retreat Plan

What is your vision?

What do you see in your mind when you picture your outdoor living space? What sounds do you hear? What feelings and memories does it invoke for you? How do you imagine the time you are going to spend in your outdoor rooms? Will you want peace and quiet? A special place to spend with the people most important to you? Play areas for the kids or your pets? Start a list and jot down your thoughts. Collect pictures in a folder, spaces that speak to you, perhaps from other homes in your neighbor­hood or images you have torn out of home and gardening magazines or downloaded from websites.

What is your style?

Do you like a classic look? Or are you more funky and offbeat with your style? Perhaps you like romantic style, or you pre­fer clean, simple lines? Are you drawn to theme inspired designs? What colors do you love? Do you like a variety of textures? Do you feel strongly about “going green”?

How much (or how little) do you want to do to maintain your out­door living space?

In order for your outdoor living space to give you as much pleasure as possible, you have to be clear on the amount of time you want to devote to maintaining it. For some people, puttering around the space, tending regularly to plants and their needs is relaxing and helps them unwind. Others pre­fer to have everything sim­plified and automated by having their plants watered automatically through the use of watering systems or having a landscaping service maintain them. Did you know that doing some extra prep work before planting, like amending your soil or selecting native plants for example, dramatically cuts down the amount of maintenance as the season progresses?

Identify what you want to invest in your project.

Get clear in your own mind how much you want to spend creating your outdoor area. If you are doing the work yourself, you will want to get an idea of what materials you will need. This may include the plants themselves, grow­ing medium or containers, other garden elements (like furnishings or accessories) and products for main­tenance. If you want professional assistance for your design or main­tenance needs, be sure to include this investment in your budget as well.

Build your team to help you implement your vision.

Once you know what you want, find the professionals who can help you make it happen. For smaller projects, you may want to enlist the help of a “garden­ing coach” who you hire by the hour to consult with you about plant selection and other design elements. If you have a larger project, you will want a landscape architect on your team, someone who can draw up a complete and sophisticated design for your project that includes all aspects of outdoor living including plants, pavers and walls, light­ing and water features.

Here at Bayview Florist and Garden Center, we have a friendly, knowledgeable staff in every area of home landscaping and outdoor living. Starting this season, in addition to our full service landscaping services, we will be launching a program called “We Plan, You Plant” which is designed for smaller outdoor projects like entryways, adding color to an existing bed, creating an herb or cutting garden, or sprucing up a porch or patio area. “We Plan, You Plant” is a gar­dening coaching service and is a great first step in creat­ing a beautiful new outdoor living area, economically.

With this service, you can set an appointment with one of our outdoor living experts to discuss your project and see if this program is right for you. Please stop by or call us at (609) 641-0648 to schedule your appointment. There are only a limited number of appointments per week so act now to save your place. Additional rewards and incentives will be shared with you once you are enrolled in the pro­gram. As always, we look forward to seeing you soon and helping you with the design and imple­mentation of your vision for your outdoor living space.