5 Ways To Create an Outdoor Living Space

by Chris Jordan

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Now that summer is here, most of us long to be outside enjoying the weather before the cold winter forces us to once again retreat into our homes. Since the downturn in the economy many people are now entertaining at home. And where people were once putting additions onto their houses, more and more people are rethinking the way they are using their current space.

One of these spaces is the backyard. No longer relegated to just children's toys and overgrown grass, the backyard is being reclaimed as an extension of the interior of the home. There is a growing trend of moving the indoors outside and creating living spaces such as family rooms and dining rooms in the backyard.

View the slideshow above to create your own outdoor living space.

Check out 10 Seasonal Updates to Make This Spring and Prepare Your Outdoor Patio Furniture For Spring for more inspiration.

Photo Credit: Alamy

Tags: Décor, Entertaining, Makeover, Home Decor, Patio, Porch, Deck, Outdoors

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Easy Guide to Building a Flower Tower

Curb appeal can be hard to achieve, but with these easy steps your house will be the best on the block! All it takes is a decorative flower tower and extra greenery to add style to your look. Trust us, your neighbors will be asking you for tips!

Price: $$

Difficulty: EXPERT

Instructions
Tools & Materials

To create a flower tower to add a burst of extra curb appeal, you will need to use a utility knife, aviation snips and Home Depot’s YARDGARD PVC-Coated Rabbit Guard Garden fence.

Carefully create a cylinder out of the wire fencing that will fit inside your Home Depot D Ring Pot. Tip: Use a slightly smaller pot as a guide to help construct the round cylinder.
To create a stable cylinder, allow an overlapping section of the fencing. Use your aviation snips to cut the wire to the desired length. Wear gardening gloves to keep your hands safe from injury.
Use zip ties to secure the overlapping section of wire to the remainder of the cylinder. Cut the ends of the zip ties with a scissor so they do not get in the way once your flower tower begins to bloom!
Once you have constructed your wire tower frame, place it into your D Ring Pot. It should fit about three quarters of the way into your pot so that it will be secure when potted with soil.
Cut your landscape fabric with scissors so it can wrap around the outside of your tower. The fabric should overlap over the top of your tower.
Line the inside of your tower with the fabric and allow two inches of it to fall over the top of the tower.
Use your utility knife to cut small slits along the top layers of fabric. Then use zip ties to attach the fabric securely to the wire tower. Now you’re ready to start the planting!
Using soil and Home Depot’s Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix, fill the tower two-thirds of the way to the top. Every 1/3 of the way, add water to the soil to keep it firm and settled.
Now that your tower is in place, cut a vertical slit and a horizontal slit into one of the top rectangles formed from the wire. Cut more slits throughout your tower to create holes where you will plant your flowers. Tip: Keep space between the slits so your flowers have adequate room to grow.
Add your flowers to the tower by pressing the plants through the slits you created. Make sure they are snug in the opening. Use the flaps of fabric to keep the flowers secure. Don’t forget to add some flowers to the top of the tower for the ultimate finish!
Now it's time time to find the perfect placement for your tower. One key way to add curb appeal to any home is by dressing up your front door! Place your flower tower to the right of the door to help get the job done!

If you have a pathway leading up to your front door, line your pathway with potted plants to give it a stylish and sophisticated look. The greener the better! Keep your landscape at its best and your curb appeal by planting seasonal plants and flowers under your front windows.