Take Stock of Your Tools and Supplies

Make sure that you have adequate supplies for gardening: shovel, hoe, gloves, wheelbarrow and anything else that you know you use or might use to cultivate your garden. Inspect the tools that you do have for any signs of decay or damage. Check metal tools for rust and for wooden tools check for splits and cracks.

Inspect the Garden Bed

The harsh winter weather could easily damage your garden bed, so it is a good idea to repair or replace any damage to the frame. Also check for weeds that might have grown. Weeds can be your garden’s biggest enemy so make sure they are fully uprooted before you begin sowing.

Break up the Ground

The ground would have been frozen solid by the cold winter so you need to loosen it up. This can be hard work but it is important to make sure that your garden has the best environment to grow in. A rototiller would be a good tool for this. Alternatively you can use a hoe, shovel or pick.

Fertilize the Soil

Make sure that your soil is adequately fertilized. You can use commercial fertilizer or compost you might have accumulated. Just spread the compost over the top of the soil.

Shift around Perennials

Spring is a good opportunity to put some variety into your garden by trading plants. Just make sure that whatever plants you trade in are healthy, you don’t want to take the risk of cultivating unhealthy plants as they can ruin your entire garden.

Plant Vegetables Early

Some seeds actually germinate better in cooler weather so make sure you take advantage of the favourable spring conditions. After you sow, prune away any foliage to ensure that the seeds grow successfully.

Protect Your Plants

Spring can still bring on late spates of frost and snow. Prepare your plants for this by covering them in plastic and cloth. Check the weather forecast for any freezing weather and take action early.

Sometimes you might find yourself short of supplies or in need of some advice. If you have a local garden supplier, you can ask them about any new tools or information that can be useful. Our team at Infinity Gardens is available to offer their assistance, guidance and insight.

The post Getting Your Garden Ready For Spring appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

So, how can we save water, while keeping our lawn healthy and growing?

Choose the Right Irrigation Technique

Common lawn irrigation techniques include:

• Sprinklers
• Hand watering
• Drip Irrigation

Sprinklers are a great, labour saving way to water your lawn, but you’ll want to make sure you never forget to turn the sprinklers off. Sprinklers can become water wasters if left on for too long. Fortunately, technology allows us to put our sprinklers on timers, so they can turn on and off automatically.

You may also choose to have complete control over water flow by watering your garden by hand.

However, the most conservative, and effective way to hydrate your lawn is drip irrigation, which delivers moisture directly to the plants’ roots. Since the water goes right to the roots, there’s less wastage. In fact, drip irrigation uses 70% less water than a regular sprinkler.

Not only does drip irrigation save water, it also saves you valuable time. Once the irrigation system is in place, your yard is automatically watered–you don’t need to do a thing. At Infinity Gardens, our irrigation specialists can help you set up an irrigation system, saving water, and allowing your lawn to flourish!

Water Strategically

If you are watering your lawn using sprinklers, or by hand, be sure to water early in the morning. When it’s really hot out, a lot of water can be lost due to evaporation. By watering early in the summer months, you can buy time for the water to be absorbed into the earth.

Take care in the placement and alignment of your sprinklers, to make sure the sidewalk or driveway isn’t getting as much water as the lawn!

Love the Rain

Rainwater can be your best friend! Not only does it naturally water your lawn, but you can set up a rainwater collection system (a rain barrel, for instance) and continue allowing rain to benefit your lawn even once the showers have passed.

If you have an automatic irrigation system installed (drip irrigation, or sprinklers), make sure it has functioning moisture sensors that shut the system off when it rains.

Maintaining a healthy lawn takes many considerations. Fortunately, there are so many ways to keep a beautiful, yet eco-friendly outdoor space. For more information from the specialists at Infinity Gardens, contact us today!

The post How To Save Water While Still Maintaining A Healthy Lawn appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

1. BBQ

   There’s no better way to enjoy your outdoor fireplace than to hold a BBQ with family and friends. Place a grill over your fire to cook burgers, hot dogs, and more. As the weather gets colder, you can cozy up to the fireplace with blankets to enjoy good food, and good conversation.

   To really step up your outdoors culinary game, combine your outdoor fireplace with an outdoor kitchen. Our talented masons can build anything from a basic barbecue set up to a full kitchen to create the backyard of your dreams.

2. Go Camping!

   Maybe you can’t get away to the woods this weekend, but with an outdoor fireplace, you can bring the camping life right to your backyard. Maybe your kids are thrilled about the idea of pitching a tent in the backyard, or maybe you want to throw a fun event to reconnect with old friends. Roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and sit around the warm fire late into the night telling stories.

   For families with children, you can use your fireplace to throw camping themed birthday parties! Snacks like trail mix, roasted wieners, s’mores, and hot chocolate are sure to make the little ones happy. Explore the backyard, sing campfire songs, and play games to keep everyone entertained. Rustic decorations can also help everyone get into the camping spirit! Just remember to always exercise caution around fire, especially with young children around.

3. Have a Quiet Evening

   You don’t need a big social event to enjoy your outdoor fireplace. They are the perfect place to enjoy quality time with your loved ones, whether cooking around the fire with your family, or enjoying a romantic evening. The warmth and glow of the fire brings people closer together, and makes any night special.

4. Throw a Party!

   Whatever the event, your outdoor fireplace will elevate any party! By arranging chairs, benches, and blankets around the fire, it can be a great gathering place to enjoy conversation, or a quieter retreat from the party.

Whatever you use your outdoor fireplace for, we hope it’s a place where you can laugh, enjoy wonderful conversation, fun, food, and friends, and create lasting memories. For more information about outdoor fireplaces, and our skilled landscapers and tradespeople, contact us today!

The post Four Events To Hold Around Your Outdoor Fireplace appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

Small Furniture
Adding small furniture is a smart way to enhance your balcony. It can be just a table and chair. While it may not be ideal for practical use because of its small size, it can certainly still create a homey and cozy feel. Opt for wooden chairs over plastic, and add a small cushion and decorative table cloth for a little more style and personality.

Plants and Flowers
There’s no a better way to decorate your outdoor patio than to add plants and flowers. Try using hanging plants to add some dimension and variety to the space and to bring a softer, more organic feel to the balcony. Another advantage to hanging plants is that they create a little added privacy, as well as shade. You can also make use of the wall of the balcony by having vines and climbing plants run up the walls. Beautifully painted flower pots can also help take your look to the next level.

Artwork
Small statues and paintings can also add some sophistication to your small patio. One or two pieces of stylish art can make a big difference to a small area.

A Stylish Rug
A rug can be another decorative feature of the balcony. There are lots of outdoor designs that are weather resistant and that go well with plants and pots.

Lights
A lamp is a great touch for your patio. It won’t take up much space and it will illuminate the entire space. It will also make a handy addition to the space for anyone hoping to read in the evening. Some lights work better than others, so you should be a little selective about what kind of lamp you use. You can even use candle lights (preferably electric ones) to enhance the patio at night.

Decorative rocks
Rocks can actually be surprisingly decorative to a patio. When they are placed in the right way, they can make a good background. If you want to go further you can have these rocks painted or decorated. They don’t have to be large, of course. You can use small rocks to complement the flowers and plants that are already there.

As more condos are being built and more people are choosing small economical places in the city, it’s more important than ever to get used to small patios. Make the most of your patio by making it your own, settling in, and making it a comfortable place to relax on a sunny afternoon.

The post Decorating Tips For Small Balconies appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

1. Music

A little bit of background music can go a long way in enhancing the atmosphere in your backyard. Try soft and soothing music if you’re looking to set a relaxing vibe for you and your guests, or find a quicker beat for a bigger party or special occasion. You can try bringing your regular speakers outside and hooking them up with an extension cord, but there are some fun, outdoor-appropriate options, like wireless speakers that are intentionally shaped like rocks. Consider taking that organic spirit to the next level by playing background noise like running water or birds.

2. Lighting

Lighting is not only for illuminating your yard at night. If you use it effectively, it brings a certain glow to your yard. Candlelight is one option, but a safer alternative is a lamp that is dimmable or wall mounted lights. If you have a pool, a great idea would be to have floating lights. It doesn’t have to expensive; you can have battery operated lights inside inflated balloons and float them.

3. Furniture

Furniture is always a must if you are thinking about luxury. These days you have a number of options from wrought iron furniture to weatherproof sectional couches. Whatever your taste, furniture can always bring comfort and luxury to your yard.

4. Water

Water features are an elegant and tasteful addition to any backyard. The appearance and sound of running water creates a meditative and relaxing atmosphere. A small fountain can have the desired effect, or if you are a little more ambitious, consider installing a full aquarium or fish pond.

5. Television

If you like watching TV, having a television in your backyard can be a fun touch. And when there’s a big game on, having your friends over to relax in the yard without missing the game is a great party favour. There are a number of water resistant TVs on the market; you can purchase them online or in stores.

6. Privacy

You can ensure some privacy for your backyard by using fences or garden walls. Plants and hedges are also good ideas, and they will probably blend in better with your backyard depending on if it already has a lawn. Curtains are also a great choice. You can hang them around your yard or even use flowers to do the job.

All these decorative details can really boost your garden, and take it from a standard outdoor space to being a lovely, decadent and relaxing haven. And don’t forget to put your green thumb to work — a wide variety of flowers, shrubs and herbs are crucial to creating a great backyard.

The post 6 Ways To Bring Luxury To Your Yard appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

Pause for a moment and consider how you spend your week — do you use it trying to unwind from a tough day at work? If so, then a bar could be a great way to relax in your spare time, making it a worthwhile investment into your home. The best part of having a patio bar is that you’re spending time outdoors, getting fresh air and using your backyard, which for most people are largely underused.

The opposite of a dive bar

Sometimes the bars that you end up going to aren’t very warm and inviting, which really takes away from the experience of having fun on a night out. You are in charge of your patio’s design, so imagine what would make you feel cozy and happy A fire pit is a great addition that will help you stay warm, establish the mood, and impress even the toughest of friends and family. They’re easy to use and only require inexpensive fuel to keep the flame roaring!

Cozy furniture
Outdoor furniture is built to withstand all types of weather, so don’t be afraid to buy seating with fabric as part of the upholstery or pillow treatment! For a more upscale look, choose plastic wicker chairs with high backs and wooden legs, and for rustic appeal, sofas with plush cushions are sure to make it easy to take a quick nap in the sun while lying outside on the patio with a drink (that was mixed in the outdoor bar!) in hand.

Patio enclosures
Patio structures that provide some shelter from the weather come in a variety of options. They can be waterproof to hold back the rain and snow, or open to allow maximum sunlight through during the day. Having a roof over your head means you can read, relax, and even prepare food or drinks regardless of rain or shine.

Green is relaxing
The best garden patio bar combines nature as the perfect backdrop and an outdoor bar stocked with your favourite drinks. Green gardens don’t have to be fancy to be great; there are plenty of plants with interesting shapes and silhouettes to beef up your garden.

Infinity Gardens offers a wide variety of plants to make your garden your perfect paradise! Take a look through our selection for inspiration on your next big garden renovation, and contact us today for more information.

The post 3 Breathtaking Patio Bars to Inspire your Reno appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

It’s important to start with the basics when you’re looking to invest in an outdoor fireplace to help narrow down your choice once it’s time to make your purchase. Let’s go through some of the categories and features of fireplaces on the market to get a broad overview of the best that outdoor fireplaces have to offer!

Looking at the materials
Fireplaces can be made from a variety of sturdy materials to endure the weather, so your main consideration is how it looks. Different materials will leave a different impression, and it’s key to making the right choice.

Although it is possible to refinish your fireplace, it’s better to simply make the right decision in the first place! Here are a few important factors to keep in mind:

• Red brick brings a warm colour to the surroundings, and it’s a classic choice when it comes to fixtures that get really hot, such as fireplaces and ovens;
• Stucco is cheap and leaves a unique finish in a variety of colours, with the brightest hues in yellow or blue;
• Stone looks expensive, and its appearance reflects its cost.

Gas or wood?
There are two typical ways of fueling chimneys. Gas fireplaces are more predictable, quick to start up, and less finicky, while wood chimneys are authentic. There is nothing like the smell of burning wood from a fireplace, and you can even do classic things like roast marshmallows or chestnuts over the open fire.

You can even install the necessary hardware to turn the hearth into a cooking fireplace where you can roast meals in the traditional style of food preparation.

Sizes and shapes
For outdoor fireplaces, you largely aren’t as restricted by space as much as you would be if you were adding an indoor fireplace. As such, there are many options when it comes to the external design, ranging from height to the shape of its silhouette to choosing detailed architectural work.

Your outdoor fireplace can be used throughout the year, and you might even find yourself using it more than your indoor fireplace. Adding this fixture to your yard is a great way to spend more time outdoors, especially since for most people, backyards are underused!

Outdoor fireplaces, patio furniture, and patio enclosures are some of the ways to spruce up your yard. For other, greener ideas, consider sprucing up the garden with new plants. Come take a look at what we have in store for your next outdoor project!

The post How to Choose the Right Kind of Outdoor Fireplace appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

Just because you don’t have a yard, doesn’t mean you have to go without a garden. There are many ways to incorporate plants into your small patio.

• Mount canning jars on your wall to build an herb garden.
• Use repurposed wooden pallets to house herbs and cascading plants.
• Incorporate vines and cascading plants into the structure of your patio.
• Buy hanging planters to create a vertical garden.
• Use repurposed items like cement blocks, wooden crates, birdcages, pails, and whatever else the flea market has to offer to create quirky planters.
• Build shelves or frames on the walls to house your potted plants, or use a shelving unit.

When building your patio garden, always think vertically to maximize the space. It’s amazing what can be accomplished with a little creativity.

Patio Furniture

The amount of patio furniture you can have depends on the size of your patio, and what you’d like to use it for. Benches are a good idea because they can be built against the wall and create a more open space in the middle. Here are a few other ideas for compact patio furniture:

• Multi-tasking furniture: Having a bench or ottoman double as storage for gardening supplies, and other things, is a great way economize your space.
• Collapsible furniture: If your patio is usually used by just one or two people, all you may want is a bench or nook to sit in. But if you have company, you may need more. Collapsible furniture is useful for those occasions because once you’re done, you can just put it away and enjoy having more space!

Stores that sell patio furniture usually have lots of options for smaller spaces. Do research online and in-store to find what suits your aesthetic and comfort!

Decoration

Don’t sacrifice decorating just because you have a small space! Like gardens, thinking vertically and using wall space is the key to maximizing your patio’s potential.

• Repurposed items: Using antiques, or other “junk” items, is a great way to recycle and give your space a unique look.
• Hanging items: If you have any sort of ceiling—perhaps lattice or canopy—items like birdcages or wind chimes will hardly take up any space.
• Mirrors: Incorporating a mirror into your patio will make the space appear larger.

The key to getting the most out of your small patio is creativity and experimentation! Just because your patio is small, doesn’t mean it can’t be the patio of your dreams!

The post Making The Most Of Your Small Patio appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

Rhododendron Barbatum
The barbatum blooms much like other rhododendrons, which is in small clusters formed by even smaller flowers all pointing outwards as if they were arranged carefully by a florist.

A common colour for the barbatum bloom is red, making it just right for the Valentine season amid the white snow. This plant is a bit harder to find, although it’s not so exotic to be banned by law, so take the time to look out for it in stores, or consider asking your local nursery to have it shipped to your location.

Be careful where you plant it though, because it can only take as much as -15℃ of the cold, so if you’re far up North, this plant is better kept indoors.

Cornus Mas or Cornelian Cherry
The cornus mas is a perennial plant that can withstand temperatures of -25℃, making it a hardy choice for many Canadian gardens. It flowers even when the leaves have fallen off most deciduous trees, causing its bright yellow, trumpet-shaped blooms to stand out in the garden. By the time summer rolls around, the plant will produce clusters of cherries, which actually resemble grapes more, although the taste is still sour like a cherry.

Galanthus Nivalis or Snowdrop
The common snowdrop cultivar probably wouldn’t be considered a perennial because it’s a plant that grows from bulbs. As such, the average height of the plant doesn’t usually grow to be very tall, but instead it’s a delicate flower that can be hard to spot individually. In nature, many bulbs are found in close proximity of each other, carpeting the ground in this lovely flower with an orchid-like bloom: three petals form an outer ring and the centre forms another shape with the inner petals.

Other plants which bloom throughout the cold winter months include:

• Erica carnea
• Edgeworthia chrysantha
• Prunus mume

These are just some of the plants that we’ve seen in bloom outside of summer and in Canada, although there are more to be found. Keep nature and its beauty near you year-round in your garden and in your home with fresh cut flowers and potted plants!

The post Brighten up your Garden With These Winter Flowers appeared first on Infinity Gardens.

Gazebos for beauty and function
Gazebos can cost anywhere from under $100 to a few thousand dollars, which gives you a wide range of options when it comes to accommodating your budget. Gazebos are made in a variety of styles:

• large or small
• wooden, metal, or plastic structure
• glass or fabric roofs
• foldable or permanent

They not only add visual interest to your yard, it helps you enjoy the outdoors in rain or shine.

Tip: the key to making the most of a gazebo is ensuring that it’s not too small or too large for your patio.

Night lighting for ambience
Being outdoors shouldn’t be restricted to when the sun is up, which makes porch lighting a priority over some other decorations in your yard. There are even more options when it comes to setting up lighting!

Using string lights suitable for the outdoors gives an ad hoc, quirky but romantic feeling to your patio, whereas professionally installed in-ground or ensconced lighting makes it more permanent and less susceptible to damage in bad weather. Outdoor lighting ranges from less than $50 to several hundreds of dollars, with a large selection at your local home hardware store.

Tip: opt for lights with solar panels to reduce energy use.

Barefoot on the patio
There is nothing like feeling organic materials on your skin, so if your patio is not safe or comfortable enough to walk on barefoot, you might consider renovating the flooring. The most affordable options are clay tile or leftover concrete and brick. If your budget allows, the better the quality of the flooring, the more luxurious your patio will seem. An expensive stone isn’t everyone’s style — in fact, reclaimed wood is another amazing option that will give a perfectly rustic charm to the area.

There are endless creative ways to make your patio a favourite spot for you and your friends. Regardless of how much effort you put into your patio, it won’t be half as enjoyable if the yard is lackluster. Gardening is a very easy and rewarding hobby to get into, so contact our experts if you have any questions about lawn care or a garden makeovers!

The post Amazing Patio Makeover Ideas appeared first on Infinity Gardens.