Picnics, barbecues, lounging by the pool—summer is synonymous with outdoor living. Whether you have a deck, a postage stamp or an expansive garden, now’s the time to move the party outdoors.
Picnics, barbecues, lounging by the pool—summer is synonymous with outdoor living. Whether you have a deck, a postage stamp or an expansive garden, now’s the time to move the party outdoors. Apply the right know-how to give your outdoors a makeover
Stepping easily from the house into a pleasant outdoor space is one of the best things about summer living. Even when we have to keep the doors shut or stay inside, natural light and green views lower our stress levels and help us stay in tune with the natural rhythms of the day.
It’s important to choose the right site for your outdoor entertainment area. The ideal spot is as close to your kitchen as possible, but with a good balance of sun, shade and shelter, where people will enjoy gathering. Take into consideration existing features like exterior walls or large trees, which provide free shelter and can be the focal point around which you create your space.
Maximising indoor-outdoor flow by opening up a kitchen, living or dining room to the world outside can dramatically improve a home. Installing large, hinged or sliding glass doors in a suitable spot can effectively double usable entertaining space while adding warmth and light. Having plenty of doors and windows also provides a simple, natural way to improve air circulation and stay cool during the muggy summer months.
An area with easy access to the outdoors will attract lots of traffic and need hard-wearing, easy-to-clean flooring. Natural slate tiles or a polished eco-concrete slab is not only functional but will also add thermal mass, as the surface will capture heat from the sun’s rays shining onto it during the day. If your lounge or kitchen is not north facing you might also consider double glazing. The sealed space between the two panes of glass acts as an insulation layer, effectively cutting condensation, noise and heat loss.
It’s important to go with the flow. But creating a natural transition between indoors and outdoors doesn’t always have to involve costly structural changes. Something as simple as matching the colour scheme of an outdoor room to the tones within the house can link the spaces. When purchasing furniture for your home, look for items that can also be used outside to save money and space, as well as reinforcing the link between the indoor and outdoor areas.
Start with a good old clean-up. We tend to leave our gardens to do their own thing over the colder months and when the weather gets warmer, the weeds go wild. Avoid nasty herbicides and pull out those weeds. Before adding weeds to your compost bin, remove seed heads to prevent the seeds spreading. Mulching afterwards with environmentally friendly products such as well-rotted compost, untreated bark or wood pulp will reduce water loss and help keep weeds at bay.
Good and bad wood
Good Wood
Pinus radiata is one of the safest bets when it comes to sustainable wood. It can be used for furniture, decking and other structures. It is grown in plantations throughout New Zealand and Australia. Carter Holt Harvey has received FSC certification for many of its mills.
New Zealand-grown macrocarpa is sourced from farms or sustainable plantations. It has a natural resistance to rot, fungus and insects and does not need to be protected with chemicals. Weathering to an attractive silver grey, it’s ideal for chunky garden boxing and outdoor furniture.
Bamboo is extremely easy to grow, so much so that it can be considered a pest in some situations. Bamboo is light and durable and used for screening and furniture. Virtually all bamboo in New Zealand comes from plantations.
Douglas fir is ideal for outdoor pergolas and is primarily sourced from Australian and New Zealand plantations.
Good Wood
Kwila is the number-one target for illegal logging in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Most kwila in New Zealand comes from illegal sources. Illegal logging causes immense harm to pristine ancient forests, and is linked to human rights abuses. Some kwila does come from approved plantations, so look for FSC certification.
Bau or New Guinea Walnut, is used to make furniture and flooring. It is primarily derived from destructive industrial logging.
Taun Also known as malagai or akwa, taun is mainly sourced through illegal or highly destructive means. It is used for furniture and decking.
Mahogany has often been plundered from the Amazon basin – one of the most rich and diverse ecosystems in the world, but with one of the highest rates of deforestation. Up to 80 percent of the timber from Brazil comes from illegal logging. Mahogany is one of the main targets as its beautiful timber commands high prices. Some mahogany is sustainably grown, so look for FSC certification.
The outside of your house may need a spruce up after winter. Many exterior cleaning products contain chemicals that are harsh on the environment, and run-off can pollute your garden, as well as nearby waterways. Avoid bleach-based mould killers and choose clean, green products such as Green Earth House Wash Cleaner by Insinc. Its base ingredient is coconut, and it can be used in water-blasting machines.
Decks and other exterior floorings extend a home’s floor space and provide the foundation for an outdoor entertainment area. Make sure that decking wood or other building materials come from a sustainable source. Check the eco status of timber species in Greenpeace’s Good Wood Guide and, if necessary, choose an alternative (see www.greenpeace. org.nz). Wood with an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification is guaranteed to have come from a renewable plantation, and to have been produced with respect for the social and economic rights of the local people.
Eco concrete is another flooring option: Cemix Envirocrete is a new product made from 50 percent recycled materials, which otherwise would go to landfill. Every 1,000 tonnes of Envirocrete produced means 500 tonnes less waste dumped, as well as a 500-tonne reduction in the use of virgin natural non-renewable aggregate. Or why not consider recycled bricks – often sold in bulk lots – for instant rustic charm.
It’s likely there will be plenty of second-hand bricks available, as homeowners around the country, mindful of the recent Christchurch quake, opt to remove redundant old chimneys when they renovate.
Bricks and concrete share the advantage of adding thermal mass to patios, soaking up the sun’s heat during the day and releasing it at night to help keep your barbie area warm. Depending on its proximity to a house, a brick or concrete patio can also help warm the air around it.
All rooms need boundaries to give them a sense of enclosure and intimacy. This is particularly true for outdoor rooms. A boundary wall may be as simple as a low hedge or as dramatic as a large brick wall, but incorporating one or more walls into your outdoor living area will define its parameters, adding structure, privacy and shelter. Boundary walls need not be extravagant or even permanent. Portable screens or a row of shrubs in pots will provide shelter as well as filtering out air pollution.
A bamboo screen is another way to add eco cred and a tropical look. “Bamboo is very effective at sequestering carbon,” says Mark Mortimer of Bambusero, which produces a range of bamboo screens. “Most carbon is locked in trees in the first few years’ growth, but bamboo achieves this more effectively, then it can be harvested.” Traditional trellis is another option, or brush fencing, for an effective windbreak and an interesting textural backdrop.
Your night garden
After dark is a magical time in the garden, especially in summer. To make the most of your night garden – and stop friends falling into your veggie patch – you’ll need some form of lighting. The most common solar-powered lights are of the squat, push-into-the-ground variety, but they also come in strings of fairy lights, which you can wind around pergolas or sturdy tree trunks for a sultry ambience that doesn’t add to your power bill. Check out Bambusero’s bamboo lamps, which make attractive garden ornaments and are also fitted with 12V low-energy LEDs.
Grow wisteria over a new pergola or plant gardenia or star jasmine near the outdoor area for pleasant wafting aromas at night. Include some fragrant natives – for instance, the hardy coastal karo or turpentine tree from the Pittosporum family produces strongly perfumed maroon flowers during September and October that will fill the night air with a delicious fragrance.
Functional or funky, traditional or trendy – whatever you choose will help stamp your own style on your outdoor living space. Wooden furniture is the classic choice for outdoor lounging. Versatile and tough, it lasts for years and doesn’t require much maintenance. Wood can also be a very eco-friendly choice; grown using solar energy, it has the lowest energy consumption and lowest CO2 emission of any commonly used building material.
If buying new, it’s important to be aware of the timber’s provenance. Much of the timber used for the wooden furniture available in New Zealand comes from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and most is illegally logged. This practice is linked to deforestation, corruption and human rights abuses, so it’s worth doing a bit of research – starting with The Good Wood Guide.
Alternatively, peruse Trade Me for second-hand wooden furniture that can be given a new lease of life with a lick of low-VOC paint. Paint that’s low in volatile organic compound is healthier for you and the environment.
Trade Aid also has a range of simple outdoor furniture, including that most decadent and delicious of loungers, the hammock. These are available online from its website www.tradeaid.org.nz. For something a bit different, check out Patch from Scratch’s cast-iron recycled baths – now given a new life as couches. (Yet more baths have been re-invented as quirky herb gardens).
Get growing! Container-grown fruit and veggies add colour and interest to exterior areas – not to mention the enjoyment to be derived from plucking fresh salad greens and strawberries. Planters can also be used to hide unsightly areas, and are ideal for renters who want to take their gardens with them when they move. Mix and match colourful pots with edible plants for a vibrant colour splash that will look as good as it tastes. Paint old pots to match your colour scheme. Start with Resene low-VOC Terracotta Sealer, then finish with exterior paint in the colour of your choice. Painting terracota pots doesn’t just give them a fresh look – it means they’ll hold water longer so potted plants will need less watering. Those without green-fingered granddads can jump onto online forums such as Ooooby (ooooby. ning.com) for gardening advice. For a fee, companies such as Auckland’s Patch from Scratch or the Hawkes Bay-based Green Urban Living offer personal coaching and support, including establishing an organic veggie garden tailored to your space. If it’s fruit trees you’re after, then Fruity Gumboot (www.fruitygumboot. co.nz) can help you choose the best varieties for your site and will visit throughout the year to prune, spray and fertilise your trees using organic methods.
Tips for renters
• Landlords are keen to grow the value of their investment. Make a deal with them – they provide the materials, you provide the labour. They maximise their investment, you enjoy a great outdoor area.
• Container plants create an instant garden or a green screen that can move with you.
• Use found objects – driftwood, stones, rusty old bits of machinery – as focal points for your outdoor area. But make sure you aren’t depleting the environment you’re taking them from.
On a budget
• Candles and solar-powered tealights can create low-cost ambience after dark.
• Use recycled bricks to define the edges of your entertaining area.
• Turn an old wooden table into an outdoor table by painting it with several coats of water-based enamel and waterproofing the top with leftover or second-hand tiles, or a mosaic of broken china.
• Use Resene low-VOC test pots to decorate your containers.
• Glam up the garden with ornaments. They don’t need to be expensive – there are loads of cheap and cheerful objects to be found on Trade Me, at Trade Aid, or in second-hand shops.