Spruce Up Your Yard for Spring with Annuals, Perennials and Decorative Concrete

When the snow starts melting in Kentucky and you feel the first un-seasonably warm days of Spring, you start to think about enjoying outside patios and barbeques, tending the new green shoots in the garden and heating up the pool--even before you know you can actually do those things. The final days of winter are perfect for planning warm-weather activities so that when the temperature is right, you can immediately get started with your plans for sprucing up your yard for Spring.

So, while it’s still a bit cold out:

• Curl up with a seed catalog and start planning your vegetable or flower gardens
• Start looking online for backyard designs and features you like
• If you’re thinking new walkways, patio or pool deck, visit Concrete Craft®  for inspiration by scrolling through our image galleries
• Create a “wish list” or idea book with the things you’d like to do
• Research questions like,” What’s the difference between perennial and annual plants, and what is best for my area?”

That’s always a big question for novice gardeners. There’s nothing more disappointing than planting a flower garden that you expect to renew itself, but the plants die. Did you do something wrong, or did you plant the wrong plants? Here’s a quick primer on perennials and annuals so you can more effectively plan your spring gardens.

• Perennial plants are those that survive the winter and bloom again, year after year. These include flowers, shrubs, vines and trees.
• Annuals have a one-year lifecycle. They start from seeds, bloom, produce seeds and die in one growing season so new plants have to be planted every spring. (You can collect the new seeds for your next spring’s planting.)
• Perennials include tuberous or bulb flowers like tulips, lilies and irises, as well as seed plants. They propagate themselves and have to be thinned out or divided every few years to prevent overcrowding.
• Perennials tend to have a shorter blooming cycle than annuals, lasting only a few days or weeks.
• Annuals, like petunias, marigolds and zinnias, can bloom from spring through fall.

This walkway is adorned with rows of petunias (annuals) that will provide color until Autumn temperatures begin to drop. The evergreens (perennials) will provide a splash of green all year round.

But there’s more to successful gardening than just identifying a plant type. Climate, growing regions and soil conditions can impact how a plant will respond. A perennial may act like an annual, or an annual like a perennial in some circumstances. Before you invest in plants, find an online gardening site that you like and spend time educating yourself on plants native to your area, optimum soil conditions and tips for successful gardening. A Florida patio garden will be very different from a Dallas wildflower display. A little preparation will go a long way to having a colorful flower garden season to season, with a mix of perennials and annuals adding to the show.

Decorative concrete to showcase your yard

Hardscapes like patios and walkways are an important part of any yard design and help to maximize utility of the space as well as create garden areas. Colorful plantings around patios, pool decks, walkways, gazebos and fire pits make all your outside activities more enjoyable.

Concrete Craft can help get your yard in tip-top shape for Spring with decorative concrete overlays to beautify, restore and protect all your outdoor surfaces with realistic designs like flagstone, cobblestone, brick, wood plank, slate and stained concrete for a totally unique look.

Imagine this pool deck with the original gray concrete, stained and worn from hours of fun in the sun. How quickly the beauty fades! This beautiful, tranquil backyard setting rests on the pool deck’s gorgeous, resurfaced concrete overlay in a hand-cut and custom-colored Ashlar slate pattern. The seamless, continuous surface resists chipping, fading or peeling and the “grout lines” will never permit shifting stones or weeds and grass to grow like with real stone. Durable and low maintenance, this pool deck will give years of functionality and enjoyment.

Vertical surfaces: fireplaces, retaining walls, fire pits and more

This patio is resplendent with surrounding plants and pops of color in decorative pots to enliven the area. The flagstone concrete overlay is enhanced with seating/retaining walls and a custom fire pit that transforms this patio into the perfect spot for entertaining. The sealed surface resists weather, food and drink spills and foot traffic damage, retaining its beautiful finish for years. 

The artisans of Concrete Craft can apply our exclusive overlay process to vertical surfaces as well, over brick, drywall, plaster and existing concrete to create realistic-looking faux stone siding. You can have mountain drystack, hand-carved castle rock or limestone, orchard stone, weathered wood, and more, for a fraction of the cost of the real thing. Give a facelift to fireplaces, entryways, chimneys, backsplashes and retaining walls, including interior and exterior accent walls.

Don’t let stained, cracked or worn walkways, patios, driveways or pool decks detract from your carefully planned Spring gardens! As part of your springtime refresh, include decorate concrete overlays to bring new life to old concrete. Call 866-813-3699 or go online to www.concretecraft.com to find the Concrete Craft location nearest you. Against the backdrop of new “stone work,” your perennials and annuals will be even more brilliant.