Last issue I talked about how to create an enjoyable and beautiful environment incorporating the spaces and features that your family wants.  Today, I’d like to discuss ideas to make your patio and deck spaces more comfortable through the year.

Sun angles and wind patterns change seasonally and daily.  We can take advantage of these changes to create very pleasant spaces to enjoy most of the year.  For example, one hot day in August, I spent the day working in my gardens.  Ten a.m. found me in the upstairs west deck hammock which was wonderfully cool with a light breeze.  Noon found me lunching on the north side of our home under the deck patio, a shaded area at least 8 degrees cooler than any sunny location at that time of day and a few degrees cooler than other shady location.   By 4 p.m. I was under the pergola in another hammock swinging in its shade deepened by the adjacent peach trees. It was a hot day.  There was no next place.  We ended up pulling over a table and dining and relaxing until near 9 p.m. It was delightful.

You too can create several spaces on your property that will be very comfortable in all  seasons.  A good location for a spring and fall morning patio would be a sunny area on the east side of the house with a darker paver surface.  The early morning sun will heat the side of the home and the darker pavers will absorb heat creating a pleasant area when it might otherwise be too cold to sit outside. Don’t plant any trees or add a pergola or other shade structure that would shade this area if you want to use this area in the spring and fall when it is still cold out.  This is also a good place to get out of our west winds during most of the year.

The south side of your home is a great place for winter days. Keep full sun access and use darker cement or pavers to collect and hold in the sun’s heat.  Our winter winds vary quite a bit, but it seems that most of the time I want to be outside in the winter, I am looking for protection from the west winds. Locating a wind block to the west would accomplish this.  A wind block will generally protect an area twice the distance away from the block as is the height of the block.  Therefore, a grove of trees 20 feet tall would protect an area 40 feet out from the base of the tree on the downwind or leeward side of the tree.  Sometimes the wind eddy will drop debris on the leeward side of the wind block so it may be useful to plant a shorter row of trees on the windward side of the block, or allow some planter space for dust to settle before it reaches your seating areas.

Our summers can be quite hot and require significant shade.  Light breezes are welcome.  You can develop lounging areas almost anywhere as long as you provide adequate shade.  To enhance the cool feeling, add some moving water.  A small fountain or water feature will make you feel cooler  than an area without one. Inexpensive misters are now available that help lower temperatures in their immediate location without soaking your guests.  Depending on your site, you may or may not need to temper the wind.

These are just a few ideas on how to work with sun and wind to extend the time you enjoy outdoors.  You can see photographs of great landscapes and learn other useful information by visiting Dappled Earth on Facebook.