Sizzling Summer Tips for Backyard Improvements

Marin Ace Offers Inventive Ideas to Makeover Your Outdoor Living Space

Is the thought of creating that backyard lawn and garden oasis getting you down? Is your outdoor living area looking more like a jungle than a perfectly pruned haven? Well fret not! Whether you are starting from scratch or giving a makeover to your backyard, Marin Ace is here to rescue you from all of your summer lawn and garden woes.

“The backyard is the go-to place for summer activities, barbecues and parties,” stated Michelle Leopold, owner with her husband Jeff at Marin Ace. “Updating these areas is essential before the season kicks off! Prune, clean, clip, rip, and reconstruct your lawn and garden so that it will stay healthy and beautiful all summer long.”

The Leopolds offer these effective and simple tips that will add those special touches to make your backyard stand out from the rest.

• Helping Hands: A little elbow grease never hurt anyone! Consider hand tools and other human powered equipment, such as push reel lawnmowers and rakes, that require little to no electricity or gas. The environmental impact of these tools is considerably less than the alternatives and they’re budget friendly!
• Primp Your Backyard: Add some decorative touches that make your backyard functional and fabulous! If you do a lot of entertaining, add a decorative plant stake or solar path lights in and around your backyard’s busiest areas. The installation is easy and adds a unique flavor to any outdoor living space.
• Keep Your Backyard Lean and Mean: Healthy gardens have healthy soil… no surprise there! Use a plant feeding system, like Miracle-Gro Liquafeed, to help your plants grow bigger and more beautiful. It’s as easy as watering! There is no mixing—everything is combined in your garden hose and done for you. So sit back, relax and enjoy!
• To Water or Not to Water… That is the Question: Watering during the early morning hours is more beneficial to your lawn than watering during the evening hours when the weather is at its hottest. This helps avoid fungus problems that can occur when water remains on the grass for an extended period of time.
• Hand Health: When choosing gloves for your backyard garden work, purchase leather gloves if you will be using tools such as a rake, shovel or lawn mower. They offer comfort and protection.
• The Look of Lush: If you want a vibrant and lush garden, go for plants that have warm, bright colors and bloom big. If a more serene peaceful look is your preference, opt for cool color patterns and small, dainty blooms.
• Tune up your Grill: Now that your back yard is looking great, let’s make sure the steaks taste great too. Check your grill before backyard grilling season is in full swing, have an extra tank of propane or bag of charcoal on hand so you don’t run out mid-meal, replace old parts on your grill as needed, or consider upgrading to a new BBQ if your old one has cooked its last kabobs.

“Let your backyard area be a place for fun, freedom and relaxation!” encourages Jeff Leopold, also a Marin resident and king of his own grill. “Enjoy the simple pleasures of working with your hands to create a backyard that will impress friends and family year after year. With a little work, some imagination and a whole lot of fun, your lawn and garden will flourish.”

For more information, visit Marin Ace, your neighborhood Ace Hardware store, or call 415/479-9393. Marin Ace is located at the former Terra Linda Sizzler at 180 Merrydale Road, and is open weekends from 8-6 and weekdays 7-7. You can also visit www.acehardware.com to learn more about Ace products as well as DIY tips and project ideas from Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man.”