Fall Fun On The Patio

As the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, it's time to enjoy your patio while you still can. The cooler weather means you can take down that umbrella, and bring out the fire pit or chimenea. Put some warm blankets on the chairs and benches, and take a long walk to work up a hearty appetite for some warm fall-style food over the grill. If there aren't any good places to hike, you can play some games in the yard, like a bean-bag toss, pumpkin seed toss, or musical chairs (with hay bales instead of chairs, of course!).

To keep with the fall theme, decorate your patio with dried corn husks, pumpkins, gourds, and artificial leaves. You may even want to decorate the center of your cast aluminum table set with pumpkins and gourds. The decorations can even extend out into the yard, where you might want to feature bales of hay, a scarecrow, more pumpkins, and perhaps even a wheelbarrow full of straw and a cornucopia in the center. Enjoy the fresh, crisp air, and keep warm with those thick blankets and a roaring fire in your chimenea.

Keep Your Patio Bug Free

You have created a serene summer getaway complete with wicker chaise lounge chairs, an umbrella, and a chimenea grill. Even better, this luxurious haven is located in the convenience of your own back yard. Just as you are about to enjoy an afternoon of reading or entertaining guests at a late night BBQ, you realize that some unwanted guests have arrived, bugs. These bugs are practically impossible to push out. However, there are steps you can take to prevent these pests from intruding.

Plant some natural mosquito repellents such as basil, lemongrass or rosemary. While these will help to deter mosquitos, they will also provide a nice landscape for your porch or patio. Catnip has been discovered as the most powerful plant to ward off mosquitos, and some have even proved it to be stronger than DEET based bug repellents. Eliminate dishes or buckets that can store rain since mosquitoes reproduce in calm standing water. By eliminating areas for these bugs to live and breed, you can start enjoying your bug-free yard more often.

To get rid of pesky flies, hang fly paper or fill plastic bags with water and hang them from your patio awning. The flies will see their reflection in the bags and fly away in distaste since they do not enjoy seeing themselves. Ants can easily be deferred by placing cut up cloves of garlic in the cracks of your patio.

With these simple tips, you can start enjoying your patio with the luxury of a bug free atmosphere!

Gather Around A Stylish Chimenea

There is nothing better than gathering friends and sitting around a fire, so get yourself a chimenea and start the party. Chimeneas are perfect outdoor fireplaces because they come in different shapes and sizes to fit on any patio.

The now popular chimenea can be fancy and embellished like the Royal Chimenea or simple and sleek like the Autumn Chimenea. Whatever you choose, it will work great as a fireplace since the fire is contained and ashes no longer fly from the fire near your feet. There is even a mini chimney to funnel the smoke away from you and your guests.

So have some fun and invite your friends over for a marshmallow roasting contest or to sing campfire songs around your new chimenea.