2020 Summer Home and Garden

2020 Summer Home and Garden Lincoln Daily News June 11, 2020 Page 9 A second tip is to create a color theme by choosing colors to complement your house, patio or outdoor furniture. If you choose tones like reds, oranges and yellows, you can pick marigolds, geraniums or lantanas. For a more subdued look with cooler colors, Moss says to choose purple petunias, lavender bacopa, the silver dusty miller or towering blue salvia. The third tip is to go low maintenance so you can spend time relaxing and entertaining on your patio. Moss says to choose big plants like succulents that do not need much care or water. Succulents are also disease resistant and offer a lot of color and texture. The fourth tip is to plant for privacy, so you create a subdued haven on your patio. That can be done with trees and shrubs planted in large containers. Small trees and large shrubs like Junipers, Cypresses, Lantanas and Hibiscus make great privacy screens and provide beauty. Moss says decorating a deck with flowers, foliage and even trees will provide something nice to see every time you go outside. [Dress up your deck or patio with flowers] All these ideas can help turn your backyard into a great place to spend time during the summer. [Angela Reiners]