As summer approaches, it is time to start thinking about how to gear up our backyards and patios for inevitable outdoor entertaining. As hot summer days melt into warm summer nights, your backyard will need to be equipped to handle the transition. Here are a few different lighting techniques that will help make even a small space a lighting masterpiece and ensure the party doesn’t die when the sun goes down.

Create your very own backyard paradise with only a few purchases and a couple of time saving tips. At Bamboo and Tikis, we advocate the use of bamboo and reusable, environmentally friendly materials in any project. Bamboo grows quickly in most parts of the world, does not require pesticides or chemicals to reach maturity and can be continually harvested with minimal soil erosion. Here are some tips to make your backyard tropical and green, in both senses of the term.

The first and most important step is to plan before you purchase. Draw out your backyard on a piece of graph paper and map out dimensions for furniture, umbrellas and empty space.

Outdoor Rooms, is a special interest publication for Better Homes and Gardens, and their theme for this summer is "Take a Vacation in Your Own Backyard." In their summer issue they provided a "Passport to Style" for creating themed backyards that are serene, have that Polynesian pop, and of course all things tropical and tiki-fied. 

Here's what the editor Jane Austin McKeon had to say:
"My favorite time of year to entertain is summer.  A barefoot and blue jeans sort of girl, I would much rather wave the neighbors over for a spur-of-the-moment glass of wine on the front porch or serve a picnic-style supper for my family on the deck than put a lot of planning and primping into a fancy dining room affair.  Backyards cater to impromptu entertaining."

As a member of the California Landscape Contractor's Association, Bamboo and Tikis will be attending the CLCA Industry Show.

Are you looking for that perfect getaway this summer but find that time and budget constraints can make planning that perfect vacation tough? Why not plan a stay-cation and create your great escape in your very own backyard that you can enjoy anytime. So don’t worry about packing up the luggage or blocking out weeks of your schedule, we have five simple steps to help give your backyard that magic makeover in less than a day.

Lights! Camera! Paint That Theme!

“Imagination equals nostalgia for the past, the absent; it is the liquid solution in which art develops the snapshot of reality”

~Cyril Connolly quotes

Having a beautifully landscaped backyard is one thing, but equally important is having your space effectively lit.

Creating a tropical landscape is a rewarding and creative task, but finding and purchasing your ideal landscaping products and tropical décor is only half the battle of creating the ultimate tropical paradise in your home and yard. The other half is the actual work involved in landscaping.

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest” ~ Robert Montgomery

Whenever assessing a new project, especially on the scale of landscaping or making additions to an existing landscape, the options and list of things to do can be quite overwhelming. With spring right around the corner, it’s that time of year again where an addition of elements or a redesign of an area can help spruce up and bring in a fresh new feel. Here are some do’s and dont’s to help you effectively work through your project and make it enjoyable.