But this doesn’t have to only mean day-tripping to local parks or hiking up the foothills that surround your home. For many, it is as easy as creating a pleasant space in the backyard or on your porch or deck where lush greenery and blossoming flowers can enhance the outdoor experience and will complement the sunny, warm days. If this is your idea of an enjoyable summer, now is the time to act.

Whether lining your decking with shrubs, decorating your screened porch with bright container garden blossoms, or adorning your home’s window planters with flowering greenery, following are seven great plants that will bring your outdoor spaces to life this spring and summer.

• Goblin Blanket Flower: The goblin blanket flower boasts three-to-four inch blossoms that are deep maroon at the center and expand to rich reds and yellows on the petals. With origins in the western United States, it can survive hot, dry soil, and even poor soil. As perennials, these gaillardias should be divided every 2-3 years.
• Moonbeam Threadleaf Coreopsis: This pale yellow flower blooms from June to the first frost of the year, and it enjoys the full sun of an open backyard garden. The moonbeam threadleaf coreopsis is durable, and it can endure poor soil and even the early stages of a draught. Native to North America, this hardy plant attracts butterflies.
• Hidcote English Lavender: Tall, purple blooms emerge in the heat of the summer from the hidcote English lavender. Its flowers can grow to 18 inches long by 18 inches wide and can endure full exposure to the sun. This flower isn’t afraid of the heat. It can withstand dry soil, and also attracts butterflies.
• Caladiums: If you are looking to add a tropical feel to your covered porch, consider caladiums. These plants come in two varieties – lance-leaved and fancy ñ and they can be grown in a large pot. Caladiums brim with aesthetic beauty, and they can span the color pallet from white to dark varieties. Keep in mind that they require soil temperatures of 70 degrees or warmer, and while they can endure a couple of hours in the sun each morning, caladiums’ colors can be bleached by too much sun. This makes them perfect for a covered or screen porch.
• Golden Sword Yucca: With thin, dark green, sword-like leaves, the golden sword can stand on its own or complement a container garden. Although it boasts creamy white flowers in the summer, it will last all year in sunny, dry conditions. Maintenance is a breeze; it’s as easy as pulling off old foliage.
• Japanese Hydrangea: If you are looking for an outdoor shrub that is bright, beautiful, and perfect for a shady outdoor patio, look no further than the Japanese hydrangea. It grows two-to-four feet in height and blooms in July and August with white flowers edged in pink. When the plan isn’t in bloom, its leaves turn a dark burgundy. Keep in mind that a hydrangea should be planted in moist, well-drained soil.
• Bluebeard Shrub: Are you looking for bright colors and durability? If yes, the bluebeard shrub might just make your summer. It enjoys full-sun and warmth, flinching only in the highest temperatures, and it blooms beautifully. It is pretty enough that it will attract your attention, grows up to four feet tall, and it attracts birds and butterflies to make your afternoons in the yard even more enjoyable.

Once you have purchased your plants, it is time to go to work. Here are three keys to making your container garden a success:

• Make Sure Your Container is the Perfect Fit: The size of your container can dictate the success or failure of the garden. For taller plants, look for one that is tall and deep. For sprawling plants, keep in mind that there should be room for the foliate to drape over. There should always be enough room in the pot for the roots to grow downward.
• Create Holes for Drainage: Make sure there are drainage holes at the bottom of the container.
• Choose Similar Plants: If you plan to create a plant party with a variety of types, make sure that they all have the same cultural needs, including the same amount of water, sunlight, food, and heat.

The best yards allow homeowners to spend the warmer months viewing lush greenery and blooming flowers from multiple vantage points. With the right combination of durable shrubs and flowering plants, the various areas in your yard can provide you and your family hours of enjoyment without ever leaving the house.

Chris Long has been a Home Depot store associate in the Chicago suburbs since 2000. A writer for the Home Depot blog, Chris writes on outdoor topics for the home ranging from decks to fencing.

The patio makeover is in progress, despite some very rainy days, I have been able to get a few little things crossed off of my to do list. First things first, the area needed to be cleared away to create a blank slate. I am almost there. However, I got sidetracked because it is finally warm enough here to plant annuals!

In the above little video you will see what I have planted so far in my containers. Jasmine, honeysuckle, petunias, alysum, and some cute little yellow flowers I can never remember the name of. And truly, this honeysuckle is the prettiest I have ever seen, it has pink and yellow flowers that are just gorgeous!

And of course, jasmine is my favorite smell ever, and even though it is only an annual in our zone, I have to plant it every year because I love it that much.

On the left you see an inspiration image of succulents on chairs and purses. On the right, my small bistro set, which to me, looks like the same chairs used in the inspiration image. And of course, seeing that inspiration image got me super excited because I knew I had these chairs at home!

I’m going to try to recreate the image on the left with both chairs, and even the table. Wish me luck!

And if you have a GAF roof your house, you have a chance at a truly amazing experience; your unique story could be captured by James Minchin III. Minchin has worked with stars like Adam Levine, Mumford and Sons, Jakob Dylan, and Miley Cyrus.

Here’s how to enter the GAF “Share What You Treasure” campaign:

• Sign into www.sharewhatyoutreasure.com app in Facebook, start uploading photos and videos, and tell us what you treasure most about your home and family (your pets, your kids, your vintage car collection, etc.).
• Each user will have a personal page where other users can view their “Fan Collections.”

Prizes include:

• Weekly winners of a $100 Home Depot gift card
• Grand prize winner to win a $2,500.00 Home Depot shopping spree
• One more GAF roof owner will be selected to be featured in a GAF webisode created by celebrity filmmaker James Minchin III

The campaign kicked off with this short video of what J.D. treasures under his roof. It’s a sweet story, a true American dream really.

I’m off to enter and show what I treasure, how about you?