1. String lights: Those fancy string lights that adorned the restaurant patios of last summer? Get your own, and go for the solar option. String lights work as a major lighting feature and should be strung to designate a hang-out area: across a pergola, along a fence as a backdrop to your BBQ, or in the boughs of a pine tree near your outdoor fire pit. This is the number one “happy element” in my yard.  

2. Garden box lighting: Someone sure bought a lot of potting soil this spring, and we’re hoping you all have leafy veggies underway. Adding solar lighting to the garden will highlight the life in your yard. Solar rope lights are a sleek way to go for this project. (Bonus: helps you keep an eye on neighborhood cats who are looking for a litter box.)  

3. Illuminated hammock garden: Go solar above your ENO hammock setup for the ultimate evening lounge. Use a small but mighty light like the ENO Moonshine Lantern, which is compact, portable, LED, and built to hang. Prep your perch with an ENO bug net for a great night reading spot.  

4. Solar safety: Replace your regular porch light with a motion-detecting, solar LED floodlight from a local hardware store. Path lighting is also a small install that can have a big impact, and it doesn’t have to be boring; Lowe’s carries path lights in the shape of colorful dragonflies and birds.  

5. Shrub and tree lighting: Personally, I’ve always found illuminated trees to be a little spooky. But creating a series with tree or shrub lighting in your yard can add great depth to a space. Illuminate a pattern for the background of your next evening badminton game or wine and cheese night to make your outdoor space feel like a coordinated zone. (Just make sure it’s not a Boo-Radley-type elm and you’ll avoid the spooky element.) Home Depot carries solar spot lighting housed in faux rocks for a natural look. 

6. DIY twinkle solar cans: This is for the crafty among you. Take some cleaned and de-labeled tin cans, make a design with a Sharpie, then drill holes over your pattern for the light to come through. Elevate this project beyond the tealight by buying some cheap solar pathway lights and disassembling the solar head from the lens. You’ll drill a hole big enough for the solar bulb in the bottom of the tin can, then use epoxy glue to adhere the solar head panel side out. Attach a loop of wire on the end that has the solar head, so the can hangs solar light up, open side down. These are totally mobile, charming, and budget-friendly.  

7. Go big on your home: Once you’ve spiffed your yard, power the rest of your traditional outdoor lighting with solar panels. It’s a great investment for your stimulus check. Check out Eco Depot at Solarenergyspokane.com to learn more about residential solar options.

Lisa Laughlin is a freelance writer living in Spokane. She recently had her first child and is excited to show him the outdoors this summer.  

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Pergolas 

A pergola—an outdoor structure most typically made of wood, with pillars spanned by lattice crossbeams—offers both shade and beauty. Pergolas often stand alone or can be attached to a house or other building, and can range from small-scale to elaborate and spacious. You can train vines to grow on them for added greenery, or drape them with sun-resistant cloth for extra shade. If you’re ready to take on some DIY construction (or hire it out), check out the plethora of plans for pergolas of all sizes online (YouTube tutorials abound on this subject), then pick up the needed supplies at a local hardware store.  

Shade Sails 

For a project that involves a bit less effort, try suspending sailcloth across your deck or yard and attaching it with hardware to tall objects like posts erected for this purpose. Again, YouTube is your friend for specific ideas suitable for your space. Check out a local hardware store or search online to buy needed materials like the cloth and hardware, which can often be purchased together in a shade sail kit (tip: UV resistant cloth is worth the investment if you’d like your sails to last more than a season or two). Consider layering a few shade sails to cast a larger and more artistic shadow. 

Big Umbrellas 

Umbrellas: ages-old shade-makers for good reason. Though you can find umbrellas at even unexpected places like grocery stores, you might consider spending a little more and investing in an umbrella with a standalone base that can be moved around your outdoor space as needed. An offset base is also worth considering since the pole is off to the side, giving you more space to sprawl in the cool of the shade. 

And, of course, Trees 

When it comes to shade trees, Paul Knowles, special projects manager for Spokane County Parks, Recreation, and Golf, recommends Zelkovas. “There are a lot of different varieties—basically whatever size and form you want you can pretty much get,” he says, whether that’s something broader or more columnar. “I like them because they have this really nice, soft look to them and really great fall color—oranges, bronzes, reds.” They are drought-tolerant, fast-growing, and well-suited to our environment. 

“Another one that I like that is a little bit of a larger tree is a Bur Oak,” says Knowles, who describes them as “beautiful trees with fissured bark” and yellow to gold fall color. Common Hackberry is another option he suggests. “They’re actually pretty cool trees,” he says of the oval-shaped, drought-tolerant deciduous trees, which do well in our climate once established and are friendly to wildlife like birds. Hackberry bark develops cork-like ridges as they grow. 

When shopping for trees, check out a local nursery like Blue Moon, the Rosarium, or Greenacres, and ask for assistance to ensure that the tree you’re selecting is appropriate for your available space. Nursery staff can answer questions on how to get your tree established and meet its watering needs, which will be more significant in the beginning.

Originally published as “Create a Shady Home Oasis” in the June 2020 issue.

More ideas for your home:

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