Tips to Make Your Yard Look Amazing for Summer Parties

It’s backyard party season and everyone wants to know how to make their get-together one to remember. You’ve got the friends and the fun, but here’s how to make your yard look the part for an amazing summer party.

Setting Up Your Home and Yard

You’ll want to start from the right foundation and create a cohesive party look with all the right little details. Consider these ideas to have your home looking picture-perfect for your guests to enjoy—and maybe get a little envious of.

Refresh Your Yard

Our Iowa winter can be hard on plants and sometimes they just don’t make it through.  If you have plants that have not sprouted up by now, it is time to replace them. You could also consider adding a few new plants in bloom for that extra pop of color.  It’s also not too late to place colorful pots of flowers, tropicals or succulents around your patio or outdoor area. Pots of annuals placed in the right spot can help add both color and privacy.

Love what you’re reading? Sign up to our email newsletter, and get inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

Temporary Ground Covers

Whether you’re itching to cover up a patchy lawn, or simply want to extend your patio space for the party (who wants to wear heels on grass?) temporary ground covers are the secret to revamping your backyard space for functionality without making the commitment to more decking. Choose options from imitation tile to rugged plastics to fit the look that you’re going for – this is a perfect opportunity to tie in your party theme or the style of your home! 

Rentals for temporary ground covers are popular options. You can pick them up, install them, have your party, and then be done with them without needing to figure out storage. It’s the perfect way to have something high quality for your event without investing too much in it. Your guests will love the extra functional space, and you’ll enjoy trying out a new look for your landscape that you don’t have to commit to.

Accessorize Your Space

Once you’ve got your space set for the party it is time to finish it off with some great accessories and add your personality to the space.  A great beverage cooler keeps the drinks cold and can double as a planter while not being used for entertaining. Stone placemats, table runners, candles and vases add a nice touch to tabletops.  Bright colorful pillows and an outdoor rug can add a touch of fun to your patio area. Outdoor art for the walls or possibly a vertical garden on the wall can be functional yet pretty too. The possibilities are endless!

Choose a Theme

You can go all in and make your entire party based around a fun theme, or you can keep it subtle and understated, but picking a theme is the way to tie your event together to look polished and professionally designed.

Incorporate the theme into everything you can – from themed drinks and snacks to color-coordinated decorations. To make the party undeniably “you” and to tie in your landscape, pick a couple star plants in your outdoor design and use them as inspiration. Do you have some tropical beauties? Maybe a tropical beach-themed party will let your landscape transport guests to a far away oasis. Maybe you have some plants with standout color that you can’t get enough of? Use them as the basis of your color palette!

Party Lighting

Setting up backyard lighting is the right way to make sure that the party glow continues all night, even after the sun sets. Choose lighting options that surround your backyard party space with a welcoming glow. We love the look of lanterns or bare old fashioned bulbs strung around the space. With some outdoor lighting, you can make the most of mild summer nights and use your outdoor space to the best of its potential. Novelty lighting can add to your theme while showing off your landscape and party decorations as late as the night takes you.

Delicious Treats and Drinks

We all love a stylish and beautifully designed party, but the real star of any get-together will always be the food and drink. This is a fun opportunity to offer fare that fits your party theme, and an even better chance to show off the best produce that your garden has to offer. There’s nothing quite as welcoming as snacking on and sipping something fresh and homegrown. 

Drinks: Try something simple and refreshing like infused water, where ice cold refreshment meets the subtle flavor of fruits from your garden. To kick it up a notch, mix your favorite garden fruits into a sangria, or use herbs from your garden for uniquely-flavored cocktails. You’d be surprised how delicious rosemary and other savory herbs can be when blended with the right sweet garden flavors. 

Snacks: Some tasty homegrown finger food is the right choice for any party, but it’s even better when it looks stunning. Arrange your colorful produce in ways that are a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Garden veggies and edible flowers are naturally so colorful and fun, there are tons of ways that you can arrange them to look their best.

Creating the ideal summer party comes down to simple things like choosing a theme to tie everything together, and making functional and aesthetically-pleasing use of your space. While the best parties really come down to spending time with the right people, a little extra effort will ensure the ambience stays in people’s memories—and photos!—forever.