With temperatures soaring into the triple digits and sunny days in the extended forecast, try this economical backyard project to provide more shade for those bright areas around your home.

Step 1: Reuse or shop for discounted pottery that fits on window sills and small porches. These terra cotta window sill containers from Calloway’s Nursery were on sale for 90% off! If you have sunshine beaming down and don’t have room to plant a shade tree, adding simple window boxes filled with sun-loving flowers and plants brings some greenery and shade to your home’s exposed area.

Step 2: Save styrofoam takeout containers and rip them into small pieces for lining the bottom of your containers. Adding the weightless styrofoam allows more airflow through the dirt and prevents most of the dirt from leaking out through the container’s bottom watering holes. This free and easy step is a great way to keep all those non-recyclable containers out of landfills.

Step 3: Add container potting soil and sun-loving plants, such as sweet potato vines and Creeping Jenny (aka- Moneywort). For height variety, intersperse the hanging plants with vertical growing flowers, such as false Mexican heather and Foxgloves. Place a large tarp under the window sill with all planting supplies, and pot the containers on the sill.

Step 4: Enhancing a small sunny porch with plants and flowers– like the ones mentioned in the previous steps– creates a natural extension of greenery and shade for outdoor landscapes. Real terra cotta pots give an organic look to planting projects and allow plant/flower roots to thrive. A large round pot is perfect for a Crape Myrtle shrub. This shrub can be pruned to fit the space, and coupled with smaller pots and a climbing Dipladenia Mandevilla plant, it will eventually provide shade for everything on the porch.

Step 5: If you do have a shady outdoor corner, cultivate a cool oasis there with shade-loving plants, like Hydrangeas in blue and purple shades and Elephant Ear plants. Enhance the area with bird baths, garden statues, or other whimsical items.

Incorporating these easy outdoor projects into your landscape this summer will help you keep a cool disposition, even when the temperatures rise.

Share your landscaping ideas for hot weather.

These are family-friendly projects to involve people of all ages. So get outside during the early morning and evenings to water your new plantings.

Happy Summer, Sarah Heinzelmann Andersen