Wednesday, September 24

More power!

Giving the garden masculine muscle

Combining model trains with gardening is a great way to add a masculine dimension to your backyard. Photo/Betty Earl

There's nothing wrong with a backyard full of roses, peonies, and pansies; but these days, men are finding all sorts of fun ways to "man-ify" their gardens. Everyday decks and patios are giving way to complete backyard kitchens, putting greens and railway sets, turning landscapes into incredibly creative havens of manly-man leisure.

Making your garden more man friendly

It really doesn't take much to add a few masculine elements to your patio, deck, or backyard. Help and advice are all around you. Home Depot has been hosting popular clinics on everything from building fire pits to installing outdoor kitchens. There are also clinics on creating outdoor theatres, putting greens, and ring toss games. Though these clinics are not aimed specifically at men, males are gravitating toward them in greater and greater numbers.

According to Brian Douvis, the patio and backyard guru at Home Depot, "No longer are people content with a picnic table and mesh chairs. The indoors is coming outdoors."

Dining out

Remember the lyrics "anything you can do, I can do better?" Well, that attitude appears to be the mantra of today's male-dominated outdoor kitchen movement. The shift from yesterday's little backyard kettle grill in the corner of the patio to today's prominent outdoor kitchen with bricked-in grill, refrigerator, and work area, is well documented. Once seen as a perk only the wealthiest homeowners could afford, the outdoor kitchen is fast becoming a standard amenity for a much broader market. According to Consumer Reports magazine, over the next year approximately 1.2 million U.S. households will install a fully-functional outdoor kitchen. And while a grill is still central to an outdoor cooking area, it's now likely to come fitted out with side burners, a warming shelf, and a roasting spit or smoker, as well.

Boys toys: think outdoor dishwashers, wood-burning pizza ovens, wine refrigerators, beer "kegerators," ice-makers, and big-screen TVs. Photo/Betty Earl

Fire pits and fireplaces

Few things say 'manly-man' more than a big, rip-roaring fire. Remember Tom Hanks in the scene from "Cast Away" where he finally gets a spark by rubbing two sticks together? Next thing you know, he's built this humongous bonfire around which he stomps, swaggers, and struts as if he were the Roman god Vulcan, himself!

Relaxing around a bonfire in the company of family and friends is a great way to spend a fall evening. When built and used correctly, outdoor fire pits and fireplaces are wonderful additions to any garden or outdoor patio. From basic pits dug into the ground to elaborate gas-, propane- and wood-burning assortments of stone, brick, and metal, they aren't just for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows anymore.

The drive-in without the car

If men love high-tech toys inside, it's only natural that they would gravitate toward the latest technology outdoors, as well. Feeling a little bored in the backyard with nothing more than tomatoes to tend? Fear not. Outdoor video has arrived! Seen here and there during the past few years — a pop-up TV in the side of the hot tub, a video projection on an inflatable screen or a painter's tarp — thus far it's been nothing more than an amusing outdoor novelty. But with such advances as weather-resistant television sets impervious to rain, good quality low-cost video projectors and screens, speakers camouflaged as rocks, lights, or containers, and widescreen high-definition TV, people are starting to put outdoor theaters in their backyards. A system with all the bells and whistles can, indeed, be expensive but according to Randy Fisk, administrator of backyardtheather.com, a careful shopper could put together a pretty nifty backyard theater for as little as a few hundred bucks. Add a little waterproof remote control, and, voila! Any man can see his favorite slugger breaking his home run record by simply flicking the system on while he weeds the vegetable patch.

Now close your eyes and think about it — can you see a backyard future in which manly men will no longer be forced to sit in a tiresome garden and sniff a rose?

Author of "In Search of Great Plants: The Insider's Guide to the Best Plants in the Midwest," Betty Earl is a Master Gardener, photographer and lecturer. She writes for numerous regional gardening magazines, is a garden scout for both Better Homes & Gardens and Midwest Living magazines and also serves as a regional representative for the Garden Conservancy. She lives and gardens in Naperville.