The thinnest of silver linings—make that green linings—to quarantine is that people are enjoying their outdoor home spaces like never before. “People who never even thought about their yards before are now becoming obsessed,” says Annette Gutierrez, owner of Atwater Village gardening boutique Potted. “We're hearing people say what a wonderful release it is to tend their plants.” And working in the yard, even if it’s just a fast yard makeover, helps balance feelings of isolation, adds Jaime Morrison at Greenwood Shop in Valley Village. “From balconies to patios to living rooms, people are adding plants everywhere. The act of caring for something seems to add a little structure to our days, and the plants each have a personality of their own so they almost seem like friends. We definitely talk to ours, and our customers say they do too.”
Laurie Resnick, co-founder of luxury plant and decor shop Rolling Greens, says the desire to grow plants—outdoors and in—has been accelerated by Covid-19. “Plants are the hottest thing on earth right now. Greg [Salmeri, her business partner] and I started in this business in the late '70s and early '80s, and over the past few years, it's been coming back. And now with Covid-19, people have nothing to do so they might as well garden, and they're saying to themselves ‘I'm going to be home, it might as well be pretty.’” And good news friends: Creating a beautiful, serene outdoor space doesn’t require a lot of effort. Here are five easy ways to spruce up your yard.