By Ron Lazzer
Welcome to the first edition of our new Outdoor Living column. Here we will look at the many outdoor related experiences all around Emery Village. The goal is to inspire everyone from children to seniors and from the able-bodied to those a little less so to get outside and enjoy life.
Don’t we spend too much time indoors? From the home to the car to the workplace back to the car and back to the home again, it seems we are losing touch with nature. This can be unhealthy for our personal lives or our community.
Get out there and socialize with friends and neighbours, go for a walk along the Humber River, have an outdoor party, or watch young children play and explore in a park or beautiful backyard. From growing flowers and vegetables to outdoor home improvements or outdoor activities of all kinds for people of all ages, we are sure to cover something for everyone.
If you have thought about planting flowers around your home, we will guide you toward those easier to grow, along with solid design principles for turning your home into an oasis. For more dramatic outdoor improvements, we will have suggestions for enhancing your lifestyle in a big way. New homeowners will appreciate inspirational ideas on entertaining outdoors and for those who have been around long enough to watch Emery Village develop and grow, we can offer tips on revitalizing your outdoor space. 
Living in an apartment? We are thinking about you too. We will dig into all the ways to garden with containers on your balcony and totally transform your space. And for the more adventurous among us, consider jumping into all the outdoor activities of Emery Village. There is so much to do.
Spring is on its way, so as a starting point this month let’s look ahead to warmer weather with a little advice on planning your space. The most basic design principle is unity, which means everything you do is part of an overall theme. From the flowers you plant, to the deck you build, your walkways, fences, walls, and even your shed should fit into one theme. This way, you will avoid having your home look like a mishmash of ideas that don’t fit well together. Once you have an overall plan, install the pieces as time and budget permit. In the end, you will take pleasure in the new found harmony, and this will inspire you to venture outside more often to enjoy your creation.
Let’s take our lead from the positive changes initiated by the Emery Village BIA and do the same for our neighbourhoods and homes. Let’s show Toronto how great Emery Village is. Spring is coming!
Ron Lazzer is the owner of Bellevue Landscaping. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please email them to:
Ron@BellevueLandscaping.ca