Catch some valuable Vitamin D outside during self quarantine with a few fun things you can do in your own backyard! 

While St. Louis is under Stay Home orders, you can still safely escape outside with a quarantine-friendly activities that are productive, fun, and good for the environment.

Check out our list of outdoor activities. Most are kid-friendly and easy to do on your own. 

Things to do Outside During Self Quarantine 

Plant a Tree – Trees can provide valuable shade, wind cover, and curb appeal to any yard. Our friends at Forest ReLeaf are now offering curbside pick-up of easy-to-plant native trees that you can order in advance, and pick up from their plant nursery near Creve Coeur Park. Just make sure the tree you select will be a good fit for the space you have available. 

Remove Invasive Honeysuckle – Many yards in St. Louis have some patches of thick, invasive Bush Honeysuckle. It’s a problematic pest plant that should be removed, ideally replaced with native plants. Learn how to remove invasive honeysuckle here. You can start by removing small sections at a time, or go all out if you have the time to remove it all! 

Create a Mini Butterfly Garden – Everyone loves butterflies, and you can attract them to your own backyard just by planting a few native plants that they love! We highly recommend Butterfly Milkweed, Coneflowers, Yarrow and Coreopsis. These plants will grow well in most landscapes. Depending on your lawn space available for your butterfly garden, you’ll want to make sure the soil conditions are good for the native plants you are choosing. You can see a full list of recommendations made by the Missouri Botanical Garden here. These plants can be ordered and picked up from our friends at Garden Heights Nursery, who are now providing curbside plant pick-up in Richmond Heights. If you’re looking for a larger garden design with a collection of plantings, our landscape design team could create a custom design and take care of the full planting and installation process or leave a few to the side for your family to plant together! 

Grow your own Herbs – You don’t have to have a green-thumb to appreciate freshly grown herbs, that are ultra-easy to grow with just a few tips! First, only grow what you’ll use. Think of what you buy most at the grocery store, and grow a small container garden of that! Easy growers are Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Oregano, Chives or Parsley. These can be grown in a pot by themselves, or mixed in with a few ornamental plants. We always recommend opting for larger pots. The extra space means they can hold more water and soil, which means less watering and maintenance for you! 

Create a Relaxing Outdoor ‘Nook’ – Unwind outside by creating an inviting space to enjoy your morning coffee, a good book, or a nice glass of wine at the end of the day. Arrange an outdoor chair or hammock with useful accessories like a small side table, outdoor umbrella, pretty bistro lights, or candles. Add pops of color with pillows, rugs, or colorful garden containers with beautiful plants! It’s always amazing what a little organizing and rearranging can do for an outdoor space!

Paint, Stain, or Stencil Something – Most backyards have a little room for creativity and color. Try applying a rich stain to your wood deck or fence, or paint something! Easily  transform an old plant pot, statue, or plant stand with spray paint. For a less permanent project, use sidewalk chalk to create an outdoor mural on your patio, driveway or sidewalk. It can be a fun way to celebrate a holiday, birthday, or milestone while practicing self-distancing. 

Have a ‘Campfire’ at Home – You don’t need a fire pit to enjoy a cozy campfire at home. Grab some firewood and safely construct a small fire to enjoy day or night outside with your family. If you don’t have a fire pit, you can create a temporary space by clearing a small patch of grass and surrounding it with stones, bricks, or boulders. 

You can also move some of your favorite activities outside. Enjoy a meal in your backyard, as a picnic or create a fun formal table setting. You can workout, do yoga, or a crossword puzzle outside. The possibilities are endless! Enjoy the fresh air, and we hope you stay safe this Spring.