Set the Stage Placement of your Garden Leisure Spa™ will have great impact on your landscape decisions. First and foremost, you should select a smooth surface on level footing with the strength to accommodate the weight of the spa, the water and the users. You should also take into consideration personal preferences for privacy, shelter, proximity to your home and access before settling on a final location.
Find your Personal Style Before you ever make a trip to your local nursery, you should start your landscaping journey by defining your own personal style. |  | Begin by looking at your home – both its exterior and the details on the inside. Your garden needs to blend with your house, but should also mesh with your individual tastes. Once you have a handle on your design selection, you can commence setting the scene for your backyard paradise. You’ve already got the central element in your landscape – your new Garden Leisure Spa™. This will be your focal point from which all other design elements flow.
Room within a View Imagine your spa setting as an extension of your home, a secondary “living” room that can fulfill a variety of purposes – from entertainment and family time to relaxation. With the addition of your Garden Leisure Spa™, it will truly become the most popular spot in your home. Structure the space as you would any room. In place of walls, incorporate greenery – shrubs, trees and border plants – to create the shape of the room. Strong garden architecture fosters a sense of safety and security and will assure you a cozy nook where you feel welcome and relaxed.
Color in Bloom Building the basic bones of your outdoor living area is the most important part of your spa-side landscaping, but flowers are the attention grabbers.  | Broad sweeps of color bring the most impact – a potted flower here or there adds a dash of fun, but a blanket of smiling blooms will really invigorate your spirits. | The right plants and flowers will delight not only your eyes, but your nose as well. Use highly scented flowers such as roses, jasmine and honeysuckle to perfume the air. All three are climbers, and can become a luscious, leafy frame around your spa with a trellis or gazebo. Herbs also enhance the sights and smells of the garden. Plant lavender, sage or thyme to soothe your spirit. For invigorating aromas, try basil, oregano or mint. Sun soaked yards bring forth some of the most vivid shades around and are ideal for creating a tropical or cottage feel to your garden. Dewey, shaded spots create a relaxing spa setting that can cloak you in calm. Plant selections are more limited for these areas, but color is not. Nestle your spa surroundings in deep blues, shocking yellows and rich eggplant tones. If you are having trouble injecting color into your yard with flowers, create that much-needed splash of color with a little touch of paint. Don’t overdo it – just pick a small focal point, such as a chair, pot or door, and soak it in a stand-out shade.
Night and Day Consider the time of day you will be most likely to use your spa when planting begins. Certain floral selections provide a better show throughout the day, while others prefer to perform in the evening shade. Most flowers hold a bloom until the blossom dies, but a special few like to put on a show. A Morning Glory vine is an exciting addition to an early morning dip in your spa. The blossoms spring to life, unfurling to reveal an explosion of bright blue or purple. The Morning Glory’s evening counterpart – the White Moon Flower – displays its pearly face only after sunset. |  | Other evening accompaniments include night blooming jasmine and the evening primrose. Even a few varieties of the common daylily exhibit a penchant for the night air. White flowers or plants with variegated leaves are also stars of the night, with petals and leaves that glow with the reflection of any illumination. Other plants kick up the fragrance factor as soon as the sun disappears. Flowering tobacco, pinks and columbine all fall into this category.
Turn up the Heat Adding the element of fire to your landscape is a popular trend that can be accomplished with minimum fuss and expense. A fire pot, often called a chimenea, is constructed of durable clay and adds a dash of warmth on a chilly night.  | One step up from the clay model is the fire bowl – usually formed from some durable metal such as copper. The bowl sends warmth to a wider circumference and creates a bonfire feel, with better containment.
| Gas patio heaters, the kind found in popular outdoor night spots, are available in both tabletop and full-size forms. Powered by propane, these heating units can extend the corridor of warmth from 10 to 20 feet, depending on the model and the size. An outdoor fireplace is more of an investment, but it also carries more of an impact. Be certain that any fire element you incorporate into your landscape is positioned a safe distance from your Garden Leisure Spa™.
Splash into Spring Many spa owners choose to winterize their spa throughout the colder months, typically restarting in spring. A carefully planned garden can work like a timer, bursting forth when the weather is just right to rekindle your enjoyment of your spa. That sense of renewal is accentuated by the planting of spring bulbs. When the birds return and the tulips, daffodils and amaryllis begin to prop up their lazy heads, its time to jump start your spa season with a little garden party. | 
