With spring around the corner, Minnesotans' thoughts turn to the out of doors.

And the right choice in outdoor furniture will make your outdoor hours more enjoyable. Most people want furniture that’s maintenance-free, durable, beautiful and comfortable. Keep these questions in mind when shopping for outdoor furniture:

• Do you have off-season storage space for your outdoor furniture, or do you want to simply set it up and forget it?
• Does the thought of spring and fall cleanup and buying special cleaners, strippers, stains, sealers, paint or rust-proofing products give you dread?
• Do you prefer eco-friendly outdoor furniture such as chairs and tables made from recycled materials?

The right style and materials for your landscape, patio, deck and other outdoor spaces can make the difference between creating a plain and ordinary outdoor living space or an enticing one.

At Patio Town we only carry our exclusive Comfort Craft™ outdoor furniture because it is superior for many reasons and for all seasons. Put it out and enjoy it for a lifetime. Designed with your body in mind, the contours of the chairs and seating choices will put your back at ease. Three styles – classic Adirondack, garden-style Bent Arm and Rollback are great anywhere around your yard and home.

Made in the USA, the Comfort Craft line includes rich earth tones like cedar, Weatherwood and two-toned browns plus vibrant teal, orange, yellow, red, lime and blue. Black, white, brown, burgundy and green are also available. You can create custom two-tone color combinations to add pizzazz or to complement existing furnishings, landscapes or hardscapes.

You can design multiple matching or complementary arrangements for lounge seating, fire pit surrounds, fireplace areas and other outdoor living spaces. Choices include folding chairs, pub chairs, deck chairs, rockers, gliding chairs, swings, settees, dining sets and end tables. With a taller profile, balcony-style selections are perfect for apartment verandas, terraces and decks, and pub styles are great for an outdoor bar, lounge and dining area.

With Comfort Craft, there’s no more worry about prepping the outdoor furniture for the seasons — or even storage. Comfort Craft requires no sealing, painting or staining and uses stainless steel fasteners that don’t rust or corrode. Clean up is a snap with plain soap and water. Unlike wood, there’s no chipping, cracking, rotting or splintering. The material has no fillers such as wood fiber that cause moisture absorption. UV inhibitors prevent fading.  

Visit us to see and feel the difference and durability of eco-friendly Comfort Craft. Crafted of 100 percent recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) from unwanted consumer and industrial products, Comfort Craft has the look and feel of real wood. It will look great for decades.

Late winter is not too early to plan your spring landscaping projects. Through this blog, I’ll share tips and resources with you from our talented professionals at Patio Town and Villa Landscapes. Post your questions and ideas in the comments or send me an email, and I’ll address them in future columns.

Our stores in Oakdale, Burnsville and Maple Grove reopen for the season Feb. 18. I invite you to visit and see what’s new. Stop to see us and get advice on your landscape projects at the St. Paul Home & Patio Show, Feb. 14-17 at St. Paul Rivercentre or the Minneapolis Home & Garden Show, Feb. 27 – March 3 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Peter Blomquist and his wife, Sharon, founded the Patio Town in North St. Paul in 1965. It was the Twin Cities’ first retail store where homeowners could purchase rock, pavers and retaining wall units and see acres of displays. The Burnsville store opened in 1975, and the Brooklyn Park/Maple Grove store opened in 2001. The flagship store moved a few blocks to Oakdale in 1991. If you lived in Twin Cities back then, the Patio Town Pete logo, still used today, might be a familiar face.

Peter was an inventor and entrepreneur, leaving a corporate career to pursue landscaping, his passion. He patented the original VERSA-LOK retaining wall system, which consists of solid units that feature a top-down, hole-to-slot pinning system, the first of its kind in the industry. VERSA-LOK retaining walls are heralded for ease of installation by do-it-yourselfers and professionals alike as well as durability, beauty and design flexibility for curves, corners, stairs, columns and freestanding walls. At Patio Town you’ll find the full line of VERSA-LOK products plus pavers, rock, mulch, outdoor furniture, garden décor, fire features and much more.

That’s a little about us. We want to hear from you! What projects do you have lined up for spring? Do you have a stubborn landscape problem you need to fix? What have you always wanted to do yourself but were afraid to start?

Installing a paver patio, driveway or sidewalk involves more than just laying the pavers. Using the proper accessories and techniques will ensure that your paver project looks professional and lasts a lifetime.

Come to a FREE SEMINAR at Patio Town in Oakdale and Burnsville August 27 to learn all about paver edge restraints, stabilizing joint sand and paver cleaners, sealers and lighting from the professionals at SEK. A representative from SEK will demonstrate the proper use of these products to secure your pavers, block weed growth and protect your paved surface. This is a unique opportunity to get your questions answered—and register to win a free bottle of Surebond hardscape cleaner.

The SEK Seminar will be held at Patio Town in Oakdale at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 27, and at the Patio Town Burnsville location at 2 p.m. August 27.