The Hunt: Lights! Planters! Dacron!

Whether the staging ground is a luxuriously landscaped half acre or a tottering fire escape bearing a "rustic" urban patina, Memorial Day in these parts marks a collective throwing-open of doors. The faster you turn that long-dormant space into a plein-air paradise, the sooner you'll be kicking back in the sun. Luckily, a handful of retailers are stacking the deck in your favor.

PATIO FURNITURE

You'll find some of the area's swankiest offerings for al fresco entertaining at Didriks (190 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-5700, didriks.com). The slick steel Talt collection by Modern Outdoor, for instance, includes a low, deep sofa ($2,999–$4,399) and loungers ($1,999–$3,199) in six different cushion hues. For backyard banquets, check out Barlow Tyrie's extendable teak Windsor table ($2,599), which seats up to eight. This season, Design Within Reach (519 Tremont St., Boston, 617-451-7801; 1030 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-576-3690; dwr.com) is no longer content to peddle Eames chairs. It's tackling the out-of-doors with its cushy Treviso modular sofa set ($900–$1,200 per piece, plus weather-resistant Dacron cushions) and an eco-minded take on the Adirondack chair and ottoman ($198–$550), made from recycled plastic.

If time—or budget—makes custom orders out of the question, Seasons Four (1265 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, 781-861-1200, seasons-four.com) has a dizzying array of in-stock items like bistro tables and wicker sets. Even better, prices are reasonable, like $799 for a four-person wrought-iron dining set. If you're really strapped, there's always Ikea (One Ikea Way, Stoughton, 781-344-4532, ikea.com), where some side tables are $20 and jumbo table umbrellas can run less than $70.

PLANTERS

Newton's Winston Flowers & Garden (11 Florence St., 800-457-4901, winstonflowers.com) has all the flourishes you'd expect from this high-end chain florist, only geared for your garden instead of your Ming vase. They make it easy to fake that lived-in look, with oh-so-imperfectly-aged wooden containers of every size ($28–$3,500) and industrial-chic concrete Mesa planters ($50–$375). The most gung-ho green thumbs might prefer the enormous Mahoney's Garden Center in Winchester (242 Cambridge St., 781-729-5900, mahoneysgarden.com), stocked with hundreds of containers, ranging from $5 terra cotta flowerpots and $35 cedar window boxes to glossy, kiln-dried Vietnamese pottery (up to $400)—not to mention hard-to-find blooms to put inside them, like tango geraniums and black-eyed Susan vines.

LIGHTING

At Wolfers (103 N. Beacon St., Allston, 617-254-0700; 1339 Main St., Waltham, 781-890-5995; wolfers.com), highlights include utilitarian spotlights ($25–$60), Old World–style lampposts ($500–$1,000), and outdoor chandeliers ($400–$1,000). The upscale Chimera (327 A St., Boston, 617-542-3233, chimeralightingdesign .com) in Fort Point Channel carries mod designs by Hunza, as well as custom-order decorative lanterns, pendants, and recessed wall lighting from Bega, Beachside, and Northeast Lantern. While known mostly for its interior fixtures, Yale Appliance and Lighting (296 Freeport St., Boston, 617-825-9253, yaleappliance.com) also offers a ton of patio-appropriate models, such as Craftsman- and Colonial-style wall sconces by Hinkley ($60–$405) and customized path and deck lighting systems by Kichler.

GRILLS

Once again, Yale takes the steak. This is the spot to invest in that $8,000-plus, 54-inch Lynx gas grill, featuring an infrared "pro-sear" burner, rotisserie, grill lights, LED-illuminated knobs, and precise temperature controls—the grilling equivalent of a Bentley. For mere mortal barbecuers, Yale proffers $500-to-$2,000 Weber models and sleek Fuego grills for around $3,500. And there's no shame in shopping Home Depot (5 Allstate Rd., Boston, 617-442-6110, and other locations, homedepot.com) or Lowe's (306 Providence Hwy., Dedham, 781-355-3780, and other locations, lowes.com) for 'cues from $30 Smokey Joes to $2,600 behemoths.

Planter photo by Matt Dooley