Designing a backyard

August 26, 2021
Hot Backyard Design Ideas to

The front yard may be the showpiece of your landscape, but the backyard is all your own, a sanctuary for relaxation, entertaining and play. If your backyard could use a facelift, don't make the mistake of slapping a patio down here and a garden border there as time and budget allow. Instead, consider the space holistically, from how you want to use the yard to how much time you want to spend working in it. We talked to Susan Cohan, a landscape designer in Chatham, New Jersey, and Natalie Ermann Russell, author of The New Backyard Idea Book, for tips to building a backyard makeover master plan.

Ask yourself some basic questions. What do you want out of the yard — a playground for kids, a cozy retreat, and an entertaining patio? What materials do you like — brick pavers, water, sustainable plants? "Dream a little, then see what you can afford and have time to maintain, " Cohan advises. Eventually, you'll want to get real. Be honest about your level of involvement. "A yard that requires little work and resources is the holy grail, " Russell says. "Think about how to simplify the plans to make this happen for you."

Do a walk-around and consider what you like and don't like about the space. Make a list of what's salvageable (the 100-year-old oak tree) and what's not (a sagging, rotten deck), as well as how permanent storage (shed, garage, etc.) is positioned and whether it needs to be moved or camouflaged. Don't forget to factor in geographical considerations, Cohan says. "If you adore roses but live in an area with a lot of deer, they'll get eaten. Either plant something else or plan a fence."

Your city or homeowner's association may have specific regulations, like maximum fence height or projects that require permits. "Know what's allowed before you begin work, because if you break the rules and get caught, not only will you have to take down your project, but there will be fines involved, " Cohan says.

A plan provides a birds-eye view of your overall project, which can then be implemented logically in steps. Designers often draw bubbles to represent generic spaces like a patio, playground, garage and pool, then link the bubbles together with pathways, lawn areas and gardens.

Look at the relationships between spaces, then draw them to scale. Each individual space should flow into the next, moving people from the front yard to back, from a primary patio to a secondary patio. "Entryways, pathways and exits all play a role in drawing people into the next space, " Russell says. "You can create the impression of separate spaces by simply changing the floor material or pattern, or by elevating one portion slightly above the other to establish distinct "rooms" without disrupting the flow."

Source: www.hgtv.com



Landscaping Tips

Though your home is your castle, there is no necessity to surround it with a moat. Here are 5 tips that will help you to make your landscaping feel more warm, welcoming and cozy.

1. Put some flowers nearby your entrance. Flowers make any area look more welcoming and attractive, so greeting your guests with Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile or some other garden flowers is always a great thing to do. What is more, to add some space between your house and the entrance, you can consider adding a little white fence. It will create an illusion that your front yard is bigger than it actually is. What is more, adding fence will create a great space for planting flowers to add some color and coziness.

2. Add rambling vines to make your yard look absolutely lovely. You can not deny that rambling vines always create romantic and even magical atmosphere. So why not to use this tip while decorating your yard?

3. To hide the unattractive driveway, consider adding some color, texture, and height. You can easily do it by adding various sorts of flowers. To start, create an island of green lawn right in the hub of a drive. Then add a couple of low boxwood hedges with flowers toward the back of your island.

4. If you want your yard to blossom and flourish bust still do not have enough time to maintain it, consider planting low-fuss lilies. Such flowers look absolutely gorgeous and come in the variety of rainbow hues, so you can pick the one you love most. What is more, low-fuss lilies do not care about the sort of soil, they love the sun and welcome hot, they do not afraid of drought. In other words, Crinums is an ideal flower for all those who are looking for low-maintenance solutions.

5. The last tip also touches the low-maintenance aspect. To make your life easier, group plantings into beds and islands. This will help you to avoid mowing and trimming around each individual plant, save a lot of time and even money.

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