Whether you live in an urban townhome or a suburban ranch house, backyard space should be relished. Make the most of your backyard by deciding exactly how you would like to use it. Do you want to entertain? Do you envision unwinding on the weekends with a good book? ? Check out the examples below to see how other gardeners are putting their backyard gardens to use.
Benjamin Vogt
See a model of good planting design that is low maintenance, ecologically inclined, and fabulous in every season, all in a small, 1, 500-square-foot Nebraska backyard.
Design tip: Use locally native plants that are well adapted to regional soils and weather.
Alexandra Abuza
This Brooklyn backyard was packed with plants, a fieldstone patio and path and an arbor covered bench to create a private, leafy oasis in the heart of the city.
Design tip: Start by installing hardscaping and then flesh out your backyard garden with plants.
Ted Catanzaro and Debbie Madhessian
Fire, drought, erosion and deer all had to be considered when planning this hillside backyard on the Northern California coast.
Design tip: Do your best to work with the surroundings and harmonize with the wild.
Lisa Romerein
Here a built-in banquette topped with comfy cushions allows people to congregate around a fire pit made from stone taken from an abandoned well.
Design tip: Use materials that match or coordinate with your home to make it seem like backyard additions were there all along.
Anza Living Spaces
See how an undeveloped five-acre sloping backyard became a complete resort-style outdoor living area with kitchen and infinity pool.
Source: www.gardendesign.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.