Tips and Tricks to Design Your Garden and Backyard

A lot of people take pride in their garden and backyard. However, smart landscaping requires patience and creativity. That said, if want to beautify your garden and make it one of the best areas of your home, then you have come to the right place.

The following are some expert tips that you can help you get started:

The Power of “The Rock”

Is your yard too big for its own good? It’s usually tricky to prevent a garden from looking empty or uninspiring when there is ample space to cover. However, you can solve this problem by tossing a giant rock in a suitable spot which can break the monotony.

You can also create a bed of pebbles under the rock and surround it with bright shrubs to make it look like a piece of art just like in the image above. However, be careful with the size. You don’t want a rock that’s too big or too small.

Evergreen Shrubs

It’s only smart to plant some of the best evergreen shrubs in your garden. This is because these will give your landscape curb appeal in all the 12 months of the year. Most of these plants retain their leaves and needles in all seasons including winters, and you can place them strategically in the peripheral of your house especially the corners and the front to create an inviting look.

The following are some of the best evergreen shrubs you can pick for your garden or yard:

• Fargesia murieliae (bamboo)
• Lavender
• Daphne
• Box (Buxus)
• Camellia
• Mahonia

Ideas for Lazy Days

If you will think about how to make your backyard a place to relax in, then ideas for its design will also come to you naturally. For instance, you may want to enjoy the beauty of your garden in winters, in which case you can set up a firepit at a good spot. In the same way, if you look forward to napping under a warm sun on lazy days, then you can tie a hammock on a tree which can also become an interesting addition to your garden. So, the takeaway point here is that if you are running out of ideas for your garden’s design, then you can think about different ways you can use the area for recreational or relaxational purposes.

Outdoor Seating Area

Adding a seating area in your garden serves two purposes- it adds a variety in terms of aesthetics, and it also allows you or your guests to bask in the beauty of nature.

Now, for the benches and tables, you can use stone, concrete, or even wood. However, pick the location carefully. If you want to use the space in private, then you can pick a spot that has tall flowers or bushes. Otherwise, if you want it to be a shared space where many people can sit together and hang out, then you want a spot that’s close to the main building.

Another thing to keep in mind when adding an outdoor seating area is home insurance. If you are purchasing expensive furniture, then be sure to add it to your contents insurance since the garden region is affected by rain, hail, etc. a lot.

The Principle of Three Depths

We all know about two depths in a landscape- foreground, and background. However, there is another depth which few people know of which is the “middleground”. This concept is based on the principle of three depths which is commonly found in traditional Asian paintings (you can learn more about it in the book The Chinese Garden).

The idea here is quite simple but effective nonetheless, which is that apart from the focusing on the far distance and short distance, you should also add something in the middle distance that can make the whole picture complete. So, if we talk about your house, then a person will start with the yard which is the foreground and stop at the main building which is on the other end i.e. in the background. So, what you need is something as beautiful and attractive as both of these and seamlessly combines both depths. It could be either a grassy staircase or a gravel slope that acts as a contrast against the green garden/yard. You can also take a look at the image above in which the garden and the building have a small seating area in the middle as well as neatly organized shrubs that make the landscape complete.

So, as you can see, designing your garden is not that hard. All you need is some creativity and guidance. So, apply the information above and see your garden transform into a natural masterpiece. Good luck!