Did you know that the spending time outside can benefit your health? If you’re ready to update your backyard and want some landscape design ideas, we can help.
In this guide, we’ll go over how to create a landscape design that you’ll love.
Want to learn more? Keep reading.
- Consider the Style and Flow of Your Garden
Gardens have a personality or style. Some people have a larger yard so that they can accommodate different styles.
Think about if you want your garden to have an informal or formal look. Consider the style of your home, your personality, and your yard space.
You don’t need to strive for a perfectly uniform style. Yet, try to avoid a bunch of unrelated elements.
A garden will be more pleasing to the eye when there’s a natural progression from one spot to the next.
How do you want someone to experience and move through your garden?
- What Are the Focal Points?
A focal point in a garden will help set up your landscape. You can use a statue or a specimen tree as your focal point, but there are other choices as well.
Find something quite different from the rest of the landscape in color, texture, or form.
To make it stand out but not look random, you want to make sure it’s connected to the rest of the landscape. It could be a tone of color or a repeated shape.
Also, think about the size of your landscape. Do you have several acres? Consider an ancient oak. In a smaller lot, you could pick up a small statue or an ornate garden bench.
- Incorporate Some Curves Into Your Garden
You can add some curves to your garden, but not too many. A curvy path that’s too far out of the way won’t work. Look for subtle, long curves.
If you add curved lines in walkways, repeat those shapes when you arrange plants.
- Ornamental Pieces, Hanging Baskets, and Bird Feeders
A garden isn’t complete without bird feeders, flower baskets, and ornamental grasses. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds will come into your garden.
Check out these other outdoor decor ideas.
- Consider the Future
When you pick plants, think about the plant’s growth rate and maintenance needs. How big will the plants be when they reach their mature size? Provide your plants with plenty of room to grow.
The mature size will depend on the growing conditions. Some landscape conditions can cause a plant to grow smaller or larger.
- Consider the Different Seasons
Incorporate the four seasons into your landscape. You’ll want flowering shrubs or trees throughout the summer and spring. Enjoy the fall foliage in the autumn months.
You’ll also want to think about what plants will flourish in your garden. When shopping around, look for native plants. What plants do well in your neighbor’s gardens?
- Layer Your Flowers
Create three rows of flowers in a bed. The back row has the tallest plants. Your middle row has the next tallest plants, and then the front row will have shorter plants.
Try to make use of repetition in your yard. You’ll see an element of unity.
- Add Different Textures and Forms
When choosing plants, you’ll want to think about the different forms and textures. Don’t forget the characteristics of a plant’s foliage and branching pattern.
- Create a Walkway to the Backyard
Instead of having people trample down the lawn between your home and fire pit or patio, create a walkway. You can use crushed stone, decorative brick, stepping stones, or natural flagstone.
You could also make the pathway from a material on your house. For example, if your home exterior is stone or brick, make your pathway out of one of those elements.
- Consider Installing a Patio
Another popular landscape element is installing a patio near the lawn. You can do this away from your home, so people in your household have a place to escape or relax.
Use stones or pavers. Build the patio near tall flowers or trees, so there’s some privacy. Add some benches or chairs so people can sit and read.
Before you install a patio, make sure you study the wind and sun patterns. If you place a patio on the west side of your house, you’ll get a lot of afternoon sun. In August, it might feel too hot to sit outside for lunch.
Take into account what the wind and sun will do at various times of the day.
- Gather More Inspiration
Make sure you visit people’s gardens to get inspiration. Bring a camera and take shots of features you love. Ask questions when you see something you admire.
Search online for more inspiration. Compare different types of gardens, so you can see what you prefer.
- Make a Plan
Garden and home television shows reveal outdoor makeovers in days. Yet, they have a massive crew who have experience with landscape design.
Use the tips we mentioned above to create a plan. Enjoy the process. You can start small by making a medium-sized flower bed.
Work on your flower bed for a few hours here and there. You want to take your time, so you don’t rush any jobs.
Now You Know More About Landscape Design
We hope this guide about designing a landscape was helpful. Now that you know landscape design elements start planning your landscape redesign.
Have fun choosing trees, plants, and shrubs. Think about a focal point.
Browse our other helpful resources on home, real estate, and more.
