Landscaping is a useful hobby that can keep you occupied and give you something to do in the yard, sometimes for years. It’s also a great way to improve your home, both in terms of comfort and in terms of its value.

These ideas don’t need to be expensive or time-consuming. The key to having a well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing lawn is to have one or two underlining ideas behind its design. That way, the yard appears to be neat and doesn’t require too much work.

Words: Diana Smith

Colour all year round
It’s possible to have a colourful and beautiful backyard during the whole year. That can be accomplished simply by choosing the plants that bloom during the winter and by changing your yard every few months. That is additional work, but if you prepare in advance, you can cut the work hours needed for such an endeavor significantly.

It’s also a good idea to only use the plants that can be found and grown locally. There’s a better chance that those plants will take in your yard and they would be easier to find and transport in an eco-friendly way.

Hiding outdoor structures
There are a few outdoor structures needed to maintain a modern backyard. These structures are mostly used to store tools and plants when they are not being used, but they can have other purposes as well. Storages, sheds and workspaces often don’t look very presentable and don’t fit in with a well-maintained yard. That’s why it’s best to keep them hidden.

There’s an added benefit to hiding these structures in such a way. It gives you more square feet for planting because the structures can be covered with plants and thus both unnoticeable and beautiful.

A seating area
The most common feature to add to your backyard is a seating area. It’s versatile because it can be as casual as you want it to be and sometimes, it can even turn into an additional dining space or a place to entertain guests during the summer.

Adding a retractable roof pergola will help you use this area regardless of the weather. It helps with harsh heats as well as with sudden rain that can ruin a nice outdoor dinner. The seating area is often best placed close to the kitchen to make things easier for the host.

Animal proofing
Depending on where you live, wild animals can be significant problems if you have a lush and noticeable garden that could attract them. This is especially true with deer that could eat through your entire garden in one night and they are surprisingly hard to get rid of.

The safest and the most humane way to go is to use plants that people think are beautiful, but deer won’t eat because they would hate the taste. Butterfly weed and globe thistle are the most common options because, in addition to deer hating them, they also don’t require too much work or maintenance.

No one-dimensional gardens
Planting the entire garden on the ground level is the traditional way to design a garden, but it’s also predictable and even boring. This is something that can be easily fixed and it adds a lot to your backyard in terms of creativity and aesthetic.

One of the ways to do this is to add elevated baskets, which can be made in an afternoon. There’s also the option of adding hanging baskets which are a bit harder to set up because of the watering issues, but it’s still something an average homeowner can do.

A backyard can be turned into a great new feature of your home. At the same time, it gives you something to do in the afternoons because there are countless design ideas to try.