Your Fantastic Backyard… An Easy Guide To Making A Backyard Landscape Design

While front yard landscaping focuses more on the appearance of the whole property and creating a welcoming pathway to your front door, the backyard landscape should concentrate more on the reasons of why you want a fantastic backyard. Is it for enjoyment and entertainment? Will it give you the privacy of a living space? There is a very big difference between the landscape design of the backyard and the landscape design of the front. Here are some things to consider when designing your back yard.

Your Fantastic Backyard… The question of purpose

The first thought to considered when making a backyard landscape design is the question of purpose. What do you want to do in your backyard? How will you use it? What activities should you consider in order to maximize the space of your backyard and ensure the beauty of the landscape design? These questions, once answered will give you a clear idea of where to start with your design.

Your Fantastic Backyard… The floor plan

Your Fantastic Backyard starts with a design based on necessity rather than appearance and appeal. So, before drawing the floor plan, list your objectives by order of preference and necessity. Do you need a children’s play area? Do you entertain a lot and need a large patio?  Do you want an outdoor kitchen or will a large grill serve your purpose. By creating your list you can prioritize your space requirements for each element of your design. Then, you can take some measurements and draw a sketch of your plan to make use of the available space for the particular purpose you have listed. Design it just like you would a house with different areas to serve different purposes; a place to cook and eat; a place to relax; a place to play.

Your Fantastic Backyard… The boundary

One important aspect of a backyard landscape design is a boundary that separates your property from the rest of the world. Boundaries can serve as a protection or barrier or can be a provider of privacy. Most often it is a fence, but it can also be a screen of large plants.

A screen of plants is a much better noise barrier than a fence. But a fence offers greater protection against unwanted visitors. Therefore in your design determine how much space you will need for your boundary. If you have a small backyard then a fence is probably the best option. If it’s large you may prefer a screen of plants.

Your Fantastic Backyard… Relaxation space

Your Fantastic Backyard should have a place to relax. Whether it’s just a small corner where you have a comfortable chair to have a morning coffee or an afternoon drink, or a large patio or deck for relaxing and entertaining.  Start small and work up from there, especially if you are doing the work yourself. Many landscape do-it-yourselfer’s bite off more than they can chew too quickly and turn a fun project into a job that never gets done.

As you budget for your relaxation space consider the different options. Decking, pavers and stamped concrete. Stamped concrete is out of the realm of a do-it-yourselfer. But stamped concrete can be a very affordable option even if you have to hire a crew to do it for you.

Unless you have some construction experience and some good tools a deck is also probably not in the realm of the do-it-yourselfer. Not to say that you can’t, just make sure that you study up on it before you give it a try.

Pavers on the other hand can be a good choice for the do-it-yourselfer. There are plenty of video’s out there that show you how and with some help from the knowledgeable people at your local lumber stores, you can probably take this task on and be very pleased with your finished product.

Many beginner landscapers fail to consider the orientation of their patio or deck when they are designing their fantastic back yard. As you make your design be sure to watch the sun. If you back yard is facing west you will not enjoy a cook out in the evening if you have no shade. You will only swelter in the heat.

Your Fantastic Backyard… Plant selection

When it comes to choosing the type of plants for your Fantastic Backyard, do not simply adapt those plants that you see in your front yard.

Annuals of course give the biggest bang for the buck but perennials, shrubs and trees provide a long-lasting structure and will reward you year after year. Make sure that the plants you choose are suited to your plant zone. A plant that is hardy in zone 9 will not survive in a cold zone 4 winter.

Your Fantastic Backyard… Other elements

Your Fantastic Backyard landscape is not complete without adding non-life elements like rocks, and possibly some statuary and bird baths. Today more and more family’s are adding small water features and fire pits. Also remember in your planning stages to think about other elements of your landscape. Do you want outdoor landscape lighting and or irrigation. These are all things that should be considered when planning your fantastic backyard space.