Your home is your pride and joy, and it’s where you seek comfort at the end of a long, grueling day. This is why we put so much effort into making sure that it’s designed exactly the way we envision it. In many cases, we put so much focus on the interior that we tend to just leave the exterior to be as it is, or in the simplest form possible. However, you’ll soon realize that the design of your backyard is just as important and requires just as much thought and attention as the interior. This is because you will want to use it, and also have it maintained. Designing it properly will make maintenance an easier task for you, and this is why we’re going to let you in on a few ideas to help you design the perfect backyard.
Build a Deck for Entertainment
The first thing you want to think about when you start designing your backyard is the deck. Think about whether it’s going to be a space where you’d want to entertain a crowd of friends and family on several occasions, or if you just want it for your own personal use. According to this, you’ll be able to decide on the size of the deck, and also what kind of furniture and items you’d like to keep on there. Getting outdoor furniture that can last through any kind of conditions is the aim here, obviously. Decks are relatively easy to maintain because you just want to make sure that you clean the surfaces every once in a while. If you get quite a bit of rain where you live, make sure that it’s designed in a way where it doesn’t collect water, so there is no damage done to the deck or brought into the house at any point.
Dedicate an Area to Grow Plants
Generally, we like to have our backyards filled with plants and greenery, but if you’d like to have a situation that is easier to maintain, then you need to consider dedicating a specific area or corner where you can have all the plants that you want. You can have a flower, herb, and vegetable bed placed in a corner, or that takes up one side of the garden. To ensure that you’re not stressing over their care and growth, always get the best of the best. When it comes to the soil, you always want to invest in fertilizer that will help your lawn stay healthy and the plants grow at their best. Worm casting is the most popular, and for good reason too. It is a fertilizer that consists of earthworm cocoons, healthy bacteria, manure, and plant remnants, and works amazingly on the lawn and plants.
Think about the Ratio of Garden to Hard Floor
Depending on the size of your backyard, you’re going to want to think about what you want to do in terms of how much you’re going to use for landscaping, and how much for hardscape. While hardscape is definitely much easier to maintain, you don’t want your whole backyard to be made out of concrete. You want a balanced marriage of nature to practicality as well. This also depends on whether you love to garden or not, and whether you have kids or would want to entertain in this area. All of these factors come into play when designing your backyard with easier future maintenance in mind. You can integrate both together by creating pathways made from concrete slabs or rocks put into the grass and have different patches of hardscape around the space, or you can split it if you like.
Integrate Irrigation or Go AstroTurf
There’s nothing more off-putting than having a landscape that has uneven, dead, or dying grass. It just screams neglect, and it will make your home look miserable. This is why you should either get an irrigation system put in. This way you can time it to water your lawn at set times every day. You can also opt to go for the AstroTurf option, where you have fake grass that looks very real. This is more convenient if you have kids that will be running on the grass a lot.
What Distinguishes a Garden from a Backyard?
Location
There are a lot of subtle differences between a garden and a backyard, and one of those differences is how they are positioned. A garden is a more comprehensive term that refers to a complete piece of land on which one can cultivate flowers, fruits, and vegetables. On the other hand, the area outside a house is the only place that can be called a backyard.
In addition, a garden’s location is not limited to the grounds of a single residence. One can locate gardens in a great number of other locations. We offer gardens that are positioned in accessible public areas, such as parks and other recreational facilities.
Having a backyard, on the other hand, is only possible in residential settings. In a nutshell, you can cultivate plants within the confines of your home, but you are unable to do the same with your backyard. You can turn your home into an indoor garden and put on exhibit the plants that have been carefully cultivated for their aesthetic value. You can also have a garden within the house, which will be beneficial to your houseplants when harsh weather conditions, such as winter, are present.
Alternatively, you could keep plants that do not require direct sunlight. In addition, the space behind your house is ideal for planting a garden. This indicates that a backyard is an appropriate place for a garden to be situated. And when we consider it in this light, it tells us that the space of a backyard is ideal for cultivating a vegetable garden.
Function
The difference between a garden and a backyard is by examining the function of both of these outside spaces. A garden is an outdoor area that is dedicated to the cultivation of various plants and serves as a display area for such plants. You could grow trees, flowers, herbs, and veggies there, or you could have well-kept grass instead. There are a lot of options. You may take things to the next level with your garden by adding artificial elements such as statues or a sitting area. This will take your garden to the next level.
You may do a wide variety of things in a backyard, making it a very versatile space. This area behind your property has the potential to be landscaped with grass and turned into a relaxing spot for you and your family. In addition to that, you can make use of it as a place to raise your animals, such as livestock and poultry. You may turn your backyard into a place to hang your clothes or into a miniature farm where you can cultivate the vegetables you occasionally use in your kitchen by turning them into a small farm.
When comparing the functions of a garden and a backyard, it appears that the primary purpose of the former is to serve as a location in which a wide variety of plants can be grown. Additionally, it refers to a region that exemplifies the natural splendor of a location. A backyard, on the other hand, is more about the practical side of things. You can complete more tasks that require an outdoor space, such as keeping chickens because you have access to that area back of the house.
Other Tips on How to Design a Perfect Backyard that is Easy to Maintain
Stick to a Landscape Plan
By beginning your landscaping project with a strategy, you can save yourself both time and money in the long run. If you want the finest possible outcomes, you might want to consider hiring a professional landscape designer to create a landscape plan for you, which you can then choose to have professionally installed or to install yourself.
Use Artificial
The development of artificial grass has been significant. Modern synthetics, which can be composed of nylon or polymer, have a range of heights and color gradations to make them appear and feel more authentic than their predecessors. You can even grow a tree in it if you want to. Even though it’s expensive, maintaining your fake grass will be a breeze.
Include a Water Feature
Water features, in the same way, that garden art does, offer a visual focal point to the garden. Water elements, in contrast to other styles of garden art, also provide an auditory component to the space. Even a trickle of water from a fountain that is strategically situated is enough to divert one’s attention away from the sounds of the outside world, such as traffic. In addition, the sound of water trickling, splashing, or flowing is an attractant for birds and other forms of wildlife that you might like to have visit your backyard sanctuary.
Make Use of Stone and Concrete
Natural stone and concrete, when used in vertical or horizontal hardscaping applications, both have an appealing appearance that transcends time. Although the initial investment could be pricey, their value is reflected in their longevity. In comparison to poured concrete, flagstone and paver patios and walkways not only look better but also reduce the amount of runoff. Stone and block walls that are stacked have a significant advantage over even the strongest timber walls in terms of longevity.
Choose Native Plants
The decision of which plants to use in a yard has a direct bearing on how much time and work will be required to keep the yard looking nice. Those plants that are native to a particular region are known to be some of the hardiest, most attractive, and easiest to cultivate. Native plants require very little if any, additional irrigation, and they are much less likely to be destroyed by extreme weather patterns. In addition, native plants have natural defenses that protect them from local pests. In addition to this, birds and other pollinators readily recognize them as suitable habitats, which adds still another layer of interest to the surrounding environment.
Conclusion
Your backyard is a space that you do want to put some thought into when it comes to design because it’s important that you design to be easy to maintain while still looking beautiful. Sit down with a professional and see what kind of ideas they might have in mind, and also look for different options online to see what works best for you. Always keep the points mentioned here in mind when picking your design so that when all is said and done, you’re able to keep your backyard looking beautiful throughout the year without too much hassle.