A backyard adds beauty and value to a home. It provides an outdoor space to lounge in, extending the living space and breathing more life into a home. Those who have never tried their hand at landscape design may find themselves overwhelmed with the many ways they can do it.
This article will teach you more about the basic landscaping principles that will help you create the perfect backyard.
Determine Your Wants and Needs
Before anything else, homeowners should determine how they want to enjoy their backyard. Do the kids want a space where they can play? Does the family enjoy lounging outdoors? Do they want to exercise their green thumb and create a vegetable garden?
The possibilities are endless. But it’s crucial to figure out the goal before starting to landscape with whatever comes to mind.
Of course, you have to consider if your backyard ideas are workable. Applying all of them may turn out into a disastrous landscape hodgepodge. Learning the basics of landscape design can help beginners organize their ideas and create balance and harmony in their backyard.
Consider the Location
For homeowners, try to sit down and bask in your landscape. After a while, you may find areas in your backyard you like and don’t like. For instance, the afternoon sun may directly hit your lounge area, turning it unpleasantly hot in the summer.
Location is essential in designing a backyard. Aside from knowing the areas where sunlight hits, it also pays to learn the wind patterns in a day and at different times of the year. You don’t want strong winds anywhere near your gorgeous flower bed.
Spending more time in your outdoor space allows you to learn more about it. From there, you can make the right choices and get rid of those that won’t work in the long run.
Find a Focal Point
If you want to turn a boring backyard into a standout, you need to establish a focal point. This is an area or a structure that will naturally draw eyes, so you should make it count.
There are many ways to make use of focal points, including the following:
Draw attention to doorways
Adding a much-needed appeal to the backyard
Create outdoor living spaces where the family and visitors can retreat
Showcase a backyard’s best asset, like a lovely flowering plant or an age-old tree
Hide undesirable aspects of the backyard, such as garbage cans, compost pits, etc.
With an eye-catching focal point, any backyard can boost its visual appeal and dimension. Plus, it also adds height and dimension to the space, giving you much-needed privacy.
Maintain Your Lawn
Now, a great-looking backyard should be a lush retreat for the entire family. It’s only fitting for homeowners to maintain its greenness all year round.
There are different components to lawn maintenance, including mowing and watering.
Watering
The basic rule of watering is to provide heavy watering as needed instead of lightly infrequent intervals. If you water lightly, the water is unlikely to reach the soil and won’t do much in nourishing the grass. The ideal height is about 2.5 cm or an inch of water above the surface level.
That’s why it’s essential to choose a sprinkler system that promotes deep watering for our backyard. Irrigation systems should have quality sprinkler valves that adapt to climate changes and emergencies.
Mowing
Mowing makes it easier for grass to grow as it won’t need to nourish a lot with a smaller culm. Homeowners don’t have to mow frequently until the growing season. Cutting more than a third of the grass at once can be bad for the plant.
It’s best to keep cool-season grasses at about 3 inches or taller. For most warm-season ones, keep them at the height of 2 to 2.5 inches. Make sure to keep the grass longer during the summer to help cool the soil.
Build a patio or deck
A deck or patio makes a relaxing area for the family to gather and enjoy nature, but it can involve a lot of work. These are the essential things to consider before starting a deck project:
Creating a deck plan — There are free resources online, but it also pays to ask an expert.
Calculating the costs and procuring materials — The project cost will not be small. Make sure to get quality deck railings and materials that get your money’s worth.
Knowing your codes and getting permits — Homeowners need to follow their local building codes to ensure the safety and functionality of their deck.
Of course, you have to assess your handyman skills before going the DIY route with your patio. There are always professionals that can give you expert advice when uncertainties arise.
Be Willing to Accept Changes
Landscape design is more challenging for beginners. You don’t have to beat yourself up when something doesn’t go according to plan. You may discover some aspects in your design that doesn’t work as you expect—and that’s OK. With patience, your backyard will turn out just the way you want it to be.
