1. Mountains of Plants
Carving out circular areas or curved paths among the green grass is a common idea for incorporating flowers into the backyard design. Note how the homeowner has placed taller plants in the center of these areas and surrounded them with colorful flowers closer to the ground. This almost gives the areas a mountainous look, but the intent is to draw the eye upward. Having several separate but defined spaces in the garden allows you to experiment with different types of plants rather than sticking with a few favorites.
2. Wandering Paths Backyard Landscaping
Though the backyard deck shown here is relatively small, it feels big with the stone path leading you on a journey throughout the space. This would be great for taking a meditative walk to clear your mind in the morning. Using flat rocks rather than traditional pavers gives the path a more natural feel. The patio and pergola create a separate “hang out” space, and stone edging helps keep the garden design weed-free. There’s just enough green grass here to lend color to the space, but you won’t have to spend a lot of time mowing every weekend.
3. Focus on the Fire
Who doesn’t love a firepit in the backyard? Many backyard ideas incorporate this popular space. The brick patio is essential for safety when lighting a fire, so don’t forget to plan for that. Though the garden is definitely well-designed and intentional, it serves more as a backdrop than a focal point. Sticking with green plants allows you and your guests to focus on the fire and on each other. Best of all, green plants like this tend to be perennial, so you won’t have to fuss with planting new things year after year.
4. Finding Room for Color
Having a grassy area with straight lines certainly makes it easier to mow, but you might feel like you’re missing out on all the color that flowers add to the space. That won’t happen if you take advantage of this backyard landscaping idea. The fire area uses small pebbles rather than bricks to keep things safe, but poles around the exterior of the space help define the area vertically. They’re a place to hang flowers and sparkling lights to give ambient lighting when the sun goes down. Large barrels around these poles are a creative way to add some flowers.
5. Backyard Landscaping Ideas for First-Timers
If you’re looking for backyard design ideas that are perfect for beginners, check out this idea. The curves on this landscaped area are easy to do on your own, and they’ve simply placed large plants or flowers in this space. Bushes like these are easy to care for and will last year after year with a bit of trimming. To get the beautiful look of flowers shown here, let the nursery take care of the flower design. Simply purchase hanging planters of flowers and plant them into the ground rather than keeping them in their pots.
6. Mini-Makeover
If you’d like to do something with your backyard, but aren’t really into backyard ideas that dominate the space, you’ll love this idea. Simply dig out a small area for flowers around the outside of the home and use bricks as edging. The large green plants here are hostas, which are ridiculously easy to take care of and come back year after year. You can also get striped varieties if you want something a little different. Pair those with the color of impatiens – or any other type of color flower you like – and you’ve got a great match. This homeowner has taken things a step further by matching the flowers in the garden with the flowers in the window box. Best of all, you could complete a design like this on your own in a single weekend.
7. A Waterfall of Flowers
This beautiful look is perfect for almost any type of garden. Though it looks like a pot of flowers has been tipped over, with the flowers spilling out, it’s actually carefully designed to look that way. You can purchase a large pot like this at most garden shops. There will be a flat bottom that places the opening on the side. While you do want flowers that look like they’re spilling, you’ll have to plant some in the ground to create that same effect.
8. Just Swinging in the Garden
What good is a well-planned backyard design if you’re not going to actually use the space? Here, rustic stones create a path through the landscaped area to reach a garden swing. It’s the perfect spot to relax the day away. If you’d like even more color than this look provides, consider adding vining flowers to the pergola above the swing. Sweet-smelling varieties will make this an even better place to hang out.
9. Modern Patio
If you live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of rain, you’ll want to think twice about backyard landscaping ideas that focus on lush greenery and mounds of flowers. Here, the backyard is primarily made up of wooden planks and stone squares, which don’t require water. Small areas of native plants help create that backyard feel that you want without driving up your water bill. If you’re not sure which plants are native to your area, speak with a professional landscaper or someone who works in a local nursery.
10. Keeping Weeds at Bay
One of the biggest challenges in most garden designs is having to keep the weeds from creeping back into your garden area. Sometimes, you have to make a plan to weed daily to make sure that your garden looks just the way you want it to look. That’s not as much of a problem when you put down a good layer of mulch, as you’ll see in this picture. For a bit of variety, this homeowner has changed the colors of the mulch, with the light brown mulch around the trees and the red mulch in the other area. Small rocks can also act as a weed-blocker, and they’re used here as a contrast to the two types of mulch.
11. Keeping the Tree
This is another backyard landscaping idea that won’t require a lot of water to keep up. Rather than focusing on a stone patio on the ground, this homeowner has created a vast space using wood. This particular idea allows there to be different levels of patio, which gives the space an interesting look. Bamboo planted in a line will eventually form a wall of privacy, which is a nice, natural look. An interesting thing they chose to do was to leave the tree growing in the space, building the deck around the tree and having green plants sneak up through the hole. Cutting down a tree that large would have taken away the natural shade it provides, so this will keep things cool and protect people from getting sunburned.
12. A Flower-Shaped Garden
If you’re looking for cute garden ideas to go with your home decor, you’ll love this idea. A winding brick path ends up at a circular area that’s just the right size for a small café table. Jutting off of this circle are smaller half-circles filled with flowers. When you look at it from this angle, it almost looks like a flower-shaped patio, and it provides a nice little retreat. Note that with the small corners between the separate “petals” of the design, you’ll need to use a weed whacker to cut the grass. Be careful not to cut the flowers as well!
13. Look Up!
You’ll find that most backyard design ideas focus on the various ways you can arrange flowers and other plants in the yard. This homeowner has taken landscape design to a whole new level – literally. The small circular patio area is the perfect size for a table for two, and the surrounding pergola with beautiful roses will make you feel like you’re in a room made of flowers. The chandelier adds an unexpected touch that could be practical for enjoying the space in the nighttime.
14. A Room of Your Own
If you’re the type of person who spends summers inside to avoid the sun’s harsh rays, consider how this creative gazebo will allow you to be outside and inside at the same time. The path in this backyard design is interesting because it cuts through one of the landscaped areas rather than going around it. The tall plants in the area of flowers add depth and color, but they also hold a secret. If you look closely, you’ll see that they’re hiding a patio table on the other side. This gives you the privacy you might want, creating a cozy little nook in the garden.
15. Go With Your Favorites
Flowers come in every color of the rainbow, and a lot of backyard landscaping ideas make use of this variety to create an incredibly joyful space. However, this backyard design just goes to show that sticking with a single favorite color or type of flower can work very nicely in your garden space. Here, purple flowers dominate the lush, green space, with a few white flowers for variety. Two purple stools on the patio area tie in with the rest of the design and offer a unique garden seating choice.
16. Backyard Landscaping Ideas for Nighttime Bonding
When you think about what type of backyard design ideas are right for you, you have to think about how you plan to use the space. This space is all about good friends hanging out late into the night. The rocks lining the path aren’t uniform, giving the design a great DIY feel, while the stones and circular pavers help it feel put-together. By stringing lights into the trees, you’ll have convenient lighting into the night and shade in the daytime. While there are small landscaped areas, the focus is really on the fire and the chairs surrounding the fire. Sit back and relax while you chat with your friends.
17. Bridging the Gap
Sometimes, an extensive landscape design means that you can have trouble going from one side to the other. This is a cute way to make a small path without feeling like you have to clearly define and separate the landscaped areas with bricks. It looks like a bridge crossing a “river” of beautifully landscaped areas. Save money by creating this wooden bridge with scraps leftover from a project, or take the idea and change it up a little by using logs or stones to make a bridge.
18. Flowing Flowers
A typical garden design might include rows of flowers. This photo takes this basic idea and makes a few changes by having the rows of flowers take wandering paths. The bright blue flowers contrast nicely with the pink and red flowers, while the bushes and trees in the background add some extra height. These lead up to a gazebo to provide some shade while outside. You can also see that the homeowner has chosen to use similar flowers in each of the landscaped areas dotted throughout the backyard.
19. The Sound of a Fountain
Any great backyard landscaping idea incorporates all of your senses. While it’s normal to hear the sounds of tweeting birds, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as the sound of running water that you’ll get from a fountain like this one. The fountain dominates this small backyard while the areas along the perimeter of the yard are bursting with colorful flowers. The blue trellis offers an interesting way to section off the backyard while still giving a sense of openness. With an actual door, you’ll really feel like you’re stepping in to another world.
20. Yin Yang Garden
Consider this creative landscape design if you want something that’s easy to take care of and a little bit different from the rows of flowers you typically see in front of the house. The contrasting colors of the rocks, along with the curved line made from the white rocks and the small plants dotting each area have the feel of a yin yang symbol that’s been stretched out. An idea like this won’t require a lot of water, and the rocks should prevent the weeds from creeping in.
21. All You Want
When you have a small backyard, it can feel like most backyard landscaping ideas are out of your reach, especially if you dream of creating a fabulous place for hanging out. This picture shows that you really can have it all. Though the backyard is small, there are three separate areas for eating or hanging out with your friends. There’s a small bit of grass, some beautiful flowers and even a large outdoor fireplace. Another interesting element of this backyard design is the tall shelf against the house. This is a great way to grow herbs for use in your cooking. Just walk out on the deck and take what you need.
22. Fireplace Patio
Following the winding stone pathway and taking a few steps up will bring you to a sprawling patio area. A grand outdoor fireplace dominates the space, encouraging you and your guests to sit back and relax. Having a fireplace like this one rather than an open fire or a fire pit makes it a bit safer if you have little ones running about. A mound of purple flowers sits in the ledge that surrounds the patio, adding a small pop of color to the space.
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