Smart and savvy landscaping is always in high demand. Adding simple touches of colour, texture, points of interest, and functionality can turn any outdoor space into a picture perfect oasis. And with these tips and tricks, you’re all but guaranteed to have a backyard that looks like it is landscaped by a pro.
Plan for Appeal (No Matter the Season)
No matter the season, you should always plan ahead. Evergreen shrubs provide year round leaf and needle coverage, allowing for points of interest in both summer and winter. Evergreens are perfect for rounding more jagged and noticeable corners of the home and softening vertical lines on the house, providing a warm and inviting appearance.
Connecting The Dots
Instead of tramping down the lawn with a makeshift path of dead grass, try connecting the patio, fire pit with or without its sophisticated cover, and garden with an attractive walkway constructed with concrete stepping stones, natural stone, decorative rocks, or crushed gravel. Connecting elements helps to pull the overall appearance together, marrying the myriad of elements. It’s important to construct the pathway, like all other landscaping features, with materials that are the same or similar to what’s been used in other areas. This is crucial in marrying the myriad of elements on the exterior of the home.
Feel the Berm
Add razzle to the dazzle of your backyard landscape with an inviting berm. Berms are mounds covered with decorative rock and adorned in beautiful flowers or succulents. Berms bring colour and texture to otherwise plain lawnscapes with coloured stone, flowers, and foliage. If constructed correctly, they can also add height by being built as a mound. And the best part? You can place a berm just about anywhere, but they especially come in handy when landscaping corners of the lawn.
Bold Rocks
Make a statement on your lawn with a giant rock. Adding a boulder to the landscape helps to break up the monotony with a different focal point. Boulders are defined as any rock larger than 16 meters in diameter and are typically available in two basic shapes: round and angular. Round boulders have smooth edges and curves, making them ideal centerpieces in gardens. Angular boulders have the advantage of unpredictability on their side, making them plum for points of new focal attraction.
Water Water Everywhere
Small, self-contained water features are a great way to make a splash in the backyard landscape. Water features that stand alone on patios should look like they belong in the surrounding area and have custom covers to protect against wind, weather, and wayward animals. Using natural stone to build the area up and frame the fountain or koi pond helps the feature to feel natural and a part of the adjoining space. If you’re unsure of how to properly execute this, keep in mind to use no more than three types of material in any one area. This helps to keep focal points appealing.
The Patio is the Place
Setting the scene for a perfect landscape comes with the necessary space for seating and entertaining. A patio is a great way to achieve both as well as highlight surrounding elements that make the backyard area pop. Constructing yours near trees or in a surrounding gardenscape highlights both areas simply by connecting them as one. Make sure to use patio furniture covers to protect everything on your patio. For more on outdoor furniture, check out our DIY guide for pristine outdoor furniture.
Plant Proof
Coordinating a plant scheme encourages homeowners to diversity their landscape with a range of plants that bloom at different times so that ornamental leaves stay visible year round. If all the flowers bloom at the same time, they’ll look attractive during that time frame but, in turn, your backyard will lack that colourful luster the rest of the year.
When in Doubt, Go Rustic
A little Americana goes a long way in establishing an appealing landscape aesthetic. And you don’t have to set out Western wagon wheels and split-rail wood fencing to give a landscape a rustic look. Rustic landscaping is all about reflecting the natural surroundings already present in the backyard. This includes embracing what you currently have growing there. Natural mosses add touches of authenticity to your landscape, keeping it from looking like a scene from a home and garden department store.
Stray From the Straight & Narrow
Skilled landscapers use edging on the boundaries of flower beds to integrate the space into the rest of the yard. Rather than making straight lines, try installing the edging with creative curves. These serpent-like edges, if maintained, can be appealing periment fixtures of your landscape.
Illuminate with Innovation
As night falls, don’t be afraid to show off all your hard work with luminary lighting fixtures. Landscape lights highlight focal points in the dark, allowing different perspectives to be seen. This showcases your landscape in a completely different way. Placing lights alongside paths and walkways is the perfect way to tie the entire landscape together and pave the way for even brighter curb appeal.
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