Ah, summer! It’s the best time to embrace the great outdoors and soak up the sun. With warm weather, longer days, and clear skies, it’s the perfect opportunity to spend quality time outside. But hey, if you want to truly enjoy your outdoor space, you gotta make it comfy and functional, right? That’s where landscaping comes into play. No worries, though, it doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ve got some advice on how you can design outdoor landscape areas that look stunning and are ideal for chilling, hanging out with your loved ones, or having a delightful meal. Let’s dive in and make the most of your outdoor space this summer!
1. Have a Focal Point
If you can design outdoor landscape areas with a lovely focal point, you can add more interest to your outdoor area. You can add anything you like, such as a colorful, big plant, a pretty sculpture, an exotic tree, or an interesting water feature. You may have to work with a local tree company to sort out any tree you want to add.
Adding a focal point in your yard can be a bit tricky to plan. You should start by choosing a good location. The spot should be visible from different angles and it should be able to draw attention in a natural way. The size of your yard and the current landscape elements will affect the focal point you decide on. Also, keep in mind the purpose of your focal point. Whether you want it to be a visual centerpiece or a gathering space will also affect how you design it.
Just make sure that you have enough space so your focal point has enough space around it so it can be thoroughly appreciated. You can add pathways and other landscaping features to guide attention to your beautiful focal point.
2. Use Plants for Privacy
Next, you can design outdoor landscape plans that enhance your yard’s privacy. If you live on a busy street, have nosy neighbors, or just want to have privacy, plants are a brilliant way to achieve this. You can design outdoor landscape areas with a lot of privacy by using tall, dense plants like evergreen trees or bamboo for a natural and good-looking barrier.
Before you begin, assess the specific areas where you want privacy. First, decide how tall you want the barrier to be and how much sunlight the area gets. Also, think about what kind of look you want, because aesthetics matter! Pick plants that thrive in your climate, soil, and sunlight conditions. If you want privacy all year round, go for evergreen plants. To add depth and texture, mix things up by using a combination of trees, shrubs, and tall grasses. It’ll give your yard a nice layered effect!
When you design outdoor landscape areas focused on privacy, plant your trees strategically. You can’t go wrong with deciduous or evergreen trees. They’re like your secret agents against nosy neighbors or any spot you want to keep hidden. Just make sure to plant them strategically, so they block the view exactly where you need it. Oh, and don’t forget to think about how tall and wide they’ll grow when they’re all grown up. You want them to provide enough coverage to do the job right.
3. Shade Is Awesome
When you design outdoor landscape areas for your backyard, it’s important to address the hot summer weather and the discomfort that comes with spending time in direct sunlight. Enhancing your outdoor space with elements such as a pergola, an umbrella, or a retractable awning can provide the necessary shade. Not only will this addition make your outdoor area more comfortable, but it will also safeguard you from harmful UV rays.
There are many ways to add shade to your backyard, but you may have to consider tree trimming or tree pruning to make sure your trees are in good condition and ready to serve you with awesome shade. If you can’t add a built-in or permanent feature, a decked-out pagoda is a fantastic idea. Add floor cushions to make sure the space is intimate and comfy, and curtains can make the space even more private. Patio umbrellas can work too, and they’re simple ways of creating shade for you and your family. Plus, these umbrellas come in many different designs and colors, so you can add some interest to your backyard at the same time.
If you prefer trees and their natural shade, though, you’ll have to reach out to tree cutting experts if your current trees aren’t as good at providing shade, so you can either trim your trees to grow better or get rid of trees that are affecting your best trees’ growth.
4. Add Water Features
Water features such as fountains, ponds, or waterfalls can add tranquillity and relaxation to your outdoor space. They can also attract wildlife such as birds and butterflies, adding to the natural beauty of your landscape. Adding water features to your yard can enhance its beauty and create a serene and relaxing atmosphere.
When you design outdoor landscape features like this, it’s best to plan and design everything in full detail. First, decide what kind of water feature would be best for you. Should you go for a new pond, a fountain, or a waterfall? The space you have available, your budget, and the current theme of your backyard will influence how you plan your water features.
You’ll need to clear the space and keep issues like power source placements in mind before you start digging to set up your new water feature. You can take your new feature to the next level by adding extra features like aquatic plants and decorative rocks.
5. What About Edible Gardens?
Growing your own food is not only a convenient way to skip those occasional grocery store trips, but it’s also super cool for getting more fruits and veggies into your diet. Plus, you get to know exactly what chemicals and fertilizers are coming in contact with your food (if any). Bonus: it saves you some cash and helps the environment too!
Now, if you’re a newbie to the whole edible garden thing and need advice on how to design outdoor landscape areas to be used as gardens, here’s the secret sauce: start by setting up raised beds with a solid structure, and then fill them up with a good-quality planting mix that you can buy. Since our climate tends to stay on the cooler side, even during summer, raised beds allow the soil to dry out and warm up much quicker than regular in-ground soil.
Oh, and the best part? You can grow all sorts of veggies in the summer! Think juicy tomatoes, crunchy beans, sweet carrots, delicious corn, refreshing cucumbers, tasty eggplant, mouthwatering melons, and a whole bunch of other awesome crops. The possibilities are endless.
6. Add Pretty Lighting
You can jazz up your backyard by throwing in some cool lighting fixtures. Picture this: pathway lights guiding your way and making sure you don’t trip over anything in the dark. Super handy, right? Then there are spotlights that can highlight all the best features of your landscape, like those beautiful trees or that fancy water feature you’re proud of. You can design outdoor landscape areas that will look really awesome with pretty lighting.
When you put the lighting in strategic spots, you can create different kinds of moods and atmospheres. For example, warm and soft lighting can create a really intimate and cozy ambiance, and bright lights are ideal for social gatherings. You may have to contact a general contractor or consider tool rental services to do this kind of job the right way.
Another bonus that outdoor lighting offers you is enhanced security and safety. Lighting in a backyard can discourage intruders because of the improved visibility. If this is a concern for you, consider adding motion sensor lights as well.
7. Lush Lavender Fields
If you want to design outdoor landscape areas that are calming and beautiful at the same time, a lavender field is just what you should consider. You can make a lovely lavender field right in your backyard that looks exactly like a little piece of the French countryside. Not only will this area look absolutely stunning, it will smell amazing too, and offer you a wonderful place to relax and unwind. Adding features like stone pavilions and plants that complement lavender will take the entire place to the next level.
If you’re not exactly a green thumb, don’t worry! Lavender is a hardy plant that requires minimal maintenance. It’s drought-tolerant and thrives in well-drained soil and sunny spots. Once planted, lavender can handle dry spells and doesn’t need constant watering or fussing over. It’s a low-maintenance beauty that you can add to your garden and make it gorgeous. Plus, lavender is a magnet for pollinators like bees and butterflies, making it great for the environment.
8. Incorporate a Flower Border
Why not spruce up your yard with a gorgeous flower border? It’s a fantastic way to bring some beauty, color, and texture to your outdoor space. First things first, you need to picture how big you want it to be, what shape it should take, and where you want it in your yard. Take into account important stuff like how much sunlight that spot gets, the condition of the soil, and the overall style you’re aiming for. Find a spot in your yard that gets enough sunlight for the flowers you have in mind. Keep in mind that most flowers need around six hours of direct sunlight each day to thrive.
When you design outdoor landscape spaces with a focus on flowers, you should also keep in mind that the soil is important. It must be cleared of debris, vegetation, and rocks. Pick out some awesome flowers that’ll do great in your area and match the sunlight and soil in your yard. Think about things like how tall they’ll grow, what colors they’ll bring, when they’ll bloom, and if they’ll add a nice scent to the air. It’s a good idea to mix it up with both annuals (the ones that last a season) and perennials (the ones that come back year after year) so you’ll have blooms all year round.
You could add features like tree stumps to make the area look even better. You may have to work with professional stump grinding services for this purpose.
9. Create a Lovely Seating Area
Creating a lovely seating area for your backyard is easier than you might think. First, you’ll need to find a cozy corner or shaded area where you can create your seating area. Keep in mind whether or not you want it close to other features in your yard, like your swimming pool or garden. You should choose seating options that will be perfect for your style and needs, but remember that it should be comfy. You can add extras like blankets, throw pillows, and cushions. If there are any trees in the area you want for your seating area that you don’t want there, you may have to contact local arborists to help you take care of them.
10. Design a Seating Platform
Do you want to create an interesting, unique, and functional outdoor space in your backyard? Then a seating platform is what you want. You should choose the best possible spot in your backyard that will be ideal for your seating platform. The type of materials you use for your platform depends on the look you want to achieve. You can make your platform from composite decking, wood, or concrete. Plan your seating platform really well so you have a good idea of what you want for your backyard. Make sure you prepare a solid foundation for your platform so it can last many years. Once you’ve built your new seating platform, you can add rugs, decorative pillows, chairs, cushions, and even umbrellas to make it a really nice place to hang out.
Now you have all the information you need to design outdoor landscape areas you can be proud of. What are you waiting for? Contact local home contractors, redesign your dream wood privacy fence (or any other landscape feature you want), and create a space where you can spend your time outside, basking in the sunlight.