How to Landscape a Backyard – Expert Tips and Ideas for Creating Your Dream Garden

(Image credit: Marion Brenner)

When landscaping a backyard, spending some time planning and designing can help you realize the full potential of your garden, both visually and practically.

Consider how you want to use the space as part of your backyard ideas. Is it for outdoor dining and lounging in, or are you intending on filling it with flowers and leaves, creating a living image to be enjoyed from inside? or a more modern, simpler environment, possibly with a statement, relaxing water feature?

There are numerous backyard landscaping ideas to choose from. The materials used – from paving, aggregates, and decking to decorative edging and hard materials used for raised beds and walls – add texture and character to a garden, defining the structure and leading the eye through the landscape.

It would be best if you considered the practicalities, such as locations for backyard storage, microclimates, sun and light, wind protection, and your limits. Allow yourself a year to properly examine the backyard each season and understand how you prefer to use the area year-round before making any modifications.

To assist you in creating your perfect outdoor environment, we’ve put up a step-by-step guide jam-packed with professional tips on the landscape of a backyard.

HOW TO LANDSCAPE A BACKYARD

When designing a backyard, the bones of your garden will be regions of hard landscaping or structure made from evergreen bushes. It would be best if you considered how to connect the interior and exterior of your home in a harmonious manner. Do you want the design and colors to match the style of your home and the interior living area, or do you want a complete contrast?

Starting from scratch, you may need to employ a landscape designer to undertake the hard landscaping to guarantee proper drainage and pavement.

1. ASSESS THE SPACE

Consider your backyard an outside space when creating a garden to make it easier to design using interior design ideas.

Examine the plot’s size and form, as well as its limits and surroundings. Consider whether it is overlooked by neighbors, whether there are eyesores to hide under privacy hedges, or if garden screening ideas are required to screen the plot from passers-by. ‘These are only a few issues to think about,’ suggests gardening writer Leigh Clapp.

‘It’s a good idea to list your preferences and rank them in order of importance. A mood board containing photos and ideas for the style and appearance you want may be quite helpful. Determine what is feasible and doable given your time and lifestyle; be honest and realistic.’

Try drawing out the space on a sketch design or with string in place to allow for outdoor seating options or outdoor dining. Creating regions inside the plot, or just one room, will help you imagine the overall product.

The location itself is essential and will influence the design. ‘Be conscious of the soil type and regions in the site area where the light shines,’ advises multi-award-winning landscape designer Jack Dunckley.

‘These zones of full sun, medium shade, and shade will dictate where and which plant kinds should be planted for the best effect,’ he says.

TAKE INTO ACCOUNT PRACTICALITIES

When it comes to landscape a backyard, the key to success is to create a space that is both attractive and functional, fulfilling the sometimes opposing principles of form and function.

‘The hard landscaping should be created with a material that can withstand the aspect,’ says landscape designer Kate Gould.

‘It is asking a lot of a stone or wood not to naturally turn green with algae in areas of low light,’ she adds, so keep this in mind if you have a north-facing garden or a narrow garden with more shady areas, and consider the long-term maintenance of surfaces that could become slip hazards over time.

‘The power of nature can only be denied so far, but they may be minimized with careful product selection and ongoing maintenance of the plan.’ Think little upkeep rather than no maintenance, and you’ll find an excellent medium,’ Kate says.

The formal beauty and change of levels with hard landscaping in the above design by Kate Gould as a sloping backyard creates the impression of space in a tiny garden by creating depth. At the same time, the structural and low-care plants look exquisite even in winter. Natural stone paving will weather slowly and is simple to care for.

KEEP IN MIND THAT LESS IS OFTEN MORE.

Doing too much in a backyard may often dilute the overall impression. Kate Gould suggests, ‘Pare down the design, identify the very least you need, and proceed from there.’

It is difficult not to integrate components of many things we see and admire when we have inspiration from all around, yet the outcome may be excessively cluttered and awkward.

‘Draw a grid to scale and then cut out the items you want to include, such as raised beds, seating and dining spaces, flower bed ideas, focal points, such as a water feature, and other structures, including pergola ideas, then experiment with them until you are happy with the layout design,’ suggests Leigh Clapp.

A visually appealing whole is composed of a variety of pieces. Avoid the urge to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that by ensuring that all of the components in your garden are in harmony.

THINK ABOUT THE DESIGN

What you desire from the area determines how to plant a backyard. A modern design with hard landscaping and architectural plants may be ideal, or it may be the planting that is numerous and noticeable.

If the latter, should the appearance be formal, with symmetry, straight lines, and neat hedges? Or something more casual, like a cottage garden or naturalistic planting style, with broad borders, various color schemes, and winding paths?

What design aesthetic do you want to achieve? This can be more difficult to describe, but understanding the traits that will give your garden a unique feel and help it connect with your house and its surroundings is critical,’ says James Scott of The Garden Company.

It’s also critical to consider the elements your backyard should include if space allows. If not, there are plenty of modest backyard landscaping ideas to consider.

List all aspects you want to incorporate, such as lawns, patio ideas, deck ideas, outbuildings, a vegetable garden, pool ideas, play spaces for kids, arches and arbors, and pergolas. And the garden fence and wall designs you like for defining boundaries and zoning your area.

James Scott of The Garden Company employs masonry in neutral soft greys and buffs in the design above to emphasize the softscaping and be sympathetic to the planting palette.

Consider how much room is required for dining equipment and seats for family and friends or how much space is required for family activities, flower gardens, or growing food crops.

If you’re wondering how to design a sloping garden, certain portions of the backyard may need to be leveled, and you should keep in mind any limits, such as some regions being prone to waterlog. Examine existing trees, hedges, or structures; incorporating them into the design may be viable and desired, but they may be in the way.

THINK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ZONES – AND HOW TO JOIN THEM

The flow of the area is constantly at the forefront of innovative garden design concepts. Connecting regions with romantic walkways and swaths of greenery, for example, may create a feeling of mystery.

Marianne Hunt of Matanne Hunt Gardens and Landscapes developed the peaceful country garden pictured above with fewer offensive materials and more topiary and evergreen hedge to support biodiversity.

There must be a smooth transition from the house to the garden in a country garden. Garden materials like slate, stone, or wood can help achieve this effect by complementing the home’s design and style.

When deciding what to plant in your garden, it’s important to consider the available light levels.

According to Matanne Hunt, the crowning glory of your landscape design will be the planting: ‘You’ll want to select plants that provide year-round interest, such as evergreens, hedges, trees, or topiary that give structure to a garden when perennials have died down.

Above, a design by Matanne Hunt transforms a backyard into an outdoor room with a dining area, a lounge area, and seasonal plantings that can be enjoyed year-round.

6. DECIDE ON THE PROFESSIONALS YOU’LL WORK WITH

If you’re not sure how to landscape a backyard, it might be a good idea to hire a professional. Professionals in this field need to know a lot of different information than those in other areas of construction.

If you want a beautiful garden built instead of a house, it’s best to hire a professional landscaping company rather than a regular construction crew. Cost estimates for backyard landscaping are also helpful.

Landscapers learn both “hard” landscaping techniques like constructing gardens and “soft” landscaping techniques like laying turf and planting trees, shrubs, and perennials according to a garden designer’s plans.

Depending on the scope of services provided and your preferences, they can either produce the plans for your backyard, manage the process, or design and construct.

If you decide to take advantage of their expertise, they may be able to help you create the backyard of your dreams; however, you should plan on allocating a larger chunk of your budget to this option.

The above garden in Connecticut was designed by Land Morphology of Seattle.

It’s possible you’ve got what it takes to handle the physical work on your own, whether you’re using a professional’s plan or your own.

If you’re on a tighter budget but still want a beautiful backyard, consider hiring professionals to do the heavy lifting like clearing, leveling, drainage, laying pavers and decks, etc., so that you can focus on the grass and plants.

7. SPACE MUST BE CLEAR

Before starting work on the new layout, the backyard must be cleared. This could involve clearing away trash or removing weeds and other overgrowths. Plants may have trouble rooting in an area with a lot of rocks and rubble.

According to Rae Wilkinson MSGD, “what is cleared to make way for a new scheme is very site and project dependent, but it’s good to retain anything you can work with,” including existing trees.

Another environmentally friendly gardening strategy is “Rubble or site soil should be used within the scheme rather than removed where possible,” which helps preserve the delicate soil balance and lessens the garden’s carbon footprint.

A yard leveling project may be required to realize goals like laying down flat lawns and a spot for a deck or patio. Thanks to ingenious sloping garden design, it is possible to have a beautiful garden even on a steep slope. Terraces may be necessary, but doing so can give the design variety and help divide the space.

8 CONSIDER OUTBUILDINGS

Proper organization of your gardening equipment is essential. When planning a backyard landscape, it’s tempting to store everything in the garage. Instead, you could use garden building ideas or garden shed plans to create a place to keep everything that doesn’t belong in the garage.

Gathering seeds, starting seedlings, and dividing plants are all activities that can benefit from having a garden shed, so it’s essential to get one that’s big enough for your needs while still having plenty of room to work in.

In addition to serving practical purposes, a shed or garden building can be aesthetically pleasing to the yard if designed with care and constructed from materials that keep the rest of the house. It can also create an outdoor room that is protected from the elements.

Before constructing a shed, you should know what rules and regulations apply in your area. Depending on where you live, you may need a permit in the United States, and there may be limitations in the United Kingdom.

The best conditions for growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other plants can be created with the help of greenhouse ideas. Greenhouses can be relatively small, or they can be expanded to accommodate various planting needs.

9. USE SUITABLE MATERIALS

‘Hard materials used in the garden need to sit well with the fabric of the house and with the internal flooring if they are to flow seamlessly,’ says garden designer Cheryl Cummings.

Using a locally sourced material, usually stone makes sense because “they need to look appropriate to the setting and any existing garden materials.”

For the edging, Matanne Hunt recommends Corten steel.

The steel’s rusty and earthy tones make it an ideal choice for rustic designs.

James Scott thinks that generally speaking, neutral colors are the best. He says that soft greys and buffs in stone will help highlight the softscaping and be sympathetic to the planting color palette.

HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST TO HAVE A BACKYARD LANDSCAPED?

To save money on backyard landscaping, do it yourself. However, only commit to what you know you can finish successfully, as fixing mistakes can be expensive.

Planning is essential to minimizing the disruption and cost that come with any construction project.

After that, it’s a question of opting for less costly materials. For example, laying bricks in the sand to create a patio or path is a cost-effective method of achieving a paved surface. Laying gravel rather than paving can also bring savings. The ratio of hardscape to the plantable area is also something to think about.

DOES LANDSCAPING YOUR BACK YARD INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME?

A well-designed backyard can add as much as $20,000 to the value of your home, according to a reliable survey.

Since the lockdown, it is only natural that people have been craving access to more green areas. It was found that “having a bigger garden or at least access to one was the number one thing that lockdown had changed for what buyers were now looking for in their next home” after the crisis.