As quoted by Annie Proulx “If you get the landscape right, the characters will step out of it, and they’ll be in the right place.” But for homeowners that have smaller backyards and tighter outdoor spaces, smart and thoughtful landscape designing should be implemented to use every bit of the space they can get. You can still create a charming and functional landscape in small yards. To get you started, here are some tips and tricks to help you design your version of a beautiful backyard.
Small Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Here we share some interesting small backyard landscaping ideas:
01. Set an Outdoor Table
The first step towards sprucing up any outdoor area is to add a table. It can be anything, a wooden table with similar chairs, a metal table with a nice tablecloth on top of it, or, you can even go for rattan and wicker table and chairs to add a bit more rustic and homely look to your backyard. Outdoor tables can really come in handy during backyard parties or you can set it up for a special dinner with your family, partner, or friends, the functionalities are endless.
02. Vertical Gardening
A clever way to maximise your outdoor space is to garden vertically instead of horizontally. If you have a lot of wall space like on balconies, or have a fence around the backyard, hammer in some hooks and hang some potted plants and voila, a perfect garden that not only takes up ground space but also adds decor to boring walls and fences. If you do not have access to use walls or simply do not want to go through all the work, you can find some wooden trellis and hang small pots with the help of pot hangers. Vertical gardening is ideal for growing herbs and small flower plants.
If you want to take a deep dive on creative ways to do vertical gardening, here we share a detailed blog on it:
03. Small Backyard Fountain
Having a small backyard does not mean that you have to compromise between free space for gardening and establishing a water feature. If you really want a water feature in your landscape, try installing a small one or make one yourself. Small water fountains can add the extra oomph to your backyard and make it look more polished. You can find a lot of DIY tutorials online on how to make water fountains with plant pots or, you can skip the work and buy a beautiful water feature as per your liking. You can add beauty to your backyard with various garden fountain ideas, just click on the link below:
04. Faux Grass
If you have leftover space in your backyard which seems a bit empty and barren compared to the rest of the yard, lay a roll of faux grass over it. You can frame your patio with it or just lay it beneath your outdoor table and give the illusion that your yard is much bigger than it really is. Faux grass is also ideal when it comes to decorating your balcony for giving it a more outdoor garden kind of vibe.
05. Big Tropical Plants
An easy way to grab your guests’ attention is to grow big tropical plants paired with a couple of smaller ones. Go for big plants that grow up and tall instead of spreading its branches around as the latter one will eat away whatever little space your backyard has. Tropical plants can add a lot of colour and textures to your backyard garden.
06. Create Focal Points
Creating a focal point in your backyard is not that hard once you decide what you want it to be. It can either be a simple water feature, a large plant with beautiful blossoms, or any decorative figure like gnomes. Make sure that you consider the size of your yard before fixating on a piece because while a 5 foot statue might look great as a focal point in larger gardens, it would look awkward in a small cottage garden. Once you do decide on your piece, consider positioning it anywhere on the yard except smack right in the middle.
07. Raised Planting Areas
Raised planting beds allow you to maximise the gardening space in your yard and allows you to create tiered planters. Moreover, raised beds will keep the space cleaner as all the soil will be packed away securely; it will prevent the growth of unnecessary weeds, provide a better drainage system, and will give your plants much more space to grow.
08. Small Furniture
When adding furniture to your small backyard, be it table, chairs, or couches, going for smaller pieces instead of bulky ones can make the place look less congested. Bigger pieces of furniture can be overwhelming when kept in small spaces. Moreover, smaller pieces with preferably a see-through pattern will let the eye travel further over the rest of the backyard and make it look more spacious.
09. Add Textures
When choosing plants for your backyard landscape, try to add as many textures as possible. Select plants with a variety of textures and colours and place the bolder ones in the front to give somewhat of a depth to the garden. Play with coarse, medium, and fine textured plants and find an arrangement that looks perfect to you. While adding textures, we have brought some of the best ornament grasses that you can add to your backyard:
10. Create Curves
Add some dimension and depth to your garden by eliminating straight elements and adding curved ones. The curved elements in your garden can be for anything- a curved garden path that goes throughout the yard or a curving the edges of your landscape instead of straight ones. Curves and swirls will instantly open up the space in your small yard.
11. Trailing Plants
Trailing plants are a great way to increase the amount of greenery that your garden has without taking up much of the yard space. If you have a bare spot next to a wall or fence, grow a trailing plant beside it and watch it take over the space and turn it beautiful. You can even hang your trailing plants in tiered baskets to give a pillar of plant effect.
Final Takeaway
You will get a lot of designing options that have the power of transforming your backyard into a lovely green landscape. However, the key is to choose the right elements and ensure that instead of clashing, they complement each other. We hope that you like our article on small backyard landscaping ideas. On the same note, we have already published some similar articles on backyard ideas:
10+ Backyard Garden Ideas For Your Home Garden!
10 Best Backyard Water Features to Upgrade the Natural Aesthetics of Your Home
Author Bio
Sanjukta Ganguly – I am Sanjukta Ganguly from Kolkata. I have 9+ years of experience in content writing. I have written for multiple niches and genres like, health, travel, pregnancy, love and relationship, dating, hosting services, and WordPress, Press Release, Web Designing, Case Study, Thesis, Proof Reading, Academic Writing, etc. I can handle the work of 4000-5000 words daily.
