Impressive Backyard Landscaping Ideas

May 5th, 2009 · No Comments

There’s hardly a homeowner out there who hasn’t invested at least a little effort in making sure the front yard looks decent. A well landscaped backyard, however, is often mistaken as something often only for dedicated gardeners or those with plenty of cash to spare. With these “big bang for your buck” backyard landscaping ideas, though, you won’t necessarily have to spend months perfecting your yard or hire a high-priced professional landscaper to do the design for your.

Install a Water feature

From Olympic size swimming pools to secluded little garden ponds, there’s just something about water features that says “wealth.” You can have a small garden fountain set up and landscaped in day. A rock waterfall that spills into a small pond takes a little more time to build, but is more unique than a pre-fab fountain. If you don’t mind a little extra maintenance, consider adding a koi pond as one of the focal points of your yard.

Set up a Gazebo

Small, simple garden gazebos start at around $500 and go on up to $4000 or more. The design of the gazebo itself isn’t the only thing that makes it impressive, though. The trick to making your gazebo a really stand out is how you landscape around it. Place it in a secluded corner of the yard where it will be shaded during the hottest part of the day.

Lay an attractive from the gazebo to your back door using flagstone, brick pavers or gravel. Create a flower bed that completely encircles the gazebo and add lighting, such as lanterns on posts, to either side of the entrance way.

Build a Tiered Flower Bed

If you need to landscape a hill or slope in your backyard, turning it into a tiered flower bed is one of the simplest ways to do it. You can also add or transfer dirt to create a slope. Build tiers into the slope and support the sides of each level with stones or wood planks. Plant each level with upright flowers or, alternatively, use trailing vines for a more casual look. Top the bed with a small statue or specimen planting.

Nightscape Your Yard

True nightscaping does more than help you find your way to the front door after dark. A well planned garden lighting design shows your property off to its best advantage and highlights features that aren’t visible (or aren’t very interesting) by daylight. You might aim a spotlight on a statue or interesting specimen tree.

Another way to enhance your nightscape is with light fixtures that are works of art unto themselves. These include brass, stained glass and ceramic. Night blooming or white flowers also add interest.