Weekend Backyard Landscaping Ideas

August 4th, 2010 · No Comments

You might be surprised what a difference these quick backyard landscaping ideas can make in your home’s landscape in just one weekend. With a little forethought and time spend gathering your material, you can turn any one of these ideas in to reality in less than a day. That’s because sometimes all it takes to change the look of your garden is a little attention to detail.

Spruce up your patio

Turn your patio into a place you’ll actually enjoy spending time instead of just somewhere to store your stuff. The first step is to put in some genuinely comfortable seating. Consider a hammock (on a stand, if there’s nowhere you can hang it) or an Adirondack chair. If you still need somewhere to store your stuff, opt for a long storage bench and a small table with a storage cabinet.

Greenery is important, too. Hang up some baskets of trailing flowers and vines. Place some terra cotta pots of flowers and herbs here and there. Make sure there’s some decent lighting out there, too. If you don’t enjoy that stark porch light, install low voltage lighting near the steps or put up some tiki torches.

Install a Cooking Area

Love to barbecue or cook over an open fire? If you really want to go all out, consider installing an outdoor kitchen. If you’re more the barbecue type, all you’ll really need to do is lay a brick or flagstone base for your grill or fire “pit” stand. Then set up your seating area, such as a picnic table or one or two garden tables with chairs. Lighting is important here, too. You’ll want to install something like a hooded flood light that lets you fully light the area for evening meals with family. If your plans include a few romantic meals with your significant other, though, install one or two gentler lanterns.

Enhance Your Walkway

Granted, if you have concrete paths running through your backyard, digging them up and replacing them with something more aesthetically pleasing is a little too involved for a single weekend. If you’re walkway isn’t well edged, edging is your first step. Then get rid of those boring plastic walkway lights and replace them with something unique, like bronze mushrooms or stained glass flowers. Frame your walkway with an arbor or, alternatively, eye-catching stone pillars or matching plantings on each side. Framing your path with similar yet slightly different statues, such as women in different poses, works well in a casual backyard landscaping design.