If you have a small backyard, you can still enjoy some of your favorite outdoor spaces. Use these back yard ideas to make your space feel bigger and more inviting.
Creating garden nooks for seating is a great way to add privacy and beauty to your backyard. These nooks also help hide items like toys, chairs and blankets that can clutter the backyard.
Plant Leafy Greens Around Your Deck
Create a backyard escape that feels like a hidden hideaway with lush green landscaping around your deck. Add a bench or chairs and surround them with leafy bushes, blooming rose bushes, and a tree or two to transform your backyard into a relaxing oasis where you can lounge and dine.
Make your garden feel like a quaint English courtyard with a cobblestone pathway and colorful flowering plants that flank it. Create a sense of depth and order in your yard with different textures as well, like gravel, grass, and wood mulch.
Don’t forget to add some ambiance with landscape lighting! It’s a must-have for any backyard space, and it can help to bring out the best features of your backyard, even when it’s dark outside.
Create Islands of Flowers Across Your Lawn
Even small backyards can be made to feel inviting with a few simple landscaping ideas. Add flower beds bursting with colorful blooms to bring life and beauty to your outdoor space. Plant zinnias, pansies, petunias, dahlias, or hydrangeas to fill the landscape with fun splashes of color. If you want to keep things low-maintenance, try sedum or succulents like hens-and-chicks.
If you have a paved patio, create a walkway flanked with flowering plants to make your backyard look more inviting. You can also use different textures to add depth and interest to your garden with gravel, wood mulch, stone, or grass.
Don’t forget to incorporate flowers that attract hummingbirds, which will help the backyard feel more inviting and alive. You can plant them in a wildflower meadow or create a manicured flower bed, depending on your taste.
Swap Out Flower Beds for Shrubs
No matter how much space you have in your backyard, you can make it feel like a lush garden. Just swap out your flower beds for leafy shrubs and create a focal point in the middle of your yard that showcases the different shades of green in your landscaping.
A pergola, arbor, or gazebo is another great addition to your small yard. These shade structures help to create a more private patio area and can look beautiful with vines hanging over the sides.
Nothing detracts from the appearance of your backyard more than a set of trash cans that are out in the open. Build a wooden surround around your backyard garbage bins to camouflage them from view and keep them looking clean and tidy.
Create a Focal Point in the Middle of Your Yard
Focal points draw the eye to a special area of the landscape and add character where it might be lacking. They can camouflage eyesores, direct traffic and even add value to your home.
Think about what your backyard needs and then choose a focal point that matches those needs. For example, a stately marble birdbath might look out of place in a rustic backyard, but a natural wood arbor entwined with Morning Glory or Wisteria would work well.
Focal points can be anything from a special urn or statue, a solitary tree or a reclaimed window frame gown over with ivy. Just make sure that whatever you choose isn’t so large that it overwhelms the rest of the yard! You also want to choose plants that attract pollinators.
Add Hardscaping to Your Backyard
The right hardscape landscape design can drastically change the look of your backyard and its use. Whether you’re looking for shady dividers like a pergola or extra seating with an outdoor lounge, these hardscape features add character to your yard while making it easier to maintain.
For instance, a stone patio is a great way to create a relaxing lounge space. Plant leafy greens around the patio for a beautiful contrast and to make it feel even more serene.
Hardscapes can also help you improve the drainage of your lawn by diverting water runoff into garden streams and other natural features. They can also save you time by limiting weed growth and reducing your yard’s irrigation needs.
