Tips For Creating A Backyard Retreat

Posted on: 14 June 2016

The yard in the back of your house is typically the most land available for your outdoor living. As such, you want to maximize its use. There are so many activities, from leisure to sports to entertaining, that you want to enjoy outside. Transform your backyard into a retreat to facilitate your outdoor lifestyle.

Brainstorm Outdoor Activities

The first step to designing your backyard for outdoor living is to determine which outdoor activities are most important to you. For example, there's no point in having a large outdoor kitchen if you're not keen on cooking. Be realistic about what you'll actually do outside. However, feel free to dream big about entertaining or providing play spots for the children.

Keep a Lawn

A key to making your backyard a multi-use space is keeping at least a portion of it clear. Have a stretch of lawn planted. This can provide a spot for the children to play, for guests to mingle or for you to exercise. Talk to your landscapers about the best grass varieties that can withstand foot traffic.

Add Mini Gardens

You'll want your backyard retreat to be beautiful as well as functional. Plan to add mini gardens to your landscape for visual interest. Choose a spot that's widely visible, and start with a bold foundation plant. The Landscaping Network suggests bold shrubs such as Japanese camellia, forsythia, rose of Sharon, or hydrangea. If you want to attract birds and butterflies, consider a butterfly bush. For fragrance, opt for lilac or mock orange. Plant pretty flowers around your shrub, and consider adding garden art, such as a statue or water fountain.

Include Lounge Spots

Once you've created your beautiful backyard, you'll want to lounge around and enjoy it. Naturally, the patio is a prime spot for creating an outdoor lounge. However, consider creating one out in the yard as well. Set up a comfortable bench with an accent table under a tree. Plant pretty flowers around the installation to blend it with the landscaping. Likewise, consider planting creeping thyme in the area. Thyme is a hardy plant that actually releases fragrance when stepped on.

Light up the Yard

Naturally it's important to light up your yard and patio for safety. When it comes to the latter, make sure the perimeter of the patio is marked with post or rail lights. Likewise, light up any entryways for safety.

For the yard, light for beauty as well as safety. Of course it's important to light any pathways. However, consider adding lighting to beautiful spots, such as a water feature or your mini garden. You can even use uplighting under a tree to create the effect of the moon glowing through the branches.

Design your backyard for fun and function to transform it into a retreat.

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