10 Landscape Ideas To Transform Your Yard
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Many people underestimate the power of a beautiful yard. A beautifully landscaped yard can take the aesthetic (and monetary) value of a home from 0-100. When executed professionally, a landscape site plan will give a house the facelift it needs.
These ten tips ensure that there is beauty, design, and function to what is otherwise just a boring patch of land.
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1.Use Different Elements
No one likes monotony do they? The same concept applies to yard and landscaping. When it comes to selecting the flowers or other elements like stone or flower beds, remember to spice it up every now and then.
Especially when it comes to flowers, don’t select all the flowers that bloom at the same time, what this will result in is an overtly colorful yard in one season and a dead one in another.
Keep it fresh all year round with flowers that are in different life-stages and bloom differently.
2. Add A Water Feature
Not only does a water feature add to the aesthetic value, but the sound of running water is also great to relax and unwind without having to venture out in the wild. One’s own private waterfall is the ultimate solution to any landscaping needs.
A water feature, no matter how big or small can completely transform a yard. This landscaping technique is the right combination of form and function.
3. Landscape Around Permanent Features
There is that one corner or feature in every yard that is not easy to look at and is often unavoidable. In such scenarios, one must find creative ways to tackle the problem.
An easy way is to create a distraction, use long potted plants or create a mini-nursery around it to hide the seemingly unfit feature. Not only does this help get rid of the eyesore, but it also enhances and gives the yard a theme to work with.
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4. Create Curved Pathways
Leave symmetry behind in math textbooks and apply the theory of rawness in reality. Straight lines and sharp edges, while functional add a rather ‘fixed’ look to a yard. When it comes to pathways or flowerbeds, curves are one’s best friend.
Curvy pathways add a natural and seemingly ‘unintentional’ look to the yard all the while retaining functionality and providing softness to the environment around it.
The curved elements add to the beauty and fit well into the yard aesthetic, which is about incorporating nature into a house.
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5. We Consider Elevation
A simple and cost-effective way to highlight certain areas or separate one area of the yard from another is to introduce elevation.
Not only does it add some drama and liveliness, but it also helps define one area from another. An elevated porch or patio is easily distinguishable.
A simple two-level elevation can do wonders for any landscaping project and in a minimal manner as well. This simple but effective trick literally elevates the beauty and functionality of a yard.
6. Light It Up
A beautifully landscaped yard is not only reserved for daytime viewing - why should night owls miss out on the fun?
Adding lights where there’s a focal point, such as a water feature or along a pathway has multiple benefits. It illuminates and highlights the specific area and makes it possible to see it when its dark while providing a safe and easy solution to navigate it.
No one wants to walk on a dark pathway after the sun has set, adding a line of lights along the path makes it easier and adds to its beauty.
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7. Use Contrasting Elements
There it is again, monotony. It finds its way into landscaping ideas fairly easily. There are many pitfalls to avoid when it comes to landscaping a yard and one of which is using a lot of similar elements.
Harsh elements like a wooden deck can be paired with softer elements like plants and flowerbeds. While they do act as a contrast from each other, they do so while acting as complementing elements.
The harshness of the wood is muted by the softness of various plants while the added vibrancy of the flowers is toned down by the wooden deck.
8. Add Pavers
Pave the way to a gorgeous yard by adding pavers. A simple design element is to introduce large pavers in a garden path that often leads to the patio or another corner in a yard. Doing so creates a break in the design and serves the purpose of a walkway as well.
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9. Keep It Useful
What’s the point of having an outrageously beautiful yard if it doesn’t serve a purpose? It is easy to get carried away with design ideas and ideal yard goals while landscaping but it is important to remember that every element has to serve a particular purpose, some can serve more than one.
For example, a concrete patio can be easily turned into a fireplace with a makeshift fire pit and additional seating arrangements. It is during these design decisions when a professional can help decide how and why a certain element is needed or it isn’t.
10. Stick To The Roots
When it comes to selecting plants for a yard, many people select what looks best, while ignoring the functionality. Always prefer to keep plants that are native to a particular region.
By doing so, not only does the yard get a better look, the plants thrive well too. Native plants are accustomed to weather changes, water requirements, and other crucial factors. Keeping such plants will keep maintenance costs and efforts low while adding beauty to any yard.
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In Conclusion
Landscaping a yard is a long-term commitment, and even with these tips, there's a lot of work that goes into it and one should always consult with a professional landscape designer while planning and understanding the fundamentals of landscaping.
Professional advice is an investment and can save time, money and effort in the long run -- after all the yard is a huge deciding factor when it comes to the market value of any home and small design decisions can hamper it.
- Annie Rosellini
