If you’ve ever wondered whether you can have a garden in your yard, the answer is yes! Gardens are great additions to yards for a variety of reasons. Not only will you feel healthier, but you can help the planet out, too!
You’ve probably wondered whether your yard is suitable for gardening, especially if you have a small backyard or you only have a small patch of grass in front of your home. Maybe you even live in an apartment without a yard to garden. So how can you create a beautiful and functioning garden space if you don’t have sprawling acres of land? Here are some of the best garden design ideas for all yard styles!
- Use wind chimes: Wind chimes add something special to your outdoor space, and they’re great for people who live in apartments or upstairs condos that don’t have much access to greenery. You can hang them from hooks at the top of your balcony or you can even securely fasten them to a coat rack or command hook in the corner of your porch. They come in many different materials, too, and personalized wind chimes are great to add something extra to your porch decor.
- Add a water feature: If you have space in your yard, why not create a beautiful waterfall? Use local rocks and other natural materials to balance the cost of installing such a large project. Make sure to hire a professional to ensure it gets done correctly. Water features for a smaller yard include a small koi pond with seasonal blooms around it, or even a small water-rock-combo that plugs into an outdoor outlet on your porch.
- Line your pathway with wildflowers: Wildflowers have been making a comeback in backyards in recent years. Some homeowners no longer want carefully manicured lawns with minimal shrubbery and monochromatic blooms; instead, they want variety and wildflowers are perfect for that! With so many colors and species to choose from, your backyard can look like a beautiful field filled with a variety of flowers and plants. Talk with a florist about what will grow best in your backyard–and make sure to take care of them! Your backyard can easily appear unkempt if you aren’t taking care of the blooms you plant.
- Decorate with stones: Stones in your backyard can be used in a variety of ways. Contain your plants with them, line them up to create a pathway over water or greenery, or dedicate them as memorials to lost loved ones. Either way, using stone in your garden design is a great option. Personalized garden stones can add a level of uniqueness to your yard area. You can even lay them on top of the soil in planters, especially if you have a small yard and want to incorporate them with your plants.
- Establish a color theme: While you don’t have to go monochromatic with your blooms in your garden, you can always keep it consistent with the seeds you do plant. A garden full of different-colored tulips in spring can be a beautiful sight! Line them up along pathways, around your deck or at the curb to really make a statement. Yellow, red and pink are beautiful colors for the spring season. Include some white daffodils to offset the bright shades of the tulips, too.
- Don’t forget the veggies and herbs: The purpose of a garden isn’t just to have beautiful flowers to look at. The things you plant are supposed to be useful! Planting veggies and herbs in your garden can help the soil stay fresh and clean. Rotating out what you plant keeps the soil healthy. While farmers often do this, it’s important that you do it with your garden, too! Your cooking will have some flair as well. Using fresh fruits, veggies and herbs adds an extra level of flavor to your cooking. Plus, you’ll save on produce expenses at the grocery store!
- Add a maze: Mazes aren’t just for 17th-century mansions; you can have one in your own backyard! Plant shrubbery in a winding pattern, and keep it trimmed throughout the year. You can even install a labyrinth, which is a more intricate design pattern that doesn’t require as much upkeep. Plus, the hedges don’t have to be higher than four feet! These are great for small backyards because they create an intricate design feature without making it appear smaller.
- Use the front yard: The front yard can be a great place to expand your garden. For some, that’s the only outdoor space they have! Planting some low-maintenance blooms and greens along your front porch or entrance can be a great addition to your garden. Add a personalized garden sign to welcome guests and make it even more unique! Try to pick one that coordinates with the plants in your yard so that it looks cohesive.
- Go vintage: Incorporating some antique and vintage pieces into your garden can be a beautiful design aesthetic. Mossy stone benches have an old-world vibe to them that instantly transforms a space from modern and contemporary to traditional and antique. Depending on your design style, or your goals for your garden, lots of moss and stone can be perfect! Overgrown bushes and trees can add to this effect.
- Create a naturally shady space: There should be at least one area in your garden that is naturally shady. Whether you use large trees or build a wooden pergola, incorporating natural elements as a way to make a shaded entertaining space can be great for when you and your guests spend time outdoors. Since gardening means spending time out in the sun, having shade around to take some breaks is a necessity. Having trees that provide a lot of shade will really help! You can even go a step further and plant apple trees or orange blossoms. Then, you’ll get some additional produce out of it!