Small Areas Can Grow With Smart Landscape Ideas

Your backyard is an extension of your home, and should reflect your style. Making the most of your space is important when planning landscape ideas. When there isn’t a lot of room to spare, but a new look is needed, planning and using your space efficiently is the key to everything. Even the smallest space can look bigger with the right plan in place.

Your seating area can be the focal point of your backyard, especially if you like to entertain family and friends. To increase seating but save as much room as possible, chairs and bench seats with storage space inside can be a functional addition even if your yard is not small. You can easily tuck unused items away, and unclutter your outdoor areas. Hide your gardening tools, or use them for keeping patio cushions clean and dry.

Planting flowers, herbs and vegetables in pots instead of in the ground gives you the flexibility to rearrange and move things around as you need to. Small leaved plants and flowers give the illusion of more space, so keep this in mind when buying annuals. Hanging baskets arranged with colorful flowers draw eyes upward, making spaces look larger. Planning a color theme for your flowers can help add uniformity and calm.

A pond or water feature may seem like a space hog, but it doesn’t have to be. Smaller versions can be just as beautiful as larger ones and are easier to maintain. Location is key. Carefully planning the location of these additions is important as unlike plant pots, they are difficult and time consuming to move if you are unhappy with where you have placed it.

Check about the laws regarding fire pits in your municipality, and once you have the go ahead, add a small one to your backyard plan. You can add it to the center of your seating area, or move your seating to surround it when it is in use. To double up on functionality, purchase a table fire pit.

Keep shrubs and trees on the smaller size. Shrubs and plants like them look tidy when kept trimmed, and can take up less space when well tended. Large trees take up room, and can give a feeling of closing in your yard. For small areas, manageable trees are better. Keep overhanging branches clipped as this helps to open things up.

Adding a rock garden adds interest and beauty to any outdoor space. A few artfully places stones, or many clustered together, will add texture to your landscape plan. Small creeping plants or cacti poking out of the arrangement help it look natural. These are easily moved, and can be changed as desired.

Small yards do not need to limit your plans for landscaping ideas. By planning and working to create the illusion of more room, and help to extend your style to the outdoors. Small changes can have a big impact on your patio and landscape plans.

Want to find out more about landscape ideas, then visit Richard McIntyre’s site to get the best backyard landscaping ideas plus many more articles, advice and tips on landscaping.