After being forced indoors and away from people, the summer is an opportunity to shake off some dust and rediscover the wonders of your backyard. The backyard is having a major resurgence: cookouts, badminton, or just lying in a chair and letting the sun fill you with vitamin D.
Maybe you’re looking out your back window, sipping your morning coffee, and thinking, I really have no desire to spend any time out there. If that’s the case, it’s time you spruced up the backyard so you can take advantage of the summer to its fullest.
With that, here are ten great and relatively easy backyard landscaping ideas that will make you never want to go back inside all summer long.
Maybe you don’t want to dig up the entire backyard and drop a pool in there, okay, but even a small pool has benefits.
Being that we, as humans are up to 60% water, being around water feels very much like being at home. Having a small pool adds recreational and meditative value to your backyard. You don’t have to have an Olympic-sized pool to swim laps in, a small pool that is a few feet deep is a place to cool down, and walk in for exercise, and research has shown being near water reduces stress and lowers anxiety while increasing one’s sense of well being.
You don’t have to sacrifice the entire yard to get a pool’s health and recreational benefits.
Having places to sit in the backyard makes socializing wonderful. But, think outside the box when you design seating areas. Sure, seats on the patio are great, but are there shady spots deeper into the yard that may benefit from some cozy chairs?
Think about the adventure of your yard as you set up seating areas. Perhaps you have walks where you suddenly come upon a lovely seating area with a table and lounge chairs.
If your yard is graded, maybe upper and lower seating would be ideal, lower levels are cooler during the day, and then, as night comes, you move closer to the house to have better access to the kitchen for outdoor meals.
Think of your seating arrangement as a surprise, a place that feels unusual or against the norm. Yes, you can have seating on your deck, but allow yourself to explore the contours of the yard and bring people to different places to recline and enjoy.
You usually think of a raised structure above the yard when you think of a deck. Those are great and offer so much potential for outdoor activities. However, think about a deck that’s on the ground level.
A wooden path leads you into a shady or private portion of your backyard. You’re still off the dirt; however, you are at ground level, under the trees, among the flowers. This kind of setup can make you feel like you’re walking out of your home and into a private paradise.
A ground-level deck feels more in tune with the nature of your backyard. You’re not above or removed; you are in it, on the same level. Like the varied seating areas, you could come upon this deck area as a surprise. Ground-level decks are cheaper to build, and with multiple walkways leading to the main deck, you can create so many different variations.
Don’t be coy; you know you’ve always thought about having a pond in the backyard and why not!!??
Ponds are lovely for a few reasons. They are a great project to work on, the planning, the building, and the setting up of an ecosystem in your yard. And, once the ecosystem is established, maintenance is actually relatively minimal.
A pond gives you choices. You can have taro, water lilies, or horsetail growing in and around your pond. You have frogs, fish, turtles, and more in the pond. The pond can change with your spirit.
A pond, much like the pool we talked about earlier, is a center for relaxation and mental health. And the birds, insects, and life that the pond attacks will keep you interested for years to come. When it’s time to sell your house, a pond adds to the appeal.
Hold on; we know what you’re thinking; a lawn is pretty much baseline, isn’t it? Yes, it is. And there is probably grass in the backyard that you mow and water, but is that lawn looking its best?
Maybe you want to take this summer to really pay attention to the lawn. Plant new grass and different types that thrive in direct sunlight and some that do better in those heavily shaded areas. Fill on the bare patches, till the soil, and get some good fertilizer in there.
When you pay attention to the lawn, getting it lush and full, it becomes the centerpiece of the backyard. Now, you can plan around your lovely lawn. A retaining wall of rich brick or mulch under the trees to really highlight the deep greens of your beautiful lawn.
Maybe the backyard doesn’t need a pickleball court; you just need to pay some attention to the lawn and make sure it is as vibrant and healthy as possible. Then you can lay in the grass day and night, watching the sky, the stars, and the heavens do their magical dance.
It’s not a grand landscaping project, but it changes so much in the backyard.
Imagine a copse of trees in your backyard with colorful hammocks swinging in them. A different take on outdoor seating, hammocks are pure relaxation—the gentle swinging with the breeze.
There are so many different styles of hammocks that you can create a visually stunning area in the trees in your yard.
A variety of hammocks swinging in the trees can make for a great summer staycation.
If your yard is surrounded by other yards, maybe you’re looking for a bit of privacy as well as putting some new life into the area.
The variety of fencing materials and colors means you can create a backyard experience that is unique to your taste.
A white picket fence could be the dream or a beautiful brick wall. A fence or wall creates a beautiful backdrop around which you can design your entire backyard experience.
What a lovely backyard addition this is. Not a gazebo and not a trellis but a delightful structure that can stand alone or be attached to the house.
A pergola has vertical columns and crossbeams that provide a charming place to sit and mingle. With the addition of a colorful canopy or growing vines, you can have a perfect shady area for summer days and nights.
You can vary color and style, and you can cover it with all manner of vines and flowers that will make the pergola unique to your yard and tastes.
There are the typical practical applications for a shed, storage for gardening equipment, or pool needs. But a shed can have many uses.
A shed could be an art studio or recreation room away from the house. The shed can be used for so many different things limited only by your imagination.
With the variety of styles and materials, there is no end to the kind of shed you can have in your backyard, and the usage possibilities range from utilitarian to throwing the doors open to discover a backyard bar with lights and a dance floor.
Now that you’ve spent time sprucing up the backyard, the sun is sinking, and it’s the perfect time to enjoy a fire pit.
Fire pits are a great addition to your backyard. They are a central point to gather around any time of day. And a fire pit allows for a variety of choices. You can opt for a wood-burning fire pit or a propane pit. And you can build one from bricks, wood, steel, or even terra cotta.
Much like water, fire has a mesmerizing and calming effect. Sitting around a gentle fire and watching the flames dance can be the perfect way to relieve yourself of the stress of a long day.
Those are just a few simple ideas you can use to inspire more backyard fun this summer. Get outside and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors again after this long medicinal hibernation. Rediscover the wonders of backyard activities with a bit of change to your backyard.
A newly built home and a backyard go hand-in-hand, and no one knows more about homes than Revere Homes. If you need ideas on how to reinvigorate your backyard life, talk to the experts at Revere Homes, they’re always ready to help and advise.
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