If you’re just getting started with shaping and decorating your yard, it can be a little overwhelming. How do you know where to start? You might want to create new fixtures and flower beds in your yard, but maybe you’ve only been able to find complicated projects that are out of your budget and too time consuming. Don’t worry– we’ve found several great landscaping ideas that are doable for even the beginner gardener.
Raised Flower Bed Wall
To create a raised bed, all you have to do is pile extra soil in an area to elevate the ground level. You’ll need to set up a retaining wall to keep the raised area from collapsing. To do that, just purchase some stones at your local gardening store and stack them about six inches to one foot high. This will accent the bed and give it some character as well as keeping the raised soil in place to give your garden some depth and a little something extra.
Stone Walkway
This is one of the easiest projects you can make, but it’s a really pretty one that will transform the look of your backyard space. Find a part of your yard that you frequent, whether it’s a pool, patio, or shed. Then use patio stones to create a walkway to this area. You can do this on the plain soil of your yard, but for added decoration, some gardeners lay out pea pebbles and then place the stones on top. This will also help keep the heavy stones from sinking into the dirt when it rains and add that touch of elegance with little effort.
Focal Point Flower Bed
Yards look great when they focus on a couple of key sections. Consider planting a large flower bed in a prominent spot. Once that’s done, use the rest of your decor to accent it. You can do this by planting the same types of plants or using the same colors, just in smaller quantities than your largest bed. The uniformity will draw the eye across the entire yard.
Tree with Decorated Base
Do you have any trees in your yard? If so, you can dress them up by giving them a small circle of bushes or shrubs around their base. Decorative fencing or stones work just as well if you don’t want to use live plants. If you don’t have any trees but would like to, you can plant a small one and then ad your decor around it, allowing all plants the room they’ll need to grow. One look that’s especially popular (with good reason) is placing a ring of green plants outside the base of a tree and then planting shade-tolerant flowers in the space in between. This almost makes it look like your tree is growing out of a huge colorful planter.
Stone Fountain
You don’t have to be a pro landscaper to bring in a fountain. Many nurseries sell stone fountains that are already more or less ready to go. Purchase one that you like, and accent it with lots of colorful flowers. A small stone “fence” around the base helps set the fountain off from the rest of your yard. Not a fan of maintaining a fountain pump? A small birdbath looks just as nice.
Your backyard doesn’t need to be extravagant, especially when time, skill, and money are an issue. These easy landscaping ideas can be perfect for any home and will turn your yard into a beautiful scene.
