A beautiful backyard landscape design does not have to cost a fortune. With the right amount of effort and creativity, you can transform your ordinary outdoor space into something both aesthetically pleasing and ultimately functional.
Whether you’re designing your backyard landscape for entertainment, visual appeal, or pure practicality, here are 7 landscaping elements to remember:
1. Texture
Texture helps you decide how to add variety to your design. Take a look at the texture of plants and materials in your design; they can be smooth, rough, or coarse. Different textures add variety and diversity to your backyard. Even if you opt for calm, muted colors, incorporating different textures can keep things interesting.
2. Simplicity
Designing any backyard can be overwhelming at times. When you are not sure which way to go, you can always choose the basic route. When executed well, simple is beautiful.
If you are having a hard time matching colors, limit your options to two instead. If you are hesitant about the number of plants you should include, keep things straightforward, stick to the fundamentals, and instead remove some plants from your design and add as time goes on.
3. Balance
Balance keeps your colors in check as well as the size of your plants. Are they in proportion? Does the shape of your plants compliment your overall design?
Think of this element as weight. By being mindful of balance, you can be sure that your design is properly weighted, effectively appearing symmetrical from all angles.
4. Color
This is the central element of your design. Use the Color Theory to help you decide what color works best for your space. Don’t be afraid to experiment when it comes to mixing and matching colors. This applies not only to plants but also to hardscapes such as fences, retaining walls and pavers.
5. Unity
Consistency is key when designing any kind of outdoor space. You can achieve unity by always putting plants with the same form, scale, texture, and color together.
6. Scale
Consider the size of your house and the plants within your design. Avoid placing plants and decorations in random places. Instead, check to see if they complement the overall area of your home, the space they’re in, and the other plants that share that zone.
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7. Form
Form is the shape of all plants in your backyard landscape design. For instance, you can achieve a formal look if you add spiral trees and clipped hedges. If you’re aiming for an informal garden theme, you can always opt for a more natural aesthetic—i.e. wild, overgrown, free-flowing—for your outdoor space.
Designing backyard landscaping, regardless of its size, can be overwhelming at first. To help with your project, try to check out the landscapes in your neighborhood and other public places. Be sure to take notes on which ones you’d like to draw inspiration from and which ones you want to avoid mimicking at all costs. By doing so, you get an idea of how you want things to flow for your own gardening project. Good luck and happy designing!
