Design Ideas for the Backyard Oasis
With just a little planning and designing you can create your very own backyard paradise that will offer relaxation and activities for the entire family. With your own backyard paradise you will see you don’t need to deal with packing, fighting traffic, airport security to get away and relax.
Your backyard paradise can be designed for family activity or as a private retreat. Either way there is a perfect design solution for you.
Before you create your design you need to decide what the main purpose of your backyard will be. Designing the landscape will be a lot like decorating the interior of you house. You choose the color scheme, what space you will work with and how you want the light to affect the overall feeling of the area. If your design is centered on your overall plan and you keep this thought foremost in your mind you will end up with an outdoor space that creates a flow that provides a feeling of more space both indoors and out.
Your backyard design might include a children’s play area, small pond or water garden and you will have to calculate the area needed for these items. If gardening is your path to relaxation and you could design a small space garden with container gardening or herb gardening. Maybe you want to use your backyard for entertaining and relaxation. The addition of a fire pit or barbeque area is a definite bonus for entertaining. Don’t forget to plan lighting, both natural and manmade.
If glaring sun becomes a problem you can benefit from a large umbrella or possibly a roof on your patio to provide shade and protection from rain. For a place to kick back and relax or entertain friends and family this is a great addition. You also have to option to add a trellis near your patio which will not only provide noise reduction and more privacy but can be planted for that splash of color and even more shading to your patio.
Dark shady corners of the yard will look more inviting with colorful plants that reflect any available sun. Fuchsias, lilies and impatiens will brighten up those areas quickly. And if you add foliage plants like hostas, ferns and calendiums with these plants the area will have a rich full look with texture and delicate color. A water fountain, surrounded by plants, may also brighten up this corner and would quickly be a focal point of the backyard design.
A few more decisions need to be made if your backyard paradise will be used for entertaining. Are you going to build a fire pit or use a portable barbeque? If mowing is a concern you might want to create a separate pad for your barbeque to make life a little easier. If you’re entertaining includes children a picnic table is a great option whereas for a more personal feeling a table and chair set is more appropriate.
The night time atmosphere of your backyard oasis is set by the lighting. You can spot light fixtures and plants to make them stand out or you can have soft lighting. There are many different choices available a few of them are spotlights, solar lighting, lanterns, torches and teak lights.
Even if you don’t have the time or the finances to do it right now you should consider any items that will add comfort or usability to your backyard. These could be things like a water garden, a pond, habitat for birds or other wildlife and fencing. If you put these in the original plan it will make it much easier to add at a later date.
You need to consider three important things when you create your backyard design. The most important one is to take the time you need to plan your backyard oasis. You should start with simple things that you can implement easily. Your projects should be enjoyable, possibly even family events, that add to your paradise not take away from it.
Point number two, work with what you have. Old tree stumps can be turned in to stands for a small herb garden until you can have it removed. You can add privacy and create a more inviting area with container plants, decorative fence or trellis around your patio. Adding one item at a time will still accomplish your goals.
Enjoying your backyard it the third point. Items that take a lot of work you don’t enjoy doing should be avoided when you create your plan. If gardening is an enjoyable hobby for you then you should have some type of garden no matter how small but if you don’t enjoy gardening you should avoid this and put in something you enjoy. After all the whole point of a backyard paradise is to enjoy it.
