Whether you’re someone who has always loved to garden or someone who’s more inclined to sit inside and watch Netflix all day, chances are that at some point in your life you’ve thought of putting a few flower pots out on your deck and calling it a day. Hey, we’ve all been there. But did you know that the very act of neglecting your outdoor space can not only lead to some un-stunning curb appeal, but it could also cause you to be unmotivated to spend time outside in your own yard.
Read on for four most common mistakes people make when designing their own backyard.
Failing To Include Enough Seating And Shade Options
There are few things worse than trying to putter around in your own backyard after dark or on a sweltering summer afternoon because there’s nowhere for you to sit down and relax. Placing seats into your backyard, like an outdoor bench or small stone patio, can help keep you motivated to spend time outdoors all throughout the year.
When it comes to shade options, a couple of well-placed trees or umbrella canopies could help you to spend time outside all throughout those more sweltering days. You’ll likely have to search for “landscapers near me” to find someone with the expertise to help you find the just right design.
In some cases, the more shade options that are available around your yard, the better. However, if your backyard space is relatively small, you should prioritize placing one or two primary shade options in the most-used areas of your yard.
Lacking A Focal Point
When you walk into your backyard, do you know where to look first? That’s probably because it lacks one. The more plants and foliage you place strategically around your yard , the more aesthetically pleasing it will be.
A focal point can be anything from a small decorative fountain to a dead tree trunk with some vines growing up it, and it’s usually placed near or right in the center of your yard or your home. This helps to draw the eyes of passers-by or guests towards your yard and makes for a lovely focal point to enjoy from anywhere in the backyard. It can sometimes act as a starting point for inspiration and theme for your design.
Selecting Plants That Are Too Difficult To Maintain
If you’re more of a plant enthusiast, it might be tempting to select an entire garden’s worth of plants that are native to your zone or even some that you find aesthetically pleasing. However, chances are these plants will not survive in your yard, or you might even forget to water them or spray them with pesticides.
Most people are drawn to the idea of having a well-manicured landscape, but they aren’t sure how to exactly go about achieving that look when it comes time to select plants.
It’s important to select plants which would thrive in the climate where they’ll be placed, but there are other things to consider as well. For instance, if you’re not sure about whether or not you’re willing to put the extra work into caring for plants, go with shrubs and grasses which are known to be easy to maintain.
Not Strategically Using Hardscape Elements
Finally, even if your yard is full of beautiful plants but there’s no focal point or shade options, then it still might not look all that great. Hardscape elements, such as patios or even a nice stone walkway leading up to your patio, can go a long way in terms of giving your yard a unique character and guiding people’s eyes towards where you want them to look.
Hardscaping provides structure and framing to your yard. Not only this, but hardscaping can be used to prevent erosion and divert rainwater away from the foundation of your home. Concrete Oahu specializes in retaining walls that fight erosion while utilizing the traditional design elements of Hawaiian rock walls.
Sprucing up your yard might just take one weekend of work, but it will help give you the motivation to spend more time outside with your family and guests. While there’s nothing wrong with starting small, investing your time into a larger project, like building an outdoor patio or laying down stone walkways, can really help set the right tone for your yard.