If you have a small backyard, you've probably found that designing a landscape plan for it is a big challenge. The lack of space can really put a damper on the plans you might have had in your mind, but now see that you can't pull off with the space available. To avoid over-cluttering your small space, instead consider getting a little bit creative with it. The first thing to understand is that size, whether perceived as large or small, is all an optical illusion that can be manipulated with smart design. A small space can seem huge if designed correctly and a large space can quickly become cramped if designed incorrectly. In a small space, your first step is to hide the boundaries of the space: make the fence, wall, or edging hard to distinguish from everything else. Some paint and careful placement of plants and objects to break up the outline and remove any sign of a line at all will do this. Make the edges seem boundless or non-existant. Playing with levels is another method of accomplishing this same task. By making things seem taller or shorter, wider or thinner than they really are, you can stretch the boundaries of your yard to make it look much bigger than it really is. Interior decorators do this by adding height to the room with tall, thin lines and by avoiding fat or cross-lines. The same works in your garden: use taller plants that seem to reach, but aren't very wide for their height. This creates the illusion of big. Finally, curved elements are another smart way to remove boundaries and make things look larger than they really are. Lines that can't be easily followed without they eye moving up and down (curves) create the illusion of height by giving the impression that the line is longer than it really is. Circles appear longer and larger than straight, thin lines do. Use that to your advantage. Make your living space in your backyard paramount. This is where you'll spend your time, sitting and enjoying your beautiful small yard. The entire purpose of a back patio is to have a place to retreat to: to sit and relax and forget the world around you. Employ effective and unique landscape ideas. Do this by using plants and objects to break up or block sounds, to shield you eyes from seeing neighbors' yards, fences, freeways, etc. Make your garden a secluded place you go to that is not part of the rest of the world. Finally, make sure you don't go overboard with your ideas. Don't over crowd the space with so many things that it becomes cramped and disorderly. The idea is to create the illusion of disorder on the outside, like everything is more or less natural, but to have an underlying symmetry so it does not look totally chaotic. Make sure your back yard is YOUR back yard!
If you have a small backyard, the wall, fence, or boundary at the back can make the yard look even smaller and closed in. To fix this, you can hide the boundary by creating a boundary made of the same texture as the ground in front of the boundary. If you can't use the actual texture or material, you can simulate this by painting.
Another method to making your backyard seem larger is by creating different levels in your yard. By adding more horizontal planes in your yard, you will be creating more space.
Also, you can used curved elements in your landscape design. Circles create an illusion of length. Adding a curved pathway, circular pond, or circular garden, will make your yard seem larger.
Patio
A backyard patio is perfect for adding privacy to your yard. You can feel that you, your family, and/or your friends are safe and relaxed when you are on your patio.
The patio can be just an area with wooden posts and a roof, or they can be very elaborately made out of brick or stone with plumbing and a bar, etc.
No matter how simple or complex you get, the main purpose of relaxing and enjoying your time in your yard is still the same. Most patios are partially open to the yard itself so you and your family are sheltered but can feel free to roam into your yard if you desire to. They often have a low border with everything open above about three feet high until reaching the roof. If you would like to bring gardening to your patio, container gardening is the best way to do so. You can hang baskets with plants in them, or place some pots around on the ground. You should choose plants based upon the climate that you live in. Under the roof of the patio, they will be slightly sheltered, but they will still have to deal with the humidity and temperatures. Ask the experts at the nursery before buying any plants for your patio garden.
It works very well to have an outside garden slightly enter the patio area. This will integrate the two areas very well, making them feel more connected. Now may be different than a home. Your patio should be a place where you can comfortably sit and enjoy nature, no matter how big or small your yard is.
Both Keith Markensen & Thomas Fryd are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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