Straightforward Backyard Landscaping Tips: 10 Breezy Workarounds for Backyard Aesthetics Enhancement
Transform Your Backyard into a Vibrant Oasis with Easy Landscaping
Looking to create a beautiful, low-maintenance backyard landscape that includes edible plants, pollinator patches, and more? Follow these practical steps to design a multifunctional garden that delights the senses and supports local wildlife.
Start with Raised Beds and Planters for Edibles and Colorful Crops
Raised beds offer excellent drainage and ease of soil management, making them ideal for edible plants like herbs, leafy greens, and colorful vegetables. Use tiered terra-cotta or ceramic pots to save space and create layers of color with leafy crops.
Add Pollinator Patches and White Flowering Shrubs
Designate a small patch with native wildflowers and white flowering shrubs to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators essential for garden health. Shrubs with white flowers provide year-round subtle color and require low upkeep.
Incorporate Hanging Baskets and Climbing Vines
Hang baskets filled with seasonal blooms or trailing edible plants like strawberries and herbs for vertical interest. Build an arched trellis for climbing vines such as sweet peas or edible beans, enhancing both garden height and aesthetics without crowding.
Select Perennials and Unusual Foliage for Low Maintenance
Choose hardy perennials that return yearly with minimal care. Introduce plants with unusual foliage, such as ornamental grasses or colorful leafy crops, for texture and visual intrigue. Monkey grass (Liriope muscari), for example, is a tough grass great for borders and very low-maintenance.
Utilize Garden Wall Plants for Space and Privacy
Grow plants with climbing ability or wall-mounted planters on fences and walls to maximize vertical space. Use edible vines or ornamental plants on these surfaces to add greenery and yield without expanding the footprint.
Focus on Minimal Plant Numbers for Simplicity
To keep maintenance low, plant fewer but well-chosen trees, shrubs, and perennials that thrive in your climate, giving you more time to enjoy your garden and less time for upkeep.
Additional Tips
- Plan layers of plants at different heights from ground covers up to climbing vines to create dynamic and visually stimulating outdoor spaces.
- Incorporate wildlife-friendly features like birdbaths or insect hotels to enhance ecological balance and pollinator health.
- Choose easy-care native plants wherever possible to reduce watering and pest control needs.
By blending food production, pollinator support, ornamental beauty, and ease of care, you can create a multifunctional, attractive backyard landscape. Ornamental grasses, such as tufted hairgrass, Mexican feather grass, and switchgrass, are favored by landscapers for their ease of growth and are a vital source of food and shelter for local wildlife.
Popular edible flowers include roses, pansies, nasturtiums, chives, bee balm, anise hyssop, and borage. Carefree flowers, such as native species, require little care. Garden plant walls, constructed from upcycled materials, are an attractive way to maximize space in small backyards or apartments.
Adding edible plants and flowers to a backyard can be done in containers or near patios. White-flowering shrubs, such as buttonbush, mock orange, hydrangea, and viburnum, are low-maintenance and return seasonally with little care from growers.
Some of the best plants for hanging baskets include calibrachoa, geraniums, lantana, and petunias. Many great gardens are the result of careful planning and planting. Adding fragrant flowering vines, such as hyacinth beans, sweet peas, morning glories, jasmine, and wisteria, can add beauty and attract pollinators to your backyard.
Creating a beautiful outdoor space does not have to take a lot of time, effort, or hard work. Using plants with unique foliage can contribute greatly to the overall appeal of garden beds. Colorful edible plants, such as purple leafy greens like purple lettuce and cabbage, can add dimension to your garden and are highly regarded for their antioxidant content.
Incorporating easy DIY backyard ideas, such as garden plant walls, can add interest to the garden while maintaining a budget. Hanging baskets are highly versatile and can be used in full sun or shaded areas.
Tonya Barnett, with 13 years of gardening experience, has transformed her backyard into a cut flower garden and regularly shares her gardening tips on YouTube. Starting a pollinator garden can help local insect populations. Perennials are easy ways to add beauty to a backyard as they return year after year.
Design a pollinator garden that includes raised beds and planters for edible plants and colorful crops, as suggested by Tonya Barnett, who transformed her backyard into a cut flower garden. Utilize white flowering shrubs, such as buttonbush, mock orange, hydrangea, and viburnum, to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators essential for garden health.
