Let's face it. What else are you going to do? Ideas to get you inspired to make your backyard a place you want to self isolate.
My name's Karen. I do stuff. Pretty much everything. What I don't do is, relax. I'm bad at it. Like really bad. Complex math bad.
It's an affliction.
But the fact that I don't relax in my backyard is good news for you because I've become a bit of a backyard building expert!
Over the past 10 years I've packed as much into my tiny backyard as is humanly possible, and I did it on a budget. I mean it was a huge budget because I'm extremely rich, but still it was a budget.
Just kidding. I'm not poor and I'm not rich. I'm ordinarily wealthy.
I have learned a LOT doing this backyard. A lot of the right ways to do things and a lot of the wrong ways.
I've learned what makes a nice backyard and what makes what could be a nice backyard, a total miss.
A great backyard evolves over time, it doesn't happen overnight. Even if you're rich, it takes time to do stuff and for plants to grow. Those backyard makeover shows where everything is done in a weekend? Those are lies. I know because I hosted shows like that.
Whether your backyard is almost great or not even close to great these ideas will help you make it better. And by better I mean a place you actually enjoy and relax in.
Backyard Ideas
- DIVIDE IT INTO ROOMS
Just like a house, your backyard will become infinitely more useable if you divide it up into "rooms". This is even true (maybe especially true) if you have a small backyard.
This is an overhead look at my small backyard and how I have it broken up into 3 main sections.
The chicken coop, the pizza oven area, and the eating/pond area.
The backyard is small but it feels big.
And more than just feeling big, it feels useful.
Every area has a section and every section has a purpose. This is what my backyard looked like several years ago before I built my Restoration Hardware sectional and chair. It's at the beginning of the summer before the perennials had filled in.
2. SUNNY BACKYARD? PUT IN A VEGETABLE GARDEN.
3. SHADY BACKYARD? HOSTAS, ASBILBE AND BOSTON FERNS.
4. DO RAISED PLANTER BEDS
Raised planter beds are one of the fastest, cheapest ways to add structure and interest to your backyard. I'm not talking about the kind of utilitarian raised beds you'd use to plant vegetables in (although those are good too) but rather the kind you see surrounding the perimeter backyard.
Raised planter beds are easy to build and totally transform a backyard because a) you're adding another height and b) you can make them whatever shape you want. So if you have a plain, rectangular backyard, you can jig and jag your planter beds in any way you want to create a backyard that's an interesting shape. not just a plain rectangle.
The beds above are poured concrete and completely change a plain, rectangular backyard instantly. O.K., not instantly, probably weekstantly or monthstantly ... but still.
I built my raised beds out of pressure treated wood which I stained black. They outline the entire backyard. You can see them below.
(those lounge chairs are long gone because even though they looked great, they too were uncomfortable. This is the area my dining table and chairs are now.)
5. Gas BBQ? Buy an extra propane tank so when one runs out you have another to replace it with.
6. Can't be bothered to water? Your hose probably isn't convenient. Move it. Don't want to have it professionally moved? Just add a splitter and an extra length of hose and hang it where it's most convenient.
7. FORGET THE FLOWERS ... FOCUS ON FOLIAGE. A backyard filled with only green is calm and relaxing and usually less maintenance.
8. WATER FEATURE
Whether it's just a big pot with a small fountain and aquatics in it or a full on pond with waterfalls like the one I built, having the sound of some type of moving water instantly relaxes you and makes you feel like you're somewhere else. Costa Rica maybe.
To build my pond (in the photo below) I used the bits of leftover slate that had started to crumble in my backyard. (I then replaced the shaley slate with flagstone which is much better for my climate).
9. BY THE GRILL. Keep big potted herbs by your BBQ.
10. A TREE. A backyard needs a tree. Any tree. No tree? Plant a tree. Ornamental trees like Japanese Maples planted in big square planters are especially nice and you don't need a huge backyard for them.
11. SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM. Put a smoker in your backyard and you can do the world's best ribs PLUS you have to tend to it for several hours, forcing you to hang out in the backyard.
12. OVERHEAD LIGHTING.
Get some NICE outdoor lighting. Because if you can't see outside after dark chances are you aren't going to spend any time out there. Because you'll be bumping into things.
These patio globe lights were the "Pinterest" thing of the moment a few years ago. I was sure they would have run their course by now but NOPE. They're still everywhere.
Including my own backyard. (see above)
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
13. AMBIENT LIGHTING. Like solar spot lights, deck lights and my world famous outdoor orbs.
14. MUSIC. Add weather proof outdoor speakers.
15. BUY OUTDOOR FURNITURE NOW. Crap backyard because there's nowhere to sit? Patio furniture starts getting drastically reduced in July. You still have a good selection right now too ... by August or September stores will only be left with the ugly stuff.
16. ADD A PIZZA OVEN.
You can buy one, but they aren't cheap. If you're even remotely handy with a few of weekends on your hands you can build your own like I did for around $100 out of clay, straw and sand.
I have never had so many people desperate to come and visit. It's mayhem in the summer with lineups out the gate. Like Studio 54 without the cocaine and gold lame.
17. FUN AND GAMES. Add an element of fun. Bocce balls, horseshoes, badminton, croquet, putting green, sandbox, bean bag toss (cornhole ... but good God I don't like that name, lol).
18. FOR THE BIRDS. Bored? Add birdhouses and watch them flit and flirt. Put out birdfeeders or oranges for orioles and add a birdbath.
19. WHITE FLOWERS. If you absolutely MUST have flowers in your backyard plant white ones. White flowers will show up past dusk and into the night where those super-cool black Petunias will completely disappear.
20. HANG A HAMMOCK.
I'm convinced the reason I don't relax more in my backyard is that I don't have a hammock. If I had a hammock I'd surely relax all day all the time. The Mayan Hammock is apparently the hammock to buy ...
It also comes in neutral too for those of you who have more refined tastes. I kindda like the bright one for some reason which is very unlike me. Clearly I'm not as refined as I thought.
21. BUILD A GROWN UPS TREEHOUSE. This is the one to aspire to.
22. HAVE YOUR MORNING COFFEE OUTSIDE. This one little thing involves nothing more than changing your routine.
23. ADD A CLOTHESLINE. Cut down on hydro costs, the freshest sheets you'll ever sleep on, PLUS it forces you outside to hang and take down the clothes.
24. PUT UP A PERGOLA.
This is one I've been doing years of research on. I'm thinking my backyard might need a pergola over the sitting area by the pizza oven.
See? It'd go right here over the furniture ...
25. HIDE THE JUNK. Recycle bins, garbage pails, shovels in plain site? Hide them behind gates or screens.
26. BUY CHEAP FOOD SCREENS. Nothing ruins a nice backyard dinner like shit flies in the potato salad.
27. FAKE A BREEZE. Plugging in a fan outside will cool you off plus keep mosquitos away at dusk because they can't fly through a wind. Stupid little mosquitos.
28. CREATE A PATHWAY.
I've always loved pathways made out of plain strips of wood.
29. USE YOUR WALLS. Use your house walls to add more dimension to your backyard. Hang old picture frames, window boxes, sculptures, potted plants or whatever else you can think of.
30. ADD SOMETHING SCULPTURAL. Your backyard is big so it can handle bigger things than your house. Huge pots, Buddha heads, ladders or statutes give you something to focus on.
26. PULL THE CHAIRS OUT.
This one is so easy it probably seems stupid. But a lot of outdoor furniture is bulky and heavy. So don't push your chairs all the way into your tables. Keeping them pulled out enough that you can slip in will make you way more likely to actually sit down on them. Honestly. I know it seems ridiculous but this tip is one of the best.
Does that help?
If these ideas got you excited to polish up your own backyard it might be time to do something about it! Wouldn't you love to have a backyard that makes you sigh instead of cry?
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shawna
Hi Karen,
Where did you get the plans to build the raised bed that encompasses the perimeter of your backyard? Every time I look up 'raised bed' I either get a square garden structure or a retaining wall built out of stone. I want exactly what you have!!:) Yours is a backyard that looks tidy but also creative and interesting.
Thanks, Shawna
Karen
Hi Shawna. I didn't use any plans, I just started building them. You wouldn't really have plans for that sort of thing because everyone's backyard is shaped differently. Try googling planter beds instead. ~ karen!
Maryanne
Love this post! Especially the tip about the fan. Thank you.
P.S. There seems to be a lot of bolding going on in this post...
Karen
A lot of bolding, lol? Well I guess I was feeling very bold while writing it. ~ karen!
Ian
Love this back yard post, and I love me some Karen just in general. I finally finished my 'Urabn Backyard' and I may have to add some of your ideas. Many times I feel like a mini-karen because you are living my dream! Before becoming any more creepy, I digress. Check out my back yard! I feel like I made my teacher proud!
Karen
Very nice Mr. Creepy. I like he overhead shot! You managed to get a lot into that patio of yours. Do you use it a lot now that it's fixed up? I mean I liked the whole single broom look too, but this one is probably more functional for people other than witches and such. ~ karen!
Ruth Vallejos
I'm blaming my lack of progress on not grasping the climate I'm in. I have this non-functioning cycle that goes something like this: I plan on pruning in January. It slips a few weeks. By February the geraniums are blooming and I think - nah, they are so pretty! Pretty soon the nasturtiums are blooming everywhere and I think "Really? I need a vegetable garden? They are so pretty!" So now that summer is in effect, the nasturtium vines are getting thin and yellow, the geraniums are still going gangbusters, and because of the drought the lawn is brown and full o' mole holes. Yay! Back yards are so fun.
Were I to finally stop looking at gardening magazines based on other climates, I'd prune in December and build the raised planters in January, encouraging the nasturtiums to grow elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Himself and me and our cats Pinky and Nibblette hang out on the veranda* in cheap plastic chairs wondering "What is that odor?" (*The veranda is the shady concrete patio back by the compost, recycle and garbage cans.) So, we just borrow a clothespin for our nose, turn on the radio, grab a cold beverage and a book - it's all good.
Shauna
Oh my gosh, how funny, I actually began tackling this 3 1/2 weeks ago - with my healing broken ankle no less. We had been letting the chickens free range for so long, the backyard was no longer enjoyable. So, for a father's day gift, I stripped and painted the patio and started cleaning up the backyard. While it's definitely not finished, it looks a lot nicer and we were able to have a bbq on Father's Day. We have a big plan drawn up for our backyard, so it's a balancing act between not spending too much money and time on it right now and yet still making it so we want to be out there.
Jody
Well I'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself right now. Most of your list is already in my garden and I have been thinking I need lights in the backyard to make it see-able. I was also just contemplating how to build a grounded tree house for a summer sewing room
Paula
I love this post, wonderful ideas. I haven't read all of the comments so I might be repeating someone else's comment, however; a couple of other great shade perennials are: Heuchera (Coral Bells) and Lady's Mantle. Also "I hosted those show like that" :)
Pam'a
From my years working on my yard and at various nurseries, this might help someone who needs a cheap visual barrier. I've had marvelous results creating a "wall" by stringing up some netting between poles and growing non-woody vines on it. My favorite is moonflower (ipomoea alba)-- They're huge, white night bloomers with big, heart-shaped leaves, and the smell is a knockout (fresh, not cloying). Each blossom only lasts one night, but they abound, and you can almost see them open up. They do need sun.
If you have a great patio but feel like you're in a fishbowl, putting a barrier like this up close to you (rather than trying to build a 10' fence around the perimeter of your yard) works wonders!
Patti
Man, I needed this post today after a day of snow in Muskoka! Your yard is perfection! I wouldn’t change a thing, not even to add a pergola. I love that modern looking structure just as it is!
Pam
I want your backyard, Karen! To be honest this apartment dweller wants any backyard, please. :-) (Preferably with a hammock.)
Karen
Do you at least have a balcony? Please tell me you have a balcony. If not, hopefully windows that open! ~ karen
Pam
I'd kill for a balcony! I have a fire escape that I'm not allowed to put plants on. Stupid safety rules.
Maria
Why would someone build a pottie for their back yard? Is this a term for something else?
Karen
No, lol. Not a term for something else. Because she lives on acres and acres of wooded property and often takes people for walks through it. Men pee behind a tree, women end up peeing behind a tree on their own feet. The potty solves that. :) ~ karen
Mindy
Is that an astroturf rug?
Karen
Yes. Yes it is Mindy. And I LOVE it. Actually it's two of them shoved together. They're on year 3 now. ~ karen!
Heather (mtl)
I love your backyard! Funny thing: when I thought of the layout, I had it all 100% backwards. Your choice of colours and plants is soothing- what do you do with the ferns over winter?
Here in Co-Op land, the balconies are being redone. Groan. What this means is my balconey has been completely stripped and will be so until mid August, even though they haven't even begun on mine, yet. Waaah, no flowers, no sitting out, no blinds to repel that ball of sun and, most importantly, no AC in the living room. Holy cow it's hot! They will begin on mine shortly, so add migraine to the list.
I'll be going back to look over your great ideas and am anxious to do the new balconey as I'm already tired of storing everything in the dining room :(
Karen
I let the ferns die a dignified death heather. They're too big to keep inside and try to keep alive. ~ karen!
Maggie Pitts
I planted a couple ostrich ferns in my New Brunswick backyard, and they spread in a really lovely way you might appreciate (green, lush, calm, finely toothed). Also, they are the edible type of "fiddlehead" you eat in spring. Some people might tell you they only grow in wet areas, but they lie.
Nancy Blue Moon
You do need that second pergola above..Lights for evenings would look nice too..My place came with raised beds along the back of the house with a wood board path (I call it the boardwalk) through it...I also have a big yard which is a waste as I have table, chairs and other seating out at the driveway right now!...I also have a movable table type fire pit..in need of something (cheap) to put down in back yard to sit these things on so that they don't all have to be moved for lawn mowing which is done with a riding mower...Have thought about just putting down boards like a boardwalk for this also..Do you think it would work...I would love to enjoy my yard as there is my beautiful weeping willow tree I planted about eight years ago and a small stream running through..I would also like to do separate areas...Love, love your yard Karen..
Amy in StL
I bought my house almost four years ago. It came with 1950s era brick edged flower beds along all the edges (which are all shade) and a concrete patio with no cover. Then an enormous 100' x 30' lawn. Oh and one back corner has a cracked concrete parking pad and the other has enormous overgrown bushes that are taller than the garage. I have no idea how to break it up into rooms so I just hang out on the concrete benches on the concrete patio until the mosquitos drive me in - usually in about 15 minutes. I keep hoping I'll win a yard design contest because I really bit off more than I could chew with this yard.
Karen
You aren't doing too badly actually Amy! Kind of like a blank canvas. Of course I'd have to see it, lol. BUT. The lawn is easily broken up with flower beds. A border on the outside and a bed on the inside. A cracked concrete parking pad is THE perfect place to put a pizza oven because you have a nice sturdy base to build it on! If it's super-gross you could just put a timber border around it and then fill it in with pea gravel. (the border is to keep the pea gravel from falling out into the lawn). Trim the bushes or just haul them out. K. Those are my initial thoughts. :) ~ karen!
sledwell
Great ideas! I have a retractable clothesline which means I get all the benefits without having to look at the clothesline in my small Toronto backyard.
Alicia Cappola
Karen,
What is the square footage of your back yard? It looks like it must be massive to make all of those spaces happen!
Karen
It's not Alicia! Not at all. Each area is quite small. I'm not sure of the dimensions but each specialized area is around 10'x10' with a few feet in between each section. It's all about planning, spacing and delineating. :) ~ karen!
Mark Harrison
Tiny typo in top tip three, I think? Should "asbilbe" have been "astilbe"?
And for those of us with shade... ferns, yes... hostas - only, if you can make the commitment to become the ancient superhero "Destroyer of Slugs" who goes out nightly, torch in hand, to battle the mighty foe. In my back garden (I'm too English to have a backyard) the slugs appear to be pellet, nematode, and beer-trap resistant.
Karen
LOL. Yes. Astilbe. And slugs, ug. ~ karen!
Alice
Wonderful post! All are very doable and not hugely expensive. Been looking at this all morning, enjoying each and every idea.
Mandy
My favourite thing I've installed outside was to hide the ugly view of the inside of my garage inconveniently located next to my sitting area. I gagged about for ages looking for outdoor art of the right size but it's soooooo expensive!
I bought a shower curtain with a fabulous picture (husband disagrees he's not so keen on my flamingos!) and stapled it onto a frame I knocked up out of scrap bits of pressure treated timber.
Result - weatherproof and cheap outdoor artwork :)
Patricia Burroughs aka Pooks
I want that multi-colored hammock, but your link took me to the boring one! New link, please!
Karen
Here you go Patricia! It's a Canadian company that does the multicoloured, I assume they're in the States too though ... http://www.hammockuniverse.com/collections/mayan-hammocks/products/mayan-hammock-double ~ karen!
Vivien
Found it here also https://www.hammockdream.com/shop/mayan-hammocks/