Backyard Design

 backyard design  1 Response »
Jan 152009
 

Backyard design is an important consideration in making your yard in into an escape from today’s stress and demands. With planning you can turn your outdoor living space into a backyard oasis for a variety of uses.

With most home designs and landscaping ideas, the front yard presents a welcoming appearance with more form and directs people to your front door. While the backyard is the focal point for entertaining, relaxing and where you can create your own private area to relax. With economic times being strained these days and the price of transportation now is the time to design and landscape your backyard oasis.

Once you have taken in the important concerns of current trees and shrubs, walkways, utilities, and who will use the backyard: it’s time to set a budget and start a few projects for your backyard design projects. I like to make a few small changes that you see immediate results. This way, as you add your more expensive or time-consuming changes, you have immediate results that add comfort to your backyard.

One of my smaller design projects would be adding containers for plants, adding larger plants and planning for a patio garden or small space garden. The addition of plants creates a larger feeling to the backyard and gives it that backyard oasis feeling.

I would also add garden art and a small water fountain. My garden art is found at auction houses or garage sales. As for water fountains I would start small and purchase a tabletop fountain while you are planning your larger backyard design.

As you plan and take in to account space, you need to think of any walls, property lines and walkways. You could think of them as a floor plan and use that to create separate areas of the yard for recreation, entertaining or as a hideaway. This also creates a feeling of more space in the backyard. Often times these areas are considered outdoor rooms. Your plan is to make them separate in feeling for certain uses but open and inviting as a backyard.

One other consideration to take in is what is referred to as a ceiling of a backyard. Trees and their shade and form can create this. Other homes close-by also create a wall that can add a feeling of space going up. Fencing and walls also add to a ceiling and adding raised beds and gardens near them can create another room. One other to take into consideration in a backyard ceiling is a second story balcony or decks of your home.

Balconies and decks serve as a wonderful entertainment area and can make a stunning private garden oasis. They are also versatile and can be changed for each season, which gives your backyard oasis a new and fresh look on a regular basis.

There will be many ideas for backyard design here at our backyard oasis. Many will be small projects that take a small amount of time and money. After all the main purpose of your backyard oasis is to enjoy it.

Posted by Denise at 5:37 pm  Tagged with:

Backyard Oasis Paradise

 backyard oasis  6 Responses »
Jan 102009
 

Everyone has their own idea of what a Backyard Oasis would be but to me it’s my own private paradise that is a few steps away at all times. It’s so relaxing to head out the door in the morning and take in the fresh air and listen to the wildlife that also enjoys my yard.

One area that my backyard is lacking in would be a water garden, ponds and a miniature backyard waterfall. These features will be added to my backyard design this spring. Until them I can only look at gardening catalogs and dream of creating a backyard oasis filled with the sounds of running water and backyardfish.

This you tube about a Backyard Oasis Paradise that features ponds, beautiful water garden plants and a backyard waterfall caught my attention. Between its beauty and relaxing music it’s like being out in your own backyard oasis. It gave me ideas for my garden plans while I am waiting for the snow to melt.

At this time I am leaning towards adding a small water garden with Koi Fish and water plants, particularly water lilies and lotus plants. I can grow lotus plants in my zone 5 growing zone but I place them in a wire basket and move them in the winter. It’s a little more work but there is something about lotus plants and their striking beauty.

As spring approaches for many of us it the perfect time to make plans to add a water garden to your backyard garden oasis. The entire family and your friends will find your yard the perfect place to relax.

Posted by Denise at 11:56 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

How To Create a Backyard Oasis

 backyard oasis  4 Responses »
Jan 072009
 

How to create a backyard oasis. It takes time and planning to give your backyard that relaxing and comfortable feeling. I would first start by sitting down with a cup of tea or coffee and taking a careful look at your backyard. Is it landscaped? Do you have a patio or outdoor buildings?  Is your yard roomy or limited in space? You also need to take into account your climate and how many months a year you can use it. With proper planning even the coldest climates can have a useful and inviting backyard retreat.

Next its time to consider how many people and what ages will use the yard. Do you have young children that would benefit from a play area or older children that would enjoy a pool? How about your pets? Most dogs enjoy their own space and doggie-digging pit. Do you have exotic plants that may not be healthy for pets or small children?

Another area to think about is what will the space be used for. Will it be for sports and family gatherings? Or used as a garden oasis, or a workshop area? It could possibly just be an escape from the noise and pace of work and the world.

Even the renter or urban dweller can find room to create a place to relax even if it’s a very small area, rooftop retreat, window boxes or a sunroom

All these thoughts take time and laying out a backyard design if you have several projects in mind. You will also need to think about what backyard supplies you will need to purchase. But while getting a feeling for the changes you want to make to your backyard you can start in on a few small and inexpensive improvements. This will add to the comfort of your yard and transcend the time it takes for you to get all your plans laid out and completed.

First start by adding a few garden art pieces to your porch or patio. One of these might include small water fountains that sit on tables. A trellis placed along your porch will keep out winds if the temperatures are still cold. Add a few lights that either hang from the ceiling or sit on tables. You have now created a cozy retreat to relax after a busy day. You may even want to add a small heater or outdoor stove.

Next I would add hanging wind chimes on the porch and around the yard. There is something very soothing about the sound of wind chimes. I would suggest Wind chimes that have long metal tubes. They produce low tones that are more relaxing.  I have found that the wind chimes made of silverplate silverware have a lovely relaxing sound.

Depending on your climate you can either plant or make plans to purchase flowers for planters or the yard. Fragrant flowers are more relaxing and soothing. Chocolate cosmos are very fragrant and many herbs have a wonderful aroma and also serve another useful purpose as a kitchen seasoning. The most relaxing herbal scent is lavender but Rosemary and some of the thyme varieties are also very pleasing.

Another idea for a quick improvement to your backyard oasis is adding comfortable furniture. Reclining chairs are a great addition to a porch and a hammock makes your backyard for relaxing, stargazing or reading. Choose a hammock that is made of fabric. They are the most comfortable.  Just make sure the fabric is easy to clean and stain resistant.

One last step for adding pleasure to your backyard oasis is to fill a birdfeeder or two with black oil sunflower seeds. The smaller sunflower seeds attract small birds such as blue jays, cardinals and finches. The sound of the birds and watching their antics add entertainment to the yard.

These are just a few ideas that will brighten your backyard at a very modest cost while you are planning your backyard oasis. Remember that you will save money by creating your own private backyard retreat and staying at home. Stop by the backyard oasis again for more extensive ideas for creating you own backyard oasis.

Posted by Denise at 9:36 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Backyard Oasis

 backyard oasis  16 Responses »
Jan 042009
 

Why a backyard oasis? With tough economic times and saving money being a top priority for many families this is the time to think about creating your own backyard oasis to chill out from your daily stresses. With proper planning you can make your backyard into a paradise that fits the activities of the entire family. You can even add a nutritional garden area to save additional money.

One of the first steps in planning is deciding on what you will spend.  Many backyard accessories can be made or may already exist in your landscape. You can hunt at auctions or garage sales for any additional furniture, garden supplies or children’s play equipment.

The next step is to evaluate your space. It’s amazing how much you can fit into a very small area and still have a spacious feel. An area under a shade tree may become a place for children to play. Your patio can double as a family leisure area for picnics or camp outs or even be set up as a patio gardening area.

Plants add a relaxing atmosphere and seem to extend your yard. By arranging your plants in layers such as raised beds, containers, or climbing plants, you can grow upwards and save space and add privacy to your backyard oasis.

One more addition to any yard is water. Water tends to make people feel at home. Water fountains cover up traffic and neighborhood noise while small pools can contain fish, or be a place for the family to cool off on hot days.

With an enclosed porch or additional building you can extend the time you can spend in your yard. I have a small sunroom and a greenhouse that I spend hours in during my cold Northwest Pa. winters. It extends my spring and fall seasons by several months.

Backyards can also look beautiful and inviting even in cold weather. Many of my favorite childhood memories include bonfires and cookouts in January and February, our coldest months.

If you live in town or a city you may still have a patio, a deck, a room with windows, or an area by a garage that you can turn into your own private getaway. There are many renters who have rooftop garden and living areas that are a special and very inviting oasis.

Your backyard can be made to fit you and your families needs for family leisure activities, such as sports, gardening, and entertaining. Make this season the time to create your own backyard oasis.

Posted by Denise at 10:27 am  Tagged with:
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