Landscape design involves a blend of creativity and nature, with results that are aesthetically pleasing and whimsical. Whether it’s a polished front lawn, elegant wooden pergola, stone-paved pathway or ornate garden design, eclectic landscapes benefit from the same attention to detail as any room inside your house. The warm Atlanta temperatures and daylight that extends past dinner time coaxes us to stay outside a little longer throughout the summer months. Between hosting backyard barbeques, pool parties, and just hanging out with friends and family, your yard becomes the focal point throughout the warm season. Transforming your yard into a summer escape will make staycations and spending time at home with the family that much more enjoyable. Here are 13 landscaping ideas to take your yard from “Blah” to Beautiful this Summer!
- Welcome Friends with Flowers: Flowers always make a home seem more friendly and welcoming. Embellish your entry way with an assortment of annuals and perennials, so you can greet guests with color all year long. Petunia, Snapdragon, Lily-of-the-Nile, and ‘Gertrude Jekyl’ roses are great additions.
- Plant Crawling Vines: Clematis offers blossoms of blue, purple, red, pink, or white. You can grow them on a trellis, archway, fence, or in a container. You can even let them scramble over shrubs and perennials.
- Plant Low-Maintenance Lilies: Crinums require minimal water; don’t need fertilizer, and welcome hot, humid summers with lily-like flowers that put off a sweet aroma as an added bonus. They eventually grow into huge bulbs and are nearly indestructible.
- Add Dimension with Planters and Baskets: Add height to your yard with elevated planters and hanging baskets. It creates a blanket of beautiful color and breadth. Planters also provide decent drainage and aeration.
- Grow Shrubs that Bloom: Chinese snowball is an excellent choice for a showy shrub with white flower clusters that looks great all season long. The plant gets big—12 to 20 feet tall and wide. Though it looks like a hydrangea, it’s actually a viburnum.
- Hide Outdoor Structures: Sheds, garages, and outdoor work spaces are not always the most attractive in your yard. Use these spaces as a setting for a beautiful display of plants and flowers. Try adding brackets and a wooden plank to create a shelf on the exterior of the structure above the entrance or windows. Then, add lightweight planters filled with flowers on top to hide the structure. Potted ferns tend to be perfect additions to the base of the structure.
- Add shade-friendly plants to empty corners of your yard: If you have some empty corners in your yard due to shade, you can create beds and fill them with shade-loving plants like hydrangea or hostas. They will flourish under your trees and bushes and make your yard look more lavish and full.
- Ponds add serenity to your landscape: Ponds don’t have to be big to be beautiful. There are numerous ways you can create a little pond for an empty corner of your yard. Plus, the trickling water sound will make your space a haven for the neighborhood birds as well as a tranquil escape for you to enjoy.
- Pergola: Decks aren’t the only option for finding a shady retreat. Pergolas are the affordable alternative to a deck, providing the ideal amount of relief from the hot Atlanta sun. While pergolas are definitely practical, they also add a decorative element to your yard. With the right green thumb, vines can grow along your pergola like a Tuscany.
- Stone Walkways: Stone additions to your home add a mythical and whimsical component. A stone walkway will visually and physically guide your guests through your yard. Get creative with your walkway and circle principal plants, walk guests past your elegant gardens, or visit other focal points of your yard such as a pond or bird bath.
- Add a Fire Pit: A fire pit is an awesome way to bring family and friends together. One of the main attractions of a summer soirée is a bonfire. Make bonfires a tradition at your home by designing and building a fire pit with comfortable surrounding seating. A simple fire pit consists of a gravel base for drainage, stone blocks for a surrounding wall, and possibly a large grill for open-flame grilling.
- Pops of Color: Incorporating new colors into your garden can be a great way to bring your landscaping to life. Bold colors can brighten up a large space and provide a welcoming presence to your yard. Add potted plants to your deck or paint your pergola a bright color of your choosing.
- Borders give it a Bang: Borders can make all the difference. Sometimes all it takes is a little edging to transform a space. There are a ton of different options when it comes to borders, such as trees, flowerbeds or maybe even a BBQ area.
Well-executed landscaping ideas can complement your home’s entire aesthetic, and the right plants, flowers and shrubbery can greatly enhance your curb appeal by adding color, texture and even fragrance to your yard. Are you ready to design the perfect landscape for your property? Are you finally ready to turn your backyard into the beautiful and functional landscape that you have always dreamt it to be? If you answered yes, but aren’t sure if you have the time, vision or expertise, then call in a professional. Mansell Landscape has designed and overseen hundreds of landscape transformations. If you are interested in landscape maintenance, contact us today or visit our website for more information.