Your outdoor space is one of the key points of your home. If you aren’t using it, then not only are you wasting the precious amount of space that’s available to you, but you aren’t living as well as you could. We as human beings need nature. We need to be connected and escape the built-up modern life we’ve crafted for ourselves. That’s why doing up your backyard into a functional oasis is so important. It helps you ground yourself. It can bring calm, and tranquility and just give you a space where you can sit in the sunshine and soak in all that mother earth has for us.
Done right, your backyard can also be a boon to the natural ecology in your area, too. Functional oases benefit their owners and the nature around them. If this sounds like something you want for your own home, then look no further than this guide to help you get started:
Start By Understanding What Not to Do
Learning the common landscaping mistakes and what not to do in your space upfront can save you a lot of time, hassle, and money. Part of this will include how to format your layout. Other parts will include which plants to pick and how to pair them. Some plants will kill each other if put next to one another. Other options will spread to unmanageable levels if you aren’t careful. Learn from others’ mistakes, so you can plan out a thoughtful, functional space.
Create a Draft
Once you know those common issues, it’s time to take your measurements and create a draft. You can do this entirely on paper, or you can use free digital tools so you can visualize the space in a whole new way. Once you have that draft and reference pictures, you can then find the right companies, contractors, and landscapers to bring that vision to life. You can even DIY certain things if you’re feeling up to it.
If you’ve got a green thumb, for example, then you can take your general draft to a garden nursery. Talk with the staff there to help pick out the best plants based on what will work together, and what won’t.
Let Things Grow
Your garden won’t immediately look like how you visualized it at the start. If it does, then you will have likely spent a fortune in the process. It’s better to buy small and let things grow. Not only is this the cheapest way to do things, but it’s also the safest. Smaller plants will have time and space for their roots to properly settle into their new home. You can also cut them back and shape them the way your specific garden needs.
Don’t worry, either, as these small plants will grow into massive ones in no time. You just need to give your garden patience.
Lighting
Unless you get professionals in to bring your design idea to life, you’ll need to add lighting after the fact. If professionals are on the job, you can have pot lights and under lights and even wall lights installed where you need them. If not, then you can easily make do with outdoor string lights. Hang these around your home and plug them directly into your outdoor plug. Make sure the lights you choose are designed for the outdoors, as their cables and connections will then be waterproof and dust-tight.