Backyard Garden Design – A backyard begins as a blank canvas and becomes a picture of color, life, and inspiration at the gardener’s touch. The design of a backyard garden requires careful planning and considerable attention to the location, vegetation, and wildlife. Throwing a couple of seeds in the ground generates blooms, while a well thought out garden design yields years of enjoyment and beauty.
Start by making a model of the backyard that includes features such as buildings, large trees, and water features. The drawing should be as close to scale as possible and include outlets and water taps. The next step is to make a list of what the backyard garden will contain when finished. Include elements such as an orchard, grass, butterfly or other flower bed area of the specialty, and other features such as wildlife and feeder birds. The list is the starting point for the projects to be completed.
Designing the backyard garden means paying close attention to shade, water levels and soil drainage, sunlight, and obstacles such as energy, telephone and water lines. Different plants as different growth conditions. Planting flowers and bulbs in the shade when they prefer full sun will not allow plants to reach their full potential. The same can be said about plants that prefer moist soil for sand growing media. The different areas of the patio can be easily marked with spray paint such as red for sunny areas, blue for wet areas and white for shady places.