Bright Summer Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Published: 05/28/19
bright summer backyard landscaping ideas

It is estimated that approximately 49 percent of America's 164 million homeowners are also gardeners. Of that 49 percent, 47 percent of them have full-time jobs, and garden in their spare time, while 22 percent are retired.

The garden is a hot topic of conversation for millions of Americans, and many of them spend year-round working on or planning their garden. If you are one of the millions of Americans that are gardening right now, step up your game a notch with these eight backyard landscaping ideas that anyone can implement.

DIY Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Year-Round Color

Many gardeners that live in seasonal climates have the winter blues because they can't get out there and plant.  Or, they have the blahs because they don't have a colorful view to enjoy from a cozy kitchen window.

But when you plan your garden well, you can beat those blues in advance.  Install color year-round in your backyard landscape.

Southerners have the advantage of enjoying colors year-round, but Northerners can too with a little planning.

It's easier to do than you think.  You can plan your garden to ensure you have color in bloom all year long, no matter where you live.

Spring is infamous for the daffodils and tulips, and you can keep the colors going through summer with hydrangeas, daylilies, impatiens, and gardenias.

Color in the fall can be brought in through chrysanthemums, pansies, holly, and crocuses. For color in the winter, bring in some amaryllis and winterberry, or even some rosemary.

Match this planting guide with this year's top backyard landscape design trends.

Not Afraid Of Heights

One of the biggest tenets of this year's biggest and best backyard landscaping ideas is to build an entire garden in your backyard space.  This requires using every single square inch of space you can, even the air.

We are seeing everything from fences to rooftops covered in foliage and greenery, and the overall space of the design using every possible inch.

If you just can't be surrounded by enough flowers, don't be afraid of playing with heights in your space. Towers of planters of different lengths show off a variety of blossoms.

Playing with heights ensure you always keep the eye moving for more and more plants everywhere.

Use the dimensions of your garden space in both height and volume, and add layers to your backyard using plants and their containers alone. One new hanging planter trend we are seeing a lot of is the hanging colanders.

This creative concept involves turning something you would drain pasta with into a seasonal planter.

You can get them in all colors and sizes at the dollar store.  With the simple addition of a chain for hanging, they create an eclectic cottage feel to your outdoor space.

The general rule of thumb when you are planning hanging baskets is that each basket should contain one spiller, one filler such as King coleus, and a tall centerpiece that catches the eye.

Play with the lengths of your basket centerpieces to continue adding layers of character to your backyard porches and pathways.

Shrub It Off

One way to add both color and texture to your backyard space is through the addition of blossoming shrubs. This is a worthy investment if you do not have any yet, as they are low maintenance, and beautiful.

The traditional Chinese snowball is always a good place to start if you are new to blossoming shrubs. Its breathtaking simplicity offers clusters of white for an elegant touch to paths and borders.

You'll want to plant these with partial Sun near a window you'll be gazing out in late Spring.

Give these babies some room to grow.

Hide Outdoor Structures

The new look in backyard landscaping ideas is to build a garden space in your backyard that almost resembles a forest or luxurious garden center. You get this by covering as much space, from floor to ceiling in the backyard.

You want your fences, fence posts, eavestroughs, even your doors, dripping with as much greenery as you can afford to drape over. Fences and gates have a magical feel, and even look bigger, when they are covered with vines and shrubs.

Hide things in your garden with ivy and greenery to give a new ethereal feel to your backyard.

Hide Surprises

Flowers alone are always wonderful little miracles to see arriving at different points throughout the year. But you can create permanent surprises in your garden as well, that can be enjoyed year-round.

Use foliage to hide things, and create a unique "wow" moment at every turn. Use one hidden space for a fire pit, another for dining, another for your vegetables.

Have water fountains percolating quietly in the background. You are not just limited to floral usage when creating your perfect backyard space.

Foliage Fence

Another way to keep in line with the trendiest backyard landscaping ideas is to not just cover your fences, but actually, create fences with foliage. Create a division of space between one section of your garden to the next.

Or put some division between you and your neighbors, with a foliage fence that offers both privacy and mystery to your backyard.

Good products to do this with include foliage that excels regardless of how much Sun is offered.  That includes ferns, hostas, and sedges just to get you started.

You get a lot of bang for your buck with this trend as well because you use up space wisely and beautifully.  But this is a low maintenance component of your backyard as well.

Fairy Gardens

As you are adding more foliage and greenery to your outdoor structures in your backyard, it may begin to cast an ethereal spell vibe in your backyard. This leads your imagination to wander a little more, and fair gardens are becoming a staple in the trendiest gardens of today.

There is not much required to bring this magic into your backyard. When you do it will be a delight for any children in the home or that may be coming to visit on lazy summer days.

A flower pot and a door that leads magically into a tree trunk are all you need to invite the magic of fairies into your backyard space.

Even an old birdbath that hasn't been used in a while can be used to create the illusion of a fairy garden. Add a little soil and some mushroom trinkets and you're starting to weave your own fairy spell in your backyard.

Here are 8 more kid-friendly landscaping ideas you may want to try this year.

Live Off The Land

If you are an avid gardener, you probably do not only just deal in flower planting, but likely also have a vegetable garden already. But even if you do, you can always find new ways to live off of the land.

This is a thing that more Americans are doing with their backyard landscaping ideas today.

In a day and age where climate change and eco-friendly eating is becoming the norm, more Americans are turning to live off of the land to save time and money.

They do so by farming at home so they know where their produce comes from.

The National Gardening Association says that 35 percent of Americans are already doing so, in their own backyard or in a community garden. It's easily becoming a food revolution in America.

If you aren't already living off of your own land in some way, you may want to start thinking of this for this summer.

A vegetable garden provides a bright and fresh scent and energy into any garden space. Vegetables create energy in your space in so many ways, by growing and thriving and then helping you create your own energy supplies when you eat them.

It is a commonly held consensus that gardening and growing your own food is one of the most eco-friendly things you can do in a world of climate change. Become part of the solution, and have fun, while enjoying the oasis you are creating for yourself and your family.

Create Your Own Oasis

Gardening in America has transformed from a past-time or hobby after retirement to a multi-billion dollar industry that has products, tools, and services to meet the needs of every American gardening household. Garden Research has discovered that in 2017, American homeowners spent $47.8 billion in gardening purchases that amounted to approximately $503 spent annually on gardening per American household.

The Environmental Protection Agency noted that American gardeners also consumed over 800 million gallons of fuel in landscaping last year and just over 100 gallons of water for land irrigation purposes. You want your landscaping dollars to go a long way, and that involves time in researching and investing the time to bring your backyard landscaping ideas to life.

Check out our landscape blog to start the buzz of inspiration flowing when you are creating beautiful low maintenance landscaping for your outdoor space.

Call NowFree Quote