Top Ways to Upgrade Your Backyard to Use all Year Round

Some people like to spend time out in their backyard, while others will use it as a place to store old items. Unfortunately, the latter is usually the case. But if you can spend a little time just upgrading your backyard - you can turn it into a beautiful oasis. It can be used as an extension to your home, one that you can use to relax in on a hot day while the sun shines on you, your kids can play outside away from screens and social media, you can host al fresco dinner parties for your friends, or you can sit in a shelter and listen to the rain as you enjoy your morning coffee and book on the weekend. The point is - your backyard is a great opportunity, as long as you know what you are doing. To help you turn your garden around and make it into a great place that you, your family, and friends can enjoy, here are some top tips.

Make a Plan

The first thing you may choose to do is make a plan. This can be extremely helpful, as it will give you direction and a list of tasks to work through more efficiently. Without a plan, you may not have the drive or motivation to upgrade your backyard or know what to do. Start by looking at the space you have and its potential. You may also consider what you will want to use your backyard for. Will it be kitted out for your kids, do you want to create a more peaceful oasis, or perhaps you would like to grow your vegetables? The tasks to upgrade your backyard will look different depending on what you want to use it for. Once you have decided, you can then look at visual sites such as Instagram and Pinterest to help find inspiration and create your mood board. From here, you can create a to-do list of tasks, as you reverse engineer the end product. You will also likely need to create a shopping list of items that you want to purchase, such as outdoor furniture, decor, seeds for plants, and more. You may even need to create a budget for your backyard if you want to embark on a bigger project and install something like a pergola or sunroom.

Declutter the space

The most important thing to transform your garden is to finally get rid of all the clutter that has been piling up. Everyone is guilty of this, especially over the winter months when you are not likely to even look at your backyard. It becomes a quick and convenient space to leave unwanted items for you to sort in the warmer seasons. Take some time to survey your backyard and see how much clutter there is. It might be a small and simple job, where you can take out one trash bag and pick everything up. However, you might need to get the help of friends or family and do a tip run if there is a lot of clutter. Make sure you are always safe and take care, and unwanted items that have been left outside may be broken, have sharp edges, have grown mold, or be infested by insects.

Once you have cleared out all the rubbish and unwanted items in your backyard, you will see just how much space you have to work with. It will also make your backyard much more visually appealing. You may even find that your grass, plants, and shrubs all start to thrive just from this simple task.

Basic Maintenance

Everyone's backyard is different, but you may likely have some patches of grass, shrubs, trees, or plants around the area. Now that you have cleared the space, it is a great opportunity to do basic maintenance. Depending on your bigger plan, you may keep what you have and tend to them so they can begin regaining and thriving. This may entail trimming and pruning items, and even moving them into more optimal places. There may also be a variety of items that are in the way, hazardous, or just unwanted. In which case, you should get rid of them. Make sure you always proceed with care, as bigger items such as trees, shrubs, or growths like cacti can be much trickier and more dangerous to simply remove. If you find you have things like this in your backyard, then you may choose to seek the help of a professional tree or cactus removal service. This will ensure the job gets done quickly and with care.

Create your Borders

Borders or zones are widely used in gardens. These are usually small wooden logs, metal fences, wooden fences, or even just an invisible line. It is important to consider what your borders or zones are going to be, as it will help you understand where to place your plants or set up your furniture. Consider things like the direction of the sunrise and sunset, mixed with what you want to use your garden for. This will ensure that you know where you want to set up your furniture, or where you need to plant vegetables to grow. This simple task will help immensely when you start to put things together, to ensure everything fits correctly. They can also be used to help separate growing plants and vegetables that need separation from one another, or even utilized as safety barriers if you have children or pets so you can keep them safe.

Get Planting!

Plants, vegetables, trees, shrubs, and much more are going to be the life of your garden. The items you choose will depend on your bigger plans for your garden, how much space you have, your budget, your style, and your chosen theme for your backyard. You may choose to have a more subtle, minimalist garden, or you may choose lots of bright and bold colors. The choice is entirely up to you. If you are not sure, you can always enlist the help of a professional landscaper, who can design it for you.

When choosing plants, make sure you consider how much maintenance they require versus how much time you want to put into them. You should also consider their placement to the sun and other plants, whether they need changing out in different seasons, and more.

Features

Your garden should be seen as an extension of your home, and a place that you can utilize for your own needs. Choosing the different features is a fun and exciting part of upgrading your garden, as it allows you to express yourself and add anything that can make your life better. You may choose to kit out your garden with a cooking structure and furniture, so you can eat your meals and host parties in the space. You may choose to section everything off and grow vegetables for you to cook and enjoy. If you have kids, you may like to kit out your backyard with toys and play equipment, to help them have fun while at home and depend less on technology. Alternatively, you can extend the space and add an extra bedroom, home office, or gym.

The great thing about upgrading your backyard is that you can pretty much do anything with it. All you need is a good plan, a little budget, and the time you put into making it a nice space. Spending time outside is a great way to boost your well-being, so why not start by utilizing the space you have right at home?