Gardening has become one of the most popular pastimes across the country. All ages from millennials to Boomer enjoy working to make their outside spaces beautiful and enjoyable.
Creating the outdoor space you want to be in and are proud to show off takes careful planning and a lot of effort. You want something different but also for it to be functional and usable. That balance can be tricky to find.
We’re here to give you inspiration for unique landscaping ideas you can add to any backyard to make your dreams come true.
Integrated Landscaping
Not every backyard is a blank canvas to start with. In fact, most aren’t. They often have large trees or shrubbery, existing decks, or pre-made fences.
In some cases, you may just want to tear it all out and start fresh.
But in many cases, it’s just a great opportunity to get creative and use those things to your advantage. That’s especially true if you have some mature landscaping in your space. It takes so long for plants to get big, you don’t want to tear them out if you don’t have to.
Try thinking of ways to highlight those features, like building your deck around a large tree. This makes them feel more special and treasured.
Unconventional Planters
Anyone can go to their local hardware or department store and pick out a planter. There are a million options to choose from and most are basically the same thing.
Take a chance and step out from the typical planter and choose something more unconventional.
You could even take it a step further and make the planter yourself for an even more unique look. Many people enjoy the process of creating a one of a kind piece for their backyard that will stand out to any visitor.
This is also a great opportunity to personalize the space by making a planter out of something that represents your family, a favorite place you’ve been, or even a treasured hobby.
Contrasting Materials
An issue that many who are working on their landscaping run into is the fact that the space can easily turn into a sea of plants and green.
While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s also nice to break things up a little bit and create some contrast to draw the eye in. The best way to follow that unique landscaping solution is to add in a material that’s the opposite of a nice soft plant.
Hard, dark metal works great in these cases. And luckily you can find all different kinds of beautiful metallic art to fit all styles and needs.
Just take Nature-niche.com for example, there you can find everything you need to decorate your garden or flower beds.
Unique Plant Art
Metal garden structures and statues aren’t the only way to add some art to your backyard area.
Turning your plants and landscaping into art is a common way to create some interest without taking away from the natural beauty of an outdoor space. It’s a killing two birds with one stone situation.
Creating plant art can be achieved at all levels from very difficult (landscaped, intricate designs) to the more simple (vine trellis in a simple pattern).
The great thing about plant art is that it works for all spaces and styles. You can cater it to whatever your specific space needs that will work with everything else you have going on there.
Living Borders
One thing that makes outdoor spaces feel more curated and intentional is dividing them into specific zones. These designate the intended activity for that space and keep things feeling separated.
Adding unique landscape borders takes those zones to the next level. Instead of using a typical fence or edging, you can utilize more natural elements to make a statement.
The easiest way to do that is to have a small flower bed outlining your designated area. This won’t add a lot of work or upkeep to your landscaping but will create a strong visual impact that you’re looking for.
Many also choose to forgo a traditional fence in favor of a living border, like hedges, which make a bold statement.
Waterworks
There’s almost a no better way to make a space feel special and unique than to add some kind of water feature. Those don’t occur naturally in a typical backyard, so anyone who sees it knows there was some effort put in.
Water features can include a pond, waterfall, bird path, or a small fountain. Basically, there’s an option for any backyard.
Having a water feature in your backyard has obvious visual benefits but they can help in other ways too. For example, the sounds are calming and can create more peace. You can pick your water feature based on your desired results.
Vertical Space
If you have a smaller backyard space it may be tempting to think that you can’t have any unique landscaping. But that is simply not true!
There’s always vertical space that you can take advantage of regardless of how big the backyard actually is. Utilizing the vertical space also creates visual interest and can have a major impact on the overall feel.
An easy way to do this is to add planter shelves along an exterior wall of any structures (the house or a shed).
Adding in climbing plants is a less permanent way to have a similar effect. These plants appear to be hung but can just be planted in a typical planter with the necessary support system.
Unique Landscaping Ideas for Your Backyard
By making your backyard space more functional and beautiful, you’re essentially adding square footage to your home and giving yourself more room to enjoy.
These unique landscaping ideas should help spark your creativity to build something truly wonderful in your backyard. The great thing about backyard spaces is that there is unlimited potential to turn them into anything you want.
If you’re interested in more landscaping ideas or tips for taking care of plants, check out our other articles today!
