Beautiful Backyard Landscaping

Plan, Plan, Plan

• The objective in landscaping is to create a lush, beautiful outdoor space that looks as if Mother Nature herself planted it. It might sound funny, but it takes lots of careful planning to create a natural-looking landscape. Walk your yard and plot it out on graph paper. Then plot out the features you'd like to include in your yard, such as trees, bushes, flower beds, walkways and patios. Hire a landscape designer if possible, or ask friends and neighbors for feedback. Some plant nurseries will draw up landscape plans for a nominal fee.

Use Curves and Odd Numbers

• Meandering curves and odd numbers of things look more natural and are more pleasing to the eye. Although it may be human nature to plant shrubs in a straight line or install a stick-straight sidewalk from your back gate to your back door, remember that straight lines don't look as natural as curves. Adding a few gentle curves will give your backyard landscape a much more natural yet professionally designed look. The same can be said for odd numbers. Planting your trees, shrubs and flowers in clusters of 3, 5 or 7 will look much more natural than groups of 2 or 4.

Add a Focal Point

• Add a focal point to your back yard, whether it's something small such as a birdbath, or something large such as a swimming pool or a tall arbor covered in showy, hot-pink roses. A focal point draws the eye into the landscape and provides a starting point to a visual tour of your landscape. When choosing the placement of your focal point, consider views from inside the house, as well as from the patio, walkways and any outdoor seating.

Balance and Proportion

• Symmetry is pleasing to the eye and can be quite beautiful, and formal gardens rely on it, but an asymmetrical landscape design that's balanced and proportional looks much more natural and can be just as beautiful. For example, you can balance a heavy dose of color on one side of your yard with a little color plus lots of texture on the other side. Although the areas are not identical, they are balanced. Keep proportion in mind as well. For example, flower beds that are too small will be dwarfed by your house and appear insignificant, while beds that are too large may dwarf your house. Use a mixture of plant sizes as well, so that your landscape travels gradually from small to large.

Repetition and Contrast

• Although these two ideas are basically opposites, both look beautiful in a landscape. Put repetition to good use by clustering the same types, textures and colors. For example, plant a group of 3 or 5 of the same flowering annuals together, instead of a group of 3 different types of plants. Then repeat with another cluster of the same plants elsewhere in your landscape. By using repetition within your landscape and within the clusters, you're creating unity. On the other hand, you can use contrast to your advantage. If you have a group of tall shrubs with dark leaves, use it as a backdrop for shorter plants with bright leaves. The color contrast will call attention to both types of plant.