Creating your own backyard oasis doesn’t have to cost you a fortune; with a little imagination and planning you can transform your backyard into an affordable retreat.
First, power wash the altar and spray off weeds. Then, set the stage with driftwood, stones and seashells.
Plan your layout and design
It isn’t a challenge, however, to turn your backyard into an Eden of your own, provided you take a holistic approach. A successful strategy is to blend thrift-shop finds, home-improvements projects and garden folk art to create forms that add visual interest among natural elements such as shrubs and trees.
Whether you’re creating a garden getaway with a water feature, such as a fountain or pond, or going with low-maintenance rock gardens made from decorative rocks and drought-resistant plants for their beauty and cost effectiveness, going with man-made hardscapes offers a vibrant and seasonless landscape.
Finally, don’t forget illumination and accessories. Hanging lights, string lights or lanterns to light up your garden at night; or wind chimes, bird feeders, or painted ceramic wall art that hangs. With all of these elements, your garden will have the perfect backyard retreat ambience you desire. With the proper lighting ambience, your garden can make it the perfect romantic spot so you can rest and relax.
Utilize water features and greenery
A fountain in your back yard for relaxation – your own island of bliss to use as you de-stress from a day’s work. Instead of championing distant resort vacations, Trahan extols the virtues of your own front-yard escape.
Clear away overgrown plants and weeds and climb over or gut any brambles to create a blank canvas. Spend time on the aesthetics and get the basics right before adding your own style. This is where you can let your creative flair run wild. Add a water feature or sculpture as your own personal notes of individuality to give it that special finishing quality.
Add water features such as a fountain or pond to create a sense of tranquility; plant flowers and shrubs native to your climate for visual harmony; and create variation with creeping vines on trellises or benches. Bring your oasis retreat full-circle by adding privacy to your patio. A quick tip is to repurpose buckets, wooden crates or tyres as planters.
Incorporate a rock garden
How would you like to be in a backyard resort where not much maintenance is required, no mowing of the grass or watering of the plants needed, an eco-friendly environment where you can enjoy different kinds of butterflies and birds? What more can you asked when your rock garden also have a waterfall that starts from a decorative rocks shape as it cascades into a stream which is followed by flowing towards some attractive plants? Well suited for such boggy environment would be succulents and cacti (or even snakes if you prefer) because they are drought-tolerant – meaning perfect for your artificial stream setting. The sound of flowing water can be blended by the tranquil tonalities of a fountain that completes the whole set-up as a source of lullaby.
Make your garden retreat more private and economical: Climbing vines trained to grow along fences or over structures offer an organic and appealing buffer from neighbours – and if you plant something with flowers, such as hibiscus or bird of paradise, it adds a sense of colour to the landscape, too.
Equip your bachelor pad backyard with couches and a fire pit – your time and money can be spent on the exciting spectacle of having people admire the results of your labour. Consider investing in a projection system and sheet for outdoor movie nights, too!
Add some lighting and accessories
If you don’t have a lot of money to spend but still want your backyard to be a welcoming garden spot, there’s no reason why it can’t be a stylish place to entertain or just chill out by yourself. All you need is a bit of planning and the right ideas for design.
Start by sketching out a general outline and assigning space for structures. Next, turn to your planting scheme – populating the landscape with grasses, trees, shrubs and flowers. Finally, accessorise to your heart’s content to polish up your project.
Think of ferns, moss, bagua (Chinese coins), a gentle sound of cascading water or music from a portable speaker – and, of course, a relaxation fountain!
The next part is to create a welcoming oasis, perhaps even by developing your garden to cater to the presence of wild animals by creating a bird feeder and putting out plants that attract butterflies, bees and insects. Perhaps a fire pit where you can congregate? Or just enjoying the night sky from your garden?