Landscaping ideas come in many forms but some are a lot cooler than others. To inspire you and help you save time, we’ve put together a list of the best landscaping ideas that can transform your outdoor space.
If you are “landscaping,” you are basically making improvements to a property by updating existing designs and features, upgrading them, or creating them from scratch.
Most of the time, landscaping isn’t concerned with just how your front yard or backyard looks, but also with their functionality.
Functions could include irrigation, drainage, seating, and so on and are at least as important as the design. That’s why you don’t want to focus solely on aesthetics while neglecting the function.
The beauty of landscaping, and being a landscaper, is that it allows you to be as creative as you want.
The process is multi-disciplinary and requires you to think about architecture, gardening, terrain, climate, construction, and many other disciplines.
It may sound a bit intimidating at first. And expensive. But when it comes to landscaping, there’s a lot of room for DIY ideas, upcycling, and creativity, things which can be fun and save you money at the same time.
In this article, we are going to explain how to begin your adventure as a landscaper in simple and cost-effective ways.
We’ve also prepared over 100 images of landscaping ideas and designs for your front and backyard to spark your imagination and give you lots of ideas that you can reinterpret and work into your own designs.
Types of Landscaping Features
There are many different types of landscaping features. You don’t have to include all of them in your design.
The important thing is to choose the ones that you most need and balance them in a harmonious design.
Here are some of the more common features in landscaping.
Growing Beds
Grow beds are a staple of the landscape gardening world. They’re a great way to spruce up your home whilst also going some organic gardening.
You can make these however you want, so don’t be afraid to get creative.
Landscaping Walkways
Walkways are popular in landscaping and a must for most projects. Nothing makes your garden classier than an intricate path weaving around your house and flowerbeds.
You can build walkways out of wood, paved cement, concrete, gravel, pebbles…
Take your pick!
Water Fountain Features
Also in the upper tier of landscaping features, fountains add a certain amount of decorum to your front or back yard.
You can combine them with other water features to create bird and bee baths, ponds, pools, and more.
Tip: Keep in mind that water sources in your garden may attract mosquitos so make sure to plant some mosquito repellant plants around them.
Flowering Trees
A bit more traditional and rustic, flowering trees are an essential part of your landscape gardening adventure if you’re aiming for a natural garden look.
The trees that flower in spring include, but are not limited to magnolia trees, weeping cherry, and dogwood trees, to name a few.
These trees really come into their own in spring, putting on a beautiful display of flowers that will bring magic to your yard.
Landscaping Ideas for Front Yards
Now let’s look at some actual landscaping ideas–starting with those for front yards.
Your front yard is the first thing you, or anyone else for that matter, sees when approaching your property. It can make a great first impression and uplift your mood every day.
So why not spruce up your front yard with some inspired landscaping ideas?
Here are our favorite ideas for landscaping your perfect front yard, followed by many more ideas for backyard landscaping below.
1. Cheap Landscaping with Tiles and Flower Beds
This simple walkway is in harmony with the well-trimmed grass around it and the colorful flower beds. Plus the tiled decor adds a touch of elegance to the entryway and mailbox.
Important: Be sure to keep the flower beds tidy by taking out those weeds as soon as they pop up.
2. Beautiful Home Garden Design
Now here’s a beautiful home garden design idea that plays with different textures and colors and uses creative edging.
You can update your front yard design by adding shrubs, walkways, and trees. Arrange the flowerbeds in patterns for maximum impact.
3. Simple Contemporary Front Yard Landscape
These days, modern landscaping has toned down a bit. It has a minimal approach with fewer stones and flowering plants.
Simplify your front yard like the image above for a nice, minimalistic effect.
4. Landscaping Grass Patches and Flower Beds
This is a small landscaping idea for the front yard with a colorful flower garden. It’s an easy way to dress up your front yard without breaking the bank.
5. Landscaping Ideas with Pebbles and Rocks
Aside from plants and flowers, you can also add stones, gravel mix, and river rocks to create some texture in your yard.
In this example, a metal lawn garden edge separates the lawn from the walkway and creates an interesting contrasting transition space. A similar approach can give your front yard some classy desert vibes.
6. Easy Landscaping Ideas for Big Mansions
If you live in a big house with a big front yard, you may be tempted to fill your front yard with plants and trees.
However, there’s no need to fill every space–sometimes the best landscaping ideas deliberately focus on creating empty space, like in the example above.
Tip: Yellow flowering shrubs can make your designstand out with very little!
7. DIY Landscaping Ideas
If you have a small front yard, you can make it look cute and perfect by creating a small garden with tidy grass and plants. Here’s an example.
8. Tropical Front Yard Landscaping Ideas
If you have a big house with a huge front yard, you have to consider that not all trees are suitable for it.
This huge palm tree looks great in this example but may look out of place in other settings.
9. Front Yard Landscaping Ideas
One of the best ways of transforming your front by using a symmetrical approach to landscaping.
Having an equal balance of trees and flowers on both sides makes this front yard look great. We especially like the square flower beds.
10. Front Yard Landscaping Ideas with Rocks
This is a blend of modern architecture and desert landscaping. It’s a very good example of xeriscaping, the practice of landscaping in a way that reduces the need for irrigation.
The lines and the planes of the houseworkwork well with the well-structured landscape design.
11. Garden Landscaping Ideas with Seating Area
A cottage front yard garden is best for minimal space. Create rock pathways and blend them with perennials. Add a seating area to make it look more inviting.
12. Grand Front Yard Landscaping
You can make an impression on visitors with a grand entryway like this one. The huge potted flowers on their stone pedestals are a colorful and fragrant way of welcoming visitors.
13. Front Yard Landscaping Plant Ideas
Wildflowers can be a nice addition to your front yard, and they are not hard to grow, either.But make sure to consider the height of your plants as certain wildflowers can overshadow other garden plants.
14. Front Yard Landscaping with Rocks
Front yard landscaping ideas can emphasize the appeal of the outdoors within your own home. This beautiful design is a mixture of stones, rocks, plants and water bodies with some grass.
15. Inexpensive Minimalist Landscaping Ideas
This neutral landscaping looks fabulous with the white wildflowers, grass, and small bushes. In this example, mulching creates a nice, inexpensive contrast with the grass.
16.Continental Landscape Designs
Our list of landscaping ideas continues with an earthy front yard that combines large boulders with natural foliage. It looks so simple and peaceful.
17. Seasonal Landscaping Design in Pots
Hanging flower baskets in your front yard is a fresh and elegant way to increase the appeal of your entryway. You can change the annual flowers every year for a fresh new look.
18. Luxurious Landscaping Ideas for a Charming Home
Stone edging, a rich mix of shrubs and flowers, and elegant paving–all of these elements blend beautifully in this luxurious front yard design.
19. Landscaping Ideas Around the House
A curving pathway can reinvent an otherwise conventional front yard design. In this example, irregular flower beds fill up space nicely and provide contrasting texture to the lawn.
20. Landscaping Ideas for Suburban Homes
This landscaping design idea is perfect for suburban homes. Match the green of your front yard lawn with the lawn on the sidewalk, add some perennials, and there you have it: a simple, attractive, and easy to maintain landscaping design.
21. Landscaping Rocks with Bushes and Flowers
Surround your porch with your favorite flowers and watch the world go by. This design is perfect for those who want to snuggle up on the porch in their rocking chair with a cup of tea.
22. Wide Colorful Landscaping Ideas
Now here’s a different take on landscaping–a wide, open green space framed with a colorful flowering tree and bordered by low flower beds.
Tip: A small flower garden can add texture, color, and fragrance to your front yard–it’s one of the best landscaping ideas around.
23. Landscaping Ideas For a Big Front Yard
For large and sophisticated lawns, consider using Bermuda grass, which is drought-tolerant and durable. It also provides a clean and fresh look.
24. Landscaping Ideas for a Simple Front Yard
This simple front yard looks clean and fresh–the only thing that draws attention to itself is the flowering tree. The tree adds visual height to the yard and saves it from looking boring.
Tip: Adding different heights to your landscaping can break the monotony of similar elements.
25. Landscaping Floral Ideas on a Budget
Talking of landscaping ideas for small budgets, here’s another example of simple but appealing flower bed arrangements with taller, neatly trimmed hedges in the background.
26. Symmetrical grass Landscaping Ideas
If you don’t have enough time to groom your front yard all year round, you can just keep it simple with a symmetrical design like this one.
The flowers bowls framing the entryway provide a burst of greenery that adds freshness to the design.
27. Desert-like Front Yard Landscape
If you’re tired of all those green lawns, how about something like this? Desert landscaping ideas feature gravel, rocks, and small boulders. It looks superb when accented with grasses, plants, and trees.
28. Easy Landscaping Ideas
This is a simple landscaping idea for a front yard that draws attention to the cute white house rather than to itself.It’s timeless and easy to maintain.
29. Small Front Yard Landscaping
This garden may be tiny but it displays a wide variety of plants and flowers that make the front yard look fresh and colorful.
30. Minimalist Front Yard Landscaping Design
This type of pure landscaping is very easy to maintain once the initial groundwork is complete and looks timelessly elegant.
31. Stylish Front Yard Landscaping Ideas
The red brick home is the perfect backdrop for an assortment of low, colorful flowers. The flowers add a simple but graceful touch to the lawn (see the small “before” image).
Landscaping Ideas for Backyards
Backyards can vary a lot from property to property. A backyard can be anything from a small private area for growing some vegetables to a vast meadow to serve canapés and champagne to guests at dinner parties.
Here are some landscaping ideas suitable for all types of backyards–big or small, grand or cozy.
32. Elegant But Cozy Backyard Landscaping
If you’re looking to totally revamp your backyard, why not install a fire pit and surround it with some chairs to open up the space of your garden.
This creates a cozy vibe even in a grand and elegant setting, whilst also giving your guests space to think, breathe, and relax.
If you don’t have a fire pit already, check out this one:
33. Awesome Small Backyard Rock Garden
Incorporating Zen garden landscaping ideas into your design can be an inspired idea. In this example, gravel takes the place of grass.
Tip: Add privacy to your backyard with a stylish fence. Line this with shrubs and small trees and build a small wall on the inside. Furnish with a stylish bench and there you have it, an interesting back yard.
34. Backyard with a Stylish Hot Tub
Having a stylish hot tub behind a cozy backyard sitting area is going to give rise to some memorable moments. This garden also features a modernist fireplace.
35. Spectacular Backyard
A large outdoor seating area like this one requires a major investment but the result is impressive in every way.The natural surroundings and elegant garden designs make the area classy yet simple.
36. Affordable Backyard Landscape Garden Design
By contrast, this much smaller backyard focuses on a simple flower bed and widely available plants.
You can add some texture and architectural dimension to your backyard with a container such as the metal barrel in this example.
Tip: If you are using tall planters, you can avoid using a lot of compost or soil by filling cans or plastic bottles at the bottom.
37. Backyard Landscape Ideas with Separate Seating Area
You can create your own separate seating area for a plus of intimacy–and to gaze at the stars at night.
38. Swimming Pool Landscaping Ideas
The pool is located at the rear end of the backyard, leaving a huge space for the kids to play. This kind of garden, created with just a swimming pool and a neat lawn, is perfect for barbecues, sports, and family gatherings.
39. Sophisticated Backyard Landscaping Designs for Gardeners
Now here’s a beautiful example of landscaping ideas coalescing into a striking layout.
Create this kind of area with gravel and walkways, simple flower beds, and a well-positioned bench.
40. Backyard Landscaping Plans – Streetside
Colorful flowers and tiny small evergreens fill this small backyard, bringing nature closer to hope without requiring a major investment.
41. Unique Backyard Landscaping
Having a water element in your backyard can add a new dimension to it and inspire you to get creative with nearby elements.
Even though this garden is small, it’s given a really special vibe by the water feature and stone elements.
42. Backyard Shrubs Design with Fountain and Hedges
Low hedges, gravel, and background shrubs complement the old-style fountain that takes the center stage in this landscaping design.
43. Beautiful Backyard Landscaping
When it comes to landscaping, you shouldn’t limit yourself to flowers and grass only. This example uses a fountain surrounded by creative hedging for a special touch.
44. Cheap Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Stone is your ally when it comes to creating affordable pathways and borders for plants. Here’s an example to prove the point.
45. Backyard Pool
Your backyard can become a spa-like space if you combine a pool with a sitting area. Add some bright flowers for color and a few trees for shade.
46. Elegant Backyard Garden Ideas
You can add other functional elements to your backyard such as an outdoor kitchen, a barbecue, or a bar. In this way, you can turn your yard into an entertainment hub for your guests.
47. Backyard Landscaping Designs with Staircase
In this example, the owner has built a functional staircase from the road to their home. You can adapt this design to a sloping backyard to separate it into two or more halves.
48. Garden Landscaping Ideas with Big Lawn
Sometimes it’s great to sit back and enjoy the magnificent view of your backyard. In this design, the view is emphasized by opening up space.
49. Landscape Design For Backyard
You can add some rocks to the edge of your flower bed to make it more creative. Arranging them in a wavy pattern like this breaks the monotony of straight lines.
50. Landscape Design for Backyard Patio
Blending natural elements and colors can create a harmonious effect within your backyard. Here’s a spectacular example that shares no expense to create striking results.
51. Landscape Design for Small Backyard
This is a contemporary small backyard that combines natural elements with a modernist fire pit sitting area. Don’t shy away from such combinations–they can add a special touch to your yard.
52. Landscaping Your Backyard into a Lounge Area
Using your backyard as a lounging area can be an inspired idea. Nature combined with an outdoor sitting area is a perfect match.
Tip: Like the example above proves, the tasteful agglomeration of items and furniture can create a cozy open-air setting.
53. Perfect Landscape Design for Small Spaces
This landscape uses pathways, fencing, stone, stairs, grass, and plants to create a balanced and harmonious design. Like we keep repeating, the best landscaping ideas are often simple ones.
54. Rounded Natural Landscape Design with Pergola
The paved pathway in this example rounds an inner grass circle and leads to a patio with a pergola. It’s an interesting and timeless design that makes the most of the available space.
55. Landscapes Ideas with a Fireplace
An outdoor fireplace can be very useful especially during autumn and spring. It can transform your sitting area and invite you to spend more time outside with your family.
56. Landscaping Designs with Pathways
Laying stones on grass can create a simple and durable pathway that you can follow to your chill space–in this example, a wooden pergola with wooden supports for climbers.
57. Shaded Patio Landscaping Ideas
In this design, the patio gets plenty of shade throughout the day, making it cool enough to relax during all hours even in summer.
58. Landscaping Backyard Ideas with Lights
Now here’s a cozy backyard that features rock walkways, wooden seating, a fire pit, and delicate lighting. The tall shrubs in the background complement the decor.
59. Backyard Pool Landscaping with Pergola
The backyard pool is the main element in this landscaping design. The marble patio is also a fantastic feature that adds a classy element to the setting.
60. Natural Landscaping Ideas
Another approach to landscaping your backyard is to let nature take center stage–in other words, not getting in the way of it. Here’s a green and vibrant example.
61. Wonderful Backyard Design
This is a perfect place for relaxing and enjoying the greenery. The gigantic privacy hedge also adds an element of solitude to the garden.
62. Landscaping Ideas for Small Backyards
Wooden walkways above gravel–here’s a very Japanese take to landscaping. This minimalist designhas a harmonious effect and can soothe you just by looking at it. We especially like the walkway.
63. Hammock Landscaping Idea for Backyard
Be creative and go beyond sod and mulch by creating a sand bed and hanging over it a hammock. This will make you feel like you’re on the beach in your own backyard!
64. Gorgeous Backyard
Create a beautiful lounge area in your backyard by having Spanish arches in the background. It’s the sort of place that’s just great for taking your siesta.
65. Lovely Backyard Landscaping
This newly renovated backyard features a wooden deck with a privacy wall and a sitting area next to a mulberry tree. If you got the space, you may also want to add a kitchen and bar, like in the example.
66. Modern Backyard Landscaping Ideas
This modern backyard features some artificial grass with stone pavers. But the highlight is the colorful fireplace next to the outdoor dinning area.
Tip: Bold colors can work surprisingly well in an otherwise classic backyard.
67. Fire Pit and Sand Landscaping Ideas
This type of backyard design is great if you like to hang out with your friends, make barbecues, play some drinking games, or just relax around the fire.
As you can see in the example above, sand can take the place of grass without making it look like anything has been lost.
68. Nice Backyard Landscaping Privacy Walls
Change your lifestyle by eating your meals out in the open air. With a quiet and intimate backyard design like this one it all becomes a lot easier.
Tip: Privacy screens don’t have to look like privacy screens–at all! Use the example above for inspiration.
69. Newly Renovated Backyard
If you love the smell of firewood, don’t forget to place a fire pit in your newly renovated backyard. You can build it from readily available materials and cover it with stone to make it look nicer.
70. Landscape Design with Walkway
Got plenty of space in your backyard? That’s great. You can create a long, winding walkway and place a bench at the end so you can enjoy the view.
You can opt for either a single path or a double path that meets back at the end.
71. Dining Area in Your Backyard
Plastic is not always evil! Brightly colored dining chairs can make your backyard look interesting even if the space it occupies is small. We also like the wooden backdrop with shrubs.
72.English Inspired Backyard Design
Sculpted shrubs can give your garden a pleasant formal look. This rounded shape is one of the most popular hedge shapes. Plus it lets the sun reach all the way to the base of the plant.
73. Modern Small Yard Design
Add more color to your backyard seating area with vibrant throw pillows and cushions. Red and orange are a brilliant combination.
74.Simple Landscaping Ideas with Wood
A custom wooden flower box like the one in this example can help you overcome the challenge of limited planting space. Choose plants that add color, texture, and fragrance to your space.
75.Backyard Ideas withTall Perennials
Does your backyard borders on a road? You may want to plant some tall flowering perennials to create a border between your yard and the road.
This garden features Echinacea “Coconut Lime,” white Phlox paniculata “David,” Aster “Bluebird,” Platycodon, and Digitalis ferruginea.
76.Small Backyard Landscape Design Ideas with Raised Bed
Raised beds are perfect for areas with sandy soil or heavy clay as they let you choose the soil that is the most appropriate for your plants. Here’s an example of a raised bed bordered by stone.
77. Backyard Ideas for Huge Spaces
A fire pit in the corner of a huge backyard can be a good idea. You can place it at the edge of your backyard to enjoy a stunning view while cooking some s’mores!
78. Contemporary Backyard with Synthetic Turf
The synthetic turf on the stonework works well in this small backyard design. It’s a nice touch that places the place more interesting.
79. Big Backyard Ideas
Fencing in your herb and vegetable patch like in this example can help you divide your backyard into different areas. It can help you keep things organized and prevent pets from damaging the plants.
80. Backyard Landscaping for Entertainment
A mini-golf course in your backyard? Why not. Synthetic turf can be cheaper and easier to maintain but if money is not a problem, go for authentic turg–it’s worth it!
81. Forest Like Backyard Ideas
Mystery paths are one of our favorite backyard landscaping ideas. To create one, plant some tall perennials on the sides of the walkway so as to conceal the end of the path.
82. DIY Backyard Ideas
Nice, modern, and clean–what’s not to like about this modern backyard example? If you don’t feel like maintaining grass, use paving stones and plant hedges and flowers in large plant pots or raised beds.
83. Cheerful Backyard Ideas
This stylish backyard combines a lounging area with a dining area and a playing area for the kids at the back. We especially like the yellow canopy that provides shade and is a good defense against rain too!
84. Elegant Wooden and Concrete Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Now here’s a blend of old landscaping elements with modern ones, all distilled in a neat design. The fireplace is the center of attention but most of all we like the wooden ceiling and privacy walls.
85. Backyard Ideas With Pool
Have you ever swam under the stars? In this example, the light on the firewall illuminates the pool and contributes to the night-time ambiance of the place.
86. Backyard Ideas Patio with Pallet Benches
Stacking a few pallets and adding some comfy pillows like in this example can help you create a comfortable seating area around a fire pit.
87. Long Grass Backyard Ideas on a Budget
One way to fill space in your backyard without spending too much is to use tall maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis “Gracillimus”). In this image, it’s blended with a dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides “Hameln”).
88. Small Backyard Ideas with Synthetic Grass Rug
With a faux-grass rug, you can create a comfortable corner in your backyard if you can’t plan grass or simply don’t have the time to maintain it. Check out this example for inspiration.
Check out this artificial grass rug:
89. Simple Backyard Ideas with a Tropical Feel
The Japanese fiber banana (Musa basjoo) is a hardy tropical plant. You can use it and similar plants to create a tropical hideaway.
90. Narrow Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Transform a small yard into a garden with a stylish pergola. It can provide shade for your windows as well as privacy. When you don’t have much space, think vertically!
91. Cozy Backyard Family Design Ideas
Now here’s a cozy backyard that incorporates interesting elements like the rusted fire pit while keeping things simple.
92. Stone Patio Landscaping Ideas
This stone patio is simple and accessible. The colorful accents in the seating area provide warmth and help create an inviting space.
93. Creative Ceramic Backyard Designs
The green ceramic water pedestal is the focal point of this backyard. It is surrounded by rocks and plants commonly used in Japanese gardens.
94. Floating Deck Backyard Ideas
Now here’s a floating deck backyard with a pergola at the end of a path made from a cut tree trunk. Notice the creative edging and the contrasts it creates.
95. Big Backyard Design Ideas with Stone
Having lots of stone in your backyard can be a good idea, provided you incorporate a fireplace to warm the place up. In this image, plants help smooth the hard edges of the stones.
96. Backyard Ideas on the Cheap
Simple gravel pathways and flower beds bordered by stones look good and are easy to create. They provide a natural, rustic look that stands the test of time.
97. Backyard Ideas For Small Yards
A simple path crossing a neat lawn beneath overhanging branches–it’s a simple but elegant take on landscaping.
98. Ideas For Backyard Spaces
Living in a rainy, windy area? Creating a sitting area inside a cute outhouse like this one can be a great idea. Placing the outhouse near a tree like in this example helps integrate it seamlessly into the setting.
99. Backyard Landscaping Ideas for Moderate Spaces
Shade plants are your friends when it comes to landscaping under trees. Simple flower beds like this can cheer up your yard by adding greenery and color to it.
100. Rustic Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Last but not least, here’s a very simple stone path idea with flowers and rocks. It’s cute and won’t require any maintenance.
Bonus: Can’t get enough of these landscaping ideas? Explore now another 7250 unique landscaping designs and ideas to fire up your imagination and turn your yard into a work of art.
Why Landscape?
There are all kinds of reasons why you might want to develop your property, and you probably already know them. And they are not just a question of aesthetics.
Here are some of the core benefits of DIY landscaping.
Increase the Value of Your Property
Maybe you want to sell your property, later on, to move to a new house. Or just rent it while traveling the world.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to increase your property’s worth, landscaping is one of the best ways to do it.
If you want to get into real estate, increasing the value of your property is just something you have to do.
Maybe your lawn needs re-structuring or the irrigation in your garden has gone awry?
Landscaping to fix these issues is a sure-fire way to make your property more attractive–in your eyes as well as in those of others.
Improve Your Mental Health
Gardening has real benefits, and landscaping helps you tap into most of them.
It’s been proven that getting out in the sun is a great way to boost your mood, fight off mental illness, and generally improve your mental wellbeing.
Also, starting and developing a personal project is a great way to boost your mood and increase your motivation.
In landscaping, you will have tangible, reachable goals. You will see your project develop before your eyes.
Improve Your Physical Health
After a month or so of engaging with a physically demanding landscaping project, you can expect positive changes in your body from the outdoor activity.
Just being around nature every day has been shown to reduce stress levels and lower blood pressure.
A serious landscaping project that involves moving stones, planting flowers and trees, and digging the soil can help you burn 400 calories or more every session.
Exercise Your Creativity
Landscaping can be as creative and fun as you want it to be, and if you take a DIY approach to it, you have complete control over what you do. Designing your own yard can be an unforgettable experience.
Maybe you’re not an artist in the sense ofpainting or playing music, but anybody can be an artist in their own right whenit comes down to landscape design.
Contributing to a Better Ecosystem
Besides all the benefits to yourself, eco-friendly landscaping ideas can be beneficial to mother nature as well.
By planting trees, flowers, shrubs, hedges, etc, you are reducing your carbon footprint and allowing more oxygen to be produced in your garden, in this way contributing to a healthy atmosphere.
You are also allowing natural minerals to return to the ground, and preventing the spread of toxic chemicals.
Last but not least, you can attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies to your green space.
Bringing Landscaping Ideas to Life: Hire a Pro or DIY?
Landscaping a yard can be a time-consuming process. Say you work 9 to 5 and have kids…
Maybe you can’t find the time to begin a landscaping project because you’d rather spend the little time you have off work with your loved ones.
There are lots of companies that run landscaping services and charge reasonable fees. You can consult professional landscaping services in your area, or you can search online.
Below we’ve compiled a list of pros and cons for hiring an outside landscaping professional versus doing-it-yourself landscaping.
Hire a Gardener Pros and Cons
Whether you find a landscaping company in your local area or find one online, you want to do your research. Compare provides and look beyond the price.
Look for a strong online presence with plenty of reviews from previous clients. You’re also going to want to look for pictures of their work to see if it fits with your style.
This is a very large field, so you’re going to want to make sure the company you choose fits with your ideas.
Give them a call or an email to see if theyare good communicators, as this is important in the relationship you will havewith your landscaper.
Remember that this can be an expensive service costing thousands of dollars.
Also, make sure to check:
- If they are insured
- If they have a good reputation in the industry/have been going for a while
- If they specialize
- How long will the job take
- How will your budget be spent
Pros of Hiring a Landscaping Architect
- You will have professional advice all throughout the process of designing your garden
- You will be able to have physical help with difficult tasks
- You won’t spend as much time on the project yourself: good if you don’t have much free time
- You will be introduced to ideas and concepts you may have not figured out on your own
Cons of Hiring a Landscaping Architect
- It can get expensive
- You have to spend a lot of time searching for the right company
- You don’t get to do serious work yourself, which is good for your health
Landscaping DIY
When landscaping your own backyard, it’s less about what to do and more about what not to do. The limit to your garden is your own imagination (and maybe your wallet).
Broadly speaking, the most common mistakes made by DIY landscapers are related to money. It’s very easy to get carried away with an idea, spend a lot of money on the process, before realizing that’s not what they wanted in the first place.
Our advice: do your research. Make sure your plan is feasible and cost-effective.
If you plan on increasing the value of yourhome, make sure to observe trends in the real estate market before committingto a renovation.
If you just want to class up your home, maybe go with some natural features like flowering trees or shrubberies before jumping to expensive water features!
Pros of Landscaping DIY
- Complete artistic freedom
- You can do it at your own pace
- You can save money (quite a lot!)
- You’ll learn lots of things in the process
Cons of Landscaping DIY
- It could be difficult without proper skills
- Research might take a long time
- Completion time likely increases
- You may be limited by your lack of experience
Frequently Asked Landscaping Ideas Questions
If you have more questions about landscaping ideas, here are some frequently asked ones that we’ve seen from readers in the past. We thought we should answer them for you.
What is the best way to research landscaping ideas?
This all depends on you. One of the most popular platforms for crafty ideas for landscaping is Pinterest.
You can also look in landscaping books and other forums online that focus on this subject.
Are landscaping ideas expensive?
There are landscaping ideas that will fit almost any budget. Even more expensive ideas can often be made cheaper by substituting lower-cost materials.
So, you don’t need to let your budget hold you back–you can have the lawn you’ve dreamed of at a price you can afford.
What’s the first thing I should consider when searching for landscaping ideas?
The first thing to consider is what you want versus what you’re working with. Knowing how much space you have is going to be instrumental in picking the right landscaping ideas for you and reaping all the benefits of landscaping.
What are the 7 essential landscaping design principles?
The key principles of landscaping design are simplicity, balance, emphasis, variety, proportion, sequence, and unity. Keep them in mind as you create your landscaping features as they can make a huge difference!
How can I landscape my yard for less?
Plan your design so you will use available space effectively. Choose lawn alternatives like moss or gravel. Use hedges and affordable evergreens. Plant hardy perennials. Reuse and upcycle existing materials. Last but not least, do most of the work yourself. DIY landscaping can be amazing!
Bring Your Landscaping Ideas to Life
So, there you have it- our favorite landscaping design ideas for front yards and backyards. We hope our selection has fired up your imagination.
But remember that landscaping is a truly creative process that will challenge you in different ways and that requires hard work and time to complete. Be ready for some serious work!
Even if you choose to team up with a pro, you’ll still have to make big decisions. After all, you want your yard to fully reflect who you are and not be just a copy of a copy of someone else’s idea, right?
Now over to you. Have you ever landscaped a yard? Or do you plan to do so soon?
Tell us about it–we’d be happy to hear from you!
