Tips to set up your own backyard garden

Turning your backyard into a beautiful garden, requires planning and proper execution. In this article, we help you achieve that in a systematic manner.

Location and selection of plants for back garden

It is important to note that an abundance of greenery can make the garden look beautiful and spacious. Always create an easy-to-maintain landscape.

“Choose a mix of tall trees, small shrubs, ornamental plants, leafy plants and seasonal flowering plants, to add to the beauty. This will give a minimalistic, as well as a fuller view to your garden,” says Chetana Bhutada, co-founder, Make My Garden.

See also: Flower gardening for beginners

Pots, paths and edges in a backyard garden

When designing the backyard garden, think of the various ways in which the plants can be grown – for example, in flower beds, pots or hanging baskets. To add to the visual charm around the plants, create brick borders, stone paths, pebble borders or grass hedges. Make a garden path with grass turf, tiles, gravel stepping stone, bricks or paver blocks.

Back garden landscape

Use a vibrant plant palette in the garden area. Add a variety of colours for an aesthetically pleasing environment. Select ornamental and variegated leaf shrubs and flowers, to brighten up the place. Choose terracotta planters, blue and yellow Jaipur pottery for herbs and bougainvillea. Apart from pretty flowers and colourful foliage, colourful pergolas, bright chairs and garden ornaments like statues, can add a dose of vibrancy.

See also: Tips for designing a house garden

How to grow veggies in a back garden

One can also nurture some veggies in the back garden. “Herbs, greens and salads, can be nurtured in vertical box planters with a few hours of direct morning sunlight, in a well-drained nutritious potting mix. Radishes, carrots and beets grow well in deep pots and beans and gourds are easy to plant and grow in big pots with a trellis. Strawberries can be cultivated in hanging baskets, while tomatoes and chillies thrive in containers, as long as they have ample sunlight,” says Bhutada.

How to set up a cooking and dining area in the back garden

Outdoor cooking in the back garden is great fun and one can set up a barbeque area. You can make the backyard a preferred spot for entertaining guests. If space permits, build a small outdoor kitchen. Invest in outdoor furniture. If you have a sprawling backyard, choose a Morocco-style seating area or a weather-proof Arabian tent and enjoy the dinner. If space is a constraint, opt for comfortable cushioned outdoor chairs.

Tips for creating a back garden play area

Your backyard can be used as a play area for the kids. One can install play equipment like a small slide, swing, play gym, or wall for rock climbing and a sand pit, for the children to play.

How to add a water feature in the back garden

The sight and sound of water has a calming and healing effect. So, have a small garden pond, bird bath or a trickling fountain. One can make a pool to exercise, if it is a huge back garden.

See also: Lucky plants for the home

How to maintain a backyard garden

Garden work does not really stop with the makeover; rather, this is where the work really starts. “The after-care, maintenance, adding nutrition, cutting, pruning, cleaning, support for the plants, timely cleaning and pest management, are what makes the garden bloom,” concludes Bhutada.

Tips to design a relaxing back garden

• Focus on enhancing the garden with green elements, rather than filling it with huge pieces of furniture.
• Grow trees such as lemons, pomegranate or flowering trees, such as Indian coral tree, or scented flowering trees of Parijat, Gulmohar and Indian cork tree (chameli).
• Ensure that there is a proper drainage system installed, to avoid flooding or over-watering of plants.
• Brighten the backyard in an interesting way, to enjoy evening activities by using Edison bulbs, tree-hung lanterns or glowing fairy lights.
• Beautify the garden walls by hanging potted plants or with a bold and bright mural art.
• Make a small relaxing zone in the back garden to read, do yoga and meditation.

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