Another Utah summer is stretching out and creeping in on cooler weather. In the coming weeks, you’ll still have opportunities to host backyard functions as the perfect late summer temperatures set in. Fall is a great time to ensure your yard ends the season looking gorgeous and establish for years to come a place your family and friends will want to be.
So give your yard a good look and analyze what you see. Do you see brown spots in your lawn or garden? Do the solar lights in your flowerbeds need a little adjustment? Or do you see an even larger problem, like a lackluster or even generic landscape design?
You don’t want your yard to look like everyone else’s, so if you feel dissatisfied with your landscape design, you need to find some way to change it. Below, we’ve listed a few uncommon features that will help your property stand out.
- Outdoor Kitchens
Nothing quite establishes a backyard as a destination like an outdoor kitchen. When you will have everything you need to host a party right there the yard becomes its own outdoor living space. Well designed outdoor kitchens feature everything a fully functioning kitchen needs.
Outdoor kitchens establish a sense of devotion to the yard. They establish real commitment to successful outdoor entertaining.
- Pergolas
Much like outdoor kitchens, pergolas establish outdoor living spaces or rooms. They provide a sense of place, somewhere to gather and feel in the landscape yet secluded and protected from the elements.
- Retaining Walls
Many yards are flat and thus boring. Even level areas don’t have to stay flat. Creating elevation interest can shake things up and make new areas. A slopped yard that becomes terraced will add usauble space and visual interest.
- Dividing Walls
The division of space is essential to produce an environment that establishes a sense of place. We naturally want to feel a sense of enclosure yet have framed views that entice us to explore. Brick or stone walls afford the opportunity to introduce architectural elements into the landscape and place to spotlight plant material.
- Vertical Gardens
Bringing the ground plane green vertical instantly creates intrigue. Using a wall and lattice, succulents can connect life to architecture. Stand alone monolith-style living walls are trending and certainly unique. You can have multiple monoliths in a pattern, or you can make your dividing walls out of them.
- Rock Gardens
Garden don’t have to be lush and packed full of life to hold character. When done right simple arrangements of boulders, sand and gravel, can carry intense intrigue. Often larger boulders are needed to generate the visual weight needed to pull off a successful rock garden. Dropping boulders in place will not do. Sizes and shapes need to be arranged artistically. Encourage moss growth to add a little color, and use a rake to create lines or patterns in the gravel or sand.
- Tree Trunk Decks
You likely have a deck just outside your backdoor. But you can add even more deck space if you build smaller ones around the big tree trunks in your yard. Put flowerpots on these smaller decks, or add cushions and a few pillows to turn them into a comfy sitting area.
Your yard doesn’t have to look the same as every other on the block. Use the tips above to make it unique. If you need additional instructions to transform your yard, check out the rest of our blog.