Pictures of Backyard
Landscape Designs
In lieu of completing a full-fledged backyard landscape design, you can certainly use pictures of backyard landscape designs to help provide you with ideas for your own project.
The picture above, and the following are pictures of backyard landscape designs that I have completed around my above ground pool. This is a picture of my above ground pool with elephant ears planted around it. You'll notice that I have soil filled in to the sides of the pool (the south side of the pool sits approximately 12 inches in the ground) so a good foot of that side of the pool is actually "in-ground." I planted the elephant ears in 2007, and left the bulbs in the ground throughout the winter....big mistake! They did not come back! I was being defiant as I thought, even though I was told otherwise, that they might return. Oh well! In colder climates, these bulb plants must be removed before freezing temperatures set in. In 2008 I planted hosta (opens new window) around the pool, and this spring I am planning to add yellow and/or red daylilies (opens new window) to the mix.
They will definitely return next year, and are forming a more uniform mounding hedge which looks nicer around the pool. Hostas (opens new window) are generally one of the shade loving perennials, however I have also seen this plant do well in sun. For those with above-ground pools, it is ok to fill in the soil to the sides of the pool as long as the soil is graded slightly away from the pool. You would not want water to accumulate around the pool, or that could cause future problems.
This is a picture of the firepit that I installed in the backyard in early 2007. Because my backyard has more of a park-type feel to it, I wanted something that was a little more rustic and gave the feeling of camping to add to my backyard fun! I outlined a 4 foot diameter circle, dug the soil down far enough to equal the height of 2 concrete pavers that I had laying around my yard, leveled the bottom of the firepit, and placed the pavers in a circle. I poured sand in between the pavers for stability. The whole project took me about 4 hours, and has been quite enjoyable! If you do this yourself do one of two things:
1. Tamper down the soil on the bottom of the pit before laying the pavers, or
2. don't disturb the bottom layer of the soil by digging into it.
Failing to take either one of these actions could result in the pavers shifting over time. By the way, I feel compelled to mention that you should check with your local municipality as to the rules and regulations about placing a firepit in your yard. Needless to say, I did not do that, figuring that the worst case scenario would be that I'd have to remove it. Fortunately, none of my neighbors have reported me, and I placed the firepit far enough away from any structures that I am not worried about it as a fire hazard. Also be sure to contact Diggers Hotline before you do any digging.
The following pictures of backyard landscape designs focus on how to hide something in your landscape that you don't want to be seen. If you're dealing with any nasty protrusions in your yard, like an old flagpole pipe, or an above ground electrical outlet (which is what I'm covering up here) establishing a small group of landscaping plants, or even a single bush can create a nice landscaping feature, while hiding the protrusion and reminding you to be careful when cutting the lawn. I have received several positive comments about this cute little fuzzy bush!
I certainly wouldn't recommend planting around a "fire hydrant" but I did think that this was a good example of how to deal with those bizarre, unsightly protrusions in your yard. I do feel compelled to say however, be careful what it is that you plan on covering up. If it's something that you or someone else may need to locate in an emergency (such as....oh....let's say....a FIRE HYDRANT!), it may be best to leave those objects exposed.
I thought this was a great example of plantings around the base of a tree. It can be difficult figuring out to make the base of a tree aesthetically pleasing, and I think this family did a great job of planting different plants, with a variety of colors, to create this wonderfully artistic design. I particularly like the inclusion of landscape rocks around the border, although I'd use caution with this, as it will require "edging", an extra step in your regular lawn care maintenance.
Of course, pictures of backyard landscape designs aren't only about the backyard, are they? Here's a picture of my parent's home from the front. They have done a beautiful job of creating an interesting backyard landscape design which displays a large variety of landscaping plants, that maintain visual interest because of the variety in height and color. They also have the landscape anchored by one of their landscaping trees-the star magnolia, in the right hand corner. They used to have a saucer magnolia tree that gave shade to the large hostas (opens new window) you see in front. Unfortunately, that tree died a few years ago, but as you can see, it certainly did not hurt the hostas! While hostas are shade loving perennials, they do tolerate the sun, and in this landscape they get a great deal of morning sun. The free-flowing design of the planting area adds interest and beauty.Browsing pictures of backyard landscape designs can help give you ideas on what to create in your own backyard landscape. I hope that my pictures of backyard landscape designs have been helpful to you, and give you ideas on some simple ways to improve your own landscape. Don't miss out on any of the pictures of backyard landscape designs that I add to this site! Sign up for my free newsletter below:
Thanks for visiting this site! As always, happy landscaping!
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