Create a Hidden Patio

A hidden patio can be created using salvaged materials and repurposed items to give the garden a unique style while keeping costs manageable.

Old bowling balls can be used as garden ornaments, while items such as weight plates can become stepping stones.

For long, narrow spaces, create two smaller seating areas instead of trying to make one large seating area. Tall container gardens can act as screens and help separate these areas into distinct outdoor rooms.

Mixing patio paving materials can also create visual interest. Stone chips can transition into pea gravel and then into flagstone. Bricks, gravel, stone, and concrete pavers can also be combined in different sections.

Concealing an Air Conditioner

An outdoor air conditioner can be hidden with strategic plantings so it does not detract from the appearance of the yard.

When covering an air-conditioning unit with plants, leave several feet of open space around it so that air can circulate freely.

Lush, Low-Care Planting

A garden bed can serve multiple purposes by concealing an unattractive fence and hiding an air conditioner.

Low-maintenance plants such as switchgrass, blue caryopteris, blue fescue, and purple-leaf Joe Pye weed can provide a durable planting that requires relatively little care. Many of these plants are also deer-resistant.

Using native plants can further reduce maintenance because plants adapted to the region generally handle local pests, diseases, and weather conditions better.

A simple color scheme can make a garden look organized and visually pleasing. Silver and blue foliage from lamb's ear and ornamental grasses creates a cool base that can be accented with blue caryopteris and dwarf butterfly bush.

Ornamental grasses can also add height toward the back of a garden.

Transforming an Average Yard

A small city lot can be transformed into an attractive outdoor space with thoughtful landscaping.

A small water feature can add peaceful sounds and create a more relaxing atmosphere while also supporting local wildlife such as birds and beneficial insects.

A patio placed near the home creates a convenient outdoor living area. For entertaining, patios are generally more convenient when located close to a back or side door.

Evergreens provide year-round privacy and can also act as windbreaks. Combining evergreen varieties with different foliage colors and plant shapes creates a more complex and attractive background.

A small pond near a patio can add ambiance. The sound of running water can make the space feel more relaxing and may help attract birds.

Handling an Inconvenient Slope

A terrace can be an effective solution for difficult slopes. Although installing a terrace can be expensive, completing the work over several years can make the project more manageable.

A retaining wall combined with evergreen arborvitae can create an attractive backdrop and provide privacy. A stairway can provide safer and easier access than walking across a muddy or steep hillside.

Using the same finish or material on the retaining wall and house can help visually connect the two structures.

Creating a Lush Front-Yard Garden

A bare garden bed near a front door can be transformed into an inviting landscape.

Adding plenty of compost to the soil can improve the planting area before planting.

Repeating purple-toned foliage throughout a garden can add warmth, depth, and visual continuity. Silver foliage and colorful containers can provide additional contrast and interest.

For year-round appeal, combine plants with different seasons of interest. Dwarf Alberta spruce, ornamental grasses, and variegated red-twig dogwood can provide winter interest, while spring bulbs and a mixture of easy-care annuals and perennials provide seasonal color.

A layer of mulch can help reduce weeds and conserve soil moisture.

Replacing Overgrown Foundation Shrubs

Overgrown foundation shrubs can block views and make a house appear untidy. Removing large, old shrubs can expose the architecture of the home and create space for a new landscape design.

After removing oversized evergreens, the area can be redesigned using stones, boulders, and easy-care plants.

Silvery-blue foliage from ornamental grasses and perennials can make a landscape feel lighter and more open.

A raised berm can add contour and interest while also helping reduce street noise.

Small redbud trees can eventually provide additional privacy without overwhelming a smaller house.

When planting trees, consider scale carefully. A very large tree next to a one-story house can make the house appear smaller.

Creating a Patio in an Unused Corner

The unused area behind a garage can become a useful space for a butterfly garden, cutting garden, or small patio.

A flagstone patio can provide a comfortable outdoor retreat. A garage wall can provide shade and privacy and can also serve as a location for outdoor art.

Murals, wall-mounted decorations, tall container plants, and vines can soften a large exterior wall.

A mixture of annuals, perennials, and shrubs can provide seasonal interest. Annual flowers can be replaced as seasons change to keep the garden fresh.

Flowering cabbage and pansies can provide seasonal color when summer annuals such as petunias begin to decline.

Creating a Cool Outdoor Retreat

A hot patio can become more comfortable by moving the seating area away from heat-reflecting walls and adding shade.

A pergola can provide additional shade and privacy while creating a more defined outdoor living area.

Plantings around the patio and pergola can soften hard surfaces and add visual interest. Fragrant plants can provide additional sensory appeal.

An outdoor fireplace can increase the usefulness of the space by providing warmth on cool evenings, creating a cozy atmosphere, and allowing outdoor cooking.

Improving a Plain Patio

A plain concrete-slab patio can be transformed into a more attractive outdoor living area with furniture, color, rugs, and plants.

A strong color theme can add warmth and visual interest to a concrete patio. Colorful cushions and decorative throws can improve comfort and style.

An outdoor rug can hide plain concrete while adding color, texture, and softness.

Container gardens placed along the edge of the patio can create a visual boundary between the lawn and patio. They can make the patio feel more intimate without requiring a permanent structure.

Improving an Unkempt Corner

An unused landscape corner can be redesigned to make mowing easier and add color and visual interest.

Removing a tree with roots that are damaging a home's foundation can open space for a new planting bed.

Curved bed edges can soften sharp corners and create a more natural landscape design.

A mixture of colorful plants such as mums, pansies, spirea, and purple smoke bush can create an attractive border.

Foliage color and texture can be just as visually important as flowers. Red-twig dogwood, dwarf mugo pine, junipers, and ornamental grasses can provide texture and interest during winter.

A tree-form smoke bush placed in a large container can create a dramatic focal point.

Containers can also be used within beds and borders to quickly change seasonal color or fill empty areas.

Creating a No-Mow Slope

Sloping front yards can be difficult to maintain, especially when mowing and watering require frequent movement up and down the slope.

Planting the slope with appropriate groundcovers, perennials, shrubs, and trees can reduce maintenance while improving its appearance.

A large slope renovation can be completed over several years rather than all at once.

For year-round interest, combine plants that provide seasonal displays. Fall-blooming perennials and trees or shrubs with attractive fall foliage can provide color in autumn.

Small evergreens, grasses, and plants with interesting forms can provide structure during winter.

Contrasting purple and chartreuse foliage can create a strong visual effect. Choose flower and foliage colors that complement the colors of the house.

A thick layer of mulch helps reduce weeds and conserve moisture.

Dense planting can also help stabilize a slope by holding soil in place and reducing erosion.

Improving a Cookie-Cutter Landscape

A suburban yard can be made more distinctive by expanding existing planting beds and adding colorful plants.

A wider bed around an existing crabapple tree can create more visual impact when filled with colorful perennials that remain attractive from spring through fall.

Free-flowing planting beds can look attractive from multiple viewpoints. Consider how the garden will look both from outside and through the home's windows.

A small retaining wall can break up a slope and add structure to the landscape. Berms and other changes in elevation can also create additional visual interest.

Stone edging can match a retaining wall and give planting beds a finished appearance. Edging also helps prevent lawn grass from spreading into garden beds and reduces maintenance.