Are you lucky enough to own a big yard or garden, but at a loss with what to do with it? Looking at a big expanse of outdoor space can be daunting, and it’s tempting just to leave it alone. Where should you start and what should you do with it all? Even for those who have less space to work with, making the most of what they have is a huge task. You feel that you should get as much use out of your yard as you can, but after a lawn for the kids to play on and a dining area for barbecues, you’re pretty much stumped. But there are many ways you can use your outdoor space, and it doesn’t stop at a few plants.
Photo by Dave Catchpole
What Do You Want Your Yard to Do?
There’s no point creating a yard that you won’t use. You might like the sound of a seating area with a fire pit, but will you use it? Your outdoor space might serve a single purpose, or you might want it to be a more flexible space, just like your house. If you have kids but also like to entertain guests, you need a space that’s suitable for both children and adults. That doesn’t mean that the whole of your yard needs to be usable for everything at all times. You can create different sections, or a transformable space. For example, perhaps you have an open space for the kids to play in during the day, but in the evening you can put out a foldable table and chairs.
Seating Options
You can’t get the full use of your yard if there isn’t somewhere for you to sit. Whether you eat dinner outside or just sit and look out over the lawn, outdoor seating gives you the time to enjoy your space. One way to have seating outside is to make it an extension of the house. You can do this through attaching a pergola or patio cover to the side of the house, or just be having a deck or patio space. You could also have seating further into the yard, perhaps on a Softwoods gazebo or a deck at the back of the garden. For very informal seating, try weatherproof bean bags and pillows in the middle of the lawn, with a privacy screen around them to hide you away.
Multi-functional Family Gardens
When you have kids, it can feel like you have to give your whole yard up to them. But you aren’t obligated to let them have the whole space, and it’s easy to make your yard a family space, not just a kids’ space. A good idea is to keep the grown-up space, like dining areas and decks, at one end of the yard. This leaves plenty of lawn space for ball games and general running around. If you like to garden, keep your plants to the borders and protect them with fences around the perimeter – or very strict rules about staying away from them!
It’s easiest to make a flexible outdoor space when you have more room to work with. But if your yard is smaller, you can still make clever use of your space.