Guide to Landscaping and Backyard Design: Plants, Pools, Hardscaping & Features
A well-designed backyard is a place your family will actually use, allows you to easily entertain guests, and enjoy more time outside. It’s where you grill, where the dog runs, where the kids play, and where you sit with a drink after work. If it’s done right, it brings you and your family tons of enjoyment and adds resale value to your home. This guide covers the features that turn a plain yard into a backyard you’d rather spend time in. You’ll find useful guides to backyard structures, water features, fire pits, decks, sheds, garden details, and the hardscape beneath it all.
The Biggest Backyard Decisions
These guides cover some of the biggest backyard decisions you can make.
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- Backyard deck ideas. Deck design that fits the yard, not just the house
- Types of landscape lighting. Landscape lighting types and uses
- Walkway ideas and designs. Walkway styles and materials
- Outdoor fire pit design ideas. Fire pit styles across materials and shapes
- Pergola ideas. Pergola designs across styles and sizes
- Gazebo ideas. Freestanding outdoor structure that defines a space
Backyard structures: gazebos, pergolas, arbors
These are the biggest features found in a backyard design by visual weight. Pick the right structure, and you can enhance the overall feel of the entire space.
- Gazebo designs. Gazebo shapes and roof styles compared
- Modern pergola designs. Cleaner-lined pergolas for a contemporary yard
- Pergola dimensions. Sizing the pergola to the seating below
- Pergola canopy ideas. Adding shade above the slats
- Louvered roof pergola. Adjustable-louver pergolas that handle sun and rain
- Pergola privacy wall. Adding a privacy screen to the pergola
- Pergola fence. Where the pergola meets the fence line
- Pergola with fire pit. Pergola sized and built around a fire pit
- Pergola furniture ideas. Furniture sets that work under a pergola
- Pergola lighting ideas. Lighting that turns a pergola into a nighttime spot
- Types of pergola plants. Climbing plants for the pergola posts
- Pergola vs gazebo. Two outdoor structures, different jobs
- Awning vs pergola. Attached vs freestanding overhead shade
- Arbor designs. Smaller overhead structures, often at entries
- Backyard pavilion ideas. Larger covered structures for bigger yards
- Backyard palapa ideas. Thatched-roof tropical shade structures
- Backyard ramada. Southwestern-style covered outdoor rooms
Pool cabanas
If the pool is already there, the cabana is what makes it usable for outdoor dining and enjoyment throughout more of the year.
- Pool cabana ideas. The shaded poolside structure that most pool yards lack
- Pool cabana with outdoor kitchen. Combining a cabana and outdoor cooking in one build
Decks and swimming pool deck surfaces
Decks can be a backyard feature or a backyard problem, depending on how they’re constructed and maintained. Here are some ideas to help.
- Wood deck design ideas. Wood deck styling and patterns
- Modern deck ideas. Modern deck designs and layouts
- Small deck ideas. Designs for smaller decks
- Roof deck design. Decking on a rooftop
- Redwood deck. Redwood as a decking material
- Pressure-treated wood deck. The most common wood deck approach
- Cantilever pool deck. The poured-edge pool deck style
- Limestone pool deck. Limestone as a pool deck surface
- Marble pool deck. Marble pool decking, weight and look
- Natural stone pool deck. Stone options for the pool surround
- Pea gravel pool deck. Gravel pool decking, the loose option
- Salt finish concrete pool deck. Salt-finished concrete around a pool
- Epoxy pool deck. Epoxy coating for pool surrounds
- Exposed aggregate pool deck. Aggregate-finished pool decking
- Travertine pool deck pros and cons. Travertine around a pool, hold-up story
Water features
Water features bring intrigue and a sense of luxury, with their sound and movement changing the whole feel of a yard.
- Types of fountains. Water features that work outdoors and indoors
- Garden water feature designs. Water features sized for a garden
- Backyard garden waterfalls. Waterfalls in the landscape
- Patio water features. Smaller water features for a patio
- Indoor water fountains. Water features that move indoors
Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces
These features can dramatically impact how you use your backyard at night. You’ll find designs that are round, square, gas or wood, built-in or portable.
- Fire pit dimensions. Sizing a fire pit and the surround
- Gas vs wood fire pit. Fuel choice and what it changes
- Cinder block fire pit. DIY fire pit using a cinder block
- Granite fire pit. Granite as a fire pit material
- Best rocks for a fire pit. Rocks that won’t crack from heat
- Types of fire pit mats. Protecting the surface under the fire pit
- Outdoor fireplace ideas. Built outdoor fireplaces for bigger yards
- Outdoor fireplace dimensions. Sizing an outdoor fireplace
- Outdoor fireplace with pizza oven. Fireplace and oven in one build
Sheds and other backyard structures
Smaller structures for storage, hobbies, and to fill corners of the yard that seem to lack a purpose.
- Types of sheds. Shed styles and what each is best for
- Shed sizes. Standard shed dimensions and footprints
- Shed organization ideas. Making the shed actually useful inside
- Backyard greenhouse ideas. Backyard greenhouses for plants and seasons
- Greenhouse sizes. Sizing a backyard greenhouse
- How to organize a greenhouse. Greenhouse layout that works
- Backyard yoga space. Building out a yoga corner of the yard
- Backyard putting green. Backyard golf practice setup
- Modern farmhouse backyard office. Detached office in the yard
Lawn and ground cover
What covers the open ground decides how easily the yard is maintained.
- Types of sod grass. Sod grass varieties for different climates
- Sod dimensions. Sod roll sizes and coverage
- Creeping thyme lawn. Living groundcover instead of grass
- Moss lawn pros and cons. Moss as a lawn alternative
- Artificial grass. Synthetic turf for lawns
- Artificial grass around a pool. Synthetic turf in pool surrounds
- Artificial turf for dogs. Synthetic turf in dog runs
- Cedar mulch pros and cons. Cedar mulch in garden beds
- Wood chip mulch pros and cons. Wood chip mulch, the practical case
- Pine straw vs mulch. Pine straw as a mulch alternative
- Dog-friendly backyard with no grass. Grass-free yards built for pets
- How to measure lawn size. Calculating square footage for sod or seed
- What size lawn mower do I need? Picking the best mower for your yard
Garden features
The smaller landscape elements that make a garden feel more intentional and styled.
- Outdoor herb gardens. Herb garden setups outside the kitchen door
- Terrace garden ideas. Terraced garden designs for sloped yards
- Vertical garden. Wall-mounted garden systems
- Gravel garden ideas. Low-water gravel garden designs
- Metal raised garden beds pros and cons. Galvanized raised beds, evaluated
- Wooden garden edging. Edging the beds with wood
- Types of garden benches. Bench styles for the garden
- Types of garden hoes. Garden hoe tools, sorted
- Garden hose sizes. Hose sizing for the yard
- Garden window sizes. Garden window dimensions
- Creating a garden path with stepping stones. Building a stepping-stone path
Walkways and paths
Pathways connect everything in the yard together and can help create mini-zones within the space.
- Budget walkway ideas. Walkway options when the budget is tight
- Brick walkway. Brick as a walkway material
Retaining walls
Where the yard isn’t flat, a retaining wall makes it more usable and helps reclaim space.
- Retaining wall block dimensions. Sizing retaining wall blocks
- Alternatives to retaining walls. Other ways to handle a slope
Outdoor showers
The single best feature for a beach or pool house is an outdoor shower. Get ideas for different styles you can choose.
- Outdoor shower ideas. Outdoor shower designs across styles
- Outdoor shower floor ideas. Floor options for an outdoor shower
- Cedar outdoor shower pros and cons. Cedar as the outdoor shower material
Landscape lighting, rocks, and ground details
The supporting details that make a landscape feel complete and like it was designed by a professional.
- Types of landscaping rocks. Decorative rocks for the landscape
- Color-changing landscape lights. Smart landscape lights
- Free landscaping rocks. Where to find rocks for free
- Landscaping with sand. Sand as a landscape material
- Desert landscape ideas. Xeriscape and desert-friendly designs
Backyard inspiration and essentials
These catch-all guides are helpful for getting a yard started or restarted.
- Backyard essentials. What every backyard actually needs
- Gravel backyard ideas. Gravel is used as the main ground surface
- Dog-friendly backyard ideas on a budget. Budget pet-friendly yard ideas
More backyard and landscape guides get added as the cluster grows over time. Bookmark this page to come back when you need it.
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