02 SHADY SIDE YARD HIDEAWAY

This small side yard has a lot of features. The pergola is a large structure that creates an outdoor living space while still allowing people to see the backyard. The pergola provides a shaded and cool area for the seating. The frame can support a hanging daybed, which would be perfect for lounging on.

03 SPACE FOR SOCIALIZING IN A NARROW SIDE YARD

Side yards are long and skinny. The design of this brick fireplace follows a linear pattern in a herringbone design. It also has a slender rectangular fire pit, and an extra-wide low-profile couch.

A hedge on one side offers privacy and softness to this outdoor space. The garden bed next to the house is just as simple, with large areas of groundcover making the space more gentle.

There are many pale colors, from bright wood, to faded brick, to soft gray gravel, to creamy walls and cushions. Taken together, it’s like stepping into an old photograph. A more restrained color palette allows the lights to shine more, both literally and figuratively. The twinkle of the bistro lights makes the scene more charming and inviting, urging you to sit by the fire.

This design features essential furnishings while still leaving plenty of space for a modern concrete paver path.

Material choices stitch everything together into a cohesive whole. A modern style that is approachable is expressed by concrete, blonde wood, white cushions, and charcoal accents. The giant cushions don’t hurt either.

04 AL FRESCO DINING ON A SIDE YARD DECK

This design brings the inside outside. The interior floor elevation of the new deck provides the impression from inside that the outdoor lounge area is part of the living room. The indoor/outdoor theme continues with a well-appointed dining area.

When choosing style for your furnishings, pick something that is upscale but still livable. The deck has a stair that goes around it and recessed lighting, which makes it look modern while still keeping it open and free-flowing.

Our favorite touch: the misty green house. The color has a calming effect and creates a great contrast with bright colors of furniture.

05 OUTDOOR “ZONES” WITH HARDSCAPE AND GRAVEL

This design uses groundcover materials to define different zones instead of vertical barriers. The end result is a series of interconnected spaces that flow together naturally, with long views that tie everything together into a single, cohesive design.

Hardscape materials set the mood. Concrete pavers provide a stable surface and polished feel for the kitchen/bar combo at one end. The gravel in the dining and fire pit zones makes them more casual. The dining area gets a more Italian feel from the large potted olives and cute bistro lights. A path made from large, modern pavers runs across the yard from the formal area to the casual area.

The plants are spaced out far apart from each other, have no blooms, and require little upkeep. The plant colors are mostly shades of green, which makes the area look more relaxed and natural without being too flashy.

06 DENSE PLANTING IN A ZEN SIDE YARD

If you want to find a moment to meditate, it would be difficult to do better than sitting in one of these chairs. Plants drive this design. This private space has a soft and calm character because of the dense, layered planting in silvery blues and greens. The combination of plants with different textures goes well with the rough texture of gravel and concrete.

The garden beds have irregular edges which creates enough space for a fire pit and some chairs. The pine trees that are already present provide a nice touch to the scene, with their branches swaying overhead.

Further back in the garden, there is a water feature that makes a pleasant trickling noise, which joins the sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze.

07 SIDE YARD FAIRY TALE GARDEN PATH

This design is even better because it allows plants to be in charge. The only furnishing in the room are some oversized clay planters that are lined up along the left edge. These planters are so large that they almost overwhelm the olive trees that they contain.

The planters are arranged formally, which contrasts with the informal mass planting, abundant flowers, and path edges that are hidden by foliage.

The goal was to make the side yard feel like a part of the journey, not just a place to walk by. This path is like a fairy tale, with flowers surrounding it. It makes you wonder what is in store for the backyard.

08 FUNCTIONAL PLANTERS AND PAVERS IN A SIDE YARD

This is a beautiful but practical side yard where fashion and function meet. The design chooses a rustic flavor of modern design, where gravel and a small garden with galvanized trough planters go together with crisp concrete pavers and a prefab metal privacy screen.

The informal atmosphere is a refreshing contrast to the formal layout with plants and paving stones placed at even intervals, and a modern accessory dwelling unit located at the end of the main path.

The planting bed along the fence is casual, with Mixed Perennials set in bark mulch, as a foil to the orderly planters across the path. Achieving the same function does not necessarily require using the same design style. If you want a more traditional or organic feel to your path, you can use stepping stones or flagstones instead of concrete pavers.

Cheap Backyard Landscaping Ideas

1. Use Mulch Alternatives

Mulch may require less time spent weeding and watering your garden, however it can be costly and take time to install. Here are some alternative mulches you can use to spruce up your backyard without spending a lot of money.

Low-Cost Mulch Alternatives:

• Grass Clippings: Next time you mow, rake up the clippings and spread them onto your flower beds.
• Leaves: Shredded leaves make a great, cheap mulch alternative that give your plants nutrients.
• Pine Needles: Pine needles are a relatively low-maintenance mulch alternative that is lightweight and easy to spread.
• Compost: If you’ve already made your own compost bin, put it to good use in your landscaping. Just be careful not to layer it too thick, as too much can heat up your plants and damage them.
• Newspaper: Once you’ve read the Sunday paper, let your plants take a peek. Layer about five pages on the ground, water lightly and then cover with topsoil before planting.
• Stone: Stone mulch isn’t right for all plants, but if used properly, it will cut down weeding and maintenance costs in the long run. According to Steve Boehme of GoodSeed Farm Landscapes, it’s important to choose the right spot for your stone mulch.

2. Repurpose Old Tires

Discarding tires can be difficult as they are large and many waste companies will not accept them. Consider using them in your backyard.

It is cheap and easy to find recycled tires, according to Michelle Bull from Lakin Tire. She says that most people are willing to give away any old tires they have on hand, and that they can be picked up at a local recycling plant for a few dollars. Here are a few budget landscaping ideas using tires:

How to Landscape With Recycled Tires

• Cover with outdoor pillow casings or rope for durable, rustic patio ottomans.
• Stack and stagger tires to create decorative planters.
• Create a hanging planter by filling one half with soil and attaching to a wall or fence.
• Make a man-made garden pond using a tire as the base.
• Give your kids a fun place to play with a recycled tire climber.

3. Go Vertical With Your Gardening

If you want to find some easy ways to make your backyard look better, vertical gardens are a good place to look.

Vertical gardening is a way of growing plants using vertical space. If you are hoping to find some small backyard landscaping ideas that won’t cost a lot of money, then you should look into vertical gardens. They not only make the most of limited space but can be inexpensive too, especially if you’re using recycled materials like old plastic bottles.

DIY Vertical Garden Ideas

• Use a wooden ladder, terracotta pots and some wire for a rustic front porch vertical garden.
• Wash out old paint cans, fill with soil and hang them up to create a vertical herb garden.
• Repurpose a picture frame to create a vertical succulent garden.
• Waterproof an unused shoe organizer for a vertical garden that’s easy to move.

4. Add a Splash of Color

A little color can go a long way in making your backyard look great.

To achieve a contemporary look in your garden, paint your planters. To achieve a fresh look for your wood and metal chairs, give them a new coat of paint. To further reduce the cost of this backyard landscaping project, reuse leftover paint instead of buying new paint.

A quick way to add color to your outdoor space is to add flowers or foliage. You can place them on a deck, patio, at an entryway, or in a planting bed.

5. Plant a Functional Garden

One way to save money on groceries is to grow your own vegetables and herbs in your backyard during the summer. You can easily make your backyard beautiful and functional by placing a few terracotta planters around, filled with either DIY herb gardens or plants that repel bugs.

6. Opt for Natural Perennial Ground Covers

Tired of weeding the lawn? Instead of using weed killers, choose ground covers that spread densely.

Weed killers can be expensive and harmful to your health, says Jonas Sickler of ConsumerSafety.org. Sickler says that the harsh chemicals in Roundup can make pets sick, and that it has been linked to cancer. Weed killers can be bad for your health and also expensive, costing more than $20 per container.

Check out these cheap ground covers that are beautiful and low-maintenance:

Cheap Natural Perennial Ground Cover Options

• Creeping Periwinkle – $1.07 per plant
• Walk-on-Me Thyme – $3.99 per plant
• Moss Phlox – $4.59 per plant
• Violets and Pansies – Seeds range from $0.95 to $2.95
• Early Snow Glories – $2.40 per plant

7. Build an Outdoor Fire Pit

There’s nothing quite like gathering around a fire pit with your family and roasting some s’mores. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a campfire in your backyard. You can go to a home improvement store and get everything you need to have your own backyard campfire station. If you need to get rid of extra rocks, a great way to do it is by building a fire pit.

8. Plant a Tree

One easy and inexpensive backyard landscaping idea is to plant trees. To plant a tree, all you need are a few digging tools, some mulch, and the tree itself. If you plant trees in the right places, you will end up saving even more.