Create Your Own Backyard Haven With These Ideas

A stone path can be as rustic or as precise as you like and made with whatever stones you have available. You can find large flat stones or make a path with smaller stones. You can make it wind around or go straight from one area to another, so you are only limited by your imagination. If you aren't good with plants, a stone path might be the best place to start when it comes to landscaping ideas. If you aren't sure where to make your path, look at where you normally walk across your yard.

Firepits are another great landscaping idea for people who don't have much of a green thumb. With a firepit, you actually need to clear an area of any vegetation to eliminate the possibility of a spark catching surrounding foliage on fire. You can build an in-ground firepit and line it with bricks or stone or keep it simple and make one on the ground. You can even buy an above-ground firepit to set this up as easily as possible. Now you have a cozy place to roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories.

A rose arch is both romantic and beautiful. Rose arches are often associated with outdoor weddings, but you can have one all to yourself in your own front or backyard. You can make it in front of your patio, or along a path at the entrance of your garden. You can also make rose arches in a series to line that path. If you don't have a garden, you can make your rose arch over the gate that leads out of your yard.

Just about anything can be repurposed as a planter. You can find an old-fashioned bicycle with a basket, paint it white, and plant flowers in it. You can find an old-fashioned television or a wheel and turn that into a planter. This approach gives things that might be considered old junk new life in your garden. The beauty of the flowers contrasts with the old, broken down item in which they are growing.

A water feature doesn't need to be a fountain. You can make a mini waterfall or even a larger one that goes one, two or even more levels. This is an especially good idea if you have a natural incline. You can build your waterfall down your incline and have it empty into a small pond. If your backyard doesn't have a pond, you can build a small waterfall that leads to an area where you water your plants and use it just for plant-watering.

Once you have a stone path, you can expand your gardening capabilities by lining it with plants or flowers. You can make a garden on both sides of the path and plant flowers that are seasonal. Start with hearty, easy to grow flowers before trying the more difficult ones. Soon you will have a beautiful, flower-lined pathway.

A garden nook is a great place to sit and read a book while enjoying a nice cup of your favorite beverage. You can make your garden nook with a bench, a comfortable chair, or even a set of table and chairs to share with guests. Decorate it with potted plants and flowers. Garden nooks are a relaxing way to get away right in your own yard.

Even if you don't have access to wells, adding a decorative one, lined with flowers, might bring just the right amount of old-fashioned charm that your yard needs. Decorative wells, even very small ones, make a great centerpiece to an otherwise barren landscape. Now you have a beautiful destination for your flower-lined stone path.

With an arbor, you can take a rose arch one step further. An arbor can cover a section of a path or serve as an entrance to an area of your garden. Since they are made like a trellis, you can plant vines around the arbor. A large one can cover your garden nook, making it a secret hideaway veiled in vines and flowers.

When people hear the word "gazebo," most think of the large ones you see in the movies, but a gazebo can be any size and in any style. You can make a decorative gazebo just large enough to seat one. You can also make a rustic version out of bamboo rather than the traditional white style often associated with weddings or town gatherings. No matter what approach you take, a gazebo is a great addition to any yard.