Decorating & Design
June 25, 2018
15 Outdoor Decorating Ideas To Take Your Backyard From Good To Great
If you’re planning to log some serious summer hours in your yard, it’s well worth an update. From hanging an outdoor chandelier to elevating your patio with indoor furniture, here are some outdoor decorating ideas that will have you seeing your backyard in a whole new light.
Flimsy pots do a disservice to a beautiful tree or planter, and can heat up roots faster. An architectural version like this beauty has real presence and instantly elevates your backyard, as well as what is in the planter.
Not only do they soften hard structures like fences and pergolas, but they can bloom with eye-catching colorful buds. Some varieties of Virginia creeper can damage mortar but you can try perennials like clematis and wisteria, or morning glory, a quick-growing annual that will envelop fences and produce multiple (yet fleeting) flowers every morning.
Landscapers know the power of repetition to create a soothing, calming garden. Trees not only add grandeur and provide shade, they act as green screen for garages or to camouflage less than stellar sight lines.
Tired of grass that struggles through the summer heat and never gets lush? Swap it up for a pretty stone like this decorative gravel that doesn’t require water, or mowing.
The great outdoors isn’t kind to fine art, but there is no harm in hanging reproduction prints behind shatterproof Plexiglass to create the feeling of an atmospheric outdoor room and lend a decorated quality.
There’s no end of fire feature options in the garden, from fire tables and chimineas to old-school tiki torches. This custom piece relies on easy row of candles to add drama, no gas required. It’s a great way to brighten a shady corner and add atmosphere.
Want to be instantly transported to Fiji? Place a palm in the garden for an exotic element and gorgeously shaped fronds that can sway in the wind. They won’t survive the winter outside, but these heat lovers will look brilliant all summer long.
Time to break out the edger. Large pavers create an intriguing checkerboard look by alternating squares of grass and flagstone.
Gardening guru Marjorie Harris loves the idea of a path that leads to an open tapis vert, or green carpet. Line the path with boxwood hedges and a mix of annuals and perennials, and surround the “carpet” with taller bushes or trees for privacy.
Turn a bird bath into a pretty focal point to add interest to your garden, or use other unexpected container planters. For a more casual feel, old kitchen pots, serving bowls, bicycles with baskets and even rain boots can be used as planters.
Anchor your garden paths with metal arches. Black metal arches add height and gravitas to a path and are easily installed in an afternoon.
Sunbrella fabric drapes can stand up to the sun and rain in filmmaker and writer Mona Zaidi’s backyard. Create a cozy outdoor dining area by adding drapes to a pergola and divide the garden into distinct zones for unique destinations within the small footprint.
This elaborate boxwood bunny is ambitious, but you can practice with simpler topiary or bonsai shapes on a robust evergreen to add interest to your garden. But err on the conservative side when shaping boxwood: it’s slow growing.
This dazzling crystal model is almost as stunning as the Maui garden it’s in, but you can opt for a simple, non-electrified design with tapers hung from a tree branch or pergola.
Placed on a patio, a vintage baker’s rack shows how easy it is to be green. The trellis structure is a natural for training ivy and can survive inclement conditions. Chose pieces that can tolerate moisture: durable iron will develop a patina that looks better with age.
Janis Nicolay
House & Home May 2010
Landscaping, Ron Rule