Simple Landscaping Ideas

Simple landscaping ideas can give your property a makeover without consuming a lot of time or money. Most homeowners want to keep their front, back and side yards looking as inviting and attractive as possible, while adding a touch of personal style. Unfortunately, our fast-paced lifestyles don't often leave a lot of time for yard work. Simple ideas for landscaping may inspire you to redesign your lawn or garden with elements that are easy to install and maintain.

Pictures of simple landscaping ideas provide motivation and inspiration when you're planning the design of your landscape. Browse through online galleries, home improvement magazines and landscaping books for images of simple gardens, walkways, lawns and ponds. Whether you're drawn to more rustic, homey landscapes or to formal yards and gardens, you'll find visual representations of almost every school of landscaping online. Use these pictures as a guide to select the shrubs, ornamental grasses, boulders, gravel or other elements that appeal to you.

Simple Front Yard Ideas

The front of your house gives your neighbors, visitors and local residents their first impression of who you are. First impressions aren't always accurate or fair, but if your front lawn arrangement is weedy and cluttered, neighbors are likely to believe that you don't care about your property. It's simple to improve the appearance of your front yard, and of your house itself, with ideas for the right selection of colors, shapes and textures.

If your yard is overgrown because you don't have time for weekly mowing, simple landscaping ideas can help you make use of this space while reducing maintenance. Consider replacing high maintenance grass with a xeriscape -- a landscape for drought-prone climates. A simple ground cover of lava rock or pea gravel, combined with low growing succulents, cacti and ornamental grasses and desert wildflowers, is more visually appealing and easier to maintain than a weedy lawn.

Most houses have flaws, damaged areas or awkward angles that detract from the property's appearance. If there's a section of your house that gives you ideas for improvement, you can easily conceal these areas with simple landscaping elements. Soften the lines of an angular house and give your property a more inviting look with beds of colorful annual flowers. Visit your local nursery for ideas for bright, cheerful annuals that are easy to replant each season. Marigolds, pansies and petunias don't require a lot of care once they've been planted.

Shrubs and boulders lend a variety of colors, shapes and textures to your easy landscaping projects. Use images from online galleries or books to plan an eye-catching arrangement of plants and stones that can be implemented over a weekend. Focus your ideas on improving on the most visible aspects of your front yard. If walkways aren't clearly defined, they can be lined with bright flowers or colorful rocks. If the front of your house looks bare and austere, plant shrubs that will make the exterior look more homey and welcoming.

Easy Backyard Landscaping

Your backyard may be a private refuge, a setting for outdoor entertainment, an area for children's games and sports, or all of the above. Simple landscaping ideas for the back of your house may involve an easy makeover or a more involved project, such as a basic koi pond or a vegetable garden. Adding easy water elements like a pond, a fountain or a series of unique stone birdbaths to a backyard can turn this often neglected area into an oasis.

Smaller homes may have a courtyard or terrace behind the dwelling instead of an expanse of grass and trees. Simple landscaping ideas for container gardening can brighten your patio, terrace or courtyard and require very little maintenance. Look for large, Mediterranean style terracotta pots that have been planted with pink, purple or yellow floral arrangements. Combine container gardens with interesting statuary to turn your small courtyard into a miniature sanctuary.

Because the backyard is often a family area, simple landscaping ideas for this part of your property can be fun for kids. A large, traditional backyard can be improved by planting a flower or vegetable garden and a variety of trees. Children can contribute to these simple landscaping ideas by helping with the planting process and observing the plants as they grow. Have each child select a tree to plant and care for in the years to come.

Do-it-yourself simple landscaping ideas can save money while offering you and your family the opportunity to spend more time outdoors. To cut the costs of simple landscaping ideas, shop for ground cover, shrubs and other ornamental plants at the end of the growing season, when they're on sale. Thrift stores and estate sales can be great sources of inexpensive gardening tools or statuary. With a little care and creativity, you can transform your landscape without spending a fortune.

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