Creating a beautiful outdoor space doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. For homeowners seeking low-maintenance, cost-effective solutions, simple backyard landscaping ideas can deliver both style and functionality.
With the right landscape designs, even a minimalist approach can maximize your backyard’s potential, offering a space that’s easy to maintain yet visually striking. For Denver homeowners, Mile High Lifescape is the trusted partner to bring these ideas to life, crafting landscapes tailored to your vision and lifestyle.
Let’s explore how you can create a functional and beautiful outdoor oasis with these amazing ideas!
Simple Backyard Landscaping Ideas: Best Plants to Use
To give you some inspiration, we’ve put together a list of our favorite plants for simple backyard landscaping ideas. This list is just to help you start thinking, and we might also suggest other plants that will work even better for your yard.
Evergreen shrubs
Evergreen shrubs are a great choice for keeping your yard private all year long. These plants keep their leaves through every season, so they provide a steady barrier from both sight and sound. Smaller varieties are perfect for adding some accents to your garden.
- Boxwood: Boxwoods are small, easy-to-care-for evergreen shrubs that work great for neat hedges along your fence. You can shape them easily and keep them at the size you want.
- Holly: Holly bushes have shiny, dark green leaves and bright red berries, adding a splash of color in the winter. They’re low-maintenance and can make a nice, thick privacy hedge.
- Juniper: Junipers come in different shapes and sizes. Some grow tall and narrow, making them perfect for smaller spaces. They’re strong plants that don’t need much care and can grow in many types of soil.
Evergreen Plants
Hedges are a great way to create a natural “living wall” that provides privacy, whether in front of a fence or standing alone.
Here are some evergreen hedges we love for simple backyard landscaping ideas:
- Arborvitae: Varieties like ‘Emerald Green’ and ‘Green Giant’ are perfect for different spaces and can fit various property sizes.
- Skip Laurel: This is an easy-to-care-for, fast-growing shrub that’s tough and hardy.
- Burford Holly: This dense shrub makes a great privacy hedge, thanks to its thick growth. It’s also disease- and drought-resistant and can grow in partial shade or full sun.
- ‘Emerald Colonnade’ Holly: This holly grows in a pyramid shape, making it ideal for privacy. It has dense, bright green leaves.
- Boxwood: Boxwoods are a popular choice, especially in Northern Virginia. Varieties like ‘Dee Runk’ and ‘Wintergreen’ offer different shapes and sizes to fit your design needs.
Flowering plants
Flowering plants can turn your fence line into a colorful and lively border that changes with each season. Here are some simple backyard landscaping ideas that can add beauty and charm:
- Hydrangea: Hydrangeas are known for their large, bright flowers that come in colors like blue, pink, and white. They do well in partial shade and bring vibrant color to your fence line all summer long.
- Lavender: Lavender is a fragrant plant that’s easy to care for and resistant to drought. It blooms with beautiful purple flowers from late spring to summer and attracts helpful bees and butterflies.
- Roses: Roses are a timeless addition to any garden. With proper care, they can make your fence line look stunning. Choose from different colors, shapes, and sizes to fit your personal style and garden design.
Climbing plants
Climbing plants can bring a romantic and charming feel to the edges of your backyard. They create a natural, living fence that adds vertical interest and helps frame your fence line beautifully. Here are a few great climbing plants to consider:
- Clematis: Clematis is a popular climbing plant known for its big, bright flowers in many colors. Plant it by a fence or trellis, and it will quickly cover the area with stunning blooms.
- Ivy: Ivy is a hardy, evergreen plant that grows fast and covers your fence with thick leaves. It’s easy to care for, and in the fall, its leaves turn a beautiful red, adding color to your garden.
- Honeysuckle: Honeysuckle vines have sweet-smelling flowers that attract hummingbirds and bees. They are low-maintenance and grow quickly, twining around your fence and creating a lovely display.
Tips For Selecting The Best Low-Maintenance Plants
When you’re working with low-budget, simple backyard landscaping ideas, it’s important to choose plants that are easy to take care of. Here are some tips to help you keep things low-maintenance:
- Go for native plants: Native plants are perfect for your local climate and soil, so they require less care. They usually need less water, fertilizer, and pest control, saving you both time and money.
- Choose drought-tolerant plants: Plants that don’t need much water, like lavender, ornamental grasses, and succulents, are a great choice. They’re both eco-friendly and budget-friendly.
- Pick long-blooming plants: Plants that bloom for a long time give you constant color without needing to be replaced often. Some good examples are coneflowers, coreopsis, and salvia.
- Look for disease-resistant plants: Plants that resist pests and diseases naturally will save you money on treatments and help keep your garden healthy. Many new plant varieties are bred to be disease-resistant.
- Group plants with similar needs: When planning your garden, group plants that need the same amount of sunlight, water, and soil. This makes caring for your garden easier and more efficient.
By picking the right plants for your fence line, you can create a beautiful, easy-to-care-for garden that fits your budget and looks great.
5 Simple Small Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Add Splashes of Color
A trellis is a great and affordable addition to your backyard! You can either make your own or buy one. To make it stand out, consider painting it. You can pick a paint color that matches your flowers and plants, or choose a neutral color that lets the garden take center stage. This is a simple way to add charm and style to your backyard and one of the many simple backyard landscaping ideas that can really enhance your space!
Create DIY Hanging Planters
If you love the look of flower beds but don’t have much space, try using vertical hanging planters! You can buy or build wooden planter boxes, just be sure to drill drainage holes at the bottom. Attach hooks and chains to each planter to stack them up.
Then, fill the planters with your favorite succulents, herbs, or flowers, and hang them from a porch, deck, or pergola. This is a great way to save space and still enjoy beautiful plants in your outdoor area!
Seasonal Decorations
The best way to save money on backyard decor is to buy items that you can use all year round. For example, get a set of Adirondack chairs and change up the pillows and blankets based on the season. In the fall and winter, use cozy flannel and knit throws, and in spring and summer, swap them out for light linen or cotton fabrics. This way, you can keep your outdoor space fresh and comfy no matter the season!
Plant Budget-Friendly Perennials
Perennials are a great choice for your garden because they come back every year, saving you money over time. A simple and affordable idea for small yards is to fill your flower beds with colorful perennials that will bloom each spring.
Just remember to do the right prep work when planting, so your perennials stay healthy and beautiful year after year. It’s a smart backyard landscaping idea that keeps your space vibrant without the extra cost!
Inspire with Backyard Lighting Ideas
Outdoor lights are a popular choice for porches and patios because they add a fun, cozy feeling without being too bright. They create a warm, inviting glow that’s perfect for any setting. For some creative simple backyard landscaping ideas, try wrapping string lights around a tree or hanging them down the center of a table to create a sparkling, magical look.
5 Along Fence Simple Backyard Landscaping Ideas
These 5 simple backyard landscaping ideas can help you transform your space into a more inviting and beautiful area!
Layer Your Plants for Depth and Interest
Arranging plants in layers of different heights, textures, and colors can make your fence line garden really stand out. Start with tall plants like trees or big shrubs at the back, then add medium-sized plants in the middle, and finish with smaller plants or flowers at the front. This creates a garden with more depth and makes it look natural and full of life. It’s an easy way to make your space look vibrant and interesting!
Add Ornamental Grasses for Texture
Ornamental grasses are a great way to add texture and movement to your fence line landscape, plus they bring a soft, natural look. They come in different heights, colors, and shapes, so you can mix them with other plants to create an interesting design. Some popular choices include fountain grass, maiden grass, and bluestem grass. They’re perfect for adding a little extra beauty to your simple backyard landscaping ideas!
Use Hardscape Features for Structure
Hardscape elements are a great way to add structure and visual appeal to your fence line landscape. They help break up the greenery and create contrast, making your garden more interesting.
- Garden edging: Using materials like stone, brick, or wood for edging creates neat, clear borders between your fence and garden.
- Pathways: Gravel, stepping stones, or pavers can create a charming path along your fence line, inviting guests to explore your garden.
- Retaining walls: If your fence line is on a slope or you want different levels in your garden, retaining walls are a great solution.
Include Wildlife-Friendly Elements
You can bring more birds, butterflies, and helpful wildlife to your garden with these easy fence line landscaping ideas:
- Plant native species: Pick plants that grow naturally in your area. These plants give local wildlife food and shelter.
- Provide shelter: Add birdhouses, nesting boxes, or small brush piles along your fence. These give wildlife a safe place to rest.
- Add a water feature: Set up a birdbath or small fountain to offer birds and other animals a place to drink and bathe.
Try Container Gardening for Versatility
Container gardening is a great way to bring color and creativity to your fence line landscaping. Here are a few ideas for using containers in your design:
- Mix and match containers: Choose different sizes, shapes, and materials to create a fun and exciting look along your fence.
- Group containers: Place several containers together to create focal points and highlight certain areas of your fence.
- Hang containers: Use hanging baskets or wall planters to add a vertical garden that stands out and adds charm.
These simple backyard landscaping ideas can make your garden look vibrant and full of life!
5 Budget Simple Backyard Landscaping Ideas
Vertical Gardening
Transform empty walls or urban spaces with vertical gardens – a simple and budget-friendly backyard idea. This easy project lets you grow beautiful succulents or even small vegetables without taking up much space. In this setup, wooden boxes, made from recycled materials, hang from hooks to create an attractive focal point in your backyard. It’s a fun way to add greenery and charm to any area!
Select Budget-Friendly Paving Materials
If you’re looking for affordable backyard ideas for small yards or areas without grass, hardscaping is a great option. You can use budget-friendly materials like crushed rock or gravel, which create a laid-back feel underfoot for seating and dining areas.
If you prefer traditional pavers, try mixing things up by placing large stones with patches of grass in between. This can help you use fewer materials while still making a stylish outdoor space.
Affordable Backyard Seating Ideas
Here’s a simple backyard landscaping idea to make your outdoor space feel more organized—create different zones for eating, relaxing, cooking, and more by just rearranging your furniture. You don’t need to buy new furniture—just use rugs to guide where people walk or place rocking chairs to lead them into cozy corners. It’s an easy way to make your backyard feel bigger and more inviting!
Brighten Your Space with Container Plants
Annuals are a great way to add vibrant color to your backyard without spending too much. They’re often cheaper than perennials and shrubs, and you can make them stand out even more by arranging them in matching containers.
For a simple and stylish look, use similar colors for the plants. Another budget-friendly patio idea is to create a casual outdoor side table by placing a stone slab on top of a scrap piece of wood. It’s easy, affordable, and adds character to your space!
Incorporate Vintage Hardscaping Features
If you’re looking for simple backyard landscaping ideas, try adding vintage charm to your space by finding affordable treasures. You can often find items like trellises or arbors at garage sales, resale shops, or flea markets.
These pieces not only look great but can also add height to your garden, help guide foot traffic, and create a nice flow from the front to the back of your yard. It’s a fun and budget-friendly way to spruce up your outdoor space!
Conclusion
Simple backyard landscaping ideas make it easy to transform your yard into a welcoming oasis without breaking the bank. By using native plants, low-cost materials, and creative touches like vertical gardens or budget-friendly seating, you can create a space that’s both functional and beautiful.
Thoughtful planning and easy-to-care-for elements will keep your yard looking great all year. Whether you’re adding color with flowers, creating cozy seating areas, or enhancing privacy, these ideas can help you design the backyard of your dreams.
