Not all suburban houses are made equal, especially their backyards. Some will have soft clay soil; others may look rocky or barren. When unreasonable weather conditions come, they also affect your garden. Drought, heavy rains, blizzards, etc can ruin the beauty of the greenery you’re trying to maintain.
Fortunately, there are ways to make the most of your garden situation, whatever it is. Here are some solutions that help improve your problematic backyard.
A shady area deserves shade-loving plants.
Grass definitely can’t take the shade, but who says your garden has to suffer for it? Instead of cutting down your big trees to get more sunlight in, why not till your backyard and create a shade garden? There are plenty of shade-loving plants out there you can plant instead of forcing grass to grow. Lobelias, fuchsias, lungworts, and bleeding hearts all grow better under the shade. Just make sure that they’re not competing with your trees for water.
Take advantage of the hot, yellow sun.
Sunlight can be both a blessing and a curse for your garden. One day, you’re in awe of the beauty of your sun-dappled backyard. The next day, everything’s dehydrated and withering because of a drought. You can plant vegetables and herbs to take advantage of the sunlight. Once they’re ready to harvest, you can have a salad party!
However, if you live in areas where there’s too much sun, xeriscaping and planting drought-tolerant perennial plants can liven up your garden. You’ll have your greenery without the need for much water. Perfect if you want to conserve water.
Build a rock garden that rocks.
With a bit of landscaping and xeriscaping, you can build yourself a rock garden for your rocky land. Why counter nature when you can take advantage of it, right? Landscaping rocks in Utah, Arizona, or California or wherever you are adds visual appeal to your garden and anchors the soil. And, similar to sunny areas, you can plant drought-tolerant plants to accentuate the rocky aesthetic.
Improve drainage to revamp the swampy garden.
Building a garden in a soggy or boggy backyard sounds like an impossible task. But it is achievable. Mossy areas tend to have drainage that’s not effective in getting rid of excess water. To combat this, you can install a french drain or do a bit of landscaping to raise the soil.
For a more natural feel, plant moisture-loving plants instead. Bald cypress trees grow well in moist ground. The same goes for ferns, Japanese irises, ligularias, and meadowsweets.
Keep nosy neighbors away with improved screenings.
Sometimes, you don’t want the prying eyes of your nosy neighbor. There’s a garden solution for that. Instead of building incredibly high fences, you can plant living walls to improve your garden. Trees, shrubs, or growing vines on a lattice privacy fence enhance the aesthetic of your garden and shield you from outsider’s view.
The best gardeners take advantage of what they have and enhance it further. They don’t haphazardly change the landscape to make the garden fit their sense of beauty. They use their imagination to improve their yards. Nature is already beautiful. Why not take inspiration from it?
