Don't forget the transition area between the front and back yards. The side of the house offers some unique landscaping opportunities.

Three Backyard Landscaping Concerns

When it comes to yards, one could say that “the front is for show and the back is for business.”

Front yards are often approached with a desire to decorate. In hopes of simply creating a more aesthetically pleasing living space or of increasing so-called “curb appeal” in order to maximize property value and the likelihood of successful sale. We see front yards that are carefully manicured and decorated with the intent of creating a stunning visual impact.

Backyard landscaping, however, usually serves a different purpose. Whereas the front yard is usually rarely used and is more decorative, the backyard often hosts a variety of activities—from the play of children to outdoor adult parties. As such, backyard landscaping often needs to focus on more pragmatic concerns. Three of these backyard considerations are usability, boundary creation, and privacy creation.

Usability is a primary concern of backyard landscaping. The idea is to maximize the utility of the available backyard space. This means that trees, foliage and decorative elements must be placed in a manner that will not compromise the ability to use the back green space for activity. Effective backyard landscaping can help make sure a lawn will be usable for anything from a small family game of croquet to a large outdoor dinner party.

Boundary creation is another backyard landscaping issue. Front yards are generally demarcated rather easily. Common elements such as driveways and our tendency to carefully decorate front yards make boundaries clear. Our bigger backyards, however, are a different story. Often, backyard landscaping involves placing trees, shrubs and fences to illustrate property lines and to mark boundaries.

Privacy is another issue of interest. Homeowners want their back yards to be a space in which they can be themselves, privately. As such, backyard landscaping is often concerned with constructing fences and placing plant life (especially trees) in a way to block any potential prying eyes from having access to the yard.

The backyard might be there to create an impression, but the backyard is maintained as a living space. Our backyards can be one of the most frequently used parts of our homes and landscaping professionals recognize this. They approach backyard landscaping differently than front yard jobs, realizing the need to keep more utilitarian concerns on the top of the backyard priority list.