A home backyard is a special place. It is close to your heart. It is a private place. Unlike a front yard of the house a backyard is free of any artificial and injected rules of design. What I mean is it's ok to do mistakes in a backyard. It's your own playground.

You can experiment a lot in this place. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person then you must have tried growing a few plants in this place and may be failed a few times. But that's what it makes a backyard so special.

The main function of a backyard is to "relax". So while designing a garden in this areas never compromise on your emotions. Try various alternatives of design, layout, flowerbeds, shrubs, etc. while designing a garden. Always remember that a garden does not always means planting a few plants by boundary and laying out expensive lawn.

There is much more to landscaping than just planting plants. So while designing garden look inside yourself as a person before. the bottom line to success of any space whether interior or exterior is "comfort" of you and your family members.

Why do homes have a backyard? According to my perception it is just provision for you and the family to enjoy the together moments when you don't want to move in the outskirts of the city by traveling a distance. It is a miniature model of the countryside woods you would otherwise visit, when you are on vacation.

So plan accordingly by keeping this in mind. If the backyard is a small space you will have to give a lot of attention to detailing while the execution of the garden. Detailing such as planned spaces, pathways, exterior lighting.

One good idea is to create an island of flowerbeds to attract butterflies, so that it remains a focal attraction and your guests and friends will never forget it. In case of a large backyard small private spaces can be arranged that can be used to create a campfire or a place surrounded by shrubs overlooking the outside surroundings. Such private spaces can be used to do paintings or a place for the kids to play hide and seek. Pathways with width of approx. 3 to 5 feet can be used for circulation and your kids can also use them as bicycle tracks.

These pathways can be easily enhanced using artificial external lighting during night time. A small fishpond with a fountain can create some good and cool atmosphere. Of course what you have read here are not the only possibilities in designing. Actually possibilities are endless, but I have just given you a few starting points that you can go ahead and expand using your own imagination. Just remember what I said earlier always keep YOU in the focus while designing and it will be a great place to relax with your family.

Copyright Shrinivas Vaidya