A courtyard is the area that offers the taste of outdoors while offering the privacy of an ordinary room within your home. While there are numerous landscaping ideas when it comes to this area, your major concern should be creating serenity and a space for relaxation.
Any seasoned gardener or landscaper will inform you that a landscape isn’t merely a few randomly placed shrubs and trees. It needs careful planning, thought, research, and hard work. Fortunately, landscaping doesn’t have to cost you considerable money if you adopt these tips.
1. Make Patterns with Ground Cover and Pavers
An inexpensive idea that produces excellent visual impact is the use of ground cover and pavers. If you have unused space in the yard or bare earth you’d wish to cover up, use broken or recycled pavers in your preferred mosaic pattern.
Plant creeping sedum or moss between the seams for a contrasting effect. Bear in mind that the blend of the two materials means you require less of each, resulting in savings.
Creeping sedum is a light perennial that flourishes in full sunshine, spreads on its own, and doesn’t require considerable maintenance or water to survive.
Another excellent option for developing a fragrant path involves the use of lemon thyme in your pattern. If you need a pathway through the yard, this works as an affordable landscaping idea.
2. Enclosure
A defining feature of a courtyard is having your space feel as though it has “solid” walls. A hedge or vine-covered trellis may close in the small space without making you feel claustrophobic. You’ll discover that a canopy or open roof increases the sense of enclosure.
Regardless of the structure you use, ensure the courtyard receives plenty of light. One way of adding enclosure is a retractable awning. A temporary roof that covers your courtyard completely during winter also extends the period you can use this area and protects the plants.
3. Add Planters
There’s a high chance you already have want you require in your home to grow vegetables or flowers, so there’s no need to purchase planters from a gardening store. Alternative options to planters include barrels or old pallets.
Group repurposed planters at varied heights to enhance dimension, depth, and give a visual central point to your courtyard. Another affordable but contemporary way to upcycle the planters involves painting them in a bold color.
In the event that you use terracotta pots, ensure you soak them in water for an hour before you paint with water-based paint.
4. Scale
You must know that you have control over this element of design. You’ll also discover that the absence of a roof makes your space feel larger than it is. A grouping of chairs and tables that feels comfortable on an open patio may appear overcrowded in a walled courtyard.
Scale also applies when it comes to selecting plants. In terms of horticulture and design, it’s advisable to have fewer, bigger pots than several little pots that dry out fast and blow over.
5. Ornamental Grasses
A blend of grasses adds color, texture, and a modern look to your courtyard. While they can be an excellent, low-maintenance addition without breaking the bank, grasses make your landscape look expensive and high-design.
6. Stepping Stones
Stepping stones are a great addition to a landscape design since they link components of your yard with an easy-to-walk pathway. Instead of buying them, you can create homemade ones using accessible materials.
Final Thoughts
Although beautiful landscaping doesn’t typically come cheap, you can create a stunning outdoor setting with these simple and inexpensive DIY strategies.
For more information on courtyard landscaping, contact us at Apartment Agents or leave a comment.