Landscaping doesn’t come cheap, so if you’re going to be putting in the time, money, and sweat equity to do it, wouldn’t you want the end result to look amazing? It’s going to cost you just as much to make a poorly designed backyard as it will a well-designed one. So you might as well learn from others’ landscaping failures and ensure that your backyard and front yard look as incredible as possible.

Check out these common landscaping fails to steer clear from when creating your dream backyard.

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Not Giving Space To Live

When you’re creating your patio, decks, walkways, etc. don’t forget to factor in additional space to live. What does that mean? Well, you might have measured out the patio and patio furniture perfectly, but what about when Aunt Penny pushes herself back from the table a little too far and her chair leg goes over the edge, causing her to topple? Or what about the walkway that is great for walking, but doesn’t fit you moving your lawn mower to the front?

Always give yourself more room than you think you’ll need. That way, life can happen and you’ll still be fine.

Not Considering Plant Placement

While you might want that pop of pink in the back corner there, the plant you’re trying to put there might not thrive in all of the shade from the trees and fence. Some plants need more or less sun and it’s important to know what they need and what areas in your yard are sunny, somewhat sunny, or shady.

The Potted Plants Are Absolute Chaos

While you don’t need all of your pots to be matchy-matchy, having all different sizes, shapes and colours with all different plants inside is an eye sore. Try to stick to a couple of different pot styles, or stay with one colour and have fun with sizes and shapes, but try to not let it get too busy looking. 

Forgetting That Plants Grow

When you’re planning out your landscaping, it’s important to remember that plants grow. It sounds obvious, but too many people put trees too close to the fence or the house or overcrowd their flowerbeds.

Only Thinking Of One Season

You’ll want to think about how your landscaping is going to look through all four seasons. If you get too many plants that only look pretty during the flowering period of spring, then you’re going to have a sad garden for three-quarters of the year.

Getting Too Expressive With The Lawn Ornaments

Lawn ornaments can be a great way to express your unique tastes, but too many start to feel tacky. Stick to a small number of your absolute favourites and let simplicity speak volumes instead.

Not Setting A Colour Palette

Not setting a colour palette can lead to your landscaping looking messy and chaotic. A colour palette is purposeful. It’s a simple way to make a statement without overwhelming the eyes. Make sure to extend that palette to outside the garden too: furniture, decor, lawn ornaments, and more.

Not Considering The Inside-Out View

Another mistake that people often make when it comes to landscaping is forgetting to think about how it’s going to look from inside your home. Your windows gaze out onto your beautiful yard, so why not take advantage of that? Before you even start planning, head inside to your highest-traffic windows and look out to where that view lands in the backyard. That way, you can plan your landscaping around the most gorgeous views from your home.

Putting Too Much Of One Shape Together

When it comes to landscaping different shapes and heights are appealing to the eye. Having too many round shapes or too many edged squared shapes can get fatiguing.

Neglecting The Front Of The Home

Your backyard isn’t the only part of your home to consider when landscaping! Don’t forget to factor in curb appeal and create a front yard that is cohesive with the rest of your design.

Forgetting The Big Picture

People often get focused on one part of the landscaping at a time, without bringing everything back to the big picture. While they might make a cohesive-looking vintage garden bed, they forget to consider how the garden will look with the sleek modern patio and outdoor kitchen that they’ve created. You want your outdoors to feel just as planned and throughout as your indoors. Remember, your yard is part of your home!

It’s best to go into planning for your landscaping projects with an overall idea of what you want your outdoors to feel like. Do you want to feel like you’ve stepped out into a resort oasis, an inviting family space, the garden of Eden, a charming backyard where Narnia may or may not exist, or an outdoor extension of your home? It’s important to decide what you want your outside to feel like and to be used for before you start planning.