How to simply landscape backyard?

Clarencio08

Hello everyone,

I would like to do my own backyard to save money but I have zero experience.

Will it be a hopeless task or Is it attainable?

I do not know where to start or what sort of equipment to use as I have a very limited space to put machinery in.

I am just thinking of putting up a simple backyard which is just in ground 1m Garden Beds on all sides of backyard and maybe just sow around a nice soil which I do not know how to proceed with.

Ang advice would definitely help! Thanks in advance! 😄

Jewelleryrescue

Hi @Clarencio08

Well the plus side is you have a great back yard and a blank canvas to create some thing wonderfull.

You need a plan clearly thats why your here.

I would look at as many lovly gardens, and landscaping effects in person or tv or online.

1) Write down or note the things you like and take/save pictures of everything you like later you can look at them all and pick the features and plant types you like the most. Also consider there are different gardening styles formal or cottage style garden to name two you may like zones show casing various areas making little zones. You might choose to follow a style that will suggest certain plants and arrangments to make your life easier. But a style is just a guide .

2) There are several gardening apps too lay out your back yard space and let you add features you like and some let you do virtual walk through before you even open the backdoor to start work. It is very usefull to have a drawn plan to talk to people and suppliers with some measurements on it so you can cost things out before hand. I have not used such apps to recommend any of late.

3 Or you can start doing things gradually like you might want grass first, then a bbq area etc This gradual approach can be following a drawn plan or you can wing it.

4 As you start adding landscaping trees and garden beds etc This may inspire you to new upgraded ideas once you see your yard first hand growing before you eyes.

If you have a drawing plan it will help save you $$$ as if you know you want a surround garden bed then you can order less turf to spend on the garden bed instead.

Do your home work so you get exactly what you want first time and then you can do this in planned stages.

Hope this helps.

JacobZ

Hi @Clarencio08,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community it is fantastic to have you with us.

It's great to see you've already received some fantastic advice from @Jewelleryrescue.

As he has said, a good place to start is by putting a basic plan on paper and breaking things down into stages. I'd suggest checking out How To Plan & Landscape a Garden Makeover and How To Design a Garden for some guidance on this.

My suggestion for stages is -

Lawn preparation
Lawn installation
Lawn establishment
Hard landscaping (planter boxes, pathways, garden edging, etc.)

Preparing for the lawn is a good place to start and this is the one thing I'd suggest getting a landscaper to help with. They can likely use a Skid Steer Loader to remove the top layer of soil, along with the grass and weeds that have formed since construction and add a layer of topsoil between 50-100mm thick over the entire space. There are skid steers that are as narrow as 900mm wide, so even very tight access can often be managed. I'd suggest using a service such as HiPages or True Local to find a landscaping company close to you to enquire about their services.

Once the ground has been prepared, you can spread seeds using a seed spreader or you can lay already established turf which can be ordered in bulk through your local store's Special Orders desk. Check out How To Lay Turf for some guidance.

Once the seed is sown, or the turf is laid, there is a period of around 2-4 weeks where you will need to minimise movement around your yard to allow the grass to establish. This creates a natural break in your overall landscaping project that might be a good time for future planning, saving for the next steps and allowing the body to rest.

When the lawn has strengthened, you can move on to hard landscaping. Some good articles for information on this stage include -

You have a nice clean slate to work with and a massive amount of potential. Start by getting some plans on paper, draw out what you want to achieve and then break it down into stages. Anything is possible with some effort and commitment.

Allow me to tag @Noelle, @Nailbag and @Dave-1 for their advice.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob