Landscape design services cost $4,465 on average, with small garden designs ranging between $0.05 and $0.75 per square foot, according to price estimates on HomeAdvisor.
The key to creating a beautiful and functional family garden with a high return on investment is careful planning. However, landscaping can be tricky if you intend to create an outdoor space that accommodates children and adults.
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Tips for Designing a Family Garden
Ideally, you need to balance your space to cater to the needs of kids who want to have fun, and adults who want to unwind. Fortunately, it's possible to design a family garden for the entire family if you think carefully about your needs.
With tons of stylish contemporary garden design ideas, you must understand your landscaping goals. That way, you can easily choose a design that blends well with your property's aesthetics and family needs. Here are some family garden ideas you can build on.
Create a List of Family Friendly Garden Design
Whether you're starting from scratch or revamping an established yard, create a list of garden design ideas before anything. Remember, the design you choose will depend a lot on your needs. Therefore, take a considerable amount of time to determine why you want a garden in your home.
Will it be a space for relaxing and spending quality time with family, a playground for children and pets, or a space for growing vegetables and flowers?
Understanding your landscaping objectives helps you pick a suitable garden design for your home. Also, make sure to involve your family in the planning stage and pay attention to everyone's expectations. That way, you can choose a design that fits the needs of everyone.
Establish Garden Zones for Your Family
Creating zones is an effective way of transforming your yard into an exciting space for the whole family to relax and have fun. For example, you can have the playground in one part of the garden, preferably near the house or deck, so that you can keep an eye on the kids.
You can have an adult zone or reading nook on the other end of the yard where it's peaceful. To achieve the best outcomes, though, you'll need to create contrast. This step entails using different plantings and materials to add interest.
For instance, you may use concrete slabs to create a path leading to a dining area designed on a wooden deck. You may also add a curve appeal by designing a stone pathway and flower beds on the side.
Other great ways to create zones in the garden include building a garden room, playing with levels, and creating secret spots.
Add Cozy Relaxing Spaces
Creating a relaxing space in your patio shouldn't be tricky. You only need a few cushions, throw blankets, a low table and a rug. It's also wise to add potted flowers around your space.
Doing so helps you create a casual and welcoming outdoor setting for the entire family to relax and enjoy each other's company. You may also want to create a larger seating area to ensure all your family members enjoy sitting outdoors at the same time. Making an outdoor seating area is a simple process.
All you need to do is provide a variety of options on where to sit. For instance, you may create two inviting spots on your patio by fitting chairs and a table in a sheltered part of the deck. And then fit relaxed armchairs and colorful stools to create a comfy sitting zone on the other part of the patio.
Invest in Affordable Play Equipment
Buying expensive play equipment for a solid outdoor playground sounds ideal, but it's not necessary. In most cases, children enjoy playing with rope swings, a small swing set, or playhouses.
Therefore, use your creativity to design unique and cost-effective playground areas. For instance, build climbing walls onto existing walls using wall holds instead of purchasing ready-made ones.
Also, consider building a playhouse yourself using recycled wood and use scaffolding poles to make a jungle gym.
Prioritize Lawn Maintenance
Keeping your lawn in good condition is crucial if you want to maintain a beautiful and functional garden. But it isn't easy, especially when you're a busy parent and have kids spending most of their free time outdoors.
Typically, children, weather, and pets take a toll on lawns, increasing the risk of wear and tear. So, if you overlook maintenance, your lawn will soon be bald and infested with weeds.
Fortunately, there are simple lawn care tips for busy parents you can apply to maintain an attractive yard. Start by teaching kids how to take care of the lawn and help them understand that it's okay to dig in gravel and sandboxes, but not in the grass.
Consider putting gravel or pea mulch under swings and jungle gyms to prevent bare spots. It's also wise to move kid's pools, corn hole games, and large slides regularly to ensure the grass beneath doesn't turn brown.
Work with Playful Shapes and Bright Colors
Getting creative in the garden is fun and cost-effective. With this in mind, don't hesitate to play around with colors and shapes in your family garden. Think of designing curved shapes and adding stepping stones made of different shapes across your lawn to create a sense of adventure.
Raised flower beds around sitting areas and pathways are perfect options, as they get the kids involved in caring for plants. When selecting colors for your garden, settle for hues that fill your space with positive vibes.
For example, you may pick a monochromatic scheme, which combines different shades of a single color. Shades of orange, shades of red, pink, and shades of black, violet, and white add interest to the yard.
You may also want to combine complementary colors like violet and yellow or orange and green. These colors add contrast, excitement, and drama to the garden.
Wrapping Up Our Family Garden Design Guide
Setting up a family garden design can be challenging, but it's not impossible. You can achieve the best results if you determine your family's needs and pick a suitable design. It's also vital to understand effective lawn maintenance practices to ensure your garden looks beautiful throughout all seasons.
Don't forget to add kid's play equipment, zone garden areas, and incorporate bright colors and playful shapes to enhance style and comfort in your yard. Now you are ready to start setting up your own family garden.