Backyard Garden Ideas: 35 Ways to Transform Your Yard

A backyard can be so much more than a patch of lawn.

Start with a plan

Before choosing ideas, spend a little time understanding your yard.

Backyard ideas for growing food

Two to four 4-by-8-foot raised beds in the sunniest part of the yard can supply salads, tomatoes, peppers, beans and herbs all season.

Backyard ideas for flowers

For a relaxed, romantic look, pack beds with roses, foxgloves, hollyhocks, peonies and self-sowing annuals along winding paths.

Water-wise backyard ideas

A rain garden is a shallow, planted basin that collects runoff from a downspout or slope and lets it soak into the ground, usually within a day or so.

Backyard ideas for wildlife

Plant shrubs and trees with berries, such as serviceberry, viburnum, winterberry and native dogwoods.

Outdoor living ideas

Turn the patio into an outdoor room: comfortable seating, a table for meals, containers of herbs and flowers, a rug and string lights.