Good weather? Your theme is going to be to design for different weather scenarios. Consider a covered patio to protect from rain, a screened in porch to use during winter, or a simple pergola or sun shades to protect from the summer heat. These are all big investments and are most likely going to be the focal point of your landscape design that every other space is based off of.

To hike and explore? If you don’t spend that much time at home and usually leave the house, maybe consider the amount of time you will have to tend to your landscaping at home. Your theme may very well be minimal landscape design! But I take it if you like to hike and explore nature, you may want to have a lot of it at home as well. Just consider your honest availability to commit to tending your outdoor plants and landscape.

To connect with others? Do you find that it’s easiest to meet with friends or connect with your family by doing things outdoors, such as going to the beach or going on bike rides? This means that your theme is socialization! Prioritize gathering spaces with tables, seating, and maybe even outdoor cooking elements.

To take a break from busy life and reset? After a long day at work, is your first anecdote going for a walk or run outside? Your theme is going to be tranquility. You’ll want to make your space as calm as possible, maybe include some water features, seating spaces, and privacy from neighbors.

To visit local parks? If so, you either like the communal aspects of parks or they are simply your closest nature outlet. If you go to parks simply because of the proximity, that will change once you put your time and effort in your own landscaped space! But if you like the social aspect of a park and being in proximity to others while still being solo or within your group, consider an outdoor space that is more open to your neighbors and street, such as a seating space where you can sit and watch your surroundings.

Just to go from one indoor location to the next? If so, your theme is as minimal as possible while still achieving your aesthetic requirements! Keep reading to discover design tips for easy and low-maintenance landscape design.

Bodies of water? As someone who loves the calming aspects of water, I’d recommend prioritizing a fountain or pool as your focal point. Of course, a pool is your biggest investment, so consider if you love to swim in water or if you just like to be around it. That could save you a lot of money! If you want water without a pool, consider a fountain or pond. Both can provide the cooling effects and calming background noise to your outdoor space.

Mountains/Rocks? You probably prefer the quietness and vastness that mountains hold. Prioritize as much noise buffers and tall shrubs as possible. Really think about the views of your landscape design and how the planting will look in elevation and not just in plan. Also consider adding different levels to your space, like a raised patio or a sloped garden with terraces. Also, large boulders are such a cool decor aspect to a landscape; they add such a steady focal point within a sea of foliage or empty desert landscape.

Open grass? If you prefer to spend your outdoors time in as open of a space as possible, such as at a local park sitting on some grass, consider designing as much open space in your property as possible. Some ideas could be gravel, pebbles, or grass for ground cover; if choosing grass, make sure you are aware of the maintenance you need to uphold to keep it short.

Foliage? Create your own dream garden wonderland! Rather than prioritizing open space or hardscape, create as much planted space as possible. Just be aware of the amount of plants your planting to not be overwhelmed with the work needed to care for them. Add one or two shrubs to every perennial if ever in doubt.

Fire? This one is easy: fire is going to literally be your hearth of the outdoor space! Whether you have a fire pit or an outdoor fireplace, you should have all your other spaces branch off of it. And get some incredible seating to go around it as well!

Exercise? Consider an open hardscaped space for any activity, such as yoga, pilates, cardio, etc. About 12 feet / 4 meters in width and depth is usually a good minimum. Also consider blocking views around this dedicated platform to your neighbors or even to other parts of your yard if you want some privacy while you do those squats!

Swim? Then my friend, a pool is your answer. Although quite a large investment, they add phenomenal value to a home, are great for exercise and your joints, and are fun for parties and gatherings. The shimmer and reflections of the water also add a great visual aspect to a yard as well. Make your pool the visual focal point from the communal windows within your home so you can admire it from inside too!

Gather with family and friends? Provide more seating and gathering spaces than you think you need! Consider one couched/seating area with a fire pit, one dining area, and a kitchenette space – all next to each other and in close proximity. I always like to add a smaller private seating area somewhat isolated from the main gathering area for private conversations. A large fire pit area further away from this main space can also be a great idea if you have more space to play with.

Eat/Cook? Really hone in on your dining area. Make this the center of your space that everything branches off of. Provide enough space for a large dining table as close to the kitchen as possible. Research kitchenettes and how they can be designed to be a great backdrop to a patio space, matching the aesthetics of the house. Maybe even considering covering it with a small pergola or shade structure. Consider even adding a second seating/table area in another location of your yard, maybe within a garden, if the space allows.

Garden? Consider more soft cover and planting bed than hardscape. Do as minimal of poured concrete or more permanent hardscape construction so you have the flexibility to grow your garden and soft cover as needed. Just use pavers or stepping stones as hardscape! Also, consider adding some space around each group of plants for squatting and working around within them. Even consider a dedicated herb and vegetable garden space, fenced in or raised in a platform to keep those animals away! You can start small and keep growing, so make sure your herb/veggie garden starts off in a location that has room to grow.

Do you need more privacy? Many people, especially in new suburban locations or in closely built urban areas, have a lot of visibility into their neighbors property. If so, there are lots of ways to add more privacy, such as tall landscaping around the perimeter or trees. If you buy them young, then consider you may have to wait a while before they grow to mature age and actually provide the privacy you need. Consider fast growing tall shrubs or buying the trees more matured. Also consider a tall fence around your yard with maybe some vines on the walls, but always check with your neighborhood rules first. Planter boxes are also a super easy way to add some height to a plant!

Is it too noisy? Although we cannot control the noise of those around us, we can shield from them as much as possible. Tall shrubs do a great job; the closer you plant them together, the better. Water features and fountains are also a phenomenal way to add white noise to a space that not only drowns out other noise but provides a calming and beautiful white noise to yours.

Is it too large to manage? If you’re already overwhelmed with the size of your outdoor space on the design aspect, I guarantee you will be happy in choosing more low-maintenance options down the road. Consider dedicating a lot of space to wild-growing areas with beautiful ornamental grasses or shrubs that can grow freely and still look stunning together. Consider the minimum amount of grass space you truly need and will use and don’t give yourself any more; it will just be more of a hassle to mow. Dedicate the rest of the unused open space (like sides or front of a home) to gravel/DG ground covers or low-maintenance plants.

Is it too small? Be creative with your spaces and dedicate one area to multiple uses! For example, you can have outdoor chairs on a normal basis, and then bring in a folding table with a table cloth overtop whenever you want to host a dinner. Buy light and mobile furniture that you can easily move around if needed, such as opening up the space for a workout zone. Also, all you need is a few planter boxes in each corner of the space, some vines on any fencing or screening, and you’ve got a phenomenal outdoor oasis. It doesn’t take much square footage, just some thought and creativity!

Minimal? Try having a more open spaced landscape with a few groups of plants in between. Have different species within one group of three, and keep those same three species throughout the whole site. Trust me, only having a few plants on your site will make you, as a minimalist, super happy. It creates unity, simplicity, and a consistent color palette. Also consider choosing plants with a neutral toned color and choosing more shrubs over perennials. This will provide texture and complexity without business. Research desert landscape design for inspo.

Masculine? Try more dark toned plants and more succulents. The heaviness of the succulents, such as Blue Agaves, will provide a hardiness to the space. Try more gravel, pebbles, and hardscape for ground cover than DG, dirt, or mulch.

Antique? If your home is older with a lot of antique furniture, such as French or a Colonial style, I’d consider adding vines to your structures. They really bring out the antiquity of architecture by making it seem as though those vines have been growing for years. You can plant certain species such as a Bougainvillea at a young stage and watch it grow, or you can build a trellis or hooks along a wall to attach already grown vines to.

Feminine? Explore more light perennials or flowering trees. In addition to having a section of classic, non-flowering shrubs as a backdrop to the space, add a few flowering plants and trees in front of them. But not too many, as having too many different colors and textures can make the space too chaotic without a sense of style. Find your main color and two sub colors and stick to them.

If you want to put a LOT of effort into it, then the sky is the limit! Plants such as perennials, annuals, and other deciduous plants are going to be the most vibrant, colorful, and unique of them all, since they will blossom during some parts of the year with their beautiful flowers. However, even though you have the time to take care of hundreds of plants, your landscape will not look good with that many. Consider selecting a group of perennials or annuals to grow; this will create a color palette and theme for your plants that will create a sense of unity and place in your limitless garden. I still recommend perennials over annuals, as these guys will grow back next year and give you one less thing to worry about. But, feel free to swap out as many perennaisl for annuals as your heart desires!

If you want a nice landscape with medium/minimal effort, stick to grasses, succulents or evergreen shrubs/trees. Do not buy perennials or annuals, as you will regret having to deal with the maintenance they require down the road. If you only use evergreen plants, you can still have a beautiful space while having zero leaves to pick up in the fall and dealing with annual or biannual pruning. Lastly, do NOT have a lawn to mow; you can easily obtain an open space, if that’s something you want, just using DG, pebbles or gravel as your ground cover.

If you want to have a nice landscape and outdoor space but aren’t that passionate about it or have never done any landscaping before, I’d recommend dedicating a wild section. This means dedicating spaces within your landscape that you can plant some ornamental grasses or shrubs that you know you can let grow and grow and they will still look beautiful at their wildest state (maybe with a little bit of pruning). This lets you focus your other plants within a smaller space and it becomes less overwhelming. Regarding plant selection, I’d select more shrubs than perennials, while still keeping both. This will again slightly reduce your workload needed to care for perennials. If you want a lawn, I would reconsider how much lawn space you are willing to mow every week. When in doubt, start with less and add smaller annuals surrounding your lawn during the first few years in case you want to expand more. Lastly, consider fruit-bearing shrubs and trees and how much they will fall onto your ground. If you’re ok with the look of berries on the ground surrounding your tree or harvesting/picking them up every year, then get those fruit trees! But you can easily get the same effect of a non-fruit-bearing tree if that’s something you don’t wish to take on.