Having a great outdoor space can make your home even more enjoyable to live in, and it gives you a wonderful place to relax, enjoy time with friends and family, and try plenty of activities in the fresh air.

It doesn’t matter if you have a small balcony or a huge backyard; you’ll be able to do something to make it look and feel great, and if you think it’s time to make some changes to your outside space, here are some ideas to help you decide what to tackle first.

Make A Plan

The first thing you’ll need to do if you want to do up your outside space is to make a plan – you’ll need to know precisely what you want to use the space for because a garden that’s mostly for relaxing is going to need to look different to one that’s mostly for entertaining, for example.

You’ll also need to think about practical elements. Some questions to ask yourself include:

• How much sunlight does the outside space get?
• How big is it?
• What shape is it?
• What existing features are there (trees, ponds, and so on)?

Answering these questions can help you narrow down some of your design options so that the end result is one you’re happy with.

Create Zones

Something that can work very well when you’re updating your outside space is to create different zones. In that way, you can use your backyard for anything you want, and it will always work.

For example, you might create a dining and entertainment zone with an outdoor kitchen and seating, and you might also have a relaxation zone that’s tucked away where you can enjoy a good book or some music or even just meditate in the outdoor air.

Think about the different zones that might work in your outdoor space and block out those areas on your plan. So that your garden doesn’t look too broken up, you can use the same outdoor paving to connect each area, giving it a more cohesive look.

Choose The Right Plants

If there’s one thing you’re sure to need in any outdoor space, it’s plants.

Think about how you want the backyard to look and how much time you have to maintain it, and you should be able to narrow down your options when it comes to plants, flowers, and shrubs. Ideally, try to use native plants as they’ll grow better and need less maintenance than non-native ones.

You might also want to think about your lawn – do you want one at all? For some, a lawn is more trouble than it’s worth, and they would rather have paving instead. If that doesn’t sound like something you’d enjoy, but you’re not sure about how to keep your lawn looking good, what about artificial grass?

Whatever you choose should be something you enjoy. Otherwise, your lovely outdoor space isn’t going to be somewhere you want to spend time.

Something that can be ideal for those who aren’t keen gardeners is potted plants – even better is the fact that these pots can be moved around and their contents changed whenever you want, giving you plenty of options.