DIY Backyard Landscaping Ideas

By:Jessica Ashcroft Updated on
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Check out this ultimate list of backyard landscaping ideas to transform your outdoor space into useful and relaxing oasis to enjoy year-round.

Pinterest graphic with text that reads "Creative Backyard Landscaping Ideas and Tips for Summer!" and a collage of backyard ideas.

Want a more inviting, relaxing, and useful backyard?

Here are some inspiring backyard renovation ideas and tips to help you create the perfect outdoor oasis!

From fire pits and water features to DIY raised bed gardens and mulch landscaping designs, these ideas will elevate your home for year-round enjoyment.

The Best Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Fire Pits

Fire pits are a great way to enjoy your backyard during the summer and fall. Here are some of our favorite DIY fire pit landscaping ideas and tutorials.

Here’s our DIY Fire Pit with String Lights. You can find the full tutorial in the link!

A mom and her two kids sit around their backyard fire pit.
Follow this tutorial for an DIY backyard fire pit.
A fire pit from Lowe's sits in front of two benches.
A homemade fire pit in the backyard.

And here’s some inspiration from Pinterest and around the web:

A modern backyard fire pit area with a stone wall and gravel.
A backyard patio with a built-in fireplace and a half circle wall.
A modern backyard patio with stone wall and built-in square fire pit.
Colorful Adirondack chairs surrounding a gravel patio with a stone firepit in the middle.
An stove paver patio with a square fire pit between a house and garage.
A stove patio with a built-in fire pit next to a lake.
A stone paver patio in a backyard that backs up to a river with a fire pit.

Retaining Walls

If you have a sloped backyard like ours, or want to create a tiered yard, retaining walls are the way to go.

These features can improve the functionality of tricky backyard spaces and create separate areas for different outdoor activities and uses.

Here are some pictures from our backyard transformation to get your creative juices flowing.

An open umbrella on a patio set with string lights hanging on the outside of the patio.
Rock stairs leading up to the second tier of a sloped backyard.
A mother sits with her children on large boulders in her backyard.
A backyard retaining wall made from large boulders and green grass.
Backyard with a rock wall and mulch.

Playgrounds

We love our backyard playground and the way our playground landscaping choices turned out. Here are some of our favorite pictures and some additional playset inspiration ideas to help you plan your own kid space outdoors.

A swing set tower with two green slides coming down.
A white swing set behind several rose bushes on top of a rock wall.
Three rose bushes on the second level of a sloped backyard.
A white swing set with green and yellow accents.

Ideas from Pinterest and around the web:

A playground in a backyard with light brown mulch and a stone paver wall.
A backyard playground with swings and a slide surrounded by tall trees.
A backyard playset with gravel with a slide and swings.
A backyard treehouse playset with a slight and swings.

Garden Beds

If you’ve got a green thumb (or hope to have one), consider adding garden landscaping to your backyard.

Here are some shots of our backyard garden areas.

We’ve started growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruit trees.

Three raised garden beds with several plants growing.
Five rose bushes in a flower bed surrounded by black edging.
Three fruit trees surrounded by brown bark.

And, here are some raised bed garden ideas from other savvy bloggers.

Round metal raised bed gardens with flowers and vegetables inside.
Green onions sprout from planter boxes filled with hay.
A raised bed garden with wooden walls and green plants inside.
A raised bed planter with a wooden trellis and green plants sprouting from the soil.
Several raised bed garden boxes on black soil cloth with dirt inside.
Metal garden containers with vegetables and flowers inside on a mulch garden bed with a metal trellis.

Photo credit: Momcrieff, Learning and Yearning, A Farmgirl’s Kitchen, The Inspired Workshop, Saving Talents and World of Vegan.

Find more ideas and full tutorials in this post for DIY raised bed garden ideas.

Mulch Landscaping

Mulch landscaping is a huge money-saver and a great way to create variation in you backyard layout. Here are some design ideas that will make your outdoor spaces pop on a budget.

Dark mulch landscaping with stepping stones on the top tier of a sloped backyard.
Backyard layout ideas featuring fruit trees.
Boulders create tiered landscaping in a backyard with plants and a wood playhouse.
Follow this tutorial for an DIY backyard fire pit.
A stone and gravel path with a seating area at the end surrounded by dark mulch and green foliage.
A circular flower bed surrounded by low hedges and brown mulch.
A garden pathway made from mulch splits around a bed of low hedges.
Red mulch in a garden bed surrounded by stone edging with small shrubs.
The base of a tree that's landscaped around the base with brown mulch in a circle.
Hedges and green foliage with dark mulch at the base on the side of a house.
A curvy mulch landscape design in a grassy yard with trees and shrubs.
A raised flower garden bed on the side of a house with small shrubs and trees, a stone wall, and brown mulch.

Get more tips and inspiration in this post on DIY mulch landscaping ideas.

Water Features

Water features are a calming and tranquil backyard update that can help you relax and unwind after a stressful day.

Here are some gorgeous ideas from Pinterest and around the web:

Rock and stone backyard landscaping with a small pound.
A small pond in a backyard surrounded by a stone border.
A backyard patio with a mini waterfall feature that backs up to a hill.

Patios

A patio is the perfect place to entertain, relax, and unwind with friends and family. Whether you prefer a concrete patio, paver patio, or gravel patio, it’s one of the best upgrades you can give your backyard.

A dog in an untamed grassy area in a backyard on the side of a house.
A large patch of dirt on the side of a house in a backyard.
A paver patio with large pavers and gravel in between with a mulch raised bed.
A paver patio with a wicker patio chair and a mulch bed with solar lights.
A gravel and paver patio at night with patio furniture, a fire pit, and solar lights.

Materials Needed: Yard edging, heavy-duty yard fabric, leveling sand, pea gravel, pavers.

An open umbrella on a patio set with string lights hanging on the outside of the patio.

Want More?

If you liked these backyard landscaping ideas, you’ll love these other DIY home improvement projects and tips for inside your home!

Pinterest graphic with text and picture frame moulding on white wall.
This is the easiest IKEA Billy bookcase hack ever for built ins!
These bathroom ideas on a budget are perfect for anyone who wants to DIY a small bathroom.

Your Turn

What did you think of these backyard landscaping ideas? Are there any you think we should add? Let us know in the comments!

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