10 Great Backyard Ideas

Source: My Home Ideas/www.MyHomeIdeas.com

Finished in a weekend or less, these fun, easy projects will help transform your backyard into a personal oasis.

Simple Flagstone Path

A mortarless flagstone path is a practically foolproof project.

"It's not very technical and doesn't require any power tools," says garden designer Tom Piergrossi. "Still, there's enough artistry involved to make it satisfying."


Party Umbrella

Dress up some lanterns with ribbon, add simple fabric panels to a plain umbrella, and you've created the perfect setting for a romantic dinner alfresco.

Butterfly Buffet

Fill your garden with nectar-rich flowering plants, and monarchs and other winged beauties will drop by regularly.

This 8- x 10-foot butterfly garden uses only long-growing perennials for years of easy of care.

Backyard Bocce

For after-dinner fun with friends, make like a Roman and roll bocce balls toward a target pallino.

Long familiar in places like California's Napa Valley, bocce is appearing in backyards across the West.


Storage Bench

A coiled hose is a necessary evil in a garden -- you need one, but when it's not in use, who wants to see it?

Instead, conceal one or two hoses in this handsome bench built from common 1 x 6 boards.

3 Easy Pots

Beautiful perennials can thrive for years in a single container.

Grow just one, pair companion plants, or have fun mixing a variety of complementary colors and textures.

Decorative Bricks

You can make a charming little patio like this in just one weekend.

Tuck it into a border or garden corner, where you can linger with a Sunday morning latte or an evening glass of wine.

Planter Fountain

In this simple homemade fountain, an azalea container supports a strawberry pot and hides a small water pump.

A low terra-cotta bowl forms the base and catches falling water.

Build a Beach

If distance discourages regular visits to the beach, try turning a corner of your yard into a quirky personal seashore like this one in Sunset's test garden in Menlo Park, California.

Night Lights

In his backyard ramada, artist Jeff Zischke houses candles in antique carriage lamps and ordinary mason jars.

"That flickering glow just draws people in like moths."