The backyard is becoming one of America’s greatest escapes, as more individuals and families are spending time unwinding at home. Designing a beautiful backyard often starts with creating a landscape that includes eye-appealing elements like exotic plants, spacious patios and walkways, outdoor seating and lighting that matches your personal style. Getting started with a plan for designing your backyard space begins now.

First, let’s get started with some ideas inspired by this year’s hottest backyard design trends.

• Sustainable gardens  – The movement towards green lifestyles has increased the use of sustainable backyard gardening techniques. Designing a backyard that honors this movement starts with adding a variety of both landscape and food plants to garden beds. From urban backyards to spacious estates, the backyard can include vegetable plants and fruit trees to serve as a never-ending source of food, while adding interest and beauty to standard landscaping areas. Use plants that are native to the region your property is located, taking cues from nature for successful gardening.
• High quality hardscaping – Homeowners are moving away from flaunting their wealth to more conservative methods of designing their backyards. Creating a simpler, easy to maintain backyard begins with quality hardscaping of patios, walls, and walkways. Using materials found in the local environment, such as stones and slate, are very popular ways to build backyards. Hardscaping techniques also may include waterfalls and fountains that cascade over sloping backyard layers.
• Modern lines and clean borders– In neighborhoods around the USA, homeowners are turning to contemporary backyard designs. Using simple lines and colors, backyard landscaping takes on a pleasant and easy-to-maintain look. Patios and walls are aligned in simple geometric shapes, that are perfect for outdoor entertaining and gardening. Layering oblong planters in “steps” as well as adding well-manicured hedges and tree lines to provide privacy borders are among the backyard landscaping design trends spotted this year.
• Water and light infused spaces– The backyard should be a place that soothes the soul, therefore this season’s designs include plenty of natural light and sound from water. Add a water fountain or waterfall along a shade spot of your backyard, with colorful plantings to accentuate. Use clever solar lighting to highlight little details in your landscaping, such as a memory garden or breakfast spot. Building a backyard patio and then including these elements can help make your backyard a pleasant reprieve from life’s stressors.
• Adaptable outdoor seating– Perhaps one of the biggest trends in backyard design for 2013 is the selection of outdoor seating arrangements that can turn this space into an extension of the home. Choose an outdoor dining room for meaningful family time. Or you may want to create a poolside oasis in your backyard with lounge-style seating. Whatever you decide, take the time to imagine the possibilities with adaptable outdoor seating elements that adjust to your needs.
• Shaded patio ­ Building a patio cover, pergola, or pool house adds a shaded area to lounge with family and friends.  Adding shade to the backyard has been a hot trend for several years now, especially in the South.  Go one step further and add ceiling fans to your covered area to create an even cooler space.

Creating a beautiful backyard begins with a plan of action. Be sure to work with a quality backyard design company to help you develop the right environment for your family and friends, to give you years of enjoyment and care-free maintenance.

About The Author: Stephanie writes about the home improvement world. She likes reviewing sites like Kane Bros. which specialize in  water feature design. In her free time she likes to spend time with her new baby girl and teach her everything there is to know.