23 Landscaping Ideas for the Side of Your House
When you look at the side of your house are you happy with what you see?
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THE SIDE OF YOUR HOUSE can be the perfect place for smaller gardens, a nice path, a place to put out a small table and chairs to relax on during those warm spring and summer mornings.
You might be surprised at how much you can do with this small area of your yard. Here are XX great landscaping ideas for side of house for you to consider.
1. Grow Right Up to the Side of Your House
Small garden strips can make a big difference
When you lay the paving stones for your garden path, why not leave a little room between them and the side of your house for a small garden. You can plant a few perennials along the way, add a couple of planters if you run out of usable ground and create a very inviting path that leads to the back door or garage.
2. Create Your Own Feng Shui
Improve the flow of energy along the side of your house
The side of your home is the perfect place for this particular landscaping idea for side of house. By creating a natural stone walkway and adding in a wide selection of plants and lattice structures that literally guide you along the garden path, you can create your very own outdoor feng shui that helps to relax you from the stresses of a very busy life.
3. Shady, Straightforward, and Functional
Angular gardens, straight lines, and shady function
Life doesn't have to be all curves and swoops, sometimes there is nothing better than good old-fashioned straight lines and thoughtfully laid out gardens. Here we see straight stone paths that lead you directly to places to sit and relax in the shade of your favorite trees.
The small inset gardens can be used to plant shrubs, small areas of grass or cover plants, or even an herb garden that will help keep your kitchen well stocked year-round.
4. Wild and Crazy
There is nothing better than an abundance of flowers and shrubs
One of my favorite landscaping ideas for the side of a house has to be one that includes lots of flowers, flowering shrubs, and assorted plants. I like the garden path that not only runs through the middle of the gardens, but has a few age cracks in it that add plenty of character.
You can add in a section of fence with a gate to help keep the kids and dog out in the backyard and suddenly you have completely transformed the side of your home into something spectacular.
5. Natural River Rock and Shrubs
Smooth, clean, and environmentally friendly
Not everyone wants gardens filled with plants that take a lot of water or soil that requires constant weeding and upkeep. Not only does using natural river rock in this manner help to alleviate this problem, it helps to keep water away from the foundation of your home.
The use of a few small shrubs adds a touch of color and keeps the area very environmentally friendly.
6. Everyone Loves Curves
We all love curvy shape and this design has a lot to offer
Curves in all the right places is a good way to describe this particular landscaping idea. Not only is the path nicely curved all the way down the side of the house, but at each indented curved there is a garden full of beautiful flowers.
You could even use some of the garden space to plant your favorite herbs for use in the kitchen. While this path is made from poured cement, you could use pavers or gravel and achieve similar results.
7. Going Down the Garden Path
Wide gardens and a simple paver pathway
Sometimes keeping your landscaping ideas for side of house as simple as possible is the best choice. Why not add in a nice wide garden space where you can plant small trees, larger shrubs, and of course your favorite flowers.
By keeping things simple, you will find your side gardens and pathways much simpler to care for yet still incredibly beautiful and relaxing.
8. Grow Right Up to the Side of Your House
Small garden strips can make a big difference
When you lay the paving stones for your garden path, why not leave a little room between them and the side of your house for a small garden. You can plant a few perennials along the way, add a couple of planters if you run out of usable ground and create a very inviting path that leads to the back door or garage.
9. Roses and a Bench to Enjoy Them
Create your own rose garden with a shady spot to enjoy them from
When the sidewalk that runs alongside the house is right up against the wall, you have to be a bit more creative in planning your landscaping.
Adding a large garden that runs all the way from the path to your fence and filling it with rose bushes, trees, and plants that scale the fence is a great way to create a little extra privacy.
Add in a bench that can be used to sit on and enjoy your garden or as a place for special potted plants lets you create your own special “Zen” nook.
10. Ferns and Hedges
Beauty and privacy all in one go
Image courtesy of Modern House Design Ideas
Not everyone wants their neighbors to be able to see what they are doing in their backyard. While fences can help to keep prying eyes at bay, why not choose a more natural barrier as part of your landscaping ideas for the side of your house.
Privett hedges make a great privacy barrier and grow relatively quickly. You choose how high you want them to grow and how much privacy you want Add in a garden filled with your favorite ferns up against the side of the house and create your own special place.
11. Raised Beds and Trellises
Overhead beauty and plenty of hanging plants
Whoever said a garden has to be flat on the ground? Raised garden beds are not only very eye-appealing they are perfect for those who don't want to or simply can't bend over to work at ground level.
Adding one or more overhead trellises to your side garden not only gives you somewhere to grow plants such as honeysuckle, that not only smell amazing all summer long, but can also be used to create a wonderful shady spot to relax in and enjoy a glass of iced tea.
12. Pavers, flowers, and a Comfortable Place to Sit
Natural beauty and plenty of shade
Even when the side of your house faces a busy street, there is no reason why you can't use a few natural rock pavers to create a path past a wall hugging flower bed to spruce up the side of your home.
Use plenty of mulch to help hold in the moisture and keep the weeds at bay and choose a nice shady spot for a table and chairs to relax in or eat a freshly barbecued meal. You can even create a bit of a privacy screen with gardens between the path and the street.
13. Grids and Trellises
Geometric patterns can look amazing
While many people tend to like a more random look for the gardens and paths that run along the side of their home, this may not be the best idea for everyone.
In this image, we see that the person has laid everything out in nearly perfect geometric patterns. Even the plants have been set in rows and in between the pavers for a more uniform look.
The trellises are loaded with creeping plants that will continue to provide shade all summer long. You can add lights to the trellis creating a unique night-time walking experience.
14. Pavers and Planters
The perfect solution for areas that rain a lot
No one says you have to have gardens running right up against your house to be able to enjoy a taste of Mother Nature's bounty.
Why not use paving stones in your choice of colors and cement them in place to create a solid, water-resistant surface that is easy to clean and remove snow from. You can then use a series of planters to add shrubs, bushes, trees, or flowers to complete the picture.
If you choose the right plants you may be able to take them inside during the winter months.
15. Tip Toe Through the Tulips
Why not create a side garden you can walk through
Who said you should never walk through your garden. Why not plant your garden right up against the side of your house and then add in a few cute paving stones to create a path that lets you wander among your flowers.
You can add a garden along the side of your home or any other structure such as your garage or garden shed. Adding a few planters filled with your favorite flowers at the edge is another great way to add more color.
16. Rocks, Pavers, and Cool Fencing
Create your own natural walkway
Have you ever wanted to be able to take a walk out in the woods on a daily basis? Even if you don't live near the woods, you can create your very own nature trail along the side of your home.
As you can see, the path and surrounding gardens are made using a range of different types of rock in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Plants are added in seemingly at random and privacy fencing is used to give your side yard a more secluded feel.
17. Living in Perfect Harmony
Geometry does have a place in your yard
Do you remember a time when you thought you would never use all of that geometry you learned in high school? Take a good look at this landscaping idea for the side of your house.
Pavers can be laid out in just about any imaginable geometric pattern to create your own type of symmetry. Plants can be added along the side in planters, hanging window boxes, or planted directly in the ground. You can add a trellis at one end as a gateway into the garden.
18. Poetry in Motion
Symmetry can always have a home in your yard
Symmetry can be used to create true poetry in motion along the side of your house. Simple square paving stones are used to create a diamond pattern walkway that is surrounded on both sides by gardens.
What a great way to grow your favorite flowers and herbs conveniently close to your kitchen door. Allowing grass to grow between the pavers adds a nice natural touch and will also help keep them firmly fastened in place.
19. Gravel and Green
Create your own garden path full of edibles
When you have only limited garden space to work with but a nice section of ground between your home and the fence between you and the house next door, you have the perfect place for a couple of long gardens.
You can separate them with a gravel path lined with bricks to create a nice aesthetic look. Plant the gardens with your favorite flowers or use them to grow edibles like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, and more.
20. Create a Peaceful Place to Relax
Pavers, plants, and a comfy chair or two
Just because your home is close to another building doesn't mean you can't still create a welcoming and relaxing place to get away from it all. Create a wandering path from the front door around the side of your house with pavers and then use every available inch of ground to fill with a wide variety of plants.
You can plant veggies, flowers, trees, and bushes to give you the peace and quiet you want along with a number of vegetables you can enjoy most of the year. Don't forget to add a pad for a chair or two so you can enjoy the fruits of your labors.
21. Fenced in and Functional
You can create your own private world even in the city
Just because you happen to live in the city where houses are almost so close you can hear your neighbors talking in their living room doesn't mean you can't improve the side of your house.
It really doesn't take much to dig in a garden alongside the house and along the fence with a decorative walkway between them.
Mix your choice of plants between those that are planted in the ground and those that need to be in moveable planters to achieve a little added beauty in your side yard.
22. Create an Overhead Garden
Variety is the spice of life
Image courtesy of Garden Barn Inc.
When it comes to landscaping ideas of the side of a house, variety is truly the spice of life. Most of us tend to think of gardening in terms of planting things that tend to remain close to ground level. While the majority of the plants you will be using to improve the look of the side of your home, why not go vertical.
It doesn't take much to add a trellis or two with climbing vines to the mix. Not only will this add a more unique to your side garden, it can give a number of birds a place to build their nests, allowing you to watch them raise their families.
23. Anyone for Hopscotch?
Throw your stone and take your next step
While this may not really look like the hopscotch game board we used to draw on the sidewalk when we were kids (long before the digital age), the alternating square and rectangular pavers used here definitely create a unique look. Using gravel instead of mulch helps to trap enough moisture in the ground to keep the shrubs well-watered.
This type of gardening is often referred to as xeriscaping as it requires little to no additional watering, which also helps to keep moisture away from the sides of your home.
The Last Step
As you can see the number of landscaping ideas for the side of a house is virtually limitless. In fact, the only things that are likely to limit what you do to improve the side of your home are your imagination and your budget.
The good news is that you can always do what I did and source as many materials as you can from used building supply stores such as Habitat for Humanity, your local recycling center, and the local dump (be sure you have permission to enter the dump before you go in as you could be charged with trespassing).
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