Designing a Backyard Paradise: Ideas and Online Resources for a Blooming Garden

Moving into a new four-bedroom home sparked a backyard transformation project. With three kids needing outdoor play space and a desire for neighbor-connecting barbecues, the mission: create a functional, beautiful family retreat affordably.

Vision: Play + Entertain

Kids need more than video games—think mini-playground, tent camping, maybe a pool. Adults need gathering space: grill, seating, string lights, and yes, cold beers for new friends.

Site Assessment & Design Process

• Document sun/shade patterns, soil conditions, existing trees
• Photograph, sketch, render designs
• Consult magazines, relatives, colleagues
• Involve kids: pet area? playhouse? sandbox? swing set?

Smart Sourcing: Smith & Hawken

Their online catalog offers free shipping on trellises, English arches, window boxes, plant stands, terrariums, plaques, stepping stones, fountains—everything for a backyard paradise at accessible prices.

Safety First

With children, tool storage is non-negotiable. Refurbishing an unused gazebo into a locked equipment shed keeps curious hands safe.

Flora & Fauna: The Wife's Domain

She's researching butterfly-attracting, fragrant, double-flowering varieties: lilacs, black-eyed Susans, daylilies, campanulas. Plus elegant, affordable planters, urns, cast-iron trivets, and caddies.

The result? A garden that blooms—along with the family life it nurtures.