Landscaping a Courtyard

Landscaping a courtyard is a landscaping challenge like no other. While backyard landscaping is designed to be a tranquil sanctuary that eases the soul and can even provide food for you and your family.

Front yard landscaping is something else completely different. As the public face to your house or office, a front yard should be a summary of all your best gardening and design, not usually meant to be used very often you can sacrifice function for prefect form.

A courtyard is the combination of these two things. It should be a public space that anyone visiting your location can admire, while also providing a relaxing place to meet, construct meetings or just have lunch.

Proper courtyard landscaping is also often much larger in scale than tradition house landscaping. Large trees and bushed should be utilized to provide shade and relief form the summer heat. There should also be a mix of cold and warm weather plants to make the courtyard and enjoyable in both summer and winter.

One of the major components of courtyard landscaping is the path. Interlocking brick, small pebbles or even fine woodchips are great materials for creating a scenic walkway that will guide you and your guest through your creation. The path should meander a little bit providing the time and space needed for full appreciation.

Your courtyard should also mimic the character of your house or building. If you have a traditional English colonial home you should plant an English garden, with plenty of shrubs and perennials.

An oriental house should have a courtyard that integrates all that nature has to offer. Organic shaped pools and ponds are used to complement detailed stonework and small trees and shrubs.

Many courtyards should also have a functional element to the. Wooden boardwalks and gazebos will enhance the beauty of the property while providing a comfortable place to stop and rest and hopefully enjoy the scenery.

Lighting is also an important component to courtyards. Your courtyard should not be over light like a back deck, or under-light like your front yard. Use retro English lane style lighting to simulate a turn of the charm. You can also us citronella candles to have an authentic firelight feel that will also keep those nasty bugs away from your guests.

Finally, birdfeeders are once of the most effective ways to bring some life into your courtyard. Choose feeders that will attract colorful birds that will fill the air with their gentle songs.