Small Backyard Design

Small backyards are often found in areas of Houston such as the Upper Kirby District and portions of Rice Village, West University, and Bellaire. Homes here may be single story 2 or 3 bedroom dwellings, townhomes, or patio homes. The challenge in landscaping such a small backyard lies in the limited amount of space available to design structures and forms. Outdoor architecture must reflect the size and type of the house that sits on the property. Trees and gardens must be smaller in order to avoid dwarfing the home and consuming what little open space there is. Landscape architects typically have to construct everything on a much smaller scale.

Perspective is the key to creating a complimentary relationship between hardscapes, outdoor rooms, patios, garden design, and home architecture itself. In a small backyard, all landscaping elements are much closer to the house itself and consequently have a much greater visual impact on its aesthetic. Patios tend to be highly customized and are often constructed from very unique materials whose visual appeal will offset their smaller size. Furniture is also smaller as a general rule, and walkways and paths have to be built very narrow in order to make the surrounding yard look much larger than it is. For example, bisecting a small backyard behind a townhome with an 18” wide, winding pathway creates the optimal illusion of a larger yard by dividing a single space into two.

In a similar manner, organic elements must also be scaled down to proportions appropriate to the size of the house and surrounding lot. Certain popular garden designs such as French, Italian, or Mediterranean styles cannot be built in their traditional forms. Custom modifications must be made to these forms and scaled down to proportions suitable to the environment. Small trees must be planted in a backyard with limited open space. Any number of species can be trucked in that will thrive in the Houston climate. These trees can be planted in rows to create organic walls of greenery, or they can be planted individually in key locations and areas of interests.

Decorative walls built along either all or a portion of the property line can also help make a small backyard look much larger than it actually is. While this may seem contradictory to the idea of expanding space, the opposite is true. Small backyards appear dwarfed when one can see beyond them into a larger lot next door. Enclosing the space, and then developing a design within that enclosure, will actually create a visual sense of expansion. Decorative elements can then be added along these walls that transform a typically plain boundary into a decorative art form in and of itself. Planters can be built that will support anything from an herb garden to a rainbow of seasonal flowers. Decorative urns and pottery can adorn corners, and fountains can be built into walls themselves as a means of conserving open space without having to give up one of the most classic and tranquil aspects of backyard design.