Do you know your backyard birds? MNN Mother Nature Network

A backyard is an extension of what is happening inside our home, possibly More vibrant, casual, fun, and with no ceiling to put a lid on our wants and desires. In a yard, trees and vines can climb to their eventual heights, light and weather can quickly change, and the possibilitieswithin the confines of our house lines--are up to the terrain, our layout skills, and our do-it-yourself know-how.

If your DIY layout and construction skills are not up to handling a major backyard remodeling project, you can hire a landscape architect or designer To help your outside space realize its own potential. A skilled professional can guide you through the process of figuring out how a fashion, deciding who will use the lawn, producing zones of activity, selecting materials and plants, and advocating builders and contractors for everything from swimming pools to outdoor structures to installing irrigation.

Explore ideas showing the way the backyard can be transformed into everyone's Favorite area. In this first example, notice how the curved lines of the terrace fit with all the casual nature of the local wooded area.

How do you design a backyard to two toddlers boys and their parents that is secure, engaging, and appealing? More than fulfilled the challenge within this San Francisco area home which includes chairs and dining spaces along with a grass-covered berm and interactive sculptures for the children.

The fence and bench are made from redwood--the weapon features a mild stain while the bench is organic and Podocarpus (plum pines) were implanted to provide greenery and enhance privacy. No-mow fescue implanted on the berm Durable bluegrass is planted on the horizontal regions of the lawn, and recycled brick is employed for a little patio. To create smart use of the space, the redwood benches have storage room to store outdoor toys when they are not in use.

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Most Common Backyard Birds

The Garden Route Co. Remodeled this landscape of a two-story Diamond Heights Eichler with a steep hillside garden. The challenge: creating horizontal, usable outdoor living spaces by constructing terraces and stairs linking the various levels. With a focus on feel, bold forms, and colors, this garden calms the angular landscape architecture and supplies the backyard a more modern feeling.

The owners of this Boston area property desired to stretch their Living room to the outside while enjoying the beautiful woodland setting at easy reach from the back door. Landscape designers A Blade of Grass reconfigured the back porch to step down to an adjoining raised bluestone patio. The designer produced a series of outdoor rooms that transition from a highly designed area to more naturalized native plantings, including an outdoor fireplace, a koi pond, a shade garden, and irregular bluestone paths.

A large water basin is the centerpiece of this Islamic-style courtyard garden in Hertfordshire, England. The customers of landscape designer Fiona Green of Green Tree Garden Design previously lived in the Middle East and desired their English garden to reflect the designs of the former home. Following the traditional principles of Islamic garden design, Green made a courtyard with a water feature in one corner with a fresh summerhouse at the opposite corner, which can be viewed from the courtyard seating area. Green completed the renovation by replacing the plants with specimens that offer yearlong jewel-tone colors, in addition to structure and odor.

Birding In My Backyard ramblingcrowells

Tasked with respecting the 1959 mid-century contemporary origins of the home, (fer) studio, LLP oversaw site improvements of a Sherman Oaks hilltop home possessed by Davis Factor, photographer and founder of Smashbox. Preserving its post-and-beam structure and rhythm, (fer) studio inserted a seat, cabana, and a gym with a private patio serving the master suite. Along the way, Factor bought the property next door and his residence was expanded to incorporate a 2,700-square-foot guest house.

Along with landscape architect Victoria Pakshong of [place] picture collaborative, (fer) studio made a strategy for the enlarged property's natural upslope. A railroad-tie path traverses the whole width of the property, and the enlarged entryway/ driveway is made of concrete pavers and permeable Grasscrete. The pool and outdoor activity zones are built with an emphasis on the flat lines of their property, keeping a very low profile so that nothing obstructs that fabulous view.

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SFV Backyard Bird Identification – San Fernando Valley Audubon Society

Over time, though, Sari allow another vision for her yard take shape, one which was motivated by the publication Last Child in the Woods and its notion that unstructured outdoor play is good for kids' development. Gave the hillside area an enchanting new look, adding willow tunnelstree stumps, and a gigantic nest perched in a tree to encourage exploration. "When children come over, I see that this'holy smokes' response in their own eyes," Sari says. "They can't believe they could definitely dig climb."

Since everything is constructed from natural materials rather than chunky Plastic, the backyard is still sophisticated enough for adult dinner parties. And as her children (now totaling three--ranging from ages 2 to 8) get older, Sari has grown to love the stretchiness of the design. The kids often drape climbing structures with cloth for forts. Hideout spots twice as reading nooks. "Eventually, I might even get a little time with a publication in the willow nest myself," she says. "But we are a ways away from that!"

"When we entertain, the kids sit ," Sari says. "They get their own room, but they are still in our eyesight."

A small willow tunnel provides a secret-garden caliber to a course. "Tunnels can be made out of many things," says Gore. "Let a tree or tree grow to the floor and cut the undergrowth. Or weave willow wisps or green cuttings from an acacia or a grapevine."

Gore enjoys tree trunks for children's outdoor spaces, both because they're a natural repurposed material and because"they could be rearranged endlessly," she states. From the front yard, the Lehrer kids use them as oversize steppingstones.

SFV Backyard Bird Identification – San Fernando Valley Audubon Society Video

CNC Building Pros made a long, floating bench that joins the interior with the exterior of this home in Sydney, Australia. The homeowners' kids enjoy climbing the stairs that lead from one slate-covered patio to another--the higher one acts as a point for impromptu performances when not utilized as a courtyard terrace.Everyone wants their patio or lawn to look its absolute best without spending a fortune, so we've come to your rescue with loads of lovely garden suggestions on a budget. Instead of distributing dough on a professional picture designer, save money and take matters into your own hands with an easy outdoor design project.

backyard birds