Spruce Up Your Whole Home Without Renovating — By Landscaping Your Yard

If your home is feeling a little drab right now, it may be time for a change. But that doesn't mean that you have to repaint, or otherwise fix the interior. Instead think outside the box — to your front and back yards! Especially these days, when we're all much more likely to be hosting outside, you can get a lot of mileage out of Accenting the exterior of your home. Natural elements, from flora and fauna to privacy trees, stonework, and water features all make for a far more inviting space for your future guests (not to mention a restful retreat for you!).

Here, we've compiled our favorite landscaping ideas in the hopes that they'll inspire your next outdoor renovation. Let these backyard ideas motivate you to create your own beautiful garden or front lawn oasis without breaking the bank. From a perfectly-positioned rose arch that'll give your home major English garden vibes, to a modern brick staircase dotted with flowers and a fabulous dug-out fire pit (s'mores, anyone?), there's something here for just about every homeowner—no matter his or her design sensibility.

Of course, the best part of the ideas we've compiled here is that you can implement many of them without spending a fortune. We've got budget porch and patio decorating ideas, simple DIY tutorials, and easy hacks for thoroughly overhauling small backyards—and very few of them actually require a professional designer. Time to start dreaming and saving big!

Adding seating to your yard opens you up to a world of possibilities: You can dine alfresco, you've got a great new spot to crack open a new book, and so much more. Laying down gravel or pebbles is a good place to start; next, add a table and chairs.

SHOP OUTDOOR TABLES

We're fans of stone paths for both pragmatic and aesthetic reasons. They're beautiful, of course, but they're also the easiest and most convenient way to get from place to place. No need to wander through your freshly cut grass anymore!

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A fire pit is the easiest way to ensure that your backyard is the talk of the town this summer. Your neighbors won't be able to get enough! If you do go this route though, don't forget to stock your pantry with plenty of marshmallows and graham crackers.

See more DIY outdoor fireplace ideas.

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Got an old shed that's a bit of an eyesore? Renovate — or tear it down, and build it into something you actually want — like this lean-to gathering spot!

See more garden shed upgrades.

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A treehouse isn't just for kids, you know! Sure, they might spend the most time in it, but don't discount the whimsy and fun that a treehouse will add to your backyard.

See more amazing adult-sized treehouses.

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A rose arch running over a garden path or along a patio door frame will give any space an English countryside feel. (It helps to have an adorable dog as well!)

Find popular garden rose varieties.

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Here, a pair of Napa Valley homeowners enhanced their wine-country facade with the warmest welcome—florals dotting the modern brick front steps.

Read more about great garden flowers.

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Neutral fanatic and Country Living frequenter Nancy Fishelson welcomes guests to her Orchard Park, New York home with a bit of punchy flower power and complementary elongated topiaries.

Read more on Nancy Fishelson.

SHOP GALVANIZED BUCKET FLOWER POTS

Use a bed of blooms to separate the driveway pavement from the grass, as designer Loi Thai did with this Maine fixer-upper.

Read more garden edging ideas.

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A California family of seven transferred their affinity for white decorations outside the house, as well, which makes for an eye-catching garden bed contrast.

Read more raised bed garden ideas.

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Once you get past the wonder that is this barn-top-floor-turned-functioning-farmhouse, gain inspiration from the matching exterior evergreens that frame the hayloft just right.

Read more about the farmhouse.

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Thanks to rustic rockers, a collection of terra-cotta pots, and climbing vines, you'd never guess at first glance that this seemingly pastoral townhouse garden terrace lies in the heart of New York City's storied West Village neighborhood.

Read more about the townhouse.

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After renovating their farmhouse, a Wisconsin family set their sights on their backyard, adding wooden garden beds (designed to look like old fruit boxes!) around a dug-out fire pit and seating area.

Read more about this renovated farmhouse.

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If your backyard already includes chickens (or ducks!) — or if you just want to keep your furry friends hydrated, consider adding a unique DIY rustic water feature, like an inground watering trough.

Read more about raising backyard chickens.

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Leave it to Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame to design such a stunning walkway for her garden. The vine-covered arbor overhead gives the outdoor space an ethereal feel.

Read more about Joanna Gaines' farmhouse garden.

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Topiaries are a staple of New England landscaping. They're especially fitting in the colorful garden of this quite-nice Connecticut farmhouse.

Read more about the Connecticut farmhouse.

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Landscaping doesn't have to break the bank. Give old items a second life as garden structures or planters like blogger Carlene Blair of Organized Clutter did with this bicycle in her self-described "junk garden."

Read more about Carlene Blair's junk garden.

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Of course if money is no object, you could design an entire house around the landscape! For this Wyoming home, architects utilized an ancient aquifer to add truly remarkable water features.

Read more about this amazing Wyoming home.

Flower beds bursting with a variety of textures and colors add interest to this rustic barn-turned-guest house, while hanging flower pots anchor the porch.

Read more about this rustic barn-turned-guest house.

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Lavender is practically indestructible, comes in beautiful hues, and is deer-resistant.

Read more about how to grow lavender.

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Climbing vines like this sweet autumn clematis add verticality to spaces, and help beautify otherwise dull spots, like the arches of garden gates. (Photo courtesy of Bumblebee blog.)

Read more about growing clematis.

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If you're doing a lot of repotting plants, consider building (or refurbishing) a shed into a more beautiful place to do it. It has the advantage of moving the mess out of your main house!

Read more about this chic garden shed.

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The lush garden of this Napa Valley country cottage features handy herbs like lavender, and rosemary, as well as beautiful irises, and lush fruit trees.

Read more about this Napa Valley cottage.

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Nestled behind hedges framing a cute wooden door, a cottage garden can be a lush oasis of fragrant blooms climbing over a garden trellises and pretty pathways.

Read more cottage garden ideas.

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Not only are they beautiful, but they'll keep you stocked up on plenty of incredibly fresh herbs and veggies!

Read more kitchen garden ideas.

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Create a quiet spot to relax in your yard by carving out space with gravel and surrounding it with greenery and vines.

Find more great lawn chairs.

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Also called tropical white morning-glory, moonflower is a night-blooming species of morning glory. It features fragrant white flowers that open from sundown to sunup, midsummer to early autumn—you can literally watch them unfurl at dusk.

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Various varieties of roses create a fragrant and welcoming front yard.

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Planting fruits and veggies doesn't have to be complicated. The Backyard Homestead will help even the most inexperienced of gardeners grow their own food in no time.

These pots look like they're suspended in mid-air, but they're actually secured with clay pot hooks — plastic supports that easily screw into a wall and let you quickly hook and unhook terra cotta pots. Each hanger can bear up to 30 pounds, so they're great for larger pots as well.

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Ground cover plants are great for filling in spaces whenever you need them, preventing soil erosion. Here, creeping thyme blurs the lines between patio pavers.

Read more about ground cover plants.

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Instead of stairs up to a front porch, consider building an elevated stone walkway to the front of your home. Frame them with an abundance of bushes and flowers.

Read more DIY front step ideas.

Boxwood hedges—whether rounded, squared off, or snaked through other borders—can add charm to any country garden space.

Read more about best boxwood shrubs.

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A centerpiece installation like the tranquil birdbath fountain outside this chic she-shed creates peaceful sounds, attracts beautiful birds, and can help make a space feel calming and pleasant.

Read more about this chic she-shed.

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Instead of renovating the outside of this former sugar shack, the owners allowed fast-growing and beautiful wisteria vines to overrun it, even creeping through the windows. Inside, the Ohio couple host intimate candlelit dinners.

Read more about this Ohio farmhouse.

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The owners of this New York weekend home are away all week, and so need low-maintenance plants. Each spring, owner Mario Pollan puts new flowers and herbs in maple syrup buckets to see what thrives through the fall. Success stories include black-eyed Susan, bee balm, Heliopsis, echinacea, and honeysuckle.

Read more about this New York garden estate.

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Plant large, eye-catching flowers that will grow up and around a fence to create a beautiful walkway to your home.

Read more walkway ideas.

Galvanized troughs look gorgeous, as well as keeping pests at bay and conserving water in this California farmhouse.

Read more about this California farmhouse.

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A herbaceous and beautiful border of catmint, delphinium, red-hot poker, and roses cover this garden.

Find more fragrant flowers to plant.

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Perennial plants surround a white wooden pergola in this plentiful backyard garden.

Read more stylish pergola ideas.

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Twenty varieties of hosta create a lush patchwork in front of the barn behind this New Hampshire farmhouse.

Read more about this New Hampshire farmhouse.

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An allée of fast-growing Bradford pear trees leads to this 1850s farmhouse. While popular once upon a time, Bradford pears can be difficult to care for. Cleveland pear trees make a great alternative.

Read more about this 1850s farmhouse.

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Rounded and sword-shaped foliage populate the garden of this Pennsylvania home, adding interest to the front-yard border even when little is blooming. "The iris leaves act like exclamation points," the owner says.

Read more about this Pennsylvania home.

SHOP PLANT FOOD

Framed by wisteria, a Grecian- style planter holds a tangle of geraniums and sweet-potato vines outside of this Rhode Island home.

Read more about this carefully cultivated home.

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'Tardiva' and 'Annabelle' hydrangeas, 'Diana' Rose of Sharon hibiscus, and Hosta plantaginea frame stone risers, creating the walkway behind this Martha's Vineyard home.

Read more about this Martha's Vineyard Home.

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Low-lieing but easy to maintain 'Karley Rose' grass accentuates a view of the pool and vineyard in the backyard of this California home.

Read more about this California home.

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A limestone path lined with wild daisies leads the way to this secluded Kentucky cabin.

Read more about this Kentucky cabin.

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Coral honeysuckle is a perennial with a long bloom time, from mid-June through September. Its trumpet-shaped blossoms both beautify and perfume a space. It also grows fast, scaling a 10- to 15-foot trellis in a single season, and attracts hummingbirds as well.

Read more about flowering vines.

SHOP HONEYSUCKLE

Clematis and star jasmine climb a brick wall adjoining this Alabama house's back patio.

Read more about this Alabama house.

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The owner of this California home renovated her gardens with help from a landscape designer who cleaned up the overgrown perennial beds and refreshed gravel paths that connect the landscape's many nooks and crannies.

Read more about this California home.

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While flowers lining a path look nice, don't overlook the value of ornamental grasses, such as this Miscanthus sinensis, also called Morning Light maiden grass, which softens the path to the guest house of this California farmhouse.

Read more about this California farmhouse.

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A very vigorous clematis, Sweet autumn clematis doesn't just grow tall (up to 30 feet in a few months); it also grows wide, ensuring full coverage. Consider its tiny white flowers, which bloom in late summer and early fall, a bonus. Oh, and did we mention that the plant tolerates most soil and sun conditions?

Read more about how to grow clematis.

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Roses don't need to grow as bushes. This homeowner of this Birmingham Alabama home covered an arbor in 'New Dawn' roses, for a sweetly scented little backyard getaway.

Read more about this Birmingham home.

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To maximize the scene from their upstairs windows, which overlooks this arbor, the homeowners of this Hudson, New York, home planted a trumpet vine at each of the structure's six posts.

Read more about this Hudson home.

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The homeowner of this Connecticut cottage built a fence close to the pool for intimacy, then added evergreens and a variety of complementary color plants to create a secluded space around their pool.

Read more about this Connecticut cottage.

Instead of a lawn, the homeowner of this Canadian cottage filled his front yard with a variety of plants.

Read more about this Canadian cottage.

This 19th-century Connecticut home features a generous helping of lighthearted touches in the garden, like this walkway, to soften the stern edges and loosen up any lingering pomp.

Read more about this whimsical home.

In the garden of this Philadelphia home, the outdoor "room with a view" is canopied by a trumpet vine, golden hops, and rose-bowered pergola, with concrete pavers laid down checkerboard style.

In this Rhode Island garden, a variety called 'Green Sheen' surrounds the path to an office. The outcome? A no-maintenance, evergreen ground cover that shines year-round and complements the sage woodwork of the 18th-century fanlight and door.

Read more about this Rhode Island garden.

Lush ornamentals and edibles were planted between the straight lines of paths in this Ohio garden, which artfully bind yard to house. Clipped boxwood and arborvitae, and a century-old stone lion, carved by an Ohio folk artist, define open-air rooms. White phlox and daisies bloom by the picket-fenced vegetable patch.

Let climbing roses, well, climb up an archway for a thoroughly romantic garden entrance.

Flowers are sprinkled throughout this Connecticut garden, from the bold prelude—a moody row of rose and clematis arbors—to herb beds anchored in 'Fairy' rose standards rising above fragrant heliotrope. The homeowner also devoted ample space for purple basil beside sweet, jalapeno, and paprika peppers.

With a structure to grow on, plants in this New York garden can create living walls that offer privacy and seclusion. Here, a cedar arbor boasts a dense covering of roses that forms a natural "roof," while a boxwood shrub anchors the base of each column. The result is an intimate seating area that can be used for relaxing or dining.

Read more about this New York garden.

The passageway in this garden looks straight out of a storybook—and re-creating it requires almost no effort. In fact, the first step is simply letting an area grow wild. (If your plot's bare, ryegrass seed will take care of the problem, fast.) Once the grass reaches great heights, plow a trail through it with a riding mower or weed wacker. From then on, a push mower can keep up appearances. And don't worry about weed control or water; perfection is not the point.

Instead of the usual prim suspects—boxwood, privet, holly—the designer of this Rhode Island garden composed the hedge with tall, breezy grasses. A seven-foot-tall maiden grass, along with several smaller stands of dwarf fountain grass, creates a sense of enclosure that has a fluid, almost musical effect.

Read more about this Rhode Island garden.

Low growing perennials, like dwarf impatiens planted with Soleirolia soleirolii make a charming garden pathway. Check out more of the best ground cover flowers for your yard.

Read more about ground cover plants.

Overflowing with your favorite flowers, window boxes are a irresistible draw for the eye. Consider planting flowers in a shade that complements the color of your home. Or, for dramatic effect, mix in a second plant that picks up your trim color.