How can I make my big boring backyard cozy?
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Start small, when dealing with a large beautiful blank slate like yours you don't want to become overwhelmed by trying to tackle it all at once. I would start by adding a firepit with seating or a grilling area. Smaller flower gardens connected by a garden path would help to do it in stages. I'm also a huge lover of wildflowers and think they would look great across the back.
The key to cozy is seating and plants. Find some outdoor furniture you early like and then buy plants in a contrasting color (preferably something low maintenance that comes back every year). Then find a few pieces of decor to accent your space. It's mainly a matter of liking what you see.
Auto correct stinks! Lol
Question is what exactly do you want in your yard?
Add some mystery to your yard by having a path the end of which can't be seen, a firepit or pond surrounded by seating and flowers that come with aromas.
Put a fire pit in the middle in that dead section and have many happy gatherings around the fire
All above suggestions are great if you can do the work yourself and know how. A landscape designer can design your yard for you and get the work done. If course it will cost to pay someone but will be beautiful for years to come.
I think Earl Flanagan makes a good point - what do you see your backyard looking like. Do you want a bbq area with an eating area, do you want a covered area, do you want gardens - flowers, veggies or both, play area for kids?? When we were starting our large - not as large as yours, we started with a veggie garden and I did some of the side areas in flower gardens. We wanted a deck so that went in then we got our pool - still love that. After that we decided where we wanted to create privacy via a hedge. Because we back onto a park we also had to plan on how to get privacy with a chain link fence. Ohhh the things you have to think of. It all comes together over time - just figure out your priority and start there.