Not everyone wants to deal with much yard work. If you’re the type of person who just wants to fix it and forget it, then you’ll enjoy a landscape with perennials, native plants, and lots of hardscaping or xeriscaping.

If you like to tend to your outdoor space, then you can consider annuals and fragile plants that require a little more care. You can scale back on the hardscaped elements in favor of letting the beauty of your greenery slip through.

Some people like wide open spaces with plenty of plants. Others want to rest in the shade, and so require porches, pergolas, meditation gardens or other spaces where they can hide away from the world for awhile.

And some want a thoughtfully-designed combination of both.

If you want to attract birds and butterflies to your yard then you’ll want to add native plants, water features, and plenty of places for them to nest and hide.

Consciously attracting urban wildlife can add a whole new dimension to your yard, one that makes it feel like paradise. The sound of birdsong can be a lot more welcoming than the sounds of silence.

What will you be using your yard for? If you just want to kick back on the weekend, then an outdoor home theatre might be the perfect choice. If you want to entertain, you’ll want a big kitchen, dining, and conversation area.

If you want your kids to bring all their friends over and play outside for awhile, then you’ll want lots of open grass, and perhaps a treehouse or other play feature.

And if you want to do it all, then you’ll need perfect design that makes the most of your space, one that takes care to incorporate existing features, like pools.

Sketch out a few ideas and grab a few magazines. Your dream yard is just a phone call away.