Your garden is your peaceful refuge. In many ways, it can greatly impact your home’s frame. If you’re looking for a great design, cool scaling techniques and awesome inclusions, look no further. We’re here to help you craft peaceful, beautiful outdoor spaces, and we’ve collected the five best design ideas around. If you’re ready, hop in. Check out these great tips for maximizing your space’s interest.

1. Vertical Herb Garden

If you’re dealing with a small space—or, if you want to maximize pre-existing space—plant your herbs vertically, not horizontally. By using pot hangers, tin cans and wood trellis, you can create a modernist environment without whittling down your space.

Vertical herb gardens rely on a trellis wall, but you’ve still got options. Just make sure you have some shady seating areas. Then, pick out a refreshing variety of herbs, install them, and get ready to show off to the neighbors. Vertical herb gardens, due to their layout, can pull off some highly unique shapes. Get creative, and use some vinery to tie in the different components.

2. Coffee Can Planters

Often, peaceful vibes are derived from casual inclusions. Large aluminum cans, coffee cans or even paint buckets can provide the smooth look you’re going for. First, use a hammer and nails to pull a few plants together. Then, attack some pallets. Whether you’re using this area for the vertical herb garden or not, you can use it to support several coffee cans.

Coffee cans are perfect for small, contained plant growth. Consider them to be makeshift pots. If you’re hanging them from a wooden fence, try removing a pallet’s planks—except for the middle and ends. Then, choose which pallets you’d like to use in the base garden design. You may need to do some cutting, but the payoff will be worthwhile. For extra support, hammer several nail holes into each can’s bottom to add hooks.

3. Create a Multifunctional Space

Why settle for simplicity? Modern gardens aren’t about segmentation. They’re about solidarity. Check out this informational article on using perspective to your advantage. Then, strategize your garden for multifunctional use. If you have a small garden or yard, you can still make your landscape seem bigger without sacrificing a peaceful look. Ideally, you’ll use a focal point to reduce perceived clutter.

This focal point can be a sitting area, which is presented by plant rows. As part of your garden design, consider aligning your focal point with your fence line’s corner. In doing so, you’ll create a truly multifunctional space where visitors can relax, socialize and revel in your garden’s finest features.

4. Skip the Lawn

Hear us out. You shouldn’t put a ton of effort into your lawn. Ideally, you’ll make your garden area a centerpiece. It’s important to draw the attention of passerby, presenting unexpected elements in interesting areas. Mix up your yard, and draw your focus away from the lawn. Don’t get too heavy-handed with soft-scaping ideas, either, because they can appear chaotic when presented alongside a backyard’s garden.

5. Hanging Garden

Even if you’re getting vertical with wooden pallets, consider adding a hanging garden. Use your cabana, any overhangs and wall mounts wisely, and trail plants and herbs to draw the gaze of passerby. In doing so, you can instill a Mediterranean look to your garden—maximizing its courtyard feel.

Take charge with your garden design, and get crafty with portable exterior kitchens, if need be. Peaceful environments aren’t crafted overnight, and design ideas can take time to solidify. Check out your deck and patio areas, steer clear of meddling in the lawn and create a scenic, expansive garden area with minimal resources.