Backyard Playsets | Backyard Play Areas

by Bridget
(Newark, NJ, USA)

Here's a question about backyard playsets and play areas.

We have three children ages 1,2 and 17. We have a yard that is our canvass. It is square shaped (I don't have measurements just yet.) We would like to have a nice bed of grass, swings, flowers and maybe even a small vegetable garden. Do you have any tips you could share regarding the positioning of these items?

ANSWER

Hi Bridget,
I'm sorry for the delay in responding to your questions.

The best place for backyard playsets or swing sets for children is towards the back of the property and also having it visible from the house. Perhaps the kitchen where many people spend a lot of time is a good room to base the view of the playset from, or there might be another room that you spend more time in.

My first choice would be a back corner, angled. This makes for nice viewing and also keeps the rest of the property open for other landscaping ideas and backyard play areas.

Ideally, a vegetable garden should be placed not to far from the house. Also it should be in an area that is easy for you to get to for watering, weeding, fertilizing, etc. It should be placed in full sun or the sunniest area with a minimum of about 4 to 5 hours of sunlight throughout the day.

Planting beds can be placed along the backyard house foundation, along the property perimeters, near a patio, or be out in the lawn. If in the lawn, make sure you still have a nice lawn area to create a functional backyard for children.You might like to include a shade tree if you have a lot of sun. Planting beds should be mixed with different plants. See Landscaping Ideas

Lawn is the background. Picture starting with all lawn, and adding landscape features, plantings, structures, etc. from there. Large areas of lawn are welcoming and soothing...my thoughts anyway! And it creates nice backyard play areas. The backyard playset is out of the way but easily accessible.