A dirt yard is a blank canvas. What you do with that canvas will depend on your project budget, functional goals, and style preferences. Those looking to minimize expenses or complete a quick diy could rely on cost-effective groundcover materials like gravel and decomposed granite to establish distinct zones. Key planting can help to emphasize spaces while avoiding barriers - vines on walls, upright screening plants, container plants positioned at corners, or (our favorite) small trees planted adjacent to seating areas are all tried and true solutions to lend character and definition to spaces without interrupting flow. Prefabricated design elements, from furniture, to plant containers, to fire pits, also offer an affordable and flexible way to achieve a broad range of design goals. The movability of free-standing furniture helps to minimize barriers, maintaining openness in the limited space side yards typically offer. When choosing prefab elements, aim for consistency - a unifying theme, be it a color, a texture, or some other repeated characteristic, helps a design look intentional.