Nothing in your backyard? Want a pretty backyard? Begin backwards. Install function first, do not consider overall form, nor a single plant. Seriously, this is a zero plant Garden Design first round. . Consider this your backward backyard Garden Design Mini Course. Free. . Site first your table/chairs/umbrella & brick pad, similar to, below. Siting near house, sited near a door of the home. Ease of use. Rectangular or square tables are best, they have multiple uses beyond dining, and for dining, can be placed end-to-end for larger groups. . Choose table/chairs/umbrella hardy to life, and aesthetics to your interior. Aesthetics includes style & color. Little funding? No excuse. To me. At a minimum copy Martha Washington's strategy at Mount Vernon. It was expected she would host/entertain whoever showed up at her doorstep. Many did. Martha Washington used saw horses with planks atop, and a tablecloth. Done. More than economical, functional, pretty, easy to set up, easy to remove. . If you are field gathering table/chairs for your backyard, aka thrifting, garage sales, curbside garbage collection days, & online no worries about their scavenged appearance. None. . Choose your exterior color trinity, Green-Brown-White, is the historic exterior color trinity, and paint/stain table/chairs, all, one of the colors from your trinity. Poof, scavenged becomes curated. Pic, above, here. . Once your table/chairs/umbrella/pad are in place, at least a year, you're ready to think about phase 2. . Phase 2 considers shapes, not plants. Pic, above, here. . Perhaps, above, a hedge of evergreens and an allee of trees for shade? Scaled to your site/needs. Considerations are mature tree height, speed of growth, how you will prune your trees (pleached/natural/etc.), how tall do you need your hedge, how many openings do you need in your hedge, and etc. Pic, above, here. . Maybe you don't want a rectangle of hardscape for your table/chairs/umbrella. All gravel, above, hardscape connected to other backyard hardscape, below. Pic, above, here. . Plants in containers, below, create super fast plant scale. Add drip irrigation to your pots, easy caretaking. Skip planters with drama, go classic with evergreen button tops, below. Pic, above, here. . All gravel, below, for your backyard table/chairs/umbrella and allee of trees with square green boxes at base. Scaled appropriately for your site. . Lighting. If you have spotlights, put them on dimmer switches, first making sure light bulbs used can be used with dimmer switches. Strands of LED lights needed. . Pic, above, here. . If you've been in your home awhile and still don't have a pretty & functional backyard, no excuses now. None. . Almost off topic, plants. Consider only plants that are drought tolerant, deer proof, disease/insect resistant, and speed of growth for ease of maintenance. Consider your age, and the size of plants you purchase. . Hope you already have meal ideas swirling in mind for serving al fresco. And the fun of assembling plates/glasses/silver/napkins/candles... . Garden & Be Well, XO T . Backyard is public-speak for the garden behind your home. A sacred space. If it's not, to you, why not? If you've read this far, it's obviously in your heart to 'do' something to make it so. Life is short, daylight's burning.