Backyarding: Take Your Life Outside With These Easy Tips

Adapt to new times—and trends—with this expert advice 

During the pandemic, we’ve moved more traditionally “indoor” activities to the great outdoors, such as working, exercising, dining, entertaining, vacationing and more. Let’s face it, being outside often feels better. “Backyarding” is here to stay and will continue to expand in 2022, according to the TurfMutt Foundation, an environmental education and stewardship program that encourages outdoor living and caring for green spaces.

The trend of “backyarding” has simply introduced a better way to live. The TurfMutt Foundation predicts these backyarding trends will continue. Which ones will you implement?

Blurred lines

Lines between the indoors and the outdoors will continue to blur. Doors and windows will be opened to the great outdoors. Decorating choices will marry the outside and the inside, with colours and tones that visually connect indoor areas and the backyard, for a seamless transition.

Outdoor office hours

Business deals will get cooked up over the firepit. While socializing around barbeque grills and the soccer field, and during games of croquet and cornhole, adults will have the informal conversations that used to happen in office hallways and around watercoolers.

Maximizing space

Balconies, porches, window boxes and patios will be maximized. Think tuning up the volume on these additional outdoor spaces and you’ve got the idea. Seating, flowers, potted plants, curtains and more make these areas sparkle as places for retreat and socialization.

Relax and refresh

The backyard will be the first place for relaxation and stress relief. Yoga, hammocks, reading nooks, calming water features and more will add spa-like features to the backyard. More people will plant with peace of mind at heart, adding colours that make them feel good, while aiming for sensory or emotional connections.

Entertain outside

Outdoor entertainment will evolve. Movie projectors with sound systems and outdoor screens will turn the yard into a theatre under the stars. Expect to see firepits, outdoor games and more, enhancing outdoor recreation.

Dine under the stars

Al fresco dining will become the norm. Grills, pizza ovens and overhead lighting with seating make many homes outdoor eateries for families and neighbours. Interest in outdoor kitchens, pergolas, shade sails and landscaping will define and enhance outdoor dining.

School’s in session

Kids (and adults) will spend more time outside learning. Students will take online classes or do homework under the shade of a tree, in an outdoor classroom at school, or on a patio or at a picnic table. They brush up on STEM concepts (See TurfMutt’s free lesson plans for help!) by planting and studying flowers, bugs, and weather. Gardens for vegetables educate families on where food comes from and nesting boxes or bat boxes for wildlife showcase the nature around them.

Plant with purpose

Homeowners will plant with wildlife in mind. Knowing the backyard is a habitat for pollinators, insects, birds and other wildlife, homeowners likely will choose plants, trees and shrubs that nurture and support wildlife, delighting in discovering their yard is a suburban and urban nature habitat.

Pamper those pets

Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI Canada enjoys time in his backyard with Mutt Mulligan, a rescue dog who is the spokesdog for the TurfMutt Foundation (Photo: Allie Filley)Pampering pets will only increase. Fencing, sand piles for digging, dog houses, and even agility courses for pets to enjoy will become more common.

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For more information, visit the TurfMutt Foundation online.

CREATED BY BCLIVING, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TURFMUTT FOUNDATION