How to make the most out of your back yard

The backyard is a staple of properties in Malta—many houses of character, townhouses, terraced houses, villas and even smaller maisonettes, tend to feature a backyard.

They come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and can be great spaces given the right attention. Many a great backyard has been overlooked—but don’t fret, no matter what size your backyard is, we have some ideas for enjoying this great area of your home!

The Provider

Your backyard can be a great place to get some green fingers going. It is very popular in Malta to have a fruit tree in the backyard (or in the front porch). Many fruit trees are perfect for a backyard‚ including most citrus, pomegranate trees, and more. Even better, you can easily grow a lot of fruit and vegetables that you can use readily or pickle, like onions, gherkins, tomatoes and strawberries, amongst many others.

The Lounger

If you like the green for its aesthetic beauty, you can instead use your backyard as a lush outdoor area, putting your gardening skills to flourish a colourful and relaxing ambience to enjoy lounging in. If gardening is not your thing, decorations can easily be bought to adorn your outdoor space, along with some exquisite outdoor furniture pieces, a canopy to beat the sun and rain, and voila! Your little piece of paradise.

The great Pool-off

Not interested in flowers and plants, and only want to have some fun? Pools have erupted in popularity in the last decade, and have been fitted in some surprisingly small backyards! Having a pool is great, especially for families, and guarantees fun and relaxation. A pool requires much more maintenance than the green options, however, and you can only enjoy it in summer, unless you go ‘next level’ and get a heated pool!

The Barbecue Party

Love to cook and having friends and family over? Want to socialise but not leave your house? Then a barbecue area to entertain and feed people is perfect for you! You can easily buy a great barbecue or even build one yourself, get some comfy outdoor furniture, and you have yourself a great space to be with friends and family. The great thing about having a barbecue area is that this can easily fit in with all the rest—having a green lounge area and the pool!

The Practical-o

The bane of all people is storage—owning too much stuff is usually the reason. The backyard can easily be used as a storage space, especially if you have an outdoor area elsewhere, or are not an outdoor-area kind of person. The storage can take a lot of shapes, the most popular being sheds, or small outhouses. Terraced gardens (the ones that are at a lower level than the house) can have little rooms under the house, while other people love to use outdoor storage units or furniture that doubles as storage. And you can really store anything, from gardening equipment to tools, paints, food and unwanted items.