Questions about how to make the most of a small space are pretty common. But it can be just as hard – and much more expensive – to landscape a large yard. If you are staring out at a great, yawning expanse of lawn, here are some ways to fill in the blanks.

Outbuildings (But Not Outhouses)

A huge back yard offers abundant opportunities for creating personal spaces for each member of your family. Install a garden shed, workshop, playhouse, man cave, and so on. These serve as good anchors around which to design individual “yards”. The best part is that you can make each family member responsible for taking care of the space around his or her outbuilding. Now, tell your teenager to go mow his room.

(Deb Warren, New Concord)

Use Trees Judiciously

Do you know the answer to this riddle: When is the best time to plant a tree? (Answer: 20 years ago). Smart remarks aside, trees are the ideal landscaping plant for large properties since they give a sense of scale. The only problem is that they grow so darn slow (especially hardwoods). Plant your saplings as soon as possible. And please, don’t locate them directly under power and phone lines around the edge of your property…seriously. Instead, lay them out in a natural looking grove pattern or use them to line a pathway to your house.

(Cheline, Boston, Texas)

Use What You Have

Shipping in building materials for landscaping is a costly proposition. If you can, source natural materials like stone from your own property for fencing and retaining walls.

(Karen Anderson, Vestavia Hills, AL)

Go Big with Shrubbery

Remember that even plants which might be invasive in a close-packed urban neighborhood can be useful for filling in large bare spots on a several acre property. Break up the monotony of a big green lawn by planting clumps of large, fast growing shrubs that will bloom extravagantly. The rhododendrons in the photo below are one example (human included to show scale).

(Wanda, Ladson)