Your yard makes neighbors green with envy. Your idea of a good time is spending the weekend working in your yard, and friends can count on you for advice about their own living landscapes.

The Outdoor Athlete’s gold medal backyard might include a strip of grass for running sprints, built-in outdoor fitness equipment, or even a lap pool to channel your inner Michael Phelps.

You prefer to spend your free time watching the birds, bats, butterflies and other wildlife that count on your yard for food and shelter. You cultivate a living landscape that supports a rich biodiversity with butterfly bushes, flowering plants, water sources, and trees and shrubs with nooks for nesting and food.

A quiet corner of the yard, complete with seating and shade (and a strong Wi-Fi signal), is the start of a beautiful and functional outdoor office. Other creature comforts like an outdoor heater, string lights, curtains, a warm rug, or even a semi-enclosed patio can enhance the space.

You know the safest place for your kids to be is in your own backyard, and you work hard to create an outdoor fun zone they will never want to leave. Sturdy turfgrass to play sports and pitch a tent, big trees to hang a swing, an elevated garden where you grow vegetables and herbs, and more are part of your backyard mix.

You take cues from your four-legged friends about your ideal backyard. You’ve planted sturdy turfgrass like Buffalo or Bermuda that can stand up to pet play, trees and shrubs are strategically planted for shade, and planting with purpose for you means keeping toxic plants out of the picture. (For a complete list, visit ASPCA’s list of non-toxic and toxic plants.)

Your backyard is the neighborhood hot spot. Family milestones, birthdays, graduations, reunions, BBQs – your yard is *the* place to gather. Your yard is set up for success with patio furniture, fire pit, yard games, plenty of outdoor seating, string lights, and maybe even an outdoor kitchen.

Enjoying your morning coffee on the balcony as songbirds serenade you. Meditating under the shade of a tree. De-stressing by swinging in a backyard hammock. Your backyard is your sacred space for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. You know that spending time outside is good for your health and well-being, and that thanks to your yard these benefits are only steps away.