Share on Social Media

Landscaping Tips and Ideas

Landscaping Tips and Ideas – Your yard is one of the places where you want to relax and have fun. This can be accomplished by a well-planned landscape that is pleasing to the eyes and at the same time enhances the value of the property.

Planning a landscape is not as simple as arranging trees, plants, and shrubs on your property. It is considered as an art which recognizes the importance of harmony and organization of the space outside your house. Here are a few landscaping tips and ideas that can help you plan for your landscaping project.

Determine what your needs are for your particular yard:

Do you need a place for little children to run and play?
Do you need an area for drying your clothes (if you choose not to use a dryer)
Do you need room for your pets to play or to stash your trash cans?
Do you need a place to ease away the tensions of the day and where you, your spouse and older can play sports or grill some steaks?
Are you looking for a garden full of blossoming flowers, something that encircles your whole house?

The answers to these questions will help determine what kind of work needs to be done before you start landscaping. You might need a combination of needs for different ages in which case you have to figure out how to divide your space to accommodate your variety of needs.

Consider the Cost:

After you’ve pinpointed the needs for your particular yard, you need to check how much the project will cost. This should include the kinds of plants that you want as well as any other materials like rocks or wood that will be used to complement the garden.

Since there are people who do this as a living and who know more about landscaping than you do perhaps, you can hire professionals to prepare your plans. If you draw up the plans you might want to show the plans to someone their opinion before starting your project. This will save time and money should you not like what the other person has planned.

Regarding the layout, look at the following: terrain, size of the area, and your allocated budget. The terrain of your area means knowing its natural elevations, the kind of grass growing in it, trees already there, and other structures that may affect your plan. The yard size will determine whether large items like islands or big trees should be included in the project. The budget will be the main consideration when it comes to choosing the type of design and materials you will employ for the project.

Landscape gardening takes a lot of work. Rather than turning one’s garden into a construction zone, it is best to have this done in phases. This helps keep costs down and makes the plan flexible to changes.

Money can be saved by buying these materials during the “off” seasons. Wood for example is cheaper during the winter months. The price of shrubs and soil are lower when you buy them late in the season.

This can be anything from a statue, to the play set or even a single tree. Finding a focus for your landscaping gives you a point of reference so that you give your design a better sense of order rather than just having plants scattered everywhere.

Hardscape and Softscape

Hardscape refers to the “non-plant” parts of your garden (deck, patio, statues, fountains, walls, etc.). Softscape refers to the plants and the lawn.

If you’re just starting out, lay out the hardscape first before you work with the plants. This way, the plants aren’t in the way when you’re installing the necessary hardscape materials.

Remember to involve members of your family who have artistic capabilities to contribute their ideas and skills in planning your landscaping project. If you involve the whole family and stick to the landscaping tips and ideas mentioned above, you will end up with a yard that you will be proud to call your own.

Getting Started:

Find a central focal point for your yard

Hardscape and Softscape

Hardscape refers to the “non-plant” parts of your garden (deck, patio, statues, fountains, walls, etc.). Softscape refers to the plants and the lawn.

If you’re just starting out, lay out the hardscape first before you work with the plants. This way, the plants aren’t in the way when you’re installing the necessary hardscape materials.