7 Rules of Landscaping Every Homeowner Must Know
Making your abode beautiful, both inside and outside, is one of your primary goals as a homeowner. When it comes to achieving a lush, healthy lawn and landscape, there will be times when you must deal with weeds and dead grass. Tasks associated with caring for a beautiful yard are not easy, especially if you have limited knowledge about such.
Good thing there are lawn care and landscaping experts who can help you. If you do not have time to care for your outdoor space, they will certainly be willing to assist you. Though this may entail a considerable fee, the results will be well worth it. They have the knowledge, expertise, and tools to make your yard lush and healthy. They can also provide you with valuable lawn care and landscaping tips.
Lawn care and landscaping pros share some of the rules of landscaping every homeowner should know to have a healthy and gorgeous outdoor space.
1. Sketch out your ideas
Before doing anything else, you need to have a working sketch first. Put your ideas in a drawing. If necessary, redraw and redraw until you achieve the best design for your outdoor space. By getting your ideas down on a piece of paper, you can weed out all the unnecessary elements, and keep only those that are important to you and your family.
A gazebo or water feature such as a koi pond or fountain will certainly look nice, but do you want them in your landscape? Will you use the gazebo? Will the fountain be running most days of the year? Will you be able to maintain a pond and take care of the kois in it?
2. Design it in a way that works best for you
When designing your landscape, there are some elements that should be well thought out. This way, maintenance can be done a lot easier.
Unless you are designing formal gardens, avoid creating beds with sharp angles and curves because this will make mowing difficult and may even entail the use of a trimmer. Moreover, make sure that the distance between the landscape elements is sufficient so you will have enough space for maneuvering your lawn mower and other equipment.
3. Add 15-20% to your budget
When designing your landscape project, be realistic. Remember that there will be unforeseen expenses and setbacks that must be addressed to complete the project on time. List down all the items you need. More importantly, add 15-20% to your budget so you will have extra money for all unexpected expenses.
4. Always plan for the future
Nothing is more frustrating than spending money and time on an area of your yard and then realizing that you need to make changes later on. With a bit of future planning, tearing out plants and hardscaping after several weeks or months can be avoided.
5. Deal with problems instantly
Whenever problems arise, you need to take care of them immediately before they get any worse. Better yet, take preventive measures to avoid future problems. Improve soil quality with compost and enhance the drainage of compacted soil to prevent diseases and ensure nutrient and water absorption.
Don’t forget about weeds – as soon as you notice weeds growing in your yard, remove them immediately. You do not want to go through the hard work of sodding or planting your yard just because you gave weeds a chance to grow.
6. Keep a plant record
After planting, keep a diagram showing the placement of everything you have planted. Do not forget to include the names of each plant along with the variety and the planting date. You can also include where you bought the plants from. Keeping a plant record is important if you choose to plant flowering bulbs and you need to monitor where you have planted them.
7. Have a maintenance plan in place
A maintenance plan will prevent all the resources you have invested to make your outdoor space looking great from going to waste. Understand that perennials will need to be divided and replanted occasionally for them to be healthy. Also, spot applications of weed killers are crucial to prevent weeds from overtaking your healthy plants.
Regular watering, mowing, fertilising, and aeration are also crucial to keep your lawn and landscape thriving all year-round.
Having and maintaining a stunning landscape takes a lot of work. But you can always get help from lawn care and landscaping professionals. You may even decide to invest in the products and services they offer if you don’t have enough time to maintain the beauty and functionality of your own outdoor space.
