Planning the Perfect Landscape Design for Your Home? Here are 10 Things You Must Know
If you love doing things from scratch, including designing/redesigning the exterior area of your house, you may need to consider some essential aspects of landscaping before you start.
Instead of going to the local gardening store and wasting money on supplies that you don’t even have the faintest idea about, take a moment to jot down some important considerations, so you know what you are trying to achieve from the very beginning.
Here are 10 tips that will help you plan your dream landscape!
1) Consider Who It Is Being Made For
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Before starting to design, brainstorm how and by whom the landscape will be utilized. Your children and pets may play there, or you might want to throw in weekend barbeque nights in the outdoor landscape. It does not have to be all plants and trees; you can tactfully create space through them to make walkways and hardscapes.
Consider your responsibilities for the maintenance as pragmatically as possible. Even if you hire someone for maintaining it, make sure you do not go overboard with the budget, and it applies to the amount you will be investing in designing it as well.
Invest in some good pruning shears, hedge trimmers, and chainsaws. If you are someone who likes to cut down trees like a man, WoodWorking Toolkit has the best collection of chainsaws that are both professional and homeowner-friendly.
2) Take The Microclimate Into Consideration
Based on the amount of sun and shade your yard will receive, your yard will create a microclimate for the plants growing there. While buying the plants, consider the areas and soil type that will require the least maintenance and still keep your plants thriving.
3) Repeating Patterns Is The Key
Make sure that the distance between the plants and trees is always equal. Unequal distances will ruin the whole beauty of it since the first thing that would catch your eyes are the standing plants. Also, consider the average height of each plant and layer them accordingly. Repeat the placing patterns over and over for a better aesthetic.
As for the grounded plants, ensure that they go along with the hardscapes by choosing grasses and plants that do not go above the height of the hardscapes.
4) Multi-Tasking Plants
The plants in your landscape will not only offer a soothing sight for sore eyes but also provide you with useful herbs, yummy veggies, and fruits if you want to. Before going out and buying plants, think of what you are expecting to enjoy from the landscape, whether it is only the sight or the ripening delicacies.
Apart from that, you can also use plants to create different spaces by placing them as barriers between the spaces. However, make sure the plants do not grow high enough to block the view and reduce the “roominess” of it.
5) Layer and Contrasting
Do not just mindlessly place the flower plants or garden ornaments in random order. Think of which colors will complement or contrast each other and place accordingly. Similarly, if those flowers have distinctive fragrances, you do not want to distort the scent layers by placing the wrong plants together. Do some research about which fragrant and colorful flowers complement others and act on it.
6) Resource Conservation
Think of ways on how you can contribute back to nature and help in protecting the environment. Choose plants that require minimal resources and do not need overwhelming amounts of water or fertilizers/pesticides. While choosing the material or tools for hardscapes like paints or cleaners, make sure they are environmentally-friendly.
If you have existing plants that consume a lot of water, consider installing rainwater catchment systems that will provide you a better and sustainable source of water for the irrigation of your plants.
7) Know What Needs to Stand Out
If you have a vast idea of the shapes and structures of the plants and ornaments used in landscapes, you will know better how to design and place the plants in a way that will stand out of all. Consider the textures, shapes, heights, and colors of the ornaments and plants/trees while designing and which areas should be concentrated to highlight them.
8) Pick A Theme
If you have a theme in mind, the whole look will be more put together. Also, it will save your time as you will know which plants and materials you will need to look for. It could be as simple as choosing neat, geometric shapes and structures for the tree/plant placements to as complicated as a whole Gatsby/garden of Eden theme.
While choosing the theme, take inspiration and ideas from the architectural aspects of your home. Since the landscape will be situated in the yard of this very home, it should match the home to some extent.
9) Merge The Spaces Properly
You can always create spaces with different capabilities within the entire landscape, just like your home and the rooms within. However, if the spaces are not designed or planned correctly, it will look plain disorganized and out of place.
Think of the areas where the spaces will “merge” into each other yet not intrude or overpower the other. Space for circulation is vital too, for when your guests or child is roaming around the landscape, they should not feel any sort of definite barriers.
10) Keep Scopes For Potential (Future) Redesigns
Always remember, the design of your landscape does not have to be permanent. While choosing plants, consider how they need to be maintained and how big they can potentially grow in the future.
This way, you can de-pot the trees or plants in the near future or switch between them for a change. If you decide to keep them in the same spot, plant them with enough spaces around them to grow to their mature size.
Final Thoughts
Landscaping may seem like a daunting task when you start off, and rightfully so – there are just so many things to consider! But what’s most important is your passion and dedication in designing your home’s landscape. Once you pour your heart and soul into the project and understand its nitty-gritty, it will become much easier to manage!
We hope these tips help you make the most of your landscape and make it a sight to behold. Oh, and don’t forget to send us photographs of your lovely landscapes!