Love Your New Home But Hate The Yard? These Landscaping Tips Can Help
Are you tired of a yard which resembles a nuclear war zone? Do you wish that the yard fairy would wave its magic wand and fix everything? That's never going to happen, but you can start with simple changes, which will help to create the yard you've always dreamed of. Read on to learn how. Gather landscaping ideas from home and garden magazines. These magazines often showcase the most beautiful homes, and the most beautiful gardens. Though you might not be able to completely copy the look that you find in the magazine, you can gain inspiration which will help you to end up with a finished product that you are proud of. A great landscaping tip that anyone and everyone should implement is to sketch out what they would like their landscaping to look like before starting out on any work. Making a detailed sketch will give you something to refer to while you work and it will also give you an idea of what your project will look like upon completion. To help pay for your project, you should divide it into different stages. You will only have to pay for one stage at a time. If landscaping is a hobby for you, taking your time is important since creating the landscape is often more fun than maintaining it on a regular basis. Think about water requirements. If you live in an area that doesn't get a lot of rain, try to use plants that don't require a lot of water. Grass needs more water than any other type of plant, so replace your lawn with wood chips, gravel, or a type of ground cover that is suitable for high drought areas. Favor high quality over low prices when shopping for landscaping supplies. Most home improvement discount retailers only offer lower quality items. Go to a store that specializes in landscape design where you can get top-notch products and helpful advice from their workers. Paying a little extra money is worth it, because you will get better products and be properly advised. When planning your landscape, consider speaking with a professional. While it won't be necessary to have them perform all the work, you can use their experience and knowledge to get the look you want. Particularly if you do not have much experience in landscaping, this step is an important one. Try to make sure that the height of your lawn is always between 3 and a half to 4 inches. Having your grass at this height will help protect it from sun and heat damage. Also, at this height, moisture will not evaporate as much as it would if it were taller. While having an outdoor kitchen can add value to your home, and increase the eye-opening value of it, you should avoid installing one if you live in a climate that is not warm most of the time. This is because you will only be able to use the kitchen when it is warm outside so it will be a waste of money. Speak with an experienced professional before beginning your project. Those of you looking to landscape your yard yourself should still consult with a professional. Taking the time to talk to a pro can help you understand if your plans are on the right track, and help alleviate problems before they happen. If you are familiar with what to do, a second opinion is still helpful. Before you begin any landscaping project, it is important to check for any county codes or rules you may need to follow. For example, there are certain plants and heavy objects that will not be allowed on top of a septic drain field. A simple check with the county can locate the drain field and help you avoid disaster! Plan your landscape well. The best landscaping projects begin with proper planning. To properly plan a landscaping project begin by drawing the dimensions of the area to be landscaped to scale using graph paper. This diagram will include plotting the locations of any structures in the area including established plants, water features and walkways. While hiring a professional is one of your options, doing the landscaping yourself can save you much money and turn out the same results if you carefully plan and are passionate about what you are doing. Different people may prefer different methods, but just remember that doing the landscaping yourself can make for a great activity and save you much money. Make sure you do real research on the plants you are considering for your landscaping. Look into what requirements each plant has for optimal growth. Furthermore, be sure to understand the amount of attention each type of plant needs, and match plants to fit your lifestyle. A great place to start this research is your local garden center. Do not assume you're stuck with a boring, dead landscape in the winter. Look for ways to add splashes of color to your lawn. Brightly colored furniture, berry-producing woody shrubs, evergreens, and attractive hardscape designs, like pathways, can all keep your yard interesting when everything else is grey and brown. Consider what look you are trying to establish when building a walkway. For example, if you are trying to get a natural, rustic look, use flagstones and plant a low growing moss between the rock. For a more polished look you can use concrete walkways with formal plantings along the edge. Do not be too quick to make changes. When people buy a new house they usually have a garden that's already established, and they want to just rip everything out and start fresh. Before digging up anything wait and entire season to see what can be saved and what should be removed. Gardens change over time, so this waiting period may reveal hidden gems. So, be patient and you may be rewarded with some wonderful and well established plants. Your dreams of magical spells doing all the work for you may be shattered, but the dream of having an amazing yard is not. All of the advice here will help you to renovate the look of your landscaping, but only if you put in the time and effort it takes to succeed. What's stopping you?