6 Things To Consider When Designing A Landscape

Your Dream Landscape Design

With spring right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start planning your perfect landscape design. Whether you’re looking to spruce up your front yard, revamp your side garden, or overhaul your backyard landscaping, you will need a solid plan to make it happen.Here are a few tips to help you bring your dream to life.

1. CONSIDER HOW YOUR LANDSCAPE WILL BE USEDBefore you can get around to picking out plants, you need to know how your landscape will be used. Are you a backyard farmer who wants a large plot to cultivate your fruits and vegetables? Or do you want a vibrant landscape that will accent your outdoor living space? Knowing how you intend to use your space is critical to your landscape design. It will inform everything from plant choice to layout.

2. THINK ABOUT WHO WILL BE USING YOUR YARDYou want to make sure that your design fits the people who will be using it the most. Do you love to entertain? You’ll want to make sure that you include a large seating area in your landscape design to accommodate all your friends and family. Do you have pets or kids? If you do, you should think about incorporating a large, open area in your design so they can play. A great landscape design will be tailored to fit the user.

3. DECIDE HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE YOU’RE WILLING TO DOIf you’re not planning on hiring a landscaping company to maintain your yard, you should think about what your maintenance style. Be realistic with yourself and decide how much time you will want to put towards maintaining your landscape. If you don’t want to do much more than mow your lawn, an elaborate landscape with lot of different flowers is probably not for you. Also determine if you want to replant your garden every year or not. This will help you decide between perennials and annuals. Determining how much maintenance you are willing to do is critical to success of your landscape for years to come.

4. CHOOSE PLANTS THAT WILL THRIVE IN YOUR CLIMATECertain plants grow best in certain climates. Take azaleas for example. The ideal temperature for an azalea is between 60-65°F. Anything hotter or colder than that can make it hard for them to thrive, or it can even kill them! A place like Birmingham, Alabama, where it regularly gets up into the 90s during the summer, does not have a climate suitable for this fragile plant. When choosing your plants, make sure you research the best way to care for them and ensure that those standards are not in conflict with the climate where you live.

5. EVALUATE HOW MUCH SUNLIGHT YOUR YARD GETSJust like different plants thrive in different climates, some plants need more or less sunlight than others. You would never want to plant a shasta daisy, which prefers full sunlight, next to a geranium, which does better in the shade. Knowing which flowers want more sun and which plants want more shade and where they will fit in your landscape is important if you want your yard to thrive.

6. STRUCTURE YOUR PLANTINGSA yard that contains plants that are all the same height is visually boring. If you want to create a visually interesting yard, consider playing with different shapes and sizes of plants. You’ll want to consider how close together you want your plants to be, as well where they will be placed in relationship to each other. For example, larger shrubs generally go behind smaller plants and flowers. Also consider repeating similar shapes and patterns throughout your yard to bring continuity to your landscape.Once you’ve put together a landscaping plan using the tips above, you’re ready to get started! Use your green thumb and start building your dream landscape. Need some help? Contact us today!