Your yard landscaping design should be based on your personal preference, native plants in your area along with your local climate, the appearance of your property, and the function of its layout and maintenance. The following provides you with some recommendations to get your landscaping installed for an attractive and maintainable yard.
Make a Plan
As you first start out with a new yard to landscape, you need to make a plan of what you want your yard to look like before you can effectively start. You don't want to add in a lawn first, for example, then add a patio, sidewalk, driveway, or other hardscape areas because this will damage your existing landscaping. Plan to add in any hardscaping first, including curbing, patios, cobblestone walkway, or any other similar elements. A majority of the equipment used to prepare the site for hardscaping can damage existing landscaping.
You should also make a diagram or layout of your yard including the right dimensions so you can properly space elements in your yard. For example, if you want to plant a row of trees down one side of the yard, make sure they are not planted too close to the foundation of your home, especially considering their mature height. Larger growing trees should be spaced appropriately away from your home to allow for root and branch growth.
Although you should not plant trees next to your home's foundation, you can plant shrubbery and other low vegetation around this area. If you plan to plant shrubbery around the foundation, just be sure it is not going to grow up to cover any windows or grow up into a porch, as examples. Consider the full maturity growth of your vegetation to help it remain aesthetically pleasing and not overgrown looking or create a security problem.
Evaluate Your Soil Condition
Another important consideration to look at when you install your yard's landscaping is the quality of the existing soil. If your home is a newly constructed home, the soil may be void of any topsoil and can be filled with gravel and soil containing high amounts of clay. When the soil on your property is not rich in nutrients, it is going to make a difference on some types of vegetation that you plant. Some plants and trees may do okay in poor soil, but others are going to die in the soil conditions or not grow.
Evaluate the soil and add in nutrients and organic materials. If you create your own compost, this is a good way to supplement the soil over time, or you can arrange for a topsoil delivery from a landscape company. You can also add in compost, such as steer manure or fertilizer, which you should work into the soil. You can add in nutrients over the entire area of your yard or work it into individual areas for vegetation growth. Contact a company in your area for more information on residential landscape installation services.
Share