![]() Local government agencies, like a county extension and university horticulturists, also are happy to help you determine which plants work best in the area, and how to avoid the kinds of foliage that amount to no more than pestilence.įinally, consider substituting vegetables for less functional plants. When it comes to picking plants, experienced local gardeners can offer tips that will save you a ton of time and money. Soil type, other plant life, animals, and many other variables also factor into the equation. Success depends on more than weather patterns. But don't depend on solely little colored climate region maps that supposedly show places that are suited for certain plant types. And then develop your terrain plan accordingly.įor starters, you can get a rough idea of whether a plant will survive by checking an interactive map like the ones from the National Gardening Association, Better Homes and Gardens, or Mother Earth News. Notice any areas where runoff-related erosion is a problem. In order to control water, observe your yard before, during, and after a rain shower. Proper grading, correctly positioned downspouts and drains, and other factors all change the way water flows through and around your yard. In short, you need to think about how you want to shape the land to make water go where you want it to go…and away from the places you don't. Similarly, you may find that after a hard rain, you wind up with standing pools of water in the middle of the yard, providing a nice bedroom community for mosquitos making the commute to your skin. And if you've never had an interior water problem, you'll want to keep it that way by making sure the grade continues to push water away from the foundation. If you often have water in your basement, a poor grade may contribute to the problem, requiring a dirt-moving project on your part. Runoff and rainfall tend to follow the grade, or slope, of the ground around your home. ![]() Keep reading and we'll tell you more about one major (and potentially majorly destructive) foe of landscaping projects. So now you have an idea of where to start. ![]() And then plan to work on your project in phases so you aren't overwhelmed by either labor or expenses. Use tips from the experts at sites such as Better Home and Gardens and HGTV to refine your ideas and prioritize. Sketch diagrams of the final project, and use that picture to build a list of necessary supplies, along with their costs. Think about how you want to spend your time in your yard, and whether you really want an expansive and time-consuming garden, or a huge, plant-less patio where you can lounge without worrying about weeding the tomatoes.Īsk a professional landscaper for a free estimate or a paid consultation for advice on how to best use the space you have. Observe the way rainfall and runoff flow through the yard, and the way light falls in certain places throughout the day, and in different seasons. And to have a plan, you have to know your land. In order to do good, lasting landscape work, you must have a plan. On the next page, we'll dive into our series of 10 tips that will help you morph a yard into your castle's exterior paradise, and for less cash that you imagined. Although Americans might spend around $45 billion in a single year for landscaping and lawn services and supplies, you don't have to contribute your hard-earned income to that huge figure. By taking the time to really ponder about how you want this precious space to look, you'll wind up with an area that not only looks great, but costs you a lot less money in the long run. In order to create a lasting, beautiful, and valuable landscape outside your home, you'll have to do some planning. Instead, think of your yard project as a holistic environment in which the plant life, terrain, water bodies, and human-created elements, such as fences, walls, decks, patios and other structures, all combine to present a specific feel and function. Some people think of grasses and flowers as the foundation of landscaping challenges, but there's more to it than greenery. First, let's define what we mean by landscaping.
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