The most common landscaping mistakes
When you are landscaping your home, its easy to make mistakes, the good news is that today, there is plenty of information to help you avoid doing this. Before putting out big bucks to landscape your home, you can take the advice of those homeowners who have gone before. By knowing what mistakes to avoid, you can put in that landscape you really wanted with a minimum of stress. Here are the most common landscaping mistakes and how to avoid them-
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- Failing to clearly communicate what you want-Whether you are landscaping yourself, or hiring someone to do it, you will have to involve other people. You will need to be able to let the guy at the nursery, or your designer know in detail exactly what you are looking for. Do not assume that simply because you have a plan, or that your designer has a plan, that it will get executed. Only by having great communication with the people you are working with, will this occur.
- Failing to make a plan for all four seasons-Keep in mind that even in a year-round warm weather climate, there are different "season". Whether you are facing months of winter snow or just a rainy season, your landscaping plan should take this into account. Keep in mind that you really want plants that bloom or have leaves at various times of the year, to give your landscape interest. Otherwise, you have a great spring garden and dead sticks during the fall and winter.
- Failing to realize what the plants really look like-It is important to keep in mind that those beautiful pictures of flowering plants, are taken by a professional photographer. You may not be so impressed when you see the plants, up close and personal. While catalogs can give you a general idea of what a plant will look like, reserve your final judgment, for when you see the actual plant.
- Failing to visualize what the garden would look like in the years to come-Good landscaping can not only stand the test of time, but should improve as the years go by. This can be difficult when you start out since all you may be looking at is marks on a design plan, or small bare plants. However, you must keep a vision of the future. Keep in mind that most people are concerned with how tall something will grow, and totally ignore the spread of the plant. It is also critical to visualize the relationship of the plants, trees and shrubs to your paths, driveways, porch area, and house, etc. For example, if you have a railing on a porch, you may not want the surrounding plants to grower taller then the railing. Or you may want you and your guests, to have unimpeded passage that is free from overhanging tree limbs or shrubs. You will need to take these future actions into account when planning your landscaping.
- Failing to select plants that are native to your area-The hardiest and best growing plants are the ones that are right for your area or region. Most landscape designers know the hardiness zone that they are in, and will not recommend plants that are not right. If you are doing the landscaping yourself, the nursery in your area should be able to direct you to native plants. You should also determine whether or not, the area that you are landscaping, is primarily sunny or shady.
- Failing to take into account hardscape-Patios, decks, walkways and water features can all add a great deal to your landscape. Many homeowners often overlook adding these to the landscaping to try and trim costs. The result is a landscape that lacks character. For a finished overall look be sure to include some hardscaping into your landscape plan.
