After being stuck at home for months on end, many people have realized how important it is to have their own outdoor space where they can safely enjoy the sun. Many people have begun designing their yard into something more beautiful to fully enjoy it, and if you’re thinking of doing the same, here is some advice for you.
Decide Why You Want an Outdoor Area
Having a well-landscaped outdoor space sounds like a good idea, and it is. However, you also need to be realistic about it. Do you want a safe outdoor space for your kids to play in? Or do you want an area where you can plant your vegetables and plants? Maybe you’re looking for a space to eat al fresco with your family.
Think about how you’re going to make use of this space. Then, from there, you can sketch using your ideas and concepts. Think of where you would put outdoor furniture and how you would like your landscape to look. It doesn’t have to be a complex blueprint, but it should have what you want.
Look at Your Site and Assess for Efficient Building
An integral part of what you’re going to do is to understand what space you have. Primarily, when you’re going over the garden landscaping process, you will be looking at and identifying any potential issues that can hamper the building process. You want to prepare everything beforehand and make sure you have the equipment and material ready. Doing this will save you time, money, and effort.
Here are a couple of things that you need to factor in when preparing.
- Are there any clutter and dirt that needs removing?
- Does the ground need leveling?
- Should you have trees removed if they block pathways?
- Do you want to keep any existing plants, like hedges, bushes, and others?
- Do you intend to put up fences, outdoor furniture, and fountains?
- Are your drainage systems or gutters clear?
- Is the soil still good, or does it need replacing?
Never Forget to Include Location in Your Plans
Your location matters to the overall planning of your yard. Examine the pattern of the sun and wind. You may want to set up a patio or a deck on the west side of the house, but it gets hot in the afternoon, which can mean unpleasantly hot temperatures in August. If you’re thinking of putting up a firepit, you also don’t want it to meet the wind.
These are some of the most typical mistakes beginners make in landscaping. Your plans should always keep the changing of seasons in mind. Remember what the sun and wind do during different seasons and which location is best for what type of season.
Think of Seasonal Plants
Before you start your garden, make a year-round garden planner that will help you plan what type of plants or flowers you can plant in what season. You need to know which plants will blossom in each season. Having a planner will help you keep track of what you’ve planted, and it will also allow you to include garden notes, other thoughts, and even pictures.
Some types of shrubs, like the evergreen, can keep their needles and leaves throughout the year, regardless of the season. For this reason, they’re great in providing both colors to your garden, as well as some cover. Because of their thickness, they’re also effective even in winter. They can be placed near your house, like underneath windows or along the corners of your homes, to make your house look more welcoming and appealing.
Don’t Ignore Pathways
Some people are eager to trample down their lawn so that they can create a path in their yard. However, this will only result in a very haphazard-looking pathway in the middle of everything else that’s well organized. So instead, create a dedicated path using stones like decorative bricks or flagstones. You want to be able to connect a pathway to your existing yard without much intrusion, and this is one of the easiest ways to go about it.
It’s also ideal to use a similar material to your house for your pathway. If your house is made of wood, you might want a wood pallet pathway. Alternatively, if you have a brick home, you also want to use brick pathways.
Designing your garden is always a fun but challenging experience. Of course, if it proves too difficult, you can always ask for help from professionals. Hopefully, you get to create the best garden for you and your family.
