No matter where you live, there’s nothing better than relaxing outdoors on a warm summer night watching your backyard landscaping ideas come to life.
Unfortunately, re-landscaping your whole backyard throughout the course of one growing season could be back breaking, costly and requires major planning.
Even though you are landscaping simply one section of the lawn at a time, you still need an overall plan. Utilizing graph paper, sketch out the permanent structures on your property such as the house, out buildings, deck and trees.
Here are some suggestions you’ll dig:
Screening with Plants
If your lawn does not have a fence, you might want to think about planting a row of hawthorn, juniper, arborvitae, or a combination of these bushes to create privacy and offer a backdrop for future flower beds. A smartly placed evergreen screen will also give a windbreak from winter winds and drifting snow.
Planning a Border Flower Bed
The most difficult part of designing a border is choosing flowers that complement one another, both in color and height. The list of perennials I advise here is for a six foot wide bed in a primarily sunny situation. Wide, in this case, means outward from the plant screen or fence, not the length of the bed.
Use 3 or 5 plants for every kind of flower and allow 16″-18″ in between every plant. Allow 20″-22″ between the different plant groups. Planting an odd number of plants is much more visually appealing than an even number.
Permit sufficient space at the rear of the bed for access. This will also prevent choking off essential air and light from the plants in back.
Island Bed
An island bed, as the name suggests, is planted in the middle of the lawn surrounded by a sea of grass. It can differ in shape and size in accordance to your imagination and available space. Scale the plants from tallest in the center to shortest at the edges.
Preplanned Gardens
I understand all of this Latin mumbo jumbo can be challenging for first time gardeners, it was for me. If you want a ready made solution, Direct Gardening provides a wide assortment of preplanned gardens designed to take all the guess work out of plant selection and placement.
Water Feature
Imagine the reflective beauty of a pond or the soft splashing of a man made waterfall. How about a 100 foot high waterslide? Maybe next year.
Do Your Lawn a Favor
Before you buy any vegetation, visit a real garden center for advice on drainage and soil preparation. Also, bring a copy of your plan; a soil sample and an extra credit card just in case you can’t wait years to make your backyard landscaping ideas come true.
You are going to install a swimming pool in your backyard. Have you thought how it will really look, is it just a hole in the ground filled with water, or have you thought about swimming pool landscaping?
A swimming pool only looks good if it has the right setting. A swimming pool is part of your home and without the correct pool landscaping can get tiring to look at after a while.
There are many ways to make your swimming pool look attractive. A wooden deck although these are better used for above ground pools. I have an affinity for swimming pool landscaping to use natural stone tiles as they are close to nature. After all your pool is in your backyard in which I assume you have a garden, so stone goes naturally there.
For swimming pool landscaping, stone tiles used in a formal way or as crazy paving is a natural choice as there are so many varieties to choose from. Sandstone tiles, bluestone tiles, granite tiles or even travertine or marble tiles (if you can afford the expense) look so well as a pool surround.
Some people prefer concrete (Ugh!) others prefer pebblecrete (Ugh! again) or even just grass. If grass is used you would still need to have some sort of pool edging (normally called coping tiles) These can either be square edged or bullnose. Bullnose coping tiles are preferable because they give a soft edge to your swimming pool.
Your swimming pool landscaping should compliment your house, leading from your patio or outdoor room and then surrounding your swimming pool.
Your pool uses a pump to pump water from your pool through a filter and then back into your pool. Why waste this, as pool landscaping feature why not build a wall at one end of the pool and use the water to create a waterfall or similar effect. Falling water can have such a relaxing effect as you lay by the side of your pool.
In all treat your swimming pool landscaping as if you were setting the dcor on the inside of your house after all the house and the outside of your house all comprise your home.
There are many reason such as improving the appearance of a yard, increasing the value of your home and adding to its beauty. Whichever the reason, you need to look for a great design that will perfectly fit with your yard. The information on these designs is easily available in various sources such as landscape magazines and websites, which will provide you with the essential details that are required in your project, alongside the photos of the landscapes that are well designed. It is important that you check them out and then pick the one that suits your needs.
The type of landscaping idea you will select will depend on quite a number of things. The first thing to keep in mind is the style of your yard. This includes the shape, the presence of other features such as swimming pools and the size. Since you will be exposed to a large number of ideas these main features will help you determine the idea that will fit your home. Some of the ideas are meant for regular landscapes while others are meant for those with irregular shapes. You need also to check on the size and look for those ideas that will ensure all the space in the land is appropriately used as desired.
The other major thing that will determine the landscaping idea you will pick is the budget. Some of these ideas are simple and you can do them on your own. Others are complex and may need a professional to help in effectively carrying out the work. The level of complexity will also determine the amount of money you will need to get the tools and carry out the process so as to achieve the look you desire. For this reason, carry out a research on the types of ideas that have captured your eyes to find the price range so that you are in a better position to come up with an effective budget. Asking some of the professionals in this sector will also help you a great deal as they are knowledgeable about the things that are required.
With this in mind, you need to ensure that you have made the necessary preparations ahead of time so that you avoid the last minute rush and ensure that you have collected the necessary materials. You should also inform yourself in all the details in order to get a head way in carrying out your landscaping project and to help you tackle the problems that you may face along the way.
Are you a newbie to landscaping? Go ahead and use these easy beginners tips below to help you get started with your landscape project without much hassle!
Make a Map of Your Yard
Before starting with the actual work, you should first make a sketch of your yard. Find out the location of the pipes on the ground so you can work your way around it, decide on the specific area youre going to use, and take note of the sunny and shady areas as well so youll know exactly where to place your trees and shrubs.
Create a Design
Now that youve successfully defined the area you want to landscape, proceed to creating an incredible layout for your yard. Be creative with the design but make sure it matches with the appearance of your home. You could also consult a landscape designer to help you materialize your ideas and come up with a theme that you really want to implement.
Take Care of Your Lawn
Your lawn is one of the most essential elements that directly affect your landscaping, and its important that you take care of its health at all times. A green lawn can really add more beauty to your yard, but if you have an unmaintained turf, then your landscape design will only be useless. So always look after your lawn and your yard will become a lot more appealing.
Add Pathways
Making footpaths not only prevents people from constantly stepping on your turf, but it also adds a special touch to your landscaped yard. Pathways can really make your yard look elegant especially if its created with materials like white stones, sand and wood. Put colorful flowers and shrubs along the sides as well to make the area look more beautiful.
Choose Your Plants Carefully
Finally, purchase plants that are suitable for your yards theme. For example, you should select palm trees and dry shrubs if youre going for a tropical design, or plant bamboos if you want an oriental look. Just make sure the trees and shrubs you buy are all compatible with the weather conditions in your area, otherwise they wont grow properly. You may also add flowers and water features like ponds and fountains to help you achieve the full effect for your landscape project.
Landscaping your yard is very easy when you know the right techniques to follow. So be sure to apply the tips given in this article so you can create a beautiful yard in no time!
Landscaping is as important to the appearance of a home as the home’s architecture and design. Without it, the home loses its organic, lived-in feel. This is why new home construction that isn’t yet landscaped so often feels cold and uninviting, regardless of how beautiful, clean, and new the structure. Beautifully designed landscaping is more than just shrubs, trees, and flowers. It needs form and definition to enhance the home’s architecture and the surrounding outdoor space.
Natural stone is increasingly becoming the landscaping choice for residential hardscapes such as walkways and patios. Though natural stone hardscapes can be more expensive than concrete, natural stone offers a warmth and character that is unequaled by a flat, manufactured surface. The versatility of landscaping stones and rocks offer almost unlimited options with a tremendous variety of color and texture that can be incorporated into many landscaping styles and applications. Whether the overall goal is formal or rustic, traditional or contemporary, there are natural stones that will enhance any design.
It is important to choosing the right stone for the look and function of the landscaping application. Larger, smooth stones are more appropriate for areas of foot traffic to create an even, stable surface that is safe for walking on with any kind of shoes, including high heels. Small, bumpy and uneven pebble stones can create a hazard. Slate, flagstone, and similar stones are excellent choices for sidewalks, entryways, and patios for entertaining. Cobblestone and flagstone walkways, patios, driveways, and pool surrounds offer a charming old world appeal that enhances traditional architecture. Square cut black slate can provide a sleek contemporary style.
Natural stone landscaping offers a great variety of colors, textures, and shapes. Working with the natural surroundings as well as the architecture of the home, an organic look can be created by incorporating a jagged interlay of stones with a variation of complementary colors. A more tailored, formal look can be accomplished with a geometric pattern of like or neutral colored stones.
Landscaping stones are not limited to walkway applications. They add a natural charm to benches, waterfalls, and ponds. They can be used as facades for outdoor fireplaces and to face retaining walls and columns to give the appearance of solid stone structures. Natural stone stands out over manufactured faux stone products because of the variations of nature that cannot be matched or equaled in beauty for a look of elegance and quality.