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Simple and easy landscaping ideas

One of the biggest concerns most families face when deciding how to design their existing landscape is “where do I start?” If you are not a creative person or cannot afford a professional consultant to design your landscaping plans, what do you do? Most people are looking for some simple and easy landscaping ideas that they can follow and do the job themselves. I have had several friends and neighbors ask for my advice and guidance so they can get started on their landscaping plans.

One of the first thoughts is to spend some time evaluating your current property with particular emphasis on what you want your completed landscaping project to look like. Do not try to copy the design of your neighbors! For example, they don’t have children and you do. They don’t need a playground and you do. Therefore, it is important to know what you are starting with, such as the existing design and main features of your current garden. Does your lawn take up most of the property? What type of trees and where are they located on the property? Is the property level and easy to work with or does it face ravines and rocky ground? Once you determine the pros and cons of what you start with, you can sketch out a rough design and come up with a workable budget.

Now that you have an understanding of your land and landscape, you need to include a vegetable garden within your overall landscaping plan. A vegetable garden is not as aesthetically pleasing as a flower garden, however, it is sometimes easier to landscape. If you’re just planting a flower garden, you’ll want to keep the plants and flowers in a certain color scheme, such as a combination of vivid yellows and reds. Although selecting plant colors is a personal decision, mixing certain colors will give you a more beautiful and coordinated look.

Don’t overlook the importance of your plants’ need for direct sunlight. Some flowers require direct sunlight while other plants need a certain amount of shade. Determine how much shade a specific area of ​​the garden receives and, if in direct sunlight, how to create shade for flowers and vegetables that grow best in indirect sunlight. You can do this by planting them in the shade of certain plants, shrubs, or larger trees. One of the easiest ways to create artificial shade is to plant vines on a trellis or fence.

You will now decide how many and what types of trees to include in your landscape design. A single tree or a small group of trees can make a nice arrangement within the lawn or a nice side feature, or you can decide to place or keep them in the background. Don’t choose an overwhelming tree. Select one with a pleasing shape with an interesting feature about its colorful leaves, distinctive bark, or colorful flowers. You might want to consider tulip flowers, bright ash berries, white birch bark, coppery beech leaves, or sugar maple’s brilliant foliage. If you have a low-lying area that stays wet most of the time, willow or birch are ideal trees for this spot. Don’t plant a clump of evergreens next to the house, this usually gives a dark and gloomy effect to the house.

There are a variety of shrubs that can be used as hedges and are more pleasant in a landscape design than building expensive fences. The following shrubs make very pretty and colorful hedges: California privet, Japanese barberry, Van Houtte spirea, and Osage orange. When choosing your trees and shrubs, select those from your local geographic area, as they will be best suited to the soil and weather conditions.

Your home or tool shed often needs the help of vines or certain types of flowers to tie them together to create a harmonious landscape. Landscape architects use vines to accomplish this purpose. Plant a perennial vine and it will become a permanent part of your landscape design. There are several alternatives you can choose from, such as Virginia creeper, clematis, honeysuckle, wisteria, or trumpet vine.

Walkways and pathways are essential to all landscaping designs as they allow you and your guests to walk through the garden without damaging plants and flowers. A variety of materials are used to create walkways such as gravel, pavers, brick, or bark. Depending on your garden style, try designing your paths so that they curve and wind through your garden rather than in a straight line. Note that the path must lead somewhere; for example, starting from your back porch or deck and ending at your tool shed or property line.

When developing your landscaping plan, give serious thought to the amount of time and effort you want to spend working on your garden. If you have a flower garden and orchard, the amount of time to maintain and care for your plants will be considerable. You may want to install an irrigation system to eliminate the need to manually water your garden. This will save you time and improve the vitality of the plants. Weeding is tedious work and can be exhausting at times. If you prefer to spend time at the beach or golf course, you may want to give some serious thought to creating an easy-care landscape design.

Before you begin your home landscaping project, you’ll need to check with local government officials where there are gas lines, power lines, and water pipes that may be running through your yard. You can’t afford to hit any of these things. It can be dangerous and expensive to repair.

Learn more about landscaping ideas by visiting http://www.professionallandscapingideas.com

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