Landscaping is a great way to make the property you just purchased (or one you’ve owned for a while) feel truly like home. But not everyone has experience with designing outdoor spaces. Use these tips to help you properly plan your landscaping project and make your yard the best it can be.
Plan Your Landscape
Before beginning any sort of landscaping project, you’ll have to answer a few important questions. What is the purpose of the outdoor space? Are you using your yard to entertain, to grow a garden, or do you want it to serve as your own private sanctuary?
Are there any permanent features you’ll need to consider when drawing up your plans? What hardscape features would you like to include — a pool, covered patio, barbecue, fire pit? What colors and materials do you prefer? Do these styles work with the interior of your home? All of these should be determined before breaking ground or doing any work on your outdoor space.
To get help with these decisions, you can always hire a landscape architect or designer. If you want to try it on your own, the County of San Diego offers free landscape workshops. These workshops are taught by design professionals. They include information on landscape design, soil ID and health, plant selection, project installation and landscape maintenance.
Watch Your Finances
This can be tricky, as you can quickly go way overboard on the types of furniture, walkways, entertainment areas and greenery for a landscaping project. Set a firm budget from the beginning to ensure you aren’t tempted to spend beyond your means. Remember: While the outdoor space of your home is important and we do enjoy our great San Diego weather, you don’t want to break the bank on a section of your property where you won’t be spending the majority of your time.
Prioritize Landscape Projects
Identify which aspects of your landscaping project are most important, and finalize those first. Often, people will prioritize the front of the house because it is visible from the street. Plus, hardscape and irrigation usually need to be installed before plants. Adding trees early helps too since they take longer to reach full size. After these elements are taken care of, you can think about the backyard and any additional features you’d like to add to your outdoor area.
Maintain Your Landscape
While I could also use the help of a landscape professional in my yard, I do love to garden and write a monthly blog post for San Diego County gardens. Check it out for ideas to help keep your landscaping looking its best.