Landscape Tips If You're Just Beginning

If your home is a little bland, meaning it doesn't have any landscape at all (or just one tree), it may be time to start adding some gardens, plants, texture and hardscape to your yard. If you aren't sure where to begin, follow the tips below to help guide you. Hiring landscaping contractors is also a great idea if you simply aren't sure what to do with your yard and want a more professional look. 

Discuss A Budget

It's just plants in the yard, how much could it cost? The answer is - a lot. Landscaping your yard can really add up, so if you have a small budget, think about what all you want in your yard and what is needed first. Then go from there. If you aren't looking for too many mature trees, you may be able to save a bit of money there, as more mature trees can be costly. Once you have a budget in mind, you can begin planning.

Start Planning What You Want and Need In Your Yard

Take a good look at your yard and come up with a drawing of your home and an outline of the yard itself. Draw in things such as your children's play area, or any utilities that cannot be removed. Then figure out what you want and need in your yard. If you want to border the patio with plants, or want a pathway that goes throughout the yard with gardens along your fence, draw those in. Get creative with your plans. Just because you cannot afford everything at once doesn't mean you can't plan it out and add things later. Start with the gardens and add the pathways later if need be.

Purchase Plants And Trees

You can purchase plants and trees from big box hardware stores, landscape businesses and nurseries, and farmer's markets. Shop around and look for sales to help save you money on your plants. If you wait until the end of the season, you can sometimes find plants at a cheaper cost. Also think about investing in plants that will fill in quickly and can be split, which is also a way to save money.

Plant Your Plants And Trees

When planting, get creative with scale and patterning your plants. You can add different levels and layers of your plants and trees, and can even plant your plants outside of the borders of your gardens for a different look. Building up garden beds can also add height to an otherwise boring and flat yard. Space your plants if you don't have enough to fill in a garden bed to allow for growth and to make it appear fuller than it is.

Landscaping your yard seems like an easy task, but it can look like a hodge-podge if you aren't careful with your planning. If you want a more polished and professional look to your landscaping, hire a professional contractor to landscape your yard for you.