A well-maintained, carefully arranged landscape can make your home look like its worth a million bucks. A landscape that’s haphazardly put together can make it look like an abandoned property. Landscape design can be tricky for people who don’t have a background in it: Plant the wrong things in the wrong places and next thing you know you’ve got a train wreck of a front yard.
At ABC Scapes, we’ve seen what can happen when a homeowner makes critical landscaping mistaked. Here are some of the most common landscaping mistakes that homeowners make: Keep them in mind so your landscape doesn’t end up looking like a wasteland.
Poor Irrigation
Water is the lifeblood of your landscape. If your plants don’t get enough water, they’ll either grow stunted and weak or shrivel up and die. Making sure that you regularly water your landscape and give it the right amount of hydration is essential. You don’t want to water it too much, though: Too much water can also be a potentially deadly problem for your plants.
Many landscapes that fail due so to a lack of proper watering and irrigation. If you work odd hours and are rarely home or if you’re going on vacation for a long period of time, you should get a irrigation system installed to automatically water your landscape while you’re gone. The initial costs of the irrigation will be worth it when you consider how expensive it can be to replace and recreate a dead landscape.
No Plan
The number one mistake most homeowners make with their landscapes? Not having a plan. Great landscapes look carefully planned out and artfully arranged because they ARE. Even if you aren’t certain how every part of your landscape should look yet, you should talk to your landscaper and come up with an overarching design for it. Will you have trees? Do you opt for grass or a rock landscape? Or do you have designated areas for vegetable patches, flowers, or ponds? Landscape designs aren’t set in stone: You can always tweak it over time. But you don’t want to just start planting things willy-nilly without a plan, because that could end up costing you a lot of wasted time and money.
Wildlife
Another mistake homeowners often make is not accounting for how wildlife can impact their landscape. Look into the plants you’re selecting for your landscape: Will they attract the wrong kind of wildlife to your landscape? Getting flowers that will bring gorgeous butterflies to your home is a good thing; Getting a tree that could house families of scorpions in it is not. A great landscaper understands the local wildlife and ecosystem, and will be able to ensure that you don’t end up creating a landscape that will be a magnet for poisonous creepy-crawlies.
Functionality Is Important
A landscape is more than a feast for the senses: It should also serve a purpose. When most people think of landscape designs, they’re only accounting for aesthetic considerations. How does it look? How will it improve your home’s curb appeal? What they’re often NOT asking is how will your landscape function. Is it a safe environment for you and your family to play in? Does it contain poisonous plants that could pose a threat to your children and pets? Is it a convenient space to move through, or is it a delicate environment that makes you tread lightly? Your landscape isn’t just a backdrop or a scenic view outside your window: It’s a major part of your day to day life. Ask yourself how your landscape will impact your quality of life before settling on a design for it.
To learn more about landscaping mistakes and the right way to landscape your home, give ABC Scapes a call at 602-404-0568.