5 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Landscaping Design

Landscaping Design is one of the most exciting and fun home improvement projects you can do on your property. The main reason behind this is that after pouring in all the hard work and money, you will have an additional feature that will enhance the overall look of your residence.

Additionally, when you put careful thought into planning the design, you will have a lawn that can double as a recreation and entertainment area. As such, you will successfully broaden the functional space you have in your property.

More importantly, your landscaped lawn can give you and your family a conducive and safe place for relaxation and enjoying various activities while breathing in the fresh air and experiencing the other health benefits of spending time outdoors.

Unfortunately, you won’t get to experience these benefits and possibly waste all the time, money, and energy you put into landscaping your lawn when you don’t put careful thought into its design.

Landscaping pros in Fenton, Missouri, say that a small miscalculation or tiny error in designing your outdoor space and implementing the plan can have serious consequences that’ll affect your enjoyment of your yard. These can also have an impact on the overall look and aesthetics of your lawn.

If you want to have a yard that is picturesque, functional, and won’t give you headaches as you maintain and improve it, make sure you avoid these mistakes when planning for your landscape design:

1.    Not working with what you have

Rocks, pebbles, acidic soil, and plenty of slopes. These are just a few of the issues that you may encounter when you embark on a landscaping project.

When you have these issues to deal with, your immediate action might be to get rid of these. However, this is not your only option. In most instances, it would be better to work with or incorporate these into your landscape design.

For example, instead of gathering and throwing away all the rocks and pebbles, include them in your hardscape. You can use these for making a rock garden, a stepping stone path, or as border material for your pond.

The slopes in your yard do not have to be difficult areas to deal with, as well. Instead of leveling them, have a deck built over them. The inclined grounds can also make for beautiful sloping gardens.

Lastly, when you have acidic soil, there are plenty of plants that thrive well in such conditions. All you have to do is read up on them. Flowering plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, camellias, and daffodils actually thrive in acidic soil.

2.    Arranging all features in a single view

An open-spaced lawn is nice to look at. However, if you want to have an outdoor space that does not look boring, and instead draws attention easily, you need to make it a bit challenging for people to see the entirety of your yard.

A sectioned lawn creates an illusion of more space and mystery. Because of this, people will be interested to see it. As a result, you will have an additional focal point in your property.

To get this result, draw your plan in advance and divide the space of your lawn into different zones. These areas can include a mini-playground, pond or water feature, deck or patio, and some open space.

Also, be creative with your sections. Aside from walls or fences, you can use shrubs or potted plants to separate the zones. You can also grow different kinds of grasses to indicate the division in these areas.

3.    Failing to consider the different seasons

Your lawn will always look magnificent in spring and summer when the flowers are in bloom and all the plants are in their best condition. Your yard, however, will be less appealing during fall and winter, especially if you did not include these seasons in your landscape plan.

If you want to have a lawn that looks great all year round, make sure you have the right balance between perennial and seasonal plants. By doing so, you will ensure that your yard has enough color and features that’ll make it appealing even during the cold seasons.

Flowering plants are not your only options for making your lawn stand throughout the year. Some trees, shrubs, and vines have colorful foliage come fall and winter, so include some of these in the flora you plan on cultivating in your landscape.

4.    Growing plants in the wrong areas

Although you may think your choice of plants will look great in a certain location, before planting them, make sure it is the most suitable area for them.

Keep in mind that different plants have various requirements. As such, if you are growing plants that require plenty of sunlight, such as lavender, purple coneflower, and blanket flower, do not spread their seeds in shaded parts of your lawn.

Additionally, if you want to have flowers or shrubs that do not need sunlight, plant them in shaded sections of your yard.

5.    Forgetting the furniture

Lastly, the perfect lawn does not only need to be visually appealing; it has to be functional, as well. You can ensure your yard lives up to this purpose by thinking about the different furniture pieces you should include in your landscape design.

Choose chairs, benches, and other furniture pieces that are specifically made for outdoor use. By doing so, you will have long-lasting fixtures, ones that can withstand the changes in temperature and weather conditions.

Additionally, to ensure your outdoor furniture does not look out of place, select pieces that complement or work with the overall theme or style of your landscape. At the very least, they should not clash with the plants and color palette you intend to showcase in your lawn.

Aside from these mistakes, there are others that you can easily make when you want to design your lawn. If you want to avoid these costly and annoying errors, consider working with a provider of landscaping services in Ballwin, Missouri, to come up with the perfect design and handle your project.