10 Handy Tips For DYI Landscapers

10 Handy Tips For DYI Landscapers:
Guide For Beginners


Getting started is half finished, or so the claim of an old adage. This is especially true when it comes to venturing into the seemingly daunting art of landscaping one's home. However, with the exorbitant cost that most landscape artists charge these days, it is certainly more sensible and cost-effective to hire your very own services instead. Sure, you don't have the bragging rights on having an innate flair for landscaping; a healthy ounce of interest to learn a few tricks of the trade would be enough to jumpstart your home makeover project.


A quick browse on some home improvement magazines would probably give you an idea on how proper landscaping can give your home a much-needed facelift. In fact, decorators would easily concede to the fact that nothing beats a good landscaping design to set of your home into a stunning perfection. And considering the increasing number of residential owners who have taken an interest tackling such tasks by themselves, you will be surprised to find out that there is actually an abundance of do-it-yourself guides to help make your very first dabble on landscaping relatively easy and pain-free.


If you are constantly embarrassed by your shabby and unkempt yard, not having the right budget is actually not considered a reasonable excuse these days. If you are all too willing and able to do it, then that alone is presents a very good staring point and a wonderful way to save money. As most people would succinctly claim, the hardest part in any endeavor would always be on finding out how and where to begin. But once you discover the simple joys of doing the landscaping job, you will probably get hooked to it, as most other people are prone to. So here are some helpful tips that you can use as you attempt to try your hand on the fine craft of landscaping:


Provide A Year Round Interest


This is actually one of the most important tips that you simply can't miss. A lot of people often make a mistake of working specifically on a certain landscaping theme and forgot to consider the fact that such approach may not provide quite an interest in view of the changing seasons. So to save yourself from having to constantly upgrade your landscaping, choose a design that can provide great appeal all year round.


This can be achieved by coming up with a well-researched plan of sectioning your plants. Your general goal is to be able to fully showcase the profusion of flowering shrubs and trees all throughout the spring and summer seasons, a striking fall foliage during autumn and have a good structure that can survive the harsh winter. If you would take careful notice on the latest trends in landscaping, people expect more from their landscaping to easily adapt the ever-changing season. Keeping an eye on such consideration would prompt you to incorporate something that would never fail to provide that special WOW factor, every time you walk into your property. So what are exactly the plants that can easily achieve this all year-round appeal?


Conifers are among the top choices as they are easily noted to have the ability to keep the same appearance all throughout the changing seasons. Shrubs are also considered as great additions since can easily pick up the slack when other plants are done putting up a show for a particular season. However, what is important to remember when shopping for plants is to make some inquiries as to what species are best known to put on the best show for certain seasons. Use the knowledge that you can glean into making a "staggered planting plan". Although flowers in full bloom in spring and summer fetches a captivating sight, a profusion of high-performer plants can be too overpowering and tends to have a rather haphazard look. If you'll end up with such predicament, more often than not you will probably neglect fall and winter seasons and wind up with a dreary display. Here are some of the highly recommended plants for the different seasons:

Spring


Forsythia Shrubs
Weeping Flowering Tress
Rhododendrons and Azaleas
Lilac Shrubs

Summer


Washington Hawthorn Trees
Mountain Laurel Shrubs
Crape Myrtle Trees
Rose of Sharon Shrubs

Fall

Maples
Sumac Shrubs
Oak Trees

Winter

Rose Osier Dogwood
Christmas Holy Shrubs
Plume Grass
Winterberry Holly
Layer Flower Beds When Planting



Experts advice that it's best to layer the flowers in three rows when planting, preferably facing the north side. Start with the tallest plants at the back, planting the medium ones in the middle row and the small plants should be the set up front. This will provide a unity and a coordinated look at the same time allow sunlight to reach the smallest plants since it is deftly placed at the front.


3. Use Evergreens For Continuity


Evergreens are highly useful especially during the winter season since it is known to provide continuity. While others residential owners prefer to use bushes for privacy, evergreen actually present a more wonderful alternative for hedges since they can easily be trimmed in precise sizes and shapes that you want.


While all plants have been known to wilt and die in view of the biting cold of winter, evergreens have been known to be resilient enough and can actually provide a welcome sight of some greens when everything else seems to bath in pure white snow.



Make Use of Annuals And Perennials


Perennial plants actually make a very good choice when planting your flowerbeds since they only bloom during May but nothing left for July. While this might be a rather unlikely choice, it can be a wonderful filler to "plug the gaps" of your landscaping, which basically means it can easily provide you with a continuous color when landscaping your yard even if it is not in bloom. It is generally inadvisable group together flowering plants, as it will only create chaotic colors that can result to uncoordinated and haphazard look.


Incorporate Hardscape In Your Landscape Design


Your landscaping design should not only include plants but should also include some hardscape features too to add more interest. Wall and fences are known to add the necessary design statement as they effectively frame your property. You can also look into the possibility of adding arbors and decks if you have enough space. Patios are also a great addition that can provide a wonderful transition from outdoors to indoors.
Again, you need to remember that your landscaping is not an overnight makeover project, but should be considered a continuous work in progress. The mounting expenses need not overwhelm you since you can easily work on this project at your own pace and at the rate that your budget will allow.



Install Water Features



A good landscaping design should feature some focal points, which is an effective approach on guiding viewer's eyes to wonderful accents in your setting. Among the hottest trends is including some water features in your design. The reason behind this fashion is the fact that the sound of water has been known to help create a tranquil and soothing effect as well as it great adds a great overall visual appeal. While most people are often intimidated with the intricacy that they assume to be required in accomplishing such feat, you can easily achieve this by using some pre-formed rigid plastic liners, some durable pumps and flexible tubing and even some cheap ready-made fountains. You can also consider creating a small pond or some simple waterfalls, which is definitely a welcome sight that adds up the picture of an enthralling sanctuary.


Don't Forget Foliage!


While flowers are generally great choices, you also need to consider the plant's foliage. If you want to gain that interesting appeal, you need to take into consideration the different textures and colors of the foliage and use this to your advantage in order to create some diversity. This is one of the effective approaches to add some spice in your yard setting.


8. Opt For Low-Maintenance Yard


With some diligence and large doses of patience, you can probably achieve that picture-perfect landscaping that you valiantly flowed in some manuals. However, most people who are too engrossed and overwhelmed of pulling off such exceptional feat often forget to take into account the maintenance requirement of such design. It is certainly not enough to have the stunning landscape; the work simply doesn't stop there. You also need to come up with a maintenance plan to efficiently keep and preserve the beauty that you have laboriously tried to achieve. Some people who own an outstanding landscaping setting have admitted to have a growing resentment mainly because maintenance requires too much work. So unless you have no qualms about spending several hours pruning and trimming on the weekend, stick to some low maintenance designs that can work well with your busy lifestyle.
Use Drought Tolerant Plants


Some people are so engaged on having such high hopes looking forward for the coming vibrant spring bloom only to be thoroughly disappointed with the coming of summer. This is because the summer season naturally brings s in the intense sun, which can inevitably result, to wilted plants. Choosing drought-tolerant plant that can easily withstand the relentless pounding to the summer heat will keep you from worrying about your landscaping. Such choices are also highly ideal for people with poor soil composition. Among the great choices include:


Longwood Blue
Autumn Joy
Moonbeam Coreopsis
Purple Coneflower
Lamb's Ears
Maidengrass
Blue Fescue nor Elijah Blue


Types of Flowers


Choosing flowers should be well coordinated to the space you will be planning to grow them as well as the light and soil requirements of the plants This is one of the fundamental guideline in any landscaping design. Here are a list of flowers that are best suited for various spaces:

Shady Spaces

Flowering Dogwood Trees
Canadian Hemlock Tress
Yew Shrubs
Bleeding Hearts
Lamium
Periwinkle Vinca
Hosta Plants

Sunny Spaces

Yellow Alyssum Flowers
Snow In Summer
Lamb's Ears
Hens and Chicks Plants
Stonecrop Plants

Wet Soil

Black Chokeberry
Arrowwood Viburnum Shrubs
Winterberry Holly
Inkberry


So now that you have more or less an idea on the major considerations that you should take into account when making your landscaping plan. This would hopefully give you a better assessment and knowledge on which plants to choose. So rather than blindly picking out the plants that seem to look good, you know better which would be the suitable ones for you.