By definition, to be properly said to be "landscaping" a property, you must be making improvements (or maintaining past improvements) on that property's grounds--either in a practical or in an aesthetic way. In an extended sense, everything on your property that stands outside of the home itself is part of a property's landscaping. A related word is "landscape." When you landscape your yard, you are engaging in landscaping.
Simply put, if you can look out your window and see a fixed feature in your yard affecting the overall aesthetics or practical functioning of your property, then that feature is part of the "landscaping" of the property. Note also that some practical features of one's landscaping, such as underground drainage systems, are of critical importance even though they exist unseen.
House and Landscaping: Living in Harmony
While the above furnishes a straightforward, working definition of the term, "landscaping," first-time homeowners will often profit more from an overview of the kind of work that they can do (or hire a professional to do) in order to improve their yards.
Before we begin, there is a fundamental question to ponder. Should a house and its landscaping be harmonious with each other? We're not talking about practical concerns, such as planting shade trees to the south of your home to reduce energy costs. No, I'm talking about appearance. Should the way your house looks influence landscaping decisions such as plant selection and arrangement, or whether to build a wooden deck versus a brick patio?
Some homeowners like to color coordinate their house and their landscaping. That is easy enough, but how far should you go to harmonizing house and yard aesthetically? For example, if the style of your home does not qualify it as a "cottage," can you still landscape in the cottage-garden style? Yes, but only you can decide on the degree to which you should strive for such harmony because everyone's taste is different. There's no doubt that some types of hardscape features fit better with some houses than with others. A rustic-style deck, for example, will look much better attached to a log cabin than to an ultra-modern contemporary.
What Is Ultra-Modern Contemporary?
Ultra-modern contemporary is a design or architecture style that's characterized by restraint and minimalism. It mainly focuses on clean lines, structural shapes, and neutral tones. Achieving harmony is sometimes possible intuitively. But if you are more serious about complementing your house with your landscaping, you really need to take matters to the next level: landscape design, which is essentially an art form (although this discipline never loses sight of practical considerations, as well).
Types of Landscaping Features
Here are some types of landscaping features. Don't feel obligated to include each and every one of these in your own landscaping! There are wonderful landscapes that leave out half of these (or more). The following is just a quick sampling.
· Planting beds (such as flower borders)
· Lawns
· Shrubs
· Flowering trees
· Foundation plantings
· Driveways
· Walkways
· Fences
· Fountains
· Water gardens
Before You Start Landscaping
You now have some idea of the scope of landscaping. But what else do you need to consider before you do anything drastic to your yard?
The very first question that you have to ask yourself is this: Do I plan on staying on this property forever, or will I be placing it in a real estate listing at some point? Answering the question will clarify your priorities and help establish an overarching idea for your home landscaping projects. If you are home landscaping for yourself as a lifelong resident on the property, you need only consult your own tastes. But if your property is fated to be a real estate listing, you need to think in terms of "curb appeal": You are essentially landscaping for other people's tastes--namely, the tastes of potential real estate buyers.
Avoid Costly Landscaping Mistakes
As in other aspects of your life, some of the best home landscaping decisions result from learning what not to do. For example, some do-it-yourselfers who are excited about the idea of starting from a blank slate decide that they will begin a home landscaping makeover by removing a large tree from their landscape. "In one study, 83 percent of Realtors believe that mature trees have a 'strong or moderate impact' on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98 percent.
Where to Find Good Landscaping Ideas
· Observe what other people are doing with their home landscaping designs. When possible, discuss with them the reasons behind their choice of home landscaping elements and the intentions behind them.
· Magazines, books, television and the Web all provide an abundance of information on what kinds of home landscaping designs are currently "selling."
· Consult with a professional in the landscape design field.
· If you don't want to pay for a landscape designer's advice, at least try to mine some ideas from your local nursery.
· Real estate agents see the reactions of potential buyers to home landscaping day in and day out; consult with them on trends.
Remember, potential buyers may not share your personal tastes--that's what necessitates all this research on your part, as the seller. For instance, you may not mind spending time puttering around outside, may have no desire for water features on your landscape, and may not care about winter color. But the trend has been for homebuyers to seek:
· Low maintenance home landscapes. For instance, if there's a choice between a dwarf version of a tree and a larger version, choose the dwarf tree-- it won't need to be pruned as much.
· Artificial ponds, fountains, and waterfalls. The most striking landscape designs have a focal point or accent. A well-executed water feature is a focal point that can set your property apart from the rest.
· Year-round visual interest. Evergreens and many berry-producing shrubs are excellent antidotes to winter bleakness.
Make Your Landscaping Beautiful Year-Round
The trend mentioned earlier toward home buyers seeking year-round interest is worth expanding upon. Visual interest goes beyond color. For instance, you can create winter scenes through the employment of hardscape design elements such as stone walls, gazebos, and arbors. To soften up such hardscape features, include tall ornamental grasses or other graceful elements. In fact, even without the hardscape elements, the tall grasses can provide you with wintertime beauty in the yard.
Incidentally, don't think that just because it may be a hot and humid day at the time you happen to read this article, talk of "winter scenes" is out of line. The time to work on furnishing your home landscaping with the potential for winter scenes is not when it's cold outside and two feet of snow lies on the ground. It's your spring and summer work that will determine how good your landscaping looks in winter. After all, it's pretty hard to plant ornamental grasses in the winter! Much of your hardscape design work also should be done in good weather.
In addition to providing winter scenes, don't overlook ways that you can inject maximum color into the spring and fall landscapes, too:
· If you plant bulbs in the fall, you won't have to wait until May for spring color.
· Some perennials, if cut back properly after their first blooming, will produce a second set of blooms later in the summer or in early fall.
· While trees such as maples receive all the accolades for fall color, don't neglect to plant some of the shrubs and vines resplendent in fall color.
· Don't pass up 2-for-1 deals. Euonymus alatus, or "burning bush" doubles as a plant valuable both for fall and winter scenes. In the fall it is valued for its foliage. A deciduous shrub, its potential for winter scenes lies in its bark. Protruding from Euonymus alatus stems is a corky membrane that gives them an oddly squarish shape. This shape traps and holds snow, making for some terrific winter scenes. Because burning bushes are invasive plants, however, make sure you keep in under control or look for alternatives.
Where Do I Go From Here?
· Create a Beautiful, Functional Yard to Enhance Your Property's Value
· Balancing Aesthetic and Practical Needs in Your Landscaping
Benefit of Using Landscaping
The benefit of cultivating landscaping can be divided into the following four main categories,
· Benefit of Environment
· Benefit of Social Reason
· Benefit of Economic Reason
· Benefit of Health Reason
Environment Benefits
· Reduction of water runoff.
· Protection against local flooding.
· Control extremes temperature.
· To Control erosion.
· Reduction the rate of evaporation.
Social Benefits
· It increase the value of your property.
· It landscaping makes your home more attractive.
· Reduced cooling and heating costs.
Health Benefits
· Landscaping creates a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.
· It helps to reduce stress level.
· It make your home healthier by filtering pollutants and providing fresh air.
Social Benefit of Landscaping
· It creates buffer zones and increases the livability of our communities.
· It helps to reduce local noise.
· It helps to decrease heat.
· It provides attractive environment for relaxing and entertaining activity.
· It gives high density development.
Factors Affecting Landscaping Works
When choosing a landscaping style the following factors are to be considered,
Purpose of Landscaping
· The purpose of installing landscaping should be put into the consideration before construction, is it children free environment or children filled environment and Do you have pets?
· Also asked to the owner of property, for placing landscape is mainly gives attractive background.
· These type of questions need to be answered before deciding on a style of landscape.
Weather Condition
· Before placing landscaping in property, checked that surround the land and weather you want to use. Is it arid condition or Humidified condition?
Reflection of Personal Style
· Landscaping style that reflects your taste and personality should be considered.
Reasons Why Landscaping Is Important
Landscaping is when trees and other plants are brought in to create an area of beauty, whether it’s in a quiet neighborhood or a bustling city. Today, you can find impressive landscaping projects in the form of rooftop gardens, urban pocket parks, and backyard oases. Landscaping isn’t cheap, so why is it worth investing in? Here are reasons why landscaping is important:
· Landscaping preserves the environment: Sprawling cities hurt the environment. We know the negative consequences of deforestation and shrinking green spaces. Landscaping provides an opportunity to preserve and protect the environment. Planting native flora, avoiding chemicals, and addressing environmental problems keep green spaces healthy and thriving.
· Landscaping helps manage soil pollution: Factory pollution is one of the most serious types of pollution. The areas around factories are poisoned by toxic waste, chemical spills, and emissions. Simply getting rid of all the factories isn’t feasible at this point. Landscaping can help mitigate some of the issues. How? Plants purify the soil contaminated by factories.
· Landscaping helps clean the air: Plants clean the air as well as the soil. Trees are especially effective at this purification. The world’s forests absorb around ⅓ of global emissions each year. Tree leaves (and the leaves of all plants) absorb pollutants like smoke, ozone, and nitrogen oxides, filtering them from the air. Cities can purify polluted air by adding more landscaping. Landscapers need good plans in place. Not any plant will work. The best trees will have large leaves. Planners also need to consider factors like water availability, spacing, and wind patterns.
· Landscaping helps with water management: Water may be a sustainable resource, but it’s not limitless. It needs to be managed carefully. Landscaping can help. By prioritizing water drainage solutions, landscapers protect natural waterways, create rain gardens, and rejuvenate wetlands. Wetland-friendly landscaping is important because wetlands are endangered. These areas encourage biodiversity, purify storm water, and control floods.
· Landscaping creates a cooling effect: Cities can get very hot, creating what’s known as “heat islands.” This is when the temperature in the city is much warmer than in nearby rural areas. The presence of concrete, cars, and other human activities are responsible. To stay cool, people run their air conditioners more. Trees are nature’s air conditioners. They reduce the temperature in a heat island. On a summer day, a backyard with trees will be 6-degrees cooler than a yard without trees. Even when you aren’t directly in the shade, the surrounding temps go down. This means people will use their air conditioners less, significantly reducing emissions.
· Landscaping stops erosion: Erosion is a serious issue. It leads to increased pollution and sedimentation in rivers and streams. Waterways get clogged, which kills fish and other species. Erosion also destroys fertile land and leads to more flooding. Landscaping, especially grass and shrubs, hold the soil together with their roots. Landscaping that prioritizes erosion issues and water management keeps the problem at bay.
· Landscaping plays a big role in sustainability: Sustainability is so crucial that good landscapers prioritize the health of the environment. They are at the forefront of techniques and innovations dealing with energy efficiency, clean water, clean air, and more. In the journey to a healthier, more sustainable world, landscapers are important.
· Landscaping improves peoples’ mental health: Studies consistently show that being in nature is good for a person’s mental health. It can improve their memory, reduce stress, and boost feelings of happiness. Nature is so powerful that something as small as one tree or a single houseplant can improve mental health. In our world today, there’s a mental health crisis. Landscaping can play an important role in healing.
· Landscaping adds value to an area: Landscaping is not only good for the environment and peoples’ mental health. It also adds value to an area. It’s no secret that when someone is selling their house, their landscaping affects the asking price. In cities, beautiful parks and green spaces attract tourists and visitors. Good landscaping also encourages surrounding houses and areas to step up their game.
· Well-maintained landscaping protects homes and buildings: The presence of plants and trees is worthwhile, but there’s a balance required. If left to her own devices, Nature will take over. For homeowners, this can be a serious problem. The roots of trees and plants can damage the foundation of a house and get into the plumbing. Overgrowth from branches can also cause issues, though these are usually easier to spot quickly. For nature and humans to live in harmony, healthy maintenance is necessary. Landscapers that value environmental health and sustainability will work without hurting the greenery.
Truco Services, Inc.
4640 Commerce Drive
Murray, Utah 84107
(801) 466-8044
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