CHARLOTTE – When preparing for your 2022 landscape, there are some important factors to consider before starting.
- Know Your Yard
Think about your regional climate, topography, and soil type when planning your landscape. For planting, special consideration should be given to the amount of sun and shade exposure-full sun, partial shade, etc.
Regarding topography, take note of how water drains in your landscape. The best design will promote water movement away from your home towards other areas of your yard.
2. Who Will Be Using Your Yard?
Will it be children or pets? Will you be doing outdoor entertaining? There can be different uses for different spaces in your landscape using strategic plantings and hardscapes.
3. Maintenance Budgeting
Consider your maintenance time and costs. How much time will you have to put into your landscape? If you don’t have time, will you have the money to pay a contractor?
4. Make Your Plants Work For You
Plants can be used in a number of ways. They can provide you with fresh fruit and vegetables, beautiful scenery, and lovely aromas.
Plants can also be used as barriers and borders to define areas within your landscape as well as identify where your landscape begins and ends.
Correctly placed trees and plants can be used to alter site conditions affecting temperature, light levels, wind, and noise.
5. Structure Your Plantings
Consider your various heights when selecting plants and hardscape designs – overhead, midway, and ground level.
6. Highlight Important Points
Unique plants, distinct structures, and garden ornaments highlight and direct attention to specific areas.
7. Looking Ahead
Determine how passage of time will affect your plants. Make sure you consider the plant’s growth rate, maintenance needs, and its eventual mature size.
8. Environmentally Sound and Efficient
By choosing environmentally sound and efficient plants requiring less water, fertilizer, and pesticides you can help protect your environment.
Install a rainwater retainment system that can provide a significant source of irrigation water.
For hardscapes look for non-toxic preservatives, stains, paints, and cleaners that are available on the market today.
