Expertly Made Landscaping: 4 Tips to Upgrading the Outdoors

Keeping the front lawn and the backyard neat with regular mowing, trimming, and cleaning is a basic home maintenance task that every home maker shouldn’t neglect. Landscaping and keeping the outdoor areas of the house create the initial impression for the property which doesn’t only affect its market value, it also makes those living in it feel better.

Adding the front lawn and the backyard as areas in one’s home improvement plan can increase not only your home’s value but it also gives you a relaxed and accomplished feeling. You can DIY things around if you’re up to it or you can hire a trained landscaper to fix your yard. Needless to say, your front lawn and yard can transform into versatile areas where family members can rest and relax, entertain guests, or host parties. Here are some tips for you to consider if you plan to improve your home’s surrounding.

 

Decorating According to Taste

Doing the landscape for one’s property can be quite simple, owners can decorate with plants, tiles and garden accessories that suit their tastes. It is understandable why there are homeowners who venture into landscaping projects on their own and get satisfied with the results. However, a landscape job that looks good doesn’t necessarily mean that it is properly done. A well executed landscape project that is easy to maintain and is long lasting entails knowledge in flora and fauna, basics of architecture or structural design, and artistic skills. These are tasks best entrusted in the hands of an expert, the landscape artist.

Tap a Horticulturist

One of the skills possessed by most landscape artists is the expertise in horticulture. Homeowners who opt to hire a landscaper can take advantage of this in selecting the foliage or plant species that is best for design and the local climate. It can save you time and effort on researching plant varieties and the care instructions for nurturing your greenery. You can also ensure that your funds will not be wasted on plants that wilt away or die easily. Trend conscious homeowners need not look further for the latest designs. Landscapers are often up-to-date when it comes to these matters.

Landscapers can even prepare a visual presentation of the design project that is designed to fit your taste or specifications. There are landscapers who work with virtual images during the selection and design phase. This allows you to see how the actual landscape will look upon project completion even before starting with it. One can make changes in the design even before purchasing the project supplies and materials thereby promoting efficient logistics for the project. It can also save you time, effort and funds from redoing the landscape in the middle of the project or after completion as in the case of poorly visualized projects that didn’t meet up to the owner’s standards.

Consider Astroturf for Landscaping

If the idea of mowing grass makes you think of too much work, or if you have children who enjoys football and cats who like to chew on stuff, an Astroturf may be a good alternative. Astroturfs were originally artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports.  Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for these synthetic grass being used on residential lawns and commercial landscaping. And here are some reasons why homeowners choose them:

• Very little maintenance required – Lawnmowers are not easy tools, and if you do not have a big lawn and storage area, it could be a headache storing it away. The grass need not  be cut, so there’s no need to worry about them growing long and out of control.
• Best for outdoor spaces where grass won’t thrive – There’s just sometimes a bald spot in your lawn where grass seem to not like. Artificial grass can cover that for you, so you won’t have to stress over baldness on your landscaping project.
• Suitable for pets – Some grass can be harmful to your pets, and pets enjoy tearing up grass, dogs and cat are obligate carnivores so they would just vomit grass later on but some could still be detrimental to their health. With astroturf, you won’t have this worry, and your pets can go about running all day in the garden as they please.
• Best for your sporty kids – If your kids love to play football, artificial lawn carpet will be a good training ground for them. Some arenas are after all installed with astroturf.
• Can be easily customised – Real turf is not easy to use in designing, because they are alive, they will later on grow as the want to. However, artificial grass gardens are just that and no control needed except for the installation.
• Eliminates use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers – Natural grass needs a lot of tending to grow and be healthy. With synthetic grass, there is no need for such because all it needs is a good brushing to keep it “healthy.”
• Saves a lot of water – Watering a natural will not only make your bills go high, especially in the summer. Needless to say, artificial turf saves you a lot of water (and money in the long run).

Add a Deck or Patio

If you have bigger spaces in front and out back, you can spice up your patio if there’s one installed already. Otherwise, you can easily have an area in your yard transform into a functioning patio where you can have grill dates with the whole family. Consider building a deck as well, if you got the budget for it, and if you have elevated areas around the house. If you’re wondering about the difference of the two, a patio is situated directly on the ground like bricks and concrete pavement while a deck is elevated and usually made of wood or a combination of wood and vinyl.

Decks often need railing too, so the would used should be considered here. Patios can be open spaces, doesn’t need to have walls, but they can have roofs especially when you decide to build them detached from your house.

Whichever you decide to add to your home, consult a landscaper and designer to coordinate them with the rest of your yard spaces. A pergola, a hammock, barbecue station, sturdy sofa, and lots of flowering plants are the things you can add to beautify both areas.

The home is considered as extensions of the owners’ personality. Creating a good impression or image for the immediate surroundings or outdoors of the house is just as important as keeping a good family reputation. With that in mind, consider these tips to make your home one with memories that would be treasured for long.