Garden Design………………….…is this important?

Unfortunately, most plantings around our homes are done by homeowners without much forethought or by the builder as part of a basic landscaping requirement for new homes.

In the latter case, neighborhood associations often require a basic builder landscape which usually involves some inexpensive, fast-growing shrubs which are copied at each house up and down the street. Homeowners with spring fever might visit a garden center or box store and pick out whatever looks appealing that day without a thought to what it looks like in the summer, fall or winter. Or we might see a pretty tree at the neighbor’s so we put one of those in the middle of the front yard. Just look sometime at the frequency of neighbors with the same ornamental trees. Diversity is key to a healthy “urban forest”. Of course, in most cases, the ultimate plant size is not considered so that 10 years down the road many of these plants must be removed. This is a waste of time and money and the most common problem we encounter.

I suggest that your home environment is far too important to leave to chance and whim.

Plan it, plant it, enjoy it !!! You can increase your quality of life at home with proper landscape design. You will also increase your property value if you decide to sell your house!

And…….. maintenance? We can certainly reduce maintenance with proper design. Give it much forethought before you buy and plant anything. Right plant, right place! Think about it…………shade trees should be placed where you will benefit from the shade. Evergreens should be placed where you want to block a bad view or strong winds. Flowering plants can be mixed with evergreens for interesting contrast. The front of your home should be pleasant in all seasons. Your patio can be a splash of summer color and fragrance but you don’t sit there in the winter. Know how big something gets before placing it around your house! Dwarf plants grow slowly but they don’t stop getting bigger until they are dead.

Enjoy this wonderful fall season. It’s a great time to plant. You can plant up until the ground freezes. Otherwise, you can use those cold winter days to PLAN for spring planting.

Enjoy the upcoming holiday season!