Complete Guide to Landscaping Backyard Home

Complete Guide to Landscaping Backyard Home

Landscaping

Landscaping is a broad field, encompassing everything from landscaping design ideas to architectural landscaping to landscape engineering. It takes many things into consideration, including the landscaping ideas and designs of the past, aesthetics, resources available to you, and plants that will thrive in your local area.

Not only does landscaping improve the value of your home (as much as 15 percent), but it also creates a pleasing environment for you to relax in. Many people find that increasing their landscaping efforts, perhaps by adding trees, plants, or flowers, makes for a better home that is also promoting a relationship with the environment.

Landscaping is big business in the US; more than 30 billion dollars was spent on lawn maintenance and care in the last year. Deciding to do your own landscaping, rather than hiring a professional, takes some work, but that work will pay off.

Landscaping Guide

Understanding some landscaping basics will be of great benefit when you begin to make decisions.

Some basic landscaping Terms

• Hardscape

refers to the non-living elements of landscaping. This can include concrete, brick, stone, and items comprised of non-living wood (such as a wooden treehouse). Building a patio or deck is considered a hardscape project.

• Softscape

Refers to a living landscape. Plants, flowers, and trees would fit this category. Working on creating a vegetable garden would be a softscape project.

• Percolation and pH tests

are both conducted on the soil. A percolation test finds the rate at which soil absorbs water, while a pH test finds out how acidic or alkaline the soil is. Both of these tests help determine what kinds of plants and trees are ideal for growing in the area.

• Deciduous and Evergreen Trees

Deciduous trees are trees that shed leaves and foliage at the end of the growing season, while evergreens are trees that stay green year-round.

• Island Bed

Refers to “islands” of flowers in which one can walk around. They usually appear in the middle of lawns and are bordered by stone or brick.

• Accent

This refers to the use of a plant or other object in order to draw more attention to that particular area. Ferns surrounding a tree would be considered accent landscaping pieces.

• Landscaping Fabric

Is a synthetic material that is placed over the soil. It allows water to pass through but blocks out sunlight and weeds.

Plan Landscaping and Do it yourself

If you plan on doing the landscaping yourself, you’ll need a plan. Following these basic steps will help you to be prepared well before the shovel hits the soil. A common mistake that people make when doing their own landscaping is a failure to take note of the conditions of their property, which includes both front lawn and backyard.

• First, take yard measurements: This will enable you to see how much space there is to work with. Draw out a sketch of the dimensions.

• Next, note areas where cables are present: You may need to call your local utility or phone company about this. The reason is simple: a large tree can’t be planted in an area where there is a cable. Note underground cables on paper as well.

• Note sunlight in different areas: Some areas of your yard receive more direct sunlight than others. Some places may remain in the shade a large portion of the day. Knowing the amount of sunlight at different times of the day is extremely important because it can affect what types of plants go where.
• Then, write down areas that have specific problems: For example, some areas may have poor drainage. Perhaps there is a spot where no plant seems to grow. Or maybe there is a patch of soil that is particularly eroded. Again, identifying problem areas will help in deciding the overall landscaping design Ideas.
• Finally, begin to sketch in what will be added: Take light and soil requirements into consideration, think about what plants, flowers, and trees would make nice landscaping additions. Do a little research and find out what grows well in your area. Also, consider the placement of any hardscape features.

Free Landscape Plans Designs

Good landscapes are as important as good homes and you need to ensure that you have the plans and designs to model a good landscape. Of course, you don’t have to spend a bomb to get these landscapes plans or designs; you don’t even have to get it done with the help of professional designers or landscapers. The landscapes plans and designs are available for free and all you need is patience, a little creativity and time browsing through the myriad of choices available to you.

Now, what are the different sources from where you could these plans and designs? To start with you could scourge through the neighboring library or archives, or an old magazine on home improvement for plans and designs on landscapes. Another source of free landscape plans and designs is the Internet.

The Internet is the best source for landscape plans and designs and there are thousands and thousands of free designs and plans. All you need is to compile the free landscape plans or designs, choose the one that fits your land layout and your kind of house. Also, follow the tips and suggestions that are given on the website by experts.

The advantage of searching the free landscapes and designs on the Internet is that most of them are endorsed by renowned experts in the field and they are even reachable. You don’t need to follow the landscape plans and designs exactly as it is given; with a little variation to the landscape plan, you can create your own masterpiece landscape. Remember to spend some time surveying your own home and the surroundings and deciding which landscape would best fit in.

According to a survey conducted by an American realtor agency, a well-done landscape and design can raise the value of the property by around 17 percent and vice versa. This means you stand to gain from a well planned and designed landscape and conversely also lose the same if the landscape is shabby, haphazard, or just plain conventional If you refer to some of the free landscape plans and designs you’ll realize that landscaping is not just about to give a good look to your garden but also improves the energy around the house and with the shrubs and gardens arranged properly you can also get certain privacy.

Also, it pays to consult with friends and family members before you plan on executing your landscape design and gather their advice.

Practical Garden Landscaping Tips

When you’re planning your country garden landscaping, of course, you’ll want to think about your favorite flowers and shrubs and how they’ll look together here, or combined over there. The big fun and joy in country garden landscaping are how creative you can be.

You can choose one color theme or go wild with different hues around the garden. You can have dozens of different types of flowers or just a few or one, in different shades, if you like. Tall flowers, short grasses and ground cover, hedgerows or a scattering of plants—your country garden is your canvas and you should let yourself create.

But first, consider some practical points when planning your garden landscaping. Painters have to work within the boundaries of their canvas, but that lets them focus and create. So you should have a framework in mind when landscaping your country garden, and then you can create within those boundaries and end up with a spectacular garden that you’ll enjoy for years.

You could hire a landscaping designer to plan your country garden, of course. You’ll spend a lot of money, but you’ll benefit from the expert advice and design experience of a professional. The best landscaping experts will listen to your wants and help you design the perfect space for what you’d like to achieve. But if you don’t want to go that route, you can plan your country garden landscaping yourself and get great results with a few helpful tips.

Consider where you plant flowers in your country garden, not just for their visual appeal but because of the things around them. Think of where they’ll draw the eye. Will a gorgeous flower bed in the corner just make people notice the fence that’s in need of painting, or will it add a touch of beauty to the bare side of a building? Instead of changing your country garden landscaping plan, paint the fence, and plant ivy to go up the building side or tall plants in the back to minimize the bare space and get the most impact—just be aware of these things before you start planting.

Also, look at the structures already in place with an eye toward incorporating them more fully into your country garden landscaping. The base of a mailbox or a tree is an excellent place to add some color and interest. Low-growing flowers can make a bare mailbox look dressed up, as long as the circle of foliage doesn’t extend out so far that getting the mail becomes difficult! And the base of a tree is an excellent place for a circle of flowers or some dramatic plants like hostas, which do well in partial shade.

To give your country garden landscaping the designer touch while still exercising your creativity, simply make every choice look deliberate. Use the same kind of border stones around various beds to link them together. Or have a certain color appear in each different spot, or use the same flowers in different areas to provide a connection.

Read More: Making a Pet-Friendly Backyard with Ease

Landscape Lighting: What you Must Know

Landscape lighting, designed to illuminate the outside, combines technology with nature, blending the two to create a pleasing effect. It can be used to showcase pathways, trees, flower gardens, patios, or part of your home.

Lighting Techniques

The first step in creating beautiful landscape lighting is to understand a little about the different lighting techniques available.

• Landscape up-lighting is used to illuminate a specific object, such as a tree or shrub. With this technique, an outdoor light comes from a low fixture location and shines upwards.

• Landscape down-lighting also called moonlighting, creates the opposite effect of up-lighting. A light is placed in a high place and shines down on its subject. Down-lighting is particularly effective for illuminating smaller objects close to the ground, such as flower beds. It can also be used as a form of security light.

• Pathway landscape lighting is used to illuminate walkways. It uses low light fixtures that are set an equal distance apart, which are pointed outwards and down. Path lights are often covered with fixtures to prevent glare, achieving a clear, even light.

• Landscape spotlighting is another technique used to draw attention to an object. If differs from up-lighting in that two or more lights are used at a low level. Spotlighting usually incorporates a very bright light as well.

• Silhouette lighting, also called backlighting, incorporates a wash light fixture. It creates a beautiful effect on a large surface area, such as a wall, by causing the objects in front of it (shrubs, flowers, or small trees) to appear as silhouettes. Lights are placed at a low level behind objects.

• Landscape shadowing is another technique that also depends on a large surface area, but its effect is different. Rather than the objects in front of the wall casting a silhouette, shadowing causes the object to cast a shadow on the wall behind it. Lights are placed at a low level in front of objects.

Any number of these techniques used in combination can create a powerful effect. Not only is landscape lighting aesthetically pleasing, but it also helps family members and friends see walkways clearly and wards off potential intruders. A home that incorporates landscape lighting is less likely to be burglarized.

Landscape Lighting Ideas and Tips

Here are some great tips that can help you illuminate your landscaping beautifully.

• Use floodlights to illuminate trees: Uplighting or spotlighting is great for large objects. Not only does it make them appear larger than life, but it also shows off their beauty. Focus on both the trunk and treetops.

• Set landscape lights on a timer: Not only will this save energy, but you won’t have to worry about turning them on and off every day. Plus, if they are outside a bedroom window, you can have them automatically turn off so they won’t keep you up.

• Consider the durability of the landscape lights you purchase: If you live in an area with particularly harsh climates, such as excessively cold winters, make sure the lights, fixtures, and cables can withstand the elements.

• Consider solar landscape lighting: Not only are they maintenance-free and easy to install, but they don’t need electricity to run, saving you money in the future. Just remember that solar lights must be placed in an area that receives full sun during the day.

• Chose lights that have low voltage systems: They are both safer and more efficient than high voltage systems.
• Create balance and uniformity: This also means, don’t overdo it! Consider yard size, the brightness of light, and lighting technique.

Read More: 3 Ways to Easily Improve Your Garden

Landscape Software Review

Landscape software was designed to help you visualize future landscaping projects. Often highly realistic, may include a 3D walkthrough of design plans, allowing you to place photos of trees, shrubs, flowers, and water features into your existing yard. Here’s how it works.

Getting the Full Picture

Upon installing the software, the first thing you might want to do is import an existing photo of your home and yard. This makes a lot of practical sense, as the exact dimensions are available to work with.

Now comes the fun part! Search through the software’s database of trees, flowers, and plants to find possible additions to your landscape. Then, drop them into a place to get the visual effect. Many programs will also include a plethora of information about plant types, including botanical names, planting zones, and sizes. Then, zoom in and out when plants are in place, viewing them from different angles and distances.

Next, play around with software water features, such as gardens, pools, ponds, small streams, and the like. Many software programs have realistic water designs where you get a 3D view of water flowing over rocks and koi swimming in water gardens.

You can also incorporate slopes and hills into your 3D landscaping design. The terrain can be adjusted to fit the height of a driveway or a sloping hill. This software feature is also good for planning straight and curved retaining walls.

Popular Landscaping Software Programs

Some popular software programs on the market are Punch! Master Landscape Pro, Realtime Landscaping Pro Landscape Design, SmartDraw 7 Landscape-Design, Water Garden Studio, Dynascape Pro, and 3D Garden Composer. These range in price from $20 to $80, depending on the features included. Most programs run on a Pentium III and use a Windows operating system. There are also free programs on the internet that can be downloaded, but many of these are not as complex as a software program for purchase.

The Pros and Cons of Trading Pencil for Mouse

There are both advantages and disadvantages to using landscape software. Here’s what we found:

Pros

• Realistic presentation tools: Landscape design software used to be criticized for its poor visual images, which looked cartoonish in nature. Technological development, however, has allowed for more life-like and realistic landscaping imagery.

• Nighttime viewing: This feature allows you to view landscaping after the sun has set. You can then add different lighting techniques and types of lights to the area.

• Projecting into the future: That’s right; higher-end programs have a function that allows you to see what your landscaping will look like in 25 years. This is great if you are curious about tree growth. Otherwise, you’ll probably (hopefully!) make any changes before then, which makes this feature a little impractical.

• Viewing all seasons: Looking at landscaping plants and trees in summer, fall, winter, and spring conditions give you a good idea of the changes that will take place.

Cons

• The difficulty of use: Some, but not all, the software is not entirely user-friendly. Menus, toolbars, symbols, and wizard boxes can fill the screen, making it feel cluttered. No one wants to use the “Help” feature every five minutes!

• Shortage of plant types: While this seems to improve rapidly, some software has a very small selection of plants to choose from. Before purchasing software, make sure it contains at least 1,000 species of plants.

• Software that doesn’t allow picture importation: There are still quite a few landscaping programs that don’t allow you to use a picture of your home. Because of this, they are rather impractical.