Read Part One in the blog series here.
Not Knowing Your Land
- Every property is unique and has characteristics that should dictate the design and landscape materials used. Before embarking on a landscape investment, get to know your property:
- Climate (your land’s microclimate to be specific). Are you in a banana belt where the sun warms things up substantially during the day or fenced? In a location with steady dry winds? At a particularly high altitude (above 5280ft)? In a forest surrounded by pine trees or in a dry, hot setting?
- Drainage (steep slopes, poor grading, prone to erosion or water pooling)
- Amount of daily sun or shade all areas of the land receives
- Type of soil(s) that planting materials will go into (clay, sandy, rocky, heavy, porous)
- Existing healthy and unhealthy trees and shrubs (read the signs)
- Precipitation (amount of moisture nature typically provides) and therefore water needs
The more you know about your land, the better equipped we are to design a landscape that suits your preferences and the land itself. Planting masses of roses in an area without a plan for deterring deer will disappoint; failing to address drainage or slope issues will cause many a headache.
Employing a Scattershot Approach
We know how tempting it is to walk through a garden nursery and pick out pretty plants. But planting one or two of this and one of that in a landscape can have a very negative effect on the landscape’s performance and beauty. All plants have different sun, water, and soil needs. One-hit-wonders look busy – the eye doesn’t know where to look or land.
Outdoor Craftsmen will guide you to the best choices of plants, boulders, and special features for your great outdoors.
Poor Irrigation
Most don’t have a firm grip on the nuanced water requirements of their landscape investment. Getting the water just right is paramount to an incredible outdoor environment. Improper watering can cause all manner of issues (with water no less) not the least of which are loss of trees, shrubs, and perennials, and over-consumption of a precious resource.
Failing to Function for How you Live
You have a vision. We will make it tangible. A quality landscape design will inform and enlighten you on the present and the future of your landscape. When you have a plan you see how plants and trees will look and grow over time, how they reproduce, and what kind of water and maintenance will be required to keep the landscape healthy and thriving.
