Neglecting Curb Appeal: We’ve all done it – decorate the front porch then focus the rest of our budget and energy on the backyard. The front of your home is where first impressions are made and will make a strong positive statement to all who visit. The front door is obvious, and the area where one waits for the door to open is welcoming. The walkway from parking to front door is crafted from durable stable, non-shifting, material and compliments the architectural elements on your house. Colorful low maintenance plant materials such as ornamental grasses, flowering shrubs, and dwarf trees are perennially attractive. Light the way at night, avoiding the ‘runway’ lighting look.
Excessive Lawn Ornaments: Excessive decorative items in the landscape can distract and detract from the natural beauty of the land. Be selective with what you are placing and consider how it fits the context of your overall design and feel of the space. One statement piece is more impactful than 10.
Not Planning for Pets: Your animals will be spending time outdoors – especially if that is where you are. Ask your landscape design team to include a pet-friendly environment free of harmful plants/materials and includes areas of fun and relaxation for pets to enjoy. Be thoughtful about what your pets will be walking on – uncomfortable gravel walkways or hot cement/flagstone can hurt pets’ paws.
Neglecting your View: pay attention to what the view looks like from the outside. Many homeowners focus on the view from inside their home but neglect to ‘see’ views while in the garden, on the patio, or by the pool. Enhance your views by standing and sitting in most-used areas of the landscape and deciding what to preserve, screen, or block.
Not Accounting for Wildlife: you could be planting wildlife food sources instead of a garden if your plantings are what wildlife (and pests) where you live love to eat. Think about how rabbits, deer and other critters interact with your landscape and plant and shelter your garden in tune with everything that shares your property with you.
Not having a Plan: right up there with being shortsighted about what the landscape will look like in ten years. It is imperative that you hire a landscape design company qualified to professionally and expertly handle the project you have in mind.
A quality landscape design will inform and enlighten you to the present and the future of your landscape. You need to see how plants and trees will spread, how they reproduce, and what kind of maintenance will be required to keep the landscape healthy and thriving.
