The Basics of Landscaping

So you have a yard, and that’s great, but do you have landscaping? Landscaping is different from the grass in your yard, no matter how much time you have spent mowing and tending to it. Many young people move into their first home and don’t have a good idea about how to manage their yard, and with new suburban homes, they don’t really know how to go about getting proper landscaping for their particular home. The best thing to do is to get back to the basics and start learning it from the ground up (no pun intended).

It All Starts with Soil

Depending on where you live in the world, your soil can be heavily acidic or alkaline. The soil can also have large amounts of clay or iron. The point is no matter what landscaping or grass you are planning on growing, your soil has to cooperate. In order for your soil to work as well as possible, you need to have it tested. Your soil might be perfect or it might just need some nitrogen. Soil engineers can test and analyze soil from different points in your yard to help your yard perform at its best. The cost for this averages about $800.

Utility of Landscaping

What you need to understand about landscaping is that it serves more than just an artistic or aesthetic purpose. It is functional outdoor art, but it can also serve as a vehicle for privacy. Landscaping can exist to attract certain insects or birds to your home. It can also be used to cover up your foundation that sticks out from the bottom of your siding, among other things.

Good landscape architects and landscape designers are trained to utilize your yard for whatever end you desire (security, privacy, etc) with a design that is pleasing to the eye and to the neighborhood.

So think about what you are trying to accomplish with your landscaping. If you are interested in attracting butterflies or keeping neighbors from peering in, keep this in mind so that your architect or designer creates something that can serve this dual purpose.

Maintaining Your Landscape

After you have had your landscaping designed and installed, there is an issue of maintenance. You will either need to maintain your yard yourself or you can hire a landscaper to do it for you. Either way, early spring through early fall, there will be steady work to keep up with the Jones’s. But it is good work. You will be outside, sweating, and getting your hands dirty trying to get that green thumb.

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