If you’ve ever dabbled – or wanted to dabble – in the world of gardening, you’re probably wondering what the word “landscaping” means. Don’t worry – this term isn’t as a specialist or as specific as it might initially seem. Landscaping merely refers to the process of making a garden more attractive by altering its fundamental physical attributes. You might, for example, want to plant a flower bed, edge the lawn, or install new garden lighting.
Landscaping your garden is essential for many things. Engaging in this process not only makes your home more beautiful, but it can also increase the property’s value significantly if you choose to sell and move in the future. You’re probably wondering where to get started with landscaping but wonder no more. We’re here to help. Here are our 9 tips and tricks to help even complete novices learn to start landscaping.
- Plan your garden
It’s no good going into a landscaping project with only a vague idea of what you want your garden to look like. If you want to engage with landscaping successfully, you need to know exactly what you’re going to do before you do it. Are you going to install a flower bed? Will you use treated decking boards? What about lawn edging? Build a comprehensive plan and the actual process will be much easier.
- Budget extensively
Running out of money halfway through a landscaping project is heartbreaking. When you’re looking at a half-finished garden and you know you don’t have the cash to complete your dream, you’ll feel miserable. Before embarking on your landscaping journey, make sure you’ve created a comprehensive and strict budget. Don’t deviate from it unless it’s to save money; overspending is the death of everyone’s DIY dream.
- Edge lawns, paths, and flower beds
Edging is an incredibly simple yet hugely effective technique for making your garden look attractive. There are a number of methods you can use to edge your lawn – installing brick edges, stones, or even just plastic all work wonders and create an ordered, tidy look. You can also apply this technique to your flower beds and paths, ensuring no grass grows over them and giving the whole garden a professional touch.
- Co-ordinate your flowers
Do you know how to co-ordinate a flower bed? It’s not an easy skill, and it’s definitely one you’ll have to acquire before you start landscaping your garden. Making sure your flowers match in terms of colour and shape will mean your garden looks aesthetically pleasing and proper. If you’re feeling especially design-oriented, you could even try to make sure your design works with your house, too. Why not create a holistic aesthetic for your home?
- Install some lighting
No garden arrangement is complete without something to light it up when it gets dark. During the winter months – and, indeed, later on in the day during summer – you’ll want a way to admire your handiwork without having to make an excursion with a torch every time you want to see what you’ve done. Planning your garden lighting works similarly to the rest of your landscaping project – try to make it match your home, your garden, and your personal taste.
- Don’t over-mow your lawn
In your quest for the perfect-looking garden, you might be tempted to over-mow your lawn. Doing so would be a mistake, however. If you mow your grass too often or cut it too short, then a simple dry spell without rainfall turns into a disaster for your carefully-landscaped lawn. Make sure you only mow when you absolutely need to and don’t mow more than about a quarter to a third of your grass’ surface. Do make sure that you buy lawn feed and take care to look after your lawn. A healthy lawn will make a huge difference to the aesthetics of a garden.
- Think about ornamentation
There’s a trick to making garden statuary look really great. Naturally, you can’t simply scatter the statues – or ornaments – anywhere in your garden and expect the look to come together. You need to coordinate properly. You’ve edged your lawn, installed proper flower beds, and made sure everything looks great, so don’t skimp on the ornamentation. Buy ornaments that will look great in your specific garden and make sure to arrange them in a way that makes sense for the aesthetic you’re aiming for.
- Don’t forget about plant height
Many plants grow a lot taller than people are expecting when they initially buy and plant them. Don’t let that be you. Before you start, plan which plants are going to go where and whether they’re going to dwarf the rest of the garden. If you’ve got a particular leafy centrepiece in mind, that’s fine – just make sure that it’s not obscured by another plant that grows unintentionally larger and obscures the effect. Plant height is an important aspect of landscaping that’s often overlooked.
- Take breaks often to look at your work
If something isn’t shaping up quite how you expected it to, don’t be afraid to deviate from the plan. Make sure you’re not overspending in your budget or destroying your overall idea of how the garden will look, but a landscaping project should evolve and grow as your ideas do. When something isn’t working right, it’s a good idea to go back to the drawing board and see how you can improve it. If you don’t, you’ll only regret it later.