You could wake up one morning, look out onto your front yard or garden and think, “I need a change of scenery.” Rather than pack your bags and head out for an exhausting, impromptu trip, we suggest that you change the landscaping of your home instead. Maybe what you really need is a fresh look for your immediate surroundings.
Like any home improvement project, landscaping your front lawn, garden or backyard requires preparation. Here are a couple of things you need to think about, for starters:
- Budget
- Layout
- Theme
- Plant selection
- Decking
Planning and designing the landscape of your home is fun for the most part. But since this is a project that you’ll be spending money for, you’ll want to give it a lot of extra thought instead of approaching it the way landscaping beginners would. To get you started, here are our tips on how to plan landscaping projects for your property:
1. State your needs and preferences.
Make it easier for your landscape designer to put together a blueprint for your new yard by sharing your landscaping ideas. Say what look or feel you want to achieve. Do you want a Zen garden? A scene from a fairytale book? Or do you prefer clean, manicured hedges and strategically positioned blooms?
A yard where young children can run around safely will look vastly different from a lawn that’s landscaped purely for aesthetic purposes. So if you envision doing specific activities or events in your yard, share them. Your landscape artist will modify what needs to be changed to accommodate your vision.
2. Identify the features you must or want to keep.
For anyone who’s not aware, trees with “scientific, historical, or aesthetic significance” are protected by law in Australia. The land directly below and a little beyond the edge of a protected tree’s canopy becomes a Tree Protected Zone (TPZ). This zone must remain undisturbed to protect the root zone and maintain the tree’s health.
There might also be features in your current landscape that you want to preserve. Like the previous tip, inform your landscape designer. Take note, however, that keeping some things intact can limit your freedom to transform your home’s landscape.
3. Consider the environmental factors you can’t alter.
Landscaping is a lot like renovating a room. You must consider the space and furnish (or in this case, populate) the area with the right kind of objects, fixtures, and greenery.
You can’t just decide to build a pergola wherever you like or plant cacti because you want the way they look. For one, the soil in your yard might be too soft and loose that building a structure not anchored deep in the ground might be dangerous. The earth might also not be ideal for just any plant to grow, such as a cactus.
Apart from the soil composition and hardness, other environmental factors you need to consider are the direction of the wind, the sunrise and sunset and the temperature highs and lows in your area. These will dictate the design of your landscape and the materials that will be used to build the final layout.
4. Decide on a focal point.
Got so many ideas for your home’s landscaping that you don’t know where or how to start? Choosing a focal point can help.
The focal point for your landscaping can be the protected tree in your yard, a bench covered in climbers or the gorgeous view of the Sunset Coast just beyond your property. If your lawn has no natural feature or an existing structure that you can use as a focal point, build one. It can be a gazebo, a curving garden footpath or a treehouse.
Once you have a focal point, it should become easier to decide on other things, like the kind of flowers and shrubs to grow in your landscaped garden.
5. Combine plant variations, colours and textures for your foliage.
One of the most enjoyable parts of planning for a residential landscaping project is deciding what plants to include in the design. We suggest adding variations to make the landscape look more organic. Put tall shrubs next to tiny, flowering bushes, for example, to create a contrast. You can position massive rocks next to the flower beds or the footpath, too.
It’s fascinating to witness a bare, outdoor space transform into a beautiful slice of paradise. It’s even better when you have a hand in designing and planning. Enjoy the process by hiring a professional team to help plan your home landscaping.
Get in touch with Green Oasis Landscaping. We offer a free quote and consultation services to homeowners, commercial property owners and builders in Perth. If you want a professional eye guiding and showing you how to plan your landscape, contact us and schedule an appointment.