Two common residential landscaping mistakes

If you're wanting to develop your yard, there are some things you should avoid. Here are some common residential landscaping mistakes that homeowners make.

They try to copy landscaping looks they've seen in magazines

Sometimes, homeowners try to convince their landscapers to replicate a particular type of landscaping look they've admired in a gardening or landscaping magazine. Whilst occasionally this can turn out well, it often doesn't. In order for a landscaping design to work in a specific outdoor space, it must complement that space's inherent features.

For example, if a person's garden doesn't get much sun, and they want their landscaper to plant a raised bed full of plant varieties that need lots of sunlight, those plants won't last very long and the landscaped garden will quickly lose its initial beauty. Likewise, they might want their landscaper to create a large fish pond in their garden. However, if their property is somewhere where it rains relentlessly at certain times of the year, then they'll probably have to regularly deal with the hassles that come with their pond flooding their garden. As such, whilst there's nothing wrong with using images of other landscaping projects as inspiration, it's important for homeowners to be realistic about what aspects of those projects are likely to be suitable for their garden, based on things like the climate it's in, its soil type and the amount of light it gets.

They ask for landscaping features that don't work with their lifestyle

The other blunder people make is requesting landscaping features that are unlikely to match their lifestyle. For example, they might ask their landscaper to put plants in ceramic planters all around their garden, despite the fact that they routinely play in this outdoor space with their family. This increases the chances that someone will kick a ball and break a planter. Likewise, they might ask for some plant varieties that require expert care and regular maintenance, even though they don't like gardening and won't be able to motivate themselves to give these plants the care they need.

Those who want to get their gardens landscaped must be honest with themselves and with their landscaper about how they use their garden and how much effort they're willing to put into maintaining it. Doing so will ensure that they end up with a landscaped garden that complements their lifestyle and that they find easy to take care of.

To learn more about landscaping options, contact a residential landscaping company.