The Biggest Landscaping Mistakes and How to Fix Them part 2
Learn how to avoid common landscaping blunders and how to remedy the ones that may already be creeping into your yard.
1. Mistakes: Improper Pruning
Pruning can be just as much of an art form as it is a technique, but when pruning is not done correctly, you can do more harm than good. In fact, in some cases, it's better not to prune at all than to do it improperly.
2. Solution: Prune With Caution
Every plant has a different pruning process. Fall and winter are usually are often the best times to prune, but research each plant in your yard to make sure.
3. Mistake: Scattered Color
Too much color without a sense of harmony can become a distraction
4. Solution: Create a Palette
Before making a trip to the nursery, you need to know what palette you'd like as well as which colors work well together. Look at the color of your house and then choose one color that really frames it. Try to stay semi-monochromatic for the most part because if there is too much color and it's too strong, it almost can become a distraction. Repetition and some harmony in the garden goes a long way.
5. Mistake: Irrational Irrigation
A lot of homeowners make the mistake of over-watering. Most lawns just need about an inch of a water per week.
6. Solution: Timely Watering
The best time of day to water the lawn (and usually any plant) is early morning so it has all day to dry. You can buy a sprinkler with an automatic timer to reduce water waste, or even put in an irrigation system.
7. Mistake: Using the Wrong Tool
Using the wrong tool for the job could be inefficient and maybe even dangerous.
8. Solution: Get to Know Your Garden Tools
Think about the size of the job and dictate the size of the tool accordingly. Some must-haves are safety goggles, gloves, a solid shovel and a good rake. Keep them organized, and keep them clean. For specialty jobs, you might want to consider renting a tool, and not just power equipment, but hand tools too. Maybe you don't need that tool for the rest of your life, but you need it for that one specific job.
9. Mistake: Failing to Be Family Friendly
A lot of people get carried away with the theme of their yard. They don't think about how they are going to use the lawn or the area — they just think about how they want it to look. For example, a rock garden is really attractive, but probably not the best thing for a family with small children.
10. Solution: Think About Functionality
Sit down and make a list of what you want to do in your yard, making sure to look at the needs of everyone in the household including your pets.
11. Mistake: Impulse Buying
Buying plants without a plan.
12. Solution: Make a Shopping List
Do a little research before you reach and grab plants at a garden center. Have some sort of a shopping list in mind and then get what you want and leave. It's very hard to return flowers, so this step is imperative.
13. Mistake: Too Much of the Same Thing
Not having a variety of plants in the garden can invite disease and leech nutrients out of the soil.
14. Solution: Mix It Up
Intermingle various shapes and sizes of plants to create visual interest and bring in the right kind of insects. Certain plants need certain nutrients. If you plant just one type of plant, they could suck all of those nutrients out of the soil.
15. Mistake: Not Having a Plan
Starting a landscaping project without a plan.
16. Solution: Sketch It
Decide on a specific theme or look and then draw it out on paper. Figure out where you want to put your plants and shrubs in relation to the shape and style of your house. Examine ways to bring the inside out so that when you are finished, you have a nice, harmonious design. Don't forget to factor in your budget, and when you hit the nursery, stick to it. If you follow the plan, you (and your landscape) will reap the rewards.
17. Mistake: Overlooking Maintenance
Not performing routine garden maintenance.
18. Solution: Make a Schedule
Part of planning a garden is also planning time to maintain it. Make up a maintenance schedule and abide by it. Garden beds need to be weeded at least once or twice a month, minimum. If you don't have the time to take care of your garden, make sure you have enough money to pay somebody to do it.
19. Mistake: Ignoring the Seasons
Not planning a garden for year-round color or interest.
20. Solution: Create Year-Round Color
Plan out your garden with regard to the seasons. When homeowners go to a nursery or plant yard, they often just buy what's in season at the time. Various flowers bloom at certain times of the year. If you've got a lot of plants that are blooming in the spring, remember that in the fall you're going to need some other plants, if you want foliage. Also, try to select plants that look good in the winter and in the spring.
21. Mistake: Underestimating Budget
There is a lot of sticker shock in the world of plants. People often think "it's just a couple of plants, how expensive could it be?" Landscaping is actually 30 percent more expensive than any other type of home improvement project. Another area that gets underestimated is the budget, and one of the biggest factors in a budget is the labor involved. It always costs more, and people cost the most.
22. Solution: Create a Cushion
When you're starting a landscape project, make sure you have enough budget, because you want to do the job one time, and you want to do it right.
23. Mistake: Overlooking Exterior Lighting
The biggest mistake people make when they think about planning out their yard is only visualizing how it will look during the day.
24. Solution: Make an Outdoor Lighting Plan
Adding some exterior lighting not only helps with vision and movement, but it also really makes the garden pop. It doesn't have to be expensive or entail a lot of effort. For instance, there are a lot of good solar lights that can easily be stuck in the ground. The sun heats them up all day and then at night they give off a soft glow
25. Mistake: Mismatched Style
Not considering architectural style when choosing plants.
26. Solution: Think About Architecture
When selecting plants, you should match the architecture of your home with the theme of your garden. Above, the cottage-style garden goes very well with the style of the home. Besides the plants in your garden, you need to think about your hardscape. If you are putting in a deck, for example, you need to make sure those elements of your garden also reflect positively upon your house.
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