Landscaping And Lawn Maintenance
The Main Factors that Influence your Landscaping Project
by Ashley on 11/28/11
- Materials - Available materials, methods of fabrication, and individual preferences.
- Climate - The overall climate as well as microclimates on the site, and how they influence the choices of suitable planting materials, the design of the irrigation system, and hardscape features.
- Family needs - The cultural needs, allergies to plants, individual desires, and expectation from outdoor living space if the people who will use the landscape.
- Site Analysis - The nature of the site, its immediate surroundings, topographic and ecological conditions, and all natural and human-made objects now existing on the site or planned for the future.
- Budget - Available resources of money and time.
Each landscaping job should be extremely efficient. Having said that, here are some things that you should take into account:
The designer should ask the family that will use the landscape what they want and what they plan to do outdoors. The designer should understand the client's desires and needs, and determine what space, climate, materials, method of fabrication, and budget are available to accommodate these well-defined goals. A questionnaire is helpful. Analyze family activities and routines, and consider outdoor living, relaxing, entertaining, playing, gardening, and household servicing. Small children need open lawn for playing; gardeners need space for growing vegetables and flowers. Make allowances for future changes in the landscape. The original plan for a young family could include open areas in which children and pets can play. As the family reaches its middle years, more extensive and expensive plantings could be put in, and the children's play area could be converted into a lily pond or swimming pool.
Site analysis, climate, and budgetary constraints are such critical factors in landscape design. Be sure to refer to explanations above.
Cost-Effective, Low-Maintenance Landscaping
by Ashley on 11/28/11
Determine the budget-the maintenance standards and costs-acceptable to the family's needs. A low-maintenance plan, which is the goal of most homeowners, may be achieved to a large extent in the planning stage by careful attention to the layout of the site and the selection of plant species. A low-maintenance, cost-effective landscape may be achieved by adopting one or more of the following design elements.
- Use pacing in heavily traveled areas to facilitate circulation.
- Use brick, concrete, or redwood mow strips for flower beds and shrub borders.
- Use fences or walls instead of clipped formal hedges for screening.
- Design raised flower and vegetable beds for easy access and weed control.
- Install a permanent, automated irrigation system in areas of low rainfall.
- Limit the area of annual flower beds, which require recurring expense and work because of their growth habit. Use containerized plants and flowering trees and shrubs for color accents.
- Be selective when choosing plant materials. Choose plants that require less work and are resistant to pests and diseases. Among the desired plants, some will require much less pruning, spraying, and watering than others but will be equally effective in providing color, shade, texture, privacy, or in meeting other design objectives.
- Keep the design simple, unified in them, and functional.
Selection of Plant Materials in Landscape Design
by Ashley on 11/28/11Well-chosen plants are necessary to achieve the desired landscape effect, and hundreds of varieties of trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials, are available. Plants are not merely ornamental accessories. They make up masses and define space in the yard and consequently, create the silhouettes that produce the garden design. When selecting plants, consider their form, color, texture, seasonality, and overall aesthetic value.
