Backyard and Garden Makeovers by Billy Bristol - HTML preview

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Separate Your Landscaping Into Different Projects

Persons wishing to take a tired old backyard and bring it formally back to life may wish to do so, however the cost of such a redo may be one of concern and subsequent frustration. What is the best way to affect a landscaping project in this regard when money is at a premium? The suggestion is to take various portions of your backyard and landscape each area one at a time.

This may even mean that in order to save money you work on one small portion each year. What difference does it make if in the end you accomplish the result you are looking to achieve? And that is a yard you can be proud of. Waiting to have enough money for the combined total project is just putting things off and in this light nothing gets accomplished; not even the smallest of landscaping projects.

The plan is therefore to re-style a certain part of your yard on a per-annum basis. This is similar in concept to when you plan re-modeling projects inside; one at a time. This is how you improve your house inside so why not try the same approach on the outside? First off, before you begin planning on a smaller scale, and even though you are not going to invest in the entire yard as far as landscaping all at once, you will still need to plan for the bigger picture. This means plan your landscaping project as if you were going to landscape the entirety of the yard, then break down this larger project into sub- groups.

Next take a piece of paper graph-style if you prefer to work on a grid; and draw the fixed structures located on the block. Examples of the immovable assets include your house, sheds, a sundeck and mature trees and shrubs. Once you have drawn the preceding decide which existing plants you are taking out of the new landscaping arrangement. Make copies of the drawing in order that you can work different landscaping design schemes up.

Think of your lifestyle when coming up with a landscaping design scheme.  If you like to entertain out- of-doors, incorporate items pertinent to this type of activity into the design. For example, if you generally have guests in the backyard, it is wise to plant flowers in borders along the fringes of your property. In this light, the area remains open for your guests to maneuver. If such isn’t the case, you might try a setting where you can place island flower beds in the middle of the yard and comfortable paths on which to stroll. Also there may be areas where you may relax or converse with family members and friends. The furniture, if you enjoy sitting outside in the evening, must be reasonably comfortable so you can better enjoy your outside environment.

If you currently don’t have a fence you can always substitute a hedge.  This will provide you with privacy down the road and keep persons and animals from easily traipsing across your property. The hedge is also effective once it matures, in keeping the wind from blowing with so much force over your yard.

Many designers find it difficult to plan for a flower border. This is reasonable considering you must find flowers complementary to one another in the way of color and height. Plan initially for flowers in a six foot wide bed if you can manage it. Measure the bed from the fence. Use three to five different kinds of flowers and plants allowing sixteen to eighteen inches between each plant. Between each plant grouping allow approximately twenty inches. Always make certain there is enough room at the back of the flowerbed. You’ll want to make certain tall flora plants are at the back and short plants are placed in front of the taller plants. Other areas to address at different times include provisioning for gardens and water schemes such as fountains, waterfalls and ponds.