It is April and now that you have finally finished perfecting the interior of your home, you can finally sit and relax right? One question - Where are you going to relax in the beautiful weather of spring, summer and autumn?
The exterior of any home is just as important as the interior. Not only does it tell passersby that your home is taken care of, it allows for you to have an oasis without even leaving your property!
Don't think that you have to jump up and get the landscaping finished right today! The nice thing about landscaping your yard is that you can do it little by little and take pride in your accomplishments. Rome wasn't built in a day right?
Before you begin, make sure to determine what your budget is! You want a limit on what to spend so that you're not purchasing stuff you don't need! The best way to tackle such a task is to make lists and diagrams. Use a few different colors for this diagram. In black, the first diagram you draw should be your property as it looks now with the fence line and property line on there too:
On that same page, in a different color add the following:
- More trees if that's what you want.
- Where the gardens are going.
- The shape you want your gardens
- If you want a pool* be sure to mark that in.
- If you want a patio or deck, mark those in.
Once you have completed that task, it is time for the lists. The lists you'll be creating will help you remember what exactly it is that you want to do and what plants you want:
- Do you want annual plants (they bloom once and new bulbs must be planted each year) or perennial plants (they bloom year after year)
- How many shrubs or trees do you want or do you even want to add any?
- Be sure to make note of where your yard gets shade or sun and how much each day
- If you're building a new home, it is a wise idea to include an in ground sprinkler system with an auto start and stop
- Are you looking for a theme in your garden or specific colors?
Any gardening website or catalogue can help you get started and give ideas for how to set up the yard. Canadian Gardening and Gardening Life are two such places to visit. Simply Google
“gardening” and loads of information, pictures and ideas will be as close as the click of your mouse!
When you've finished your landscaping, sit back, relax and enjoy your accomplishments. You deserve it after all that hard work!
