Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
become the beholder!
Whether you are thinking about putting in some small
perennial gardens, or an entire landscape, it is never too early to start
thinking about what you would like. Not only specific plants, but the bigger
picture; what you want to accomplish, what style of plantings do you like,
how much care you will be able to give it afterwards, etc. Following is an
outline just to bring out a few things that you may, or may not, have
thought about. And don’t forget, we are here to help you through the process
if you wish. Click here for
more info on having us design a landscape for you.
What is Effective Home Landscape Design?
1. An effective landscape design is well thought out to
ensure that it meets the needs of the homeowner.
What do YOU
want to accomplish?
What level
of maintenance are YOU interested in/able to put into the landscape?
What are
YOUR budgetary limitations?
What
timeframe are YOU looking at?
2. An effective landscape design is attractive to the
intended viewers.
Who are the intended viewers?
This can be you, visitors, neighbors, or some combination
Do you plan
on selling the house in the short or intermediate term future?
If you are, landscaping can substantially increase the speed with which
a property sells, as well as increase the property value.
Click here for more information
3. An effective landscape design has effective plants
and hardscape (non-plant) materials
What does effective mean in choosing plants?
All Woody Plants
tough
enough to withstand worse than average central New England winters
long lived
enough to make the time/money investment worth it
disease and
insect resistant
Flowering Trees and Shrubs
showy for
an extended period of time, not just flowers
or very
showy for a shorter period of time
or showy at
an unusual time of the year
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
foliage does not get “beaten up” over the winter
Perennials
showy for
an extended period of time, not just flowers
or very
showy for a shorter period of time
long lived
enough to make the time/money investment worth it
disease and
insect resistant
Annuals
Fast
growing enough to fill-in in a reasonable time
showy for
most of the summer, not just flowers
tough
enough to do well under average landscape conditions
Click
here for a searchable plant database. There are quite a few of this
type of database on the Internet. This one is from the University of
Minnesota and appears to be reliable, and loaded with plants that grow well
here.
Will these plants be effective by themselves, or do I
need to help them? With proper design and selection you should not be a
slave to your plants. A few key areas to be aware of:
Proper plant/site selection
Know or learn about sun/shade, wet/dry, small/large
area, sand/clay soil, etc. for your site
Proper planting NOT TOO DEEP! and Proper watering.
Click here for more info.
Proper maintenance fertilization and pruning.
Pruning is generally optional, but plants require nutrition just as
people do. Some is available from the existing soil, but safe and sane
fertilization can often double your plant’s growth rate.
