Does your outdoor space need a makeover? If your yard needs a little sprucing up, there are a variety of ways you can get your home’s exterior in tiptop shape. Committing to designing your landscape can feel like an overwhelming task because there are so many decisions we need to make. You’ll need to decide what kind of features to add, i.e. birdbath, benches, firepit, flower garden etc., what plants to add and where. With so many amazing modern landscaping ideas, knowing exactly what to do with your yard can be confusing. And where do you start? Not to worry, we have some easy landscaping ideas for beginners that will help you figure out some landscaping basics.
1. Determine Landscape Goals
Make a list of all of the things that you would like to add to your outdoor space. Then separate the list into two categories: wants and needs. Decide which modern backyard landscaping ideas belong in each category and prioritize accordingly. You should base this on the needs and lifestyle of your family. If you have children, do you want an outdoor play area for them? Would you like to have a vegetable or flower garden? Would you like to use some of the outdoor space as a patio for the family? These are some landscape design ideas to think about. Distinguishing between your wants and needs will help you determine how best to organize your outdoor space.
2. Consider Your Location
When deciding what to do with your yard, you should take into account the climate you live in. What are the summer and winter patterns like? How windy is it? Does it rain a lot? The weather should play a role in determining the things you should incorporate into your yard. Living in a dry, hot area may mean that your landscape gardening choices should include some drought tolerant plants. If your area is one that tends to be windy, you should consider structures and features that will hold up well in windy areas. This is often something that landscaping beginners forget to think about.
Not only does the weather impact what to grow or place in your yard, it should influence where you position things. If you are thinking about having a patio, where you place it is important. If it’s on the east side of the house, then it will receive a lot of sunshine during the morning hours. A patio on the west side of the house will receive plenty of sun in the afternoon.
The wind factor is important if you were thinking about having a fire pit. If it is windy, you may have a hard time keeping the fire going. So keep in mind how the different weather patterns throughout the year will affect your landscape.
3. Sit Down and Enjoy Your Landscape
Before making impulsive decisions, you should spend some time outdoors as making quick decisions can lead to choices that don’t work in the long run. Once you start spending more time outdoors, you’ll start to see how you want the landscape to look and function in areas that you wouldn’t have thought of at first.
4. Start Small
Start with some landscaping basics and branch out from there. Home remodeling shows have conditioned us to expect complete indoor or outdoor makeovers in just a few days. But in reality, experts are only able to accomplish those huge renovation projects because they have tons of crew members who are working behind the scenes and making sure the project is completed quickly. In the real world, landscaping takes time and it should be a process you enjoy doing, so give yourself plenty of time to work at a comfortable pace for you. Start small and implement your favourite front yard and backyard landscape design ideas. Don’t feel like you need to get everything done quickly. The satisfaction of seeing everything come together nicely over time will be well worth it. Trying to do too much too quickly will cause you to feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
5. Find a Focal Point
A well-designed yard should have one or more focal points that draw attention to specific areas of your yard. This can be some artistically pruned shrubs, a sculpture, a fountain or anything that stands out. Decide where you want these features to be and place them strategically in your yard.
6. Focus on Scale and Pacing
This is something that often doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Playing around with different sizes, colours and shapes can create a beautiful landscape. Use some tall plants and smaller ones that naturally guide people through your space. Your yard should be intuitive and gently guide the eye to the focal points. Be spontaneous and break patterns up using variations in sizes of shrubs, and plants.
7. Be Open to Change
One of the best ways to avoid stress as you make over your yard is to be open minded and willing to be flexible with some of your ideas. Experiment with different landscaping ideas and don’t be afraid to embrace new possibilities. Part of the process involves being patient with yourself. As a beginner in landscaping, there are some things you will be figuring out along the way. And that is just fine. Designing your outdoor space can be a fun project that allows you to express your creativity, alleviate stress and enjoy some time outdoors.
Get Started with Expert Landscaping Experts
If you still need help to design your yard, contact professional landscaping designers. We’ll be able to help you transform your yard into an outdoor haven for your family. Whether you need a new patio or need a complete redo of your tree-line to obscure the neighbours, bring your goals to the first meeting with us. The possibilities are endless with us. Reach out to JHC Landscaping today to plan the best gardening landscaping ideas for your home.