Decorating the home means more to the average American than it once did. Whereas decorating was once something that many did out of obligation, attempting to convey the same bland aesthetic across the board, now it’s a way through which homeowners can express not only their personal tastes but their actual personalities. This is just one reason why American home improvement projects have increased by a good 12% according to a Houzz study, and we can probably expect them to increase over time as well. But interestingly, this interest in decorating is not merely focused on the interior of the home. Landscaping has also become a major focus for homeowners, and a major way in which the typical American homeowner can express themselves. While interior decorating often requires a number of rigid, permanent changes, there is more flexibility available for those that want to focus on home backyard landscaping. While it may take longer to see whether or not you love your new garden as you wait for it to reach full bloom, if you decide for a different alternative next year you can always replace plants easily, or simply replace annual plants with new versions.
There’s a lot of value to improving your landscape as well. Keep in mind that when people drive by your home, they’ll notice the exterior first. Your landscape is a part of that, and you’ll want to make a food first impression. When permanent features are added to the home and the exterior is boosted, your property’s value will likely rise. Furthermore, though home backyard landscaping does require a certain degree of investment, it’s often less expensive than a lot of interior decorating. There’s a certain degree of impermanence to this type of decorating that makes it less expensive, though there is certainly a lot of labor involved. Don’t expect that you can simply DIY all of your own landscaping. It’s important that you work with the experts to create the best possible landscaping design for your home. Trust us when we say that you’ll be glad that you did. With that being said, let’s look into some of the best additions for those that want to improve their home backyard landscaping.
1. Trees
Whether or not you can add trees to your home backyard landscaping project is very much dependent not only on how much property you own but the quality of its soil and the climate in which you live. Not all trees can live in every environment; in fact, most do not. But if you put the time and energy into researching not only the types of trees you want to add to your property, but the types that would suit your property, you’ll likely be able to find a good mix of varieties that would suit your needs. Homeowners add trees to their properties for a number of reasons. Trees add a good deal of shade and privacy, with some adding additional natural “fencing” where homeowners need it. Trees are aesthetically pleasing of course, and can really make your property feel more natural, almost like something of a forest. There’s something to appreciate about having your property somewhat closed in through trees, and a lot of homeowners also like the fact that they can choose to add fruit or nut trees to their properties. This way, they can benefit from their trees in more ways than one. Wouldn’t you like to have fresh-squeezed orange juice straight from the oranges on your property?
Of course, trees do come with an additional level of required property maintenance. Whether or not you’ve chosen to add trees to your landscape, you will need to be responsible for any trees on your property. This includes maintaining them; if you don’t, a tree can die and become a safety hazard. A dead tree is dry, and at risk of snapping and causing serious damage. A major issue that homeowners have with their trees is that of their trees extending from one property to another. This can be mitigated through responsible, regular tree trimming. This should also be done to prevent excessive overgrowth in your trees. If you own trees that are meant to produce fruit, you’ll have to be even more careful when tending to them, and perhaps work with less harmful versions of pesticides to prevent the fruit from spoiling. Though a lot of home backyard landscaping companies can help you with the basic upkeep of your trees, you may want to consider working with arborists for the more complex work. Remember that the more rare or complex your trees, the more you’ll have to work to maintain them.
2. Upgrading Your Lawn
A lot of homeowners are understandably less than satisfied with the appearance of their lawns. After all, there are a lot of issues that come the upkeep that lawns require. It’s easy for a lawn to become dried out and yellowed, especially if it’s a larger lawn. In order for a lawn to stay as green and lush as you want it to look, you’ll not only need an even distribution of hydration, but also, frankly, the right type of weather. Unless, that is, you’re open to moving beyond just the typical sprinkler system and working with home backyard landscaping experts to make something truly special. Depending on the type of lawn you’re already working with, this may simply mean boosting it with fertilizer; or it could mean altering your lawn in a somewhat more high-level manner. If you’re invested in general lawn care for years and have found the results lacking due your climate or the type of soil you’re working with, you may want to consider turf, which would create a vibrantly green appearance for your lawn and require less maintenance. For a lot of homeowners, this is not so much the “easy” way out as it is the best way out for their particular purposes. Remember that if you do decide to invest in a natural lawn for the long term, this will require not only constant watering and fertilizing, but mowing as well.
Of course, in some areas alternatives to the typical grass lawns or flower beds have taken over. A “Florida lawn”, as it’s popularly known, involves placing bright, beautiful mulch down where a lawn would usually be. Others tone this down a bit by isolating it to small parts of the property, which may be a better compromise. Nonetheless, regardless of what you’re looking for regarding your own lawn, you may want to consider this as an alternative to the typical grass lawn. If mulch doesn’t really tickle your fancy but you’d still like to avoid grass, then stones have also gained a level of popularity. Some more desert-driven climates have led homeowners to abandon attempts at standard grass lawns entirely and lean into what comes naturally for their properties, adding sand instead of fake grass.
3. Hardscaping
What is hardscaping anyway? If you’re looking at this recommendation with confusion, you may want to ask a home backyard landscaping expert for advice on whether or not it would be right for your property. There’s a lot more to hardscaping than what meets the eye, and its effects can be permanent. Landscaping and hardscaping are, in theory, essentially the same thing. However, hardscaping involves making more serious, more permanent changes to the property in question. This is done through the use of “hard” structures that are added to the landscape in order to permanently, or at least semi-permanently alter it in one way or another. It’s sometimes referred to as hard landscaping for this reason, and it can be used for a number of different purposes.
For example, if you’re considering adding a wood fence to your property for privacy, you’re actually considering a hardscaping project. This is because outside materials are being installed to alter your landscape. Another possible option would be adding stairs, or perhaps a paved road that would be equally convenient to both able-bodied and disabled people incapable of climbing up stairs. Now, you may be worried about harming the overall beauty of your landscape through aggressive hardscaping. However, you can actually arrange your property’s natural advantages around hardscaped portions. For example, if you’re worried that the paved walkway to your home looks a bit too harsh and stark, you may want to consider flanking it with beautiful flowerbeds. Of course, this is very much up to you. Of course, there are certain risks that come with harscaping, as there are for any landscaping technique. Hardscaping tends to disrupt the ground more than traditional landscaping projects. This can lead to potentially long-term damage, which is why it’s important that you don’t attempt to make any of these changes on your own. While there’s something to be said about the old adage that if you want a job done right you’ll do it yourself, the last thing you want is for your home’s property to be disrupted because you didn’t consult with the experts first.
4. Pest Control
As with the interior of your home, the exterior will be affected by certain pests. Think about what would happen if you cultivated a vegetable garden in your backyard, only to find that a bunch of rabbits have stolen the fruits of your labor. While you may be frustrated and tempted to poison the rabbits, try calming down. A lot of homeowners have had to deal with pests that they didn’t realize existed on the property before they bought it. While this may be an unpleasant surprise, you can’t give up on your property just because there are a few issues to deal with before you fully settle in. Think about having your home inspected if you’re worried about any insects, like for example termites. Some of these can burrow into the interior of your home through its exterior. While you may not be able to prevent bugs from invading your home, you can work on your home backyard landscaping project to at least dissuade these pests on some level. However, you don’t want to jump to using harmful pesticides, as these can eventually affect your property so much that you actually end up damaging your soil.
Rather than apply pesticides that will not only potentially harm animals that you didn’t intend to disturb, you want to consider going for more organic pesticides, or even some organic remedies for certain pests. For example, a lot of mammals will be deterred if you simply coat your growing plants with extremely spicy seasonings. while this may not be an option in every case, you should do everything you can to push pests away, without necessarily damaging the long-term viability of your plants. Of course, this goes beyond simple animal control. You should also consider the less active but nonetheless annoying plants in your area; specifically, weeds. Weeds can kill healthy plants, and you may want to simply cut to the chase with them by investing in a weed control service or product. Nonetheless, even if you’re tempted to use a weed control product, remember that any chemicals you put into the ground can potentially affect your lawn for the long term.
There are a number of advantages to adding on a home backyard landscaping project. As we said before, these projects can add to the value of your home, making it more aesthetically pleasing and viable for the market. However, it can also mark a creative change, which will mean that you’ll be better able to enjoy your property.
Remember that though it may be tempting to follow certain trends, when you’re looking out your windows you’ll be looking at your property. Make sure that while you consult with and respect the opinions of your landscape expert, you’ll ultimately receive something that reflects your personality. As long as your home backyard landscaping project is something that you can be proud of, who really cares all that much about what other people think?