How to Fix the Look of Your Property Landscape

If you've ever looked at the plain green lawn in front of your house and felt that you could put a little more color in, you're probably a landscaper at heart. Many homes have elaborate landscaping that are the envy visitor and passer-by; some people who don't have this kind of landscaping around their home are left wondering how it's done. Don't fret. In this article, you'll learn how landscaping works and how to design one of your own so that you don't become a carbon copy of someone else's work.

First, scope out your territory. It's nice to think about your landscaping from your point of view - from inside the house - but the way most people will see your house is actually from the road or sidewalk. That's why it's important to scope out your own territory, no matter how well you feel you know it. Looking at your own land from a different angle can help inspire new ideas that you might not have thought of before; although there's no guarantee that this kind of endeavor won't be fruitless, you can at least have a new perspective and the chance for inspiration.

Second, ask yourself where the eye is gravitated to. Most of the time, people like to look at focal points on your lawn: driveways, mailboxes, paths, anything that sticks out from the flatness of the lawn itself. That's why you'll probably do most of your focusing on these areas. It's a nice idea to assemble some landscaping in the middle of a green lawn, but many times this can simply look out of place or even tacky. Instead, worry more about the "borders" of your landscape: how can you make the path stand out better? How can you make the transition from your house to the land itself a more attractive site? What can you do in the areas where your driveway meets the road? These are the kinds of question to ask yourself.

Sketch it out. Once you have the right questions, it's time to start dreaming up the answers. You can do this by drawing a rough sketch of your landscape. This doesn't mean that you'll have to be an artist or even make precise measurements; simply think about the overall property and how it will look if you implement the changes you've thought about. How will the colors go with your house? Will it be too much? Often, the best way to landscape is to do it in the simplest ways. That's why you'll want to sketch it out and remove any unnecessary ideas you had that won't work.

Photo Credits: sharon_k

Originally posted 2009-07-31 05:21:02.

This post involves: