Now is a good time to work out landscape plans for those in the Western states. Garden magazines, books, state and federal publications all can provide useful information on how to plan your home grounds. Many of us who cannot avail ourselves to the help and advice of a landscape consultant will have to do the job of planning ourselves. Some very many useful books on the subject, just visit Amazon.
There are many good publications prepared by our colleges and universities giving lists of trees and shrubs useful for landscaping in your own state. It is wise to follow such lists for ornamental plants that vary widely in their hardiness and ability to stand certain climatic conditions.
Many yards are sprinkled with trees, shrubs, vines and flower beds with very little thought towards good design. In proper planning, attention is given to developing various yard areas, planting so that maintenance is fairly simple, irrigation low, and so that the plants assist in climate control, giving the family maximum comfort and beauty.
Plan for Living And Enjoying the Outdoors
One of the major objectives in today’s landscape designing is that the landscape is a place for people to live in and enjoy. We are de-emphasizing the idea that gardens have to be show places, like ornate furniture that is lovely to look at, but very uncomfortable to sit in.
If you draw your own plans, it is up to you to consider the needs of the entire family and adapt them in your design. Members of the family, too should have a part. They are likely to take a greater interest in the project if they are asked to help with the planning. Some homeowners may have a “green thumb” and will want to grow many plant varieties and the garden can be so designed.
Others may have other outdoor hobbies and interests, besides gardening and digging in the dirt. While they will want an attractively landscaped yard, they want to spend more of their time in pursuit of these other interests.
Planning Lowers Maintenance
Such landscape designs have to be planned with a minimum of maintenance in mind. Here, the use of structural materials will predominate: paved patio areas and ground cover plants will replace much of the lawn grasses; fences will replace living hedges; some structural canopies will replace living shade trees. Living plants will not be overlooked they will still help add color and their living beauty will soften the architectural features. For you who love to grow plants, you can go as far as you wish in the other direction.
One of the faults of some gardens however, is that they can become a mish-mash of unrelated materials with no concept of good design whatsoever. No garden needs to be that way if it is carefully planned and designed beforehand.
While we may rave about the beauty of the individual flowers and plants in “this garden”, there is no reason why such beauty and order, shown by each individual flower, plant or rock, cannot be carried through to the garden itself.
