Following these landscaping guidelines can add curb appeal and increase the value of your home-provided it is performed correctly. To benefit, you will need to avoid some of the most common landscaping mistakes. Keep these do’s and don’ts in mind to ensure your landscaping is as effective as possible.

Do: Have a Landscaping Plan

Making a plan is one of the best landscaping guidelines we can offer. It will give you a guideline to follow so that you are not haphazardly planting specimens that may or may not work well with your soil. The right plan will also take into account other factors such as maintenance, hardscaping, and lighting.

Don’t: Landscape on the Fly

By jumping right in, your landscaping may not produce the visual effect you desire. It can also be easy to get in over your head when you fail to plan your garden in advance.

Do: Choose Plants that are Native for your Area

When selecting plants, be sure they are well suited for your particular hardiness zone. The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a hardiness zone map that you can refer to if you are unsure whether or not a plant is appropriate.

Don’t: Select Plants that are not Suited for your Climate Zone

It’s easy to daydream about planting attractive specimens that are best suited for another climate zone. What’s more difficult is actually getting these plants to thrive. This might be one of the more difficult landscaping guidelines to follow.

Many people fall into the trap of thinking that they can “force” certain plants to grow in areas where they are not well adapted to. Not only is this rarely successful, but it often results in unsightly landscaping rather than an attractive garden.

Don’t: Buy Plants before you Know Where You Will Put Them

When visiting a nursery, it can be easy to see attractive plants and want to take them home. Many times, the result is that people wind up with too many plants. In other cases, they have specimens they can’t use because the lighting conditions aren’t adequate.

Do: Consider Mature Size

Don’t forget to leave enough room for plants to grow. In particular, trees can expand many times their original size. Accordingly, you may need to consider obstacles such as overhead power lines when planting trees as well.

Don’t: Plant Things too Close Together

To maintain their health, plants must be able to absorb nutrients and water from the soil. There must also be enough space around them to allow for good airflow. If your plants are too close together, they are less likely to thrive. They are also more susceptible to unsightly diseases.

Do: Consider Maintenance and Upkeep

One of the biggest landscaping guideline mistakes people make is failing to consider maintenance. When choosing plants, think about how often they will need to be watered, pruned, fertilized, and mulched. If you can’t put forth the effort, go with something a little easier to maintain.

Maintenance can also be done by landscaping professionals, so feel free to reach out to a pro if you need maintenance in your landscape.

Don’t: Get in Over your Head

Some homeowners knowingly purchase high-maintenance plants and shrubs thinking that they will dedicate themselves to caring for them. The problem with that is that many people do not follow through.

Unless you truly enjoy gardening, you may get burned out trying to care for high-maintenance plants. In that case, all the work you put into landscaping your yard will have been wasted.

Do: Consider your Terrain

The right landscaping will highlight certain features of your yard. For example, you may want a walkway or retaining wall to become the focal part of your garden.

You could also choose plants that will help certain trees stand out as well. The idea is to draw attention to the positive and downplay the negative as much as possible.

Don’t: Force a Certain Look

When coming up with a landscaping plan, more is not necessarily better. Just because that fountain or birdbath is attractive does not mean it will showcase your yard’s best features.

The truth is that some plants or hardscaping elements can look bulky and out of place in certain areas.

As such, you should consider your yard as a whole when deciding which landscaping tools to incorporate where.

Do: Plan for Blooms Throughout the Season

Choose a variety of early, mid-season, and late-blooming flowers to ensure your garden is in constant bloom.

In addition, select a mixture of annuals and perennials so that you will always have some blooms that return year after year.

A steady supply of blossoms will also make your garden more attractive to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.

Don’t: Pick Plants that Bloom all at the Same Time

When plants bloom all at the same time, it limits their visual effects. You will also have a harder time trying to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees if your blooms only last for a little while.

Do: Consider How your Garden will Flow

Your landscaping should draw the eye seamlessly from one area to another. To do this, make sure your garden is not too busy. Layering plants is fine, so long as you do not overdo it. You should also use similar elements whenever possible to help tie everything together.

Don’t: Create too Many Focal Points

When coming up with a landscaping scheme, it can be easy to get carried away. Before you know it, you have added too many water features, flower gardens, or other focal points.

Rather than providing tranquility, your garden now appears to be a chaotic mess. Rather than adding too many features, choose only one or two focal points and then plan the rest of your landscaping accordingly.

We Hope This Helps

These landscaping guidelines will help you make the most of your outdoor space. Keep them in mind so that you can avoid some of the most common landscaping mistakes. In doing so, you can enjoy a beautiful garden that will add serenity and curb appeal for years to come.

If you’re looking to take your front or back yard to the next level, we know of just the landscaping maintenance team to help with that.