An attractive landscaping design can add value and curb appeal to your home, however even owner-installed plans can be costly. To get the maximum value for the money, no matter how much or little you spend, then you have to make intelligent choices in the placement and variety of the plants from your lawn. Use the natural advantages your property offers, and avoid plantings that have to struggle to live in your environment.

Observe your property as a landscape professional would before putting a pencil to paper. Look to find out if the ground angles toward the street or to one corner, and if this produces wet spots or puddles following a powerful rainstorm. Watch the prevailing winds to discover whether they are normally very strong in 1 direction. Note where the buildings cast shade on the floor and what regions of the lawn are sunny all day long. Examine the soil to discover the composition and also to discover whether you need to add huge amounts of organic matter to condition the texture and help in drainage or moisture retention.

Pamper your plants as much as possible when planting them at the lawn. Experienced gardeners have an old saying: Never put a 10-dollar tree at a 10-cent hole. This usually means you need to expend much more effort in planting than in subsequent plant maintenance. Give your plants a good start in life, and they will thrive. Skimping on hole size, compost or compost might save you money at the start, but you’ll often get rid of value in poorly grown shrubs and trees, and plants which perish within a year or two.

Study plant catalogs and choose plants designed for your environment. You might fall in love with a particular sort of northern-grown apple tree, but if you never receive any frosty days on your temperate climate, it wo not pay to plant it in your lawn. Be realistic when selecting plants for your landscaping, and also be ready to make compromises for as near your desired look as you possibly can.

Plant varieties that do double-duty or that appear attractive in different ways as the seasons progress. Fruit trees often display attractive flowers in the spring, growing fruit through the summer and changing leaves in the fall, providing you an attractive view for much of the year. Pick vines which look good with or with their blooms, bushes that have flowers and grasses during different seasons, and trees which turn unusual colours as the fall arrives.

Install large masses of inexpensive bulbs or annuals instead of smaller amounts of more expensive plants. In a landscape, the eye takes in large groups of colours and shapes. Create waves of shade by planting considerable sums marigold seeds, crocus bulbs or petunia plants. You won’t spend a great deal of money, but you’ll find a valuable visual effect.

Fill flower beds with a variety of plants which bloom at different times of the year. Spring bulbs can flower and die off before summer blooms take over; fall flowers begin up when the glowing flowers of summer fade. While the view might be always changing, it’s always attractive.

Plant trees, shrubs or vining plants close bright windows to shade your home during hot summer weather. The shade helps keep the inside of your home from heat up throughout the day, keeping air conditioning prices low. If you live in a colder climate, these same plants may be used to keep strong winds away from vulnerable spots like picture windows or sloping sides of the home.

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