As a homeowner, taking the time to create a stunning property is important. Landscaping is something that can be enjoyable and can also transform your property. But it’s easy to make mistakes that can lead to big expenses and headaches. In most cases just hiring the right landscaping professional will let you avoid these issues. But it’s still worth taking a look at them so you don’t make the same mistakes that many others have made – and paid for.
Planting in the Wrong Spot
There are several big problems that can occur when planting. Failing to consider sunlight exposure can lead to a plant that doesn’t survive. Planting trees in the wrong spot could lead to them needing to be cut down in the future as they grow into power lines or into your home. And planting too tightly together can create a bed of roots that will make it impossible to have a lawn. Plant smart when you plant.
Planting Invasive Plants
There are plenty of plants that can look lovely but that run the risk of overtaking your home. Various vines and ground covers can decimate your home, and even something as useful as mint could become a serious problem.
Failure to Consider Drainage
When you’re doing major landscaping that involves modifying your lawn’s appearance, it’s easy to forget about water drainage. Many homeowners have created slopes, grades, and gardens that drain right into their crawlspace and cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Failure to Consider Maintenance
That pond is lovely, and sure to be enjoyed by you for years. But the steep bank on the opposite side of it comes with dangerous, difficult maintenance needs. You don’t want to spend every Saturday standing on it with a weed trimmer. Be sure you consider the maintenance responsibilities of what you’re doing when you landscape.
Improper Lawn Maintenance
The fact is that things like cutting your grass too short, watering improperly, and mulching too much can all damage your landscaping. If you don’t know how to go about proper maintenance, trust someone else to do it.
There are lots of mistakes you can make in your landscaping, and it’s important that you understand them before you begin. Some may only cause a minor inconvenience while others could cost you thousands. If in doubt, trust a pro to take care of your landscaping. But in all cases, don’t just go about it haphazardly.
Landscape Lighting Ideas – Create Something Stunning
Enjoying your property during the day is fun, relaxing, and enjoyable. But when the sun goes down, being able to enjoy yourself is still important. From sitting around an outdoor fireplace with friends to enjoying a candlelit dinner on your deck to just coming home after dark and enjoying the view of your lawn, using outdoor landscape lighting effectively is one way to truly transform your home in a big way.
Start by thinking about safety lighting and security lighting. These two categories often bleed over into each other. Safety lighting features low-voltage lights along pathways to help you walk in the dark safely, while security lighting may involve similar setups as well as motion-activated lights that are triggered when you need them to be. Both options are worth looking into.
Accent lighting is the real core of most landscape lighting, and it’s important to note that this involves a lot more than just sticking a light somewhere and shining it at a tree. Instead, you need to start by thinking about where you’re going to spend most of your time outdoors or what your lawn’s best features are. Do you have a Japanese Maple that you want to highlight? How about a ring of accent lighting around your fire pit or pond? Once you identify the different points you want to highlight you’ll be able to better determine where you should place your lighting.
Be sure to consider styles, too. Often the style of fixture can give you some great lighting ideas. The standard style lights are great, but there are lanterns, tiki torch type fixtures, and many more worth looking into. And try to go solar whenever you can. While many people prefer having a hardwired low voltage lighting system installed, this can cost you a lot more than a solar system and come with additional problems. Today’s solar lights are far better than they once were and will provide you with exactly the results you need.
If you’re unsure of just how to go about lighting your landscape, you can also consider calling in the pros. It takes just a few minutes to set up an appointment and talk things over with a landscape expert, and you may be able to get even better ideas for your lighting. No matter what you ultimately decide, there’s no question that the right landscape lighting can transform your property in a big way.