If you are thinking about giving your yard a makeover or are designing your yard for the first time, you might be confused about where to begin. A great landscape provides several benefits, like increasing the home value, improving the air quality, and creating a space to spend quality time with your friends and family.

Our detailed guide will walk you through the basics of landscaping, helping you envision the perfect space, and design the perfect plan to get you there. Landscaping can be simple and affordable so you don’t have to worry about over-spending.

Preparing for Landscaping

Some homeowners consider landscaping as planting a few flowers or mowing the lawn. But in reality, landscaping is much more than that and holds many exciting possibilities. Whether you are redesigning the existing landscape or starting from scratch, you will have to carefully consider your vision and approach.

One common mistake that many homeowners make is that they believe that landscaping only involves grass cutting. By definition, landscaping means making improvements to the exterior space of your property and maintaining those improvements.

Landscape Design

The first thing you should do is decide the type of landscape design you need for your yard. Think about all of the activities you would like to do and the type of garden setting you want. Do you want a space for growing edible plants or vegetables? Where should the flower beds go? Identifying your priorities will help you determine the correct size and structure of the landscape. You will then be able to invest in the right tools and equipment for the job.

Irrigation

If you have a dry lawn, you can try landscape irrigation to irrigate plants. Landscape irrigation implies the artificial means of watering the field to keep your plants, trees, gardens thriving. Light, frequent irrigation boosts a deep root system that will keep the yard fresh and green. One of the best ways to design an above-the-ground irrigation system for your yard is by installing a sprinkler system

Sprinkler System

Advanced sprinkler systems with control air valves provide full coverage to all the watering zones. A sprinkler system is easy to install and works automatically according to the set time. You can also install it yourself but it is always best to call a professional for help, especially if you are doing this for the first time.

Power Raking

Power raking is recommended in spring or early fall for cool-season grasses. Warm-season grass is raked in early summer and late spring. It is important to power rake in enough growing season left for your yard to recover because power raking causes damage to healthy grass.

Is Power Raking Better than Aerating?

Power raking can cause damage to the yard if it is not performed carefully and properly. The reason is that they can destroy lawns. You don’t want to have too much thatch and you also don’t want to have too little. Power raking can not only rip out healthy grass, but it can also pull away too much of the thatch. You should resort to aerating a lawn if you have one and a half inches or less thatch. For most lawns, core-aeration is a much better option.

Leaf Removal

You must remove fallen leaves and twigs from your lawn to allow fresh grass to grow. Removing leaves is important for both aesthetic as well as agronomic reasons. Leaf removal will enable your lawn to be well-nourished and breathe. Your grass will also be able to soak up sunlight and the air it needs for optimum growth.

Fertilizing

The soil naturally loses many essential nutrients that it needs to grow over time. Most soils are not able to provide all of the nutrients during the growing season. When a lawn is properly fertilized, the nutrients are able to grow deeper into the soil and grow in a healthy way. The main role of fertilizers is to grow healthy produce by supplying the right balance of nutrients to the soil. This will in turn allow the lawn to become lusher, greener, and thicker. A good fertilizer will not only help your lawn last longer but will also add an aesthetic appeal to the landscape and increase the value of your home.

Flower Bed Maintenance

Flower beds help to accentuate the features of landscaping by providing a visual appeal. Maintaining your flower bed requires more than just watering your flowers every now and then. Flower bed maintenance usually consists of different sets of tasks, such as mulching, spade edging, trimming, weeding, replanting, pruning, recycling, as well as rotating. Flower bed maintenance is a critical component of landscaping to enable your shrubs, trees, plants, and flowers to enjoy a weed-reduced, healthier environment.

Flower Bed Installation

If you are a beginner, you can start by removing weeds around the surrounding area and amending the soil. You will have to put down a layer of landscape fabric if it is a new bed to block weeds. Then, top it off with at least six inches of topsoil or garden soil. How deep a flower bed should be depends on the types of flowers you want to plant. If you have an existing bed, you will have to amend the soil with composted manure before you begin planting. Make sure that you choose a location that will have sufficient drainage, sunlight, and water supply for plants to grow healthy.

Conclusion

For many, landscaping is a hobby but for some, it is considered a challenge. Nonetheless, this guide will help you get started on the basics of landscaping and you will ultimately be able to design your lawn like a pro. If you are still confused about how things should be done, start by making a list of what exactly you want. You can also do some self-research or speak to a professional to get a better angle on things.