Backyard landscaping does not have to be drastic or hard. You can do your own backyard landscaping or you can hire a contractor to do it all for you. The choice is yours but doing it yourself can be a lot of work, especially if you do not have any experience in this type of thing. There are all kinds of things that you will need to learn about before you start doing your own backyard landscaping. You will have to take a crash course in landscaping and this course will be jammed packed with all kinds of info that you never even knew was out there. You may be able to save some money on the work if you do your won backyard landscaping but if you screw things up too badly you may end up paying even more to get everything fixed.
If you want to get some backyard landscaping done you should only do it yourself if it is going to be a simple and straightforward job. If you need irrigation things dealt with and planes and elevations leave it to the professionals that do it for a living. These things may be over your head entirely. You need to watch out how you go about your backyard landscaping or you could end up with quite a mess on your hands.
There are a couple of great places for you to learn some more about backyard landscaping such as the local public library and the internet. You can get many backyard landscaping books out of the library and these will help you to make the best decisions as to your landscaping needs. You can also get many do it yourself tips online.
Why stay cooped up inside when you can extend the livable portion of your property by creating outdoor living spaces? It certainly isn't difficult to build outdoor living spaces. But it does take an appreciation for the "divide and conquer" approach.
We take it for granted that our houses are divided into rooms, but the concept of having similar "outdoor living spaces" may sound odd, at first. Indeed, the biggest obstacle standing in most people's way is that it just doesn't occur to them to divide up a yard so as to maximize their enjoyment of it. Not consciously, at least. Yet the more conscious we become of outdoor living spaces, the more we can tailor them to suit our needs.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
phoenix landscape
Part of the beauty behind the concept of separate "rooms" in a house is that each unit is unique unto itself. Consequently, you can install a component in the kitchen that looks great there, without worrying that it would look out of place if viewed from the bedroom. The same is true for outdoor living spaces.
Having separate outdoor living spaces allows you to create mini-landscape designs (each somewhat different from the rest) for each of them. Not that you shouldn't still strive for unity across your landscape design, as a whole. But the more successful you are in physically separating one outdoor living space from another, the more flexibility you have to diversify without creating a hodgepodge.
For instance, you may wish to include a storage bin for towels in the pool area. Such an element would be functional and would look fine there. But the problem is, you might not wish to view it from another part of the yard dedicated, say, to meditating in naturalistic surroundings. The answer: screen off the pool area with a tall hedge or fence, effectively creating a "room" separate from the rest of the yard.
You may also want to consider if you need a area for a swing set or a trampoline. If so you may want to consider some type of a surface under these other than grass. Some people alo like to add a horse shoe pit in the backyard for adults to use. When you turn your yard into more than just another project to work on during the weekend you will get a lot more use from it.
Depending on the type of backyard landscape you decide on for your needs you may also have a bit of maitenance to do to keep it looking good. Obviouslly if you have a large grass area that will require mowing. Depending on what part of the country you live in you may also need to overseed in the winter in order to have a yard. The types of plants and trees you plant will also need to be taken into consederation when thinking about how much work you want to have to do.
If you can it is always a good idea to consult a landscape company for ideas. Any good landscaper will have unlimited ideas for you to consider.
Having separate outdoor living spaces allows you to create mini-landscape designs (each somewhat different from the rest) for each of them. Not that you shouldn't still strive for unity across your landscape design, as a whole. But the more successful you are in physically separating one outdoor living space from another, the more flexibility you have to diversify without creating a hodgepodge.
For instance, you may wish to include a storage bin for towels in the pool area. Such an element would be functional and would look fine there. But the problem is, you might not wish to view it from another part of the yard dedicated, say, to meditating in naturalistic surroundings. The answer: screen off the pool area with a tall hedge or fence, effectively creating a "room" separate from the rest of the yard.
You may also want to consider if you need a area for a swing set or a trampoline. If so you may want to consider some type of a surface under these other than grass. Some people alo like to add a horse shoe pit in the backyard for adults to use. When you turn your yard into more than just another project to work on during the weekend you will get a lot more use from it.
Depending on the type of backyard landscape you decide on for your needs you may also have a bit of maitenance to do to keep it looking good. Obviouslly if you have a large grass area that will require mowing. Depending on what part of the country you live in you may also need to overseed in the winter in order to have a yard. The types of plants and trees you plant will also need to be taken into consederation when thinking about how much work you want to have to do.
If you can it is always a good idea to consult a landscape company for ideas. Any good landscaper will have unlimited ideas for you to consider.
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