10 tips for a beautiful landscape – When designing your garden landscape there are a few things to consider before you start thinking about plants and positioning, and those are the size, shape and style of your home.  Blending your landscape design with the style of your house is the key to achieving a beautiful backdrop for your home.  Your landscaping aims are to enhance the property using existing and new structures.   A good landscape design is a fluid one, flowing smoothly from house to boundary through the creation of novel details, repeated features, textures and colours.

 

  1. Before you put pen to paper – or ask a professional to put pen to paper – run the image of your dream landscape through your mind so you are quite clear as to exactly what you want.  It sounds a simple and obvious philosophy, but all too often unobserved height and width restrictions result in an unmanageable garden or blocked views and access routes.  
  2. A successful garden design will include proper soil requirements for the types of plants you choose to use within your planting scheme.  You’ll also have to think about drainage requirements – poor drainage will doom your garden from the start.
  3. Make sure that you plan for future growth.  Your landscape design at maturity may change how the garden receives sun and shade throughout the day.  Garden plants bought with sun in mind may end up in the shade when your plants mature to their full size.
  4. Create your landscape around a focal point, such as a fountain or an ornamental palm tree, and design your garden outwards from this point.
  5. Consider the curb appeal that your landscape design will bring.  The backyard garden may be where your family hangs out, but the rest of the Island will see the garden design from your front yard.  A good landscape design technique is to plan curves into the garden design; nature does not just work in straight lines.  Curbside appeal adds value to your home.
  6. The future needs of your family should also be taken into consideration. Each member of your family will use your garden landscape differently; if you have children, they will need a safe space to run around in and plenty of places to hide behind.  The male members of your family will thank you for a barbecue area; the women will enjoy plenty of colour and a well-shaded pool deck.  
  7. One of the most overlooked elements of any landscape design is the lighting, both natural and artificial.   Garden lighting sets the tone for how the garden will be used during the day as well as at night.
  8. Landscaping your garden does not have to be expensive, but make sure that you are realistic about cost.  It’s very easy to misjudge landscape design cost, especially if you hire contractors that are lacking in experience.
  9. When designing your landscape, don’t forget yourself.  Create your garden around your personality, desires and maintenance requirements.  If you really like a tropical design, don’t fill it with English whimsy.  The maintenance of your landscape should be a deciding factor at the planning stage.  If you do not have the time or the ability to keep up on the maintenance, your landscape is doomed to failure.
  10. Most importantly, though, have fun.  Design and installation are but a tiny part of the pleasure you are creating.