It seems that everywhere you look right now, there are flowers blooming, a wash of color around every home improvement store, and plenty of advertisements for flowers, potting soil, and other plants. With all the spring activity, you may be casting an eye to your own yard and thinking about how to revamp your landscaping. Visiting a garden center with plentiful landscaping supply materials to choose from might be a great idea, as well as looking at soil for gardening or fill dirt, if you’re really moving things around. So what are some of the best methods for making your landscaping look amazing? What will encourage your plants to grow the best? Read on for some expert tips and tricks of the trade!
Why Should I Worry About My Landscaping To Begin With?
Landscaping can, on average, bump your home’s resale value by almost 15%! And even if you spend as little as 5% of your home’s value on landscaping costs, your return on investment is huge — as much as 150%. Good landscaping makes not only your home, but the neighborhood look better. And the better the neighborhood looks, the better your chances of your home’s value going up. So you doing your part to keep your property looking nice also benefits you in the larger scheme of things as well.
Some places with strict homeowner’s associations may even require some landscaping to be done, to keep up with neighborhood standards. Additionally, keeping up with your property can be a personal point of pride as well — there are certainly people who walk or drive by and notice both the well-kept and pristine homes and yards, as well as the ones that look more run-down. Your home can often be a physical representation of you and you want it to look nice.
The Down and Dirty
Of course, one of the most basic components of landscaping is good dirt. Healthy dirt will help your flora and fauna grow for a beautiful yard. The healthiest soil is made up of 45% minerals, 25% water, 25% air, and 5% organic matter. Soil is rated on its healthiness based on its fertility and texture. If you can, composting is a great way to add to your soil’s richness — and reduce waste in our landfills at the same time!
Most plants want a soil with a low acidic or neutral pH (about 6.2-6.8). There are ways to adjust the pH of your soil if it’s not optimal for plant growth as well. The scale ranges from 1.0 to 14.0, with 7.0 being neutral.
Mulching is also another great way to boost your gardens and other landscaped areas. Mulch is essentially made up of decaying leaves or bark and comes in two main types — organic and inorganic. Organic mulch is made up materials that decay naturally — such as grass clippings, bark chips, leaves, composting, etc., — while inorganic mulches are made up rocks, plastic sheeting, or rubber chips, materials that are not produced naturally.
What Will Really Add to My Landscaping?
Trees are never a bad idea — these tend to appreciate over time in value. Plus, adding trees also doesn’t require the same maintenance that gardens or other plants or shrubs do. Calling in a landscape designer to help organize your thoughts and ideas and offer suggestions is an excellent idea if you’re thinking of making substantial changes.
It also doesn’t have to be all about plants — adding backyard spaces or “sanctuaries” is also quite a popular idea. Concrete patios and fire pits add spaces that family and friends can mingle around outside, and adding landscape lighting can be a huge bonus as well.
It’s time to gather up your gardening supplies and get in touch with a landscape designer to freshen up your yard for spring!