Driveways, walkways, patios, trees, shrubs, retaining walls and planting beds.
Building The Perfect Lawn
Landscaping is a vast, ever-evolving practice that comes in many shapes in forms. By utilizing each and every aspect of modern landscaping, one’s lawn can turn from a piece of land into a piece of art.
The Base
First and foremost is your type of grass. If you’re in a cooler area, consider Kentucky Bluegrass. Or, if you’re looking for low maintenance, aim for Centipede Grass or Bermuda Grass. If you find yourself stuck between the many options out there, it’s always a great idea to spread a mix of seeds as this creates a thicker growth along with better weather resistance.
Pre-emergent
This essential lawn-care item is a great choice for preventing weeds and keeping your grass green and thriving. Pre-emergent is a lawn treatment that stops the weeds long before they emerge. For full effectiveness, it is best to do pre-emergent treatments in the winter before weeds have had time to germinate. This will make the chemical much more effective during the spring season.
Sprucing Your Edges
It’s said that when faced with an open room or area our eyes are attracted to the edges first. The same goes for lawns. Keeping your lawns edges neat and unique can bring easily put it one step above the neighborhoods.
An easy aesthetic to add is stone. It comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors and more importantly can be easily customized to your tastes. Other alternatives include flowerbeds, railroad ties, driftwood, and even mulch. For hillier front or backyards, a cleverly placed retaining wall is a perfect mix between form and function.
Waterworks are never a bad option either. However, lining your yard with a custom stream can be costly. A cheaper, yet attractive, alternative are stone layered ditches and culverts. This will provide erosion protection for your lawn while also providing eye-catching border for your lawn.
Flowers & Foliage
A popular addition to any yard are plants, trees, and bushes. But it’s important to choose plants that fit your type of lawn and landscaping needs. With flowers, perennials are generally the most popular. They only bloom for one season, but then become dormant in the soil, allowing them to regrow/bloom for up to three years. Annuals, on the other hand, bloom for one season then are gone forever—although they spread seed faster causing new flowers to grow. New flowers are nice but this requires much more yard maintenance by the owners.
For trees and shrubbery, evergreens are a great option as they look good year-round and have no leaves to clutter your yard. Even left untamed, still find a way to look attractive, but given a proper trimming, these trees and bushes can really make your yard pop. Some great evergreens to look out for are Blue Chip Junipers, Canadian Hemlocks, Bishop Pines, or a great flowering evergreen such as Indian Hawthornes
Maintenance
Last, but certainly not least, is lawn care. During hot summers or chilly falls, this is the most neglected part of having perfect yard care. The most effective and beneficial way to tackle maintenance will always be through professionals. For some, this might not be the most cost-effective approach, but even having someone come out once a month can greatly improve your yard’s aesthetic. After all, those beautiful additions to your lawn won’t mean much without a canvas to sit on.
