Tips for Backyard Landscaping

When planning a landscaping project for your backyard, you will have several things to consider that you don’t often worry about in your front yard. To start with, the backyard is where you typically want a little more privacy as this is often where people spend their time when they are outside. You’ll also want to have a little more flexibility as you don’t have to worry as much about what other people think of the choices you made since it is in a less visible area.

It is often best to start your planning along the property line of your yard as this is one of the most important areas. Choosing items which will help increase your privacy and help add beauty to your home is important here. Whether you choose to add a fence or not, you want to make sure the items you choose will match the look of your home, while securing your privacy at the same time.

With this in mind, choosing large bushes and trees is often an ideal option. These natural barriers will help block the view in and out of your yard without looking tacky or cause any other problems.

Relaxing

One of the things most people love about having a private backyard is that they can relax outside and enjoy the great outdoors. With this in mind, you’ll want to add some things to your landscaping project for you to use while you’re out there. Most people will at least want to put some patio furniture to sit on and maybe a table so you can have outdoor meals when you want to.

Another popular addition to any backyard project is a nice hammock which you can lay in while enjoying a beautiful summer day. If you really love the outdoors you can invest in an outdoor music system so you can have your favorite songs playing in the background while you enjoy your yard.

Beauty

Another thing that many people want to see when they look out at their backyard is a nice beautiful landscape. One of the best ways to do this is by adding flowers throughout your yard. While you can plant some flowers which will look great all year, it is also smart to choose plants which only flower at specific times each season. This will keep your yard changing throughout the year so you never really get bored with the way it looks.

Choosing a variety of different plants will mean that as the year goes by you’ll get to enjoy different types of flowers. This is not only great because of the excellent way they look, but also the way these flowers smell.

Many of these types of plants have fragrant scent to them and since they are changing throughout the year,you will have a beautiful and fragrant-smelling backyard which you can relax to while enjoying a good book, sharing a lazy afternoon with your family, sharing meaningful conversation of friends – just about anything that makes you enjoy life’s little pleasures.

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Common Landscaping Mistakes

If you’ve never taken on a full landscaping project before, you might be surprised at some of the things you run into when trying to bring beauty to your home. While it doesn’t have to be difficult, there are some things which many inexperienced landscape enthusiasts do to make the whole process much harder than it needs to be. By avoiding common landscaping mistakes people make, you can save a lot of time; spare yourself from frustration, and end up with far better results than you would have thought possible.

Like any detail-oriented project, there are a number of mistakes which people can make when it comes to landscaping. The following are just a few of the most common errors made by people new to this great hobby. Take some time to read through these quick tips and you’ll be well on your way to a truly beautiful yard.

Detailed Plan

Most people think that you can just start in one part of your yard and work your way around until you’ve got a beautiful landscape. The fact is, without planning out what to do, you are very likely to make significant mistakes such as running out of room for a particular item, planting things which end up taking a lot of space, or even adding something that don’t really match with its surroundings. Take some time to learn all your options and plan your project out before ever picking up a shovel.

Animal Lovers

If you envision a beautifully-landscaped yard for your home, if you live with or near animals, make sure that you think long and hard before putting anything in your yard which will attract them. If you love birds, for example, you might think about adding several bird feeders. Many people find that the occasional bird is great, but having them flying in and out of your yard all day can mess up your yard. Consider the types of animals you will attract and place these types of objects where you want them.

Know Your Ground

Attempting to plant a tree in an area with hard clay or rocky soil can be very difficult and it is even harder to make it survive. Make sure that you know what type of ground you’re working with so you can choose plants which will thrive in it.

5 Years from Now

The great thing about working with plants and nature is that it is always going to be growing and changing. With that in mind, you really need to plan out your project at least five years ahead. For example, a tree near your house looks healthy today, but as it grows through the years, the branches may start scratching your house or fall on your roof, which you might not like so much.

The bottom line is, when you’re working on any type of landscaping you want, you need to make sure you know what you’re getting into. You don’t want to waste your sweat and money into a project that will only give you end results you won’t like that you end up starting over again – from scratch. Take the time to learn about all your options and once you’ve figured out what you want, you can ask for a piece of advice from an expert to help you get started, or you can always do your research, be resourceful and creative.

Lighting the Wrong Things

I’ve seen lots of gardens in my time, I’ve even traveled to other countries to see how they do their designs and if there’s one thing which always makes me cringe it’s when people have gone to the time and expense to light up their yard but have done it poorly.

Check out how many different landscape lights you can choose from. Lots of options, right? I mean, come on… vary it up a little.

Use uplights, floods, colors, and even mix colors. I’ve also seen some really neat color designs but wires everywhere. I mean, who wants to walk in a yard which looks like the back of my computer?

Anyhoo, so there’s some landscaping mistakes which you might want to avoid and figure out before you dive in and spend all those hard earned pesos in your wallet.

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Attracting Wildlife to Your Yard

For many people, one of the best things about looking out on their property is seeing a variety of different types of wildlife coming in and out. Whether it is small animals like birds and squirrels, raccoons or even large animals like a deer, there are ways to help attract a diverse set of wildlife to your yard by planting specific types of plants or adding in different objects to your yard.

There are also ways to help discourage wildlife from coming to your yard if you don’t like certain types of animals. There are many different products on the market designed specifically to either bring animals to your yard or keep them away. The secret is to have the idea of what you need to attract or keep away wildlife.

Managing Wildlife

Keeping your property looking great is important for most people, and while animals can add some diversity to the landscape, they can also wreck many different types of plants and other landscaping items quickly. With this in mind, it is important to give careful thought to your entire project before getting started.

Welcoming the Wildlife

If you like the animals coming to your yard, you need to make sure that you take that into account when choosing the plants and other items to use in the area. Providing them with sufficient food to keep them from wanting to eat the plants you don’t want to be damaged is one good idea. For many animals such as birds, you can easily add a variety of bird feeders which are much easier for them to enjoy rather than have them digging through your yard for worms.

Sneaking Wildlife in with Food

For larger animals such as raccoons, you can provide them with specific areas to eat. These types of animals will eat a wide range of things including table scraps. Just keep in mind that they are wild animals and even if they look cute and cuddly, they can quickly become aggressive if they feel threatened. Encouraging this type of animal to visit your yard can be a problem because if they don’t find the food they are looking for, they may begin searching in garbage cans and other areas which can create a mess in your yard or garden.

Even Wildlife Loves a Snack

Finally, large animals such as deer would love to stop by for a snack. Planting things such as fruit trees and bushes that offer food at a level which they can reach is a great option. Some people even plant gardens specifically for deer, including things like corn and beats will get these beautiful animals interested.

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