Your front yard can say a lot of things about you and everyone else who lives in your home. As such, if you want your neighbours, guests and other passersby to have the right impression of you, you need to put some thought and extra work into landscaping your front yard.
Having the Perfect Front Lawn
Landscaping your lawn means more than growing grass and other plants and keeping them well-trimmed and looking good all the time. Having a well-designed and planned landscape will help you greatly in not just owning a beautiful front yard but one that is thriving and easy to maintain, too.
To have the perfect front lawn from the start, make sure you avoid these common landscaping mistakes:
1. Failing to have a landscape design or plan before starting any work
Before you start buying any tools and plants or calling up a professional contractor, make sure you have an idea of what you want your front yard to look like. At the very least, decide on a theme for your landscape.
If you don’t come up with a plan or design for your landscape, you’ll end up having a lawn that looks like a total mess. You’ll have certain types of plants that may smother others. You will also have a harder time doing the usual lawn care maintenance tasks: mowing, plant trimming, fertilizing, watering, etc.
2. Selecting the wrong plants for your yard
Before you splurge on an assortment of plants that you think will look great on your property, make sure they will grow in your lawn. They will simply die if you won’t be able to meet their requirements for sun, shade, and water. You can avoid wasting money on seeds or saplings if you have your soil’s pH level tested first.
3. Planting in the wrong areas
Aside from sun, shade, and hydration, you have to think about how large your plants can grow into and how much space they will need. If you don’t consider this, you’ll waste money and time replanting them in other areas. These plants may just die, too.
4. Overfilling your lawn with plants
Lawns look great if they have lots of beautiful, healthy plants. However, don’t make the mistake of growing too many plants on your lawn. This is because an overcrowded landscape design makes for weak plants that will be easily susceptible to pests and diseases. In addition, too many plans will simply have a negative impact on the overall appeal of your lawn.
5. Using too many ornaments
Water features, bird baths, garden gnomes, and pink flamingos always look great in lawns. However, you don’t have to invest in numerous pieces of these garden features. Having too many of these ornaments can diminish the natural beauty of your landscape.
Landscaping experts say that when it comes to lawn ornaments, less is always more, unless you’re decorating your yard for an outdoor party, Halloween or Christmas.
6. Failing to consider the different seasons
Having a beautiful and colourful lawn is a must during summer and spring. But if you want to have the best-looking landscape all year round, aside from having perennials, make sure you have some plants that look great during particular seasons.
Grow a few autumn flowering plants and other popular fall flowers. For winter, consider growing boxwood, yews, and ornamental grasses to avoid having a bleak and dreary-looking front yard.
7. Not accounting for local wildlife
Trespassing rabbits and other animals can wreak havoc on your lawn. If you don’t want to have a barren, dug up, and ugly front yard, you have to ensure your lawn is well protected from these uninvited guests.
When creating your landscape design, consider what animals are usually around and then decide what to plant. If you want to keep deer away from your yard, grow plants that have strong fragrances, irritating textures, or ones that upset their stomachs.
8. Insufficient illumination
Lastly, your front yard may look amazing during the day, but what happens once the sun goes down? If you want your lawn to look impressive even at night, you will need to have an attractive lighting scheme that will give your yard a pleasant glow.
Having the right number of lights in your lawn will also be great if you regularly have outdoor parties at night. They will also enhance the overall safety and security of your home.
Even if you choose to carry out a landscaping project on your own, you will still need to invest some money and, of course, a lot of hard work. If you want your front yard to have the perfect landscape design from the start, consider getting help from professional contractors.
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