There are many ways to make the surroundings of a home beautiful, attractive, and welcoming. Painting, having a lawn or including things such as a garden, artificial lakes, flowers, and so on are some of these ways. Doing all these and many others are what is referred to as landscaping.
Landscaping refers to activities that modify and enhances the features of a building and its surrounding area of land. The landscape of a place is the visible features present in that area and how as a whole, they fit together to make it aesthetically pleasing to the eye. These features can either be natural or man-made. Good landscaping calls for expertise in artistic and horticultural design.
Carrying out landscaping on a residential building or property requires several activities including planting, weeding, maintenance, tree trimming and possibly some construction. It may also involve different kinds of professionals including architects, masons, bricklayers, horticulturists, etc. Architects draw out the plan and layout for the landscaping and the various artisans and professionals involved carry out whatever the plan says. You can read more in this article.
Why Landscaping is Important
The whole idea of landscaping is to add beauty and value to your home. It also has social, health, economic, and environmental benefits. As a homeowner, it will bring you much delight and joy to see your surroundings attractive, appealing, and serene.
Commercial landscape design can be used to change how the property looks and feels, as well as how it impacts the surrounding areas. Landscape designers can use plants, trees and other landscaping materials to make properties more appealing to buyers, buyers are often willing to pay a higher fee for properties with a well-thought out landscape design.
Aside from the above, here are some other reasons why taking this step is important:
Improved Quality of Life
Your home is a place where you want to kick back and relax especially after a long day. Besides, everyone wants a home that is comforting and appealing. That is exactly what landscaping helps to achieve; a serene, calm, attractive, and beautiful environment where you can enjoy nature away from the noise and stress associated with work or demands of our daily activities. It provides you with physical and psychological benefits that help improve the quality of your life.
There are also the added health benefits as flowers and plants take up and use poisonous chemicals and pollutants such as carbon dioxide, releasing into the environment oxygen which is necessary for humans to breathe. Beholding the beauty in your surroundings will help calm you and lower any stress.
Increased Value of Home
A well-manicured and maintained landscape surrounding enhances the value of whatever property is present on the land by up to about 15%. We’ve all seen homes with big ugly stumps in the middle of the front yard, so be sure you look into stump removal as well. Interested buys are attracted and can be easily convinced that the home is in top shape and properly maintained. If you need to sell, you will be able to do so at a higher price, and added to that, it will not take long for interested buyers to take it off your hands.
Eco-friendly Environment
Lush gardens and lawns are not just a delight to see since they add to the aesthetics and beauty of the environment they are located. They also help in the prevention of erosion and floods, regulate temperature, reduce cooling costs, and also improve air quality. All in all, they are really help the natural eco-system.
Economic Benefits
Humans are attracted to things that are pleasing to the eyes so when your commercial building has a good landscape, you are highly likely to attract more potential clients than if it was simply shoddy. With the class that your well-cared for surroundings present, you can more easily convince potential customers that you are successful because the work you do is good. What is more, when they visit your office, it encourages them to stay longer and spend more.
It Aids Socialization
When you have a garden or a lawn, it is easier to bring friends, colleagues, and family together in a form of a get-together or party. The children can run around and play safely without any disturbance or risk of either breaking anything inside the house or getting injured in an accident.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Landscaping Design
When planning a landscape, one of the first things to decide is the style or design that you want in your home. This will likely have a lot to do with your lifestyle. Whatever landscaping design you want should be carefully thought out with attention paid to details. It is also important that you work with whatever you have. That is, you may want a design that your space or other factors and conditions may not permit. Insisting on this may result in a poor outcome. It is always best to go with a design that your climate and topography allows.
Here are some of the factors to consider when choosing a design
- What sort of activities will you use it for?
- For your yard, who will be using it? Are there kids and pets that need consideration?
- The kind of climatic conditions where you live and also the kind of plants as well as grass that can grow there.
- Which design will best complement your home and reflect the kind of lifestyle you have?
- How will you maintain it? Will you have time to do so, will you need to employ people to help with it or would you prefer a low maintenance design?
Types of Landscaping Designs
Different kinds of landscape designs exist from traditional ones to garden designs which you can use as a model for yours. You may also talk with your landscaping professional or Syracuse tree service for your landscaping needs as they will most likely have design suggestions for you. You should remember that you will be spending a lot of time in your garden or yard and changing your landscape will not come cheap so it is best to choose a design that will delight you. Below are some styles that might interest you:
Xeriscape Gardens
The beauty of these kinds of gardens is that they save water. A lot of water is needed to tend to your garden, lawn or yard but with a xeriscape garden, you have flowers and plants that require little quantities of water.
Woodland Landscape
This reflects the natural way wooded lands look with fauna growth. These kinds of landscapes are less manicured but they still add a feel and aesthetics to your home. They are also low maintenance.
Oriental Landscape
This style employs the use of elements such as rocks, water, and different plants in creating interesting perspectives. A Japanese Zen garden may even be included.
English Garden
This style uses perennials, shrubs, and other forms of decorative elements to complement your home style.
Informal Landscape
The style of landscaping use plant beds that have curved edges and these are arranged in random patterns. It is a great choice for people who have kids who will be running around.
Formal Landscape
This uses straight lines, geometric shapes and symmetrical patterns to position properly pruned and orderly plants. The downside of this is that it requires lots of maintenance.
Organic Gardens
This has become popular in recent times. It is a method of growing plants without chemical sprays or fertilizers but employing natural ways of fertilization and pest control.
Hiring Professional Landscaping Experts
As much as you may feel like you can do things by yourself, landscaping requires a degree of expertise and when you have a big project, it is best to give it to professionals who are skilled. Typically, landscaping companies help with your residential lawn and mowing services, weeding, aeration, seeding, as well as other services like fertilization, building retaining walls, trimming of trees, eradicating mosquitoes, and other types of pest.
This is a lot of things to do all by yourself. Hiring professional contractors will not only save you time, but you will also spare you the aches and pains that may result from all that activity. More importantly, you won’t have to waste time only to do a shoddy job. A professional will get all of the above done for you.
Below are some points to note when you want to hire people to help with your landscaping project.
Be Clear and Specific on What You Desire
Unless you do not mind having anyone design and execute the project without your input with a promise to accept whatever the outcome is, then you will need to be specific with communicating your objectives and what you desire to achieve. These specifications you have might be based on your budget, the kind of look that you want and also the kind of people you will prefer to work with. When you have all these sorted, it will be easier to select a landscaping company that fits the bill.
Specialization
As mentioned earlier when it comes to landscaping, there are many kinds of professionals and artisans involved such as horticulturists, masons, arborists, landscape designers and managers, architects, etc. Landscaping companies typically have teams of these kinds of professionals to help with your project. You have an option of either hiring specialists for each kind of task you want to do or you can get a company that will handle all aspects of your project. It is always easier and better to hire a company because as a team, they already understand themselves and can work in sync.
Profile and Portfolio
When hiring landscaping contractors, you can take a look at their portfolio to see what they have done in the past. Ensure you look out for images similar to the kind of project that you like to undertake. You can also ask for references from clients and projects that they have worked on.
Local Experience
Every climate is different and climate is an important factor when considering landscaping. For this reason, it is crucial to hire a local business in your area or state as they will most likely understand the climate, soil conditions of that area as well as the kinds of plants that can grow there. Also, there might be local laws, codes, and regulations that they need to adhere to which a local company will be in a better position to know.
Professionalism
Landscaping professionals should have characteristics that define and distinguishes them. These should include a great customer service, good communication, punctuality, and a good reputation. Another thing is that they should be attentive, listen, and address any ideas or concerns that you may have. With this, they can help you develop any designs that you may have and see the best ways to undertake your project.
Certification
For most professional jobs, there are certifications that must be obtained. You can ask about your landscaping professional’s certifications and also see if they are licensed. These certifications may be individualistic; based on the kind of specialization of each worker. A good landscaping firm will be licensed and will always hire certified and qualified people.
Insurance
There are risks attached to any job and projects and that is one thing you need to put into consideration when hiring a contractor. You should confirm that they are insured before hiring so you are not held liable for any form of injury or accident that may happen while they are on your premises.
You can see more tips on how to hire landscaping professionals here https://www.expertise.com/landscaping/3-essential-steps-to-hire-a-landscaper.
Some other things you should keep in mind when doing landscaping include the following:
- Be creative with your designs.
- Think about the best location and get a focal point.
- Start small by slowly developing your plan and also enjoy the process.
- Add different decors and ornaments wherever you can including places such as your patio.
- Choose a design that can serve multiple purposes such as a place for relaxing, having friends and family over for barbeque, cookouts, mini parties, and so on. You can even install a swimming pool and place a trampoline or any other equipment that can be used for fun and recreation if you have space.
- Be open to change.
Conclusion
There are many benefits to getting a landscape around your home both for you and for others within your environment. You should ensure you choose a design that suits your space, your lifestyle and that will make you happy. Landscaping professional companies are always available to help you every step of the way; from selecting a design to working on it and also carry out maintenance afterward. Thanks to Hero Lawn & Landscaping for consulting
