10 Landscaping Secrets From the Pros

10 Landscaping Secrets From the Pros CREATED BY JEANETTE GORMAN

Plan for Year-Round Appeal  Evergreen shrubs retain their leaves or needles all year long, so they’re constantly providing cover and color. Advantageously placed near the house, such as in front of corners, can help soften the vertical lines of the house, giving it a more inviting appearance.

Connect Points of Interest With a Walkway  Instead of trampling down the lawn, resulting in a makeshift path of dead grass between your patio, fire pit, and garden, create an attractive walkway using concrete stepping stones, natural flagstone, decorative brick, or crushed stone. \"It’s all about connecting elements in your landscaping to pull those elements together,\" says Craig Trenary, owner of Terra Forma Design in Bloomington, Minn.

Break up a Monotonous Yard With a Big Rock  A simple way to make a statement with your lawn is to plunk down a giant rock or two. We’re talking about the kind of rocks that are too big to fit in your truck bed. \"Having a certain type of boulder in the landscape will break up the monotony with a different material,\" Trenary says.

Bring a Corner to Life with a Berm  Berms add color and texture to an otherwise flat, plain lawn with colored stone, flowers, or foliage. They can also add height by being built as a mound. You can place them anywhere, although they’re especially effective in corners of the lawn.

Make a Water Feature Look Natural  A water feature, even a small, self- contained unit that stands alone on a patio, should look like it belongs in its surroundings, Trenary notes. \"You can use natural stone to build it up,\" he adds. \"You can use the same stone or material that you find on the house.\"

Add an Outdoor Seating Area  Installing a patio near the edge of your lawn, away from the house, provides an outdoor escape. Concrete will do, or you can use stones or pavers. Building it near trees or tall flowers gives the area some privacy, while chairs or benches let you sit or lie down to read or nap.

Combine a Variety of Plants  Cording encourages homeowners to choose a diverse range of plants that bloom at different times so ornamental leaves will be visible all season long. Otherwise, if all the flowers bloom at the same time, they’ll look attractive during that time frame but will lack color the rest of the year. Cording.

Give the Landscape a Rustic Look  Local lawn and garden centers typically sell old-fashioned wagon wheels, split-rail wood fencing, and other materials that deliver a rustic appearance. \"Depending on the look you want, you can get it in different elements,\" Trenary notes. \"You can creatively incorporate these elements into the landscape to achieve the look you want.\"

Create Curved Lines Instead of Straight Ones  Landscapers often add edging around flower gardens, the house foundation, and sometimes sidewalks and driveways. Installing the edging in creative curves instead of perfectly straight lines adds appeal and character. \"I really enjoy creating those long, serpentine edges,\" Cording says. \"You really just improved the edge of the [garden] bed.\"

Illuminate Focal Points and Walkways  Attractive landscaping deserves to be seen after hours, which is where landscape lights come into play. The lights play many roles, from adding to the home’s attractiveness to illuminating steps and sidewalks for safety to showcasing points of interest in the landscape. Placing lights alongside paths and walkways is one of their most common uses, although that doesn’t mean they have to be set in straight lines at prescribed intervals.

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