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Many homeowners will tinker away in their lawns and gardens, planting what they found at the store or rearranging elements trying to get closer to a layout that works for them. There is often little or no analyzing the needs or wants of the people and plants involved. While this can be an eternal source of weekend entertainment, it will never get your landscape to be the beautiful, healthy, functional outdoor oasis you want. 

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Your landscape won’t meet your needs if you don’t know what your needs are.

How do you work towards a goal if you haven’t clarified what that goal is? Your landscape is part of your home, and should meet the needs of your family. The assistance of a landscape designer can help you see the potentials your outdoor space has, and find the hardscape and landscaping options that can make your space work for soccer practice, outdoor meals, bocce ball, or whatever brings your family joy. Getting professional help is the most effective way to avoid landscaping mistakes.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Sometimes things get overlooked when a Landscape Plans haven’t been properly made. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of ways things could go wrong, but here are some examples of common landscaping mistakes:

Not thinking of all 4 seasons

Most homeowners get involved in their garden each spring, doing what looks good in the moment. But a lovely spring garden can rely heavily on annuals and deciduous trees, leaving a barren and depressing winter landscape.

Improper plant placement

People often fail to consider the proper sunlight and exposure for their plants, so plants end up sickly and sad looking. Spatial planning is also important, because the mature size of a plant may be very different than it’s planting size. Not knowing how plants spread and occupy space as adults, above and below ground, sets many people up for trouble.

General Lack of Planting Skills

Many home gardeners fail to set their plants off on the right root. One of the most common mistakes is planting too deeply. Some folks figure the more soil they can put around a new plant, the better. But doing so can actually choke the tree to death because there is no air allowed to go to the root system. Going too deep can also encourage root rot.

Forgetting the view from windows inside the house

A lot of times landscaping plans are made without window views in mind. You’ll see your landscape most often not from inside your yard, but from inside your house! Changing where you place different element will decide whether the view from the kitchen or living room is pleasing or stressful.

Not knowing the wildlife in your area

You may plan some beautiful plantings, only to find that the local wildlife likes it even more than you do! Planting perfect deer, squirrel, or snail salad bar instead of a garden is a fairly easy mistake to make.

Other common mistakes include having all your plants to bloom at the same time, choosing inharmonious colors, neglecting to take texture into account, and more.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure.

To ensure your landscape reaches its potential, do your research on plants, sketch out your vision, and get professional input. Engage the services of a Landscape Designer, or if you feel like you’ve made a good design yourself, a Landscape Project Coordinator to make sure all final product is installed properly with understanding of the needs of the plants you’ve chosen.