Everyone enjoys a well-landscaped yard. Neighbors appreciate the beauty that competent landscape planning brings to the neighborhood. Homeowners also benefit from the landscaping and lawn maintenance, as it often makes the front and backyards more usable and visually appealing for everyone residing in the residence. In order to maintain this idyllic state, you may choose to employ one of the professional landscape services in your city or town. However, homeowners can manage landscape maintenance themselves by performing a few simple tasks each week.
A big part of proper landscape maintenance is paying attention to the lawn. The grass should be cut regularly, and the clippings raked from the space after each cutting. Many people make the mistake of cutting the grass low to the ground, in an effort to reduce the number of times each month the lawn must be cut. By adjusting the mower so the blades are left slightly taller, the grass has a fuller and lusher look, as well as provides more of a cushion to bare feet walking across the expanse of the yard.
Along with regular lawn maintenance, there is the issue of keeping up islands and beds of shrubbery and blooming plants. Effective landscape planning on the front end can save a lot of time and effort later. Choose ornamental shrubs and flowers that require nothing more than trimming back and shaping once or twice a month.
Working in some types of evergreen shrubs into the mix will also help the space appear lush and healthy even in the dead of winter. Don’t forget to include other natural elements to create a pleasing visual effect, such as rocks layered to provide a backdrop for low shrubs or as retaining walls for the beds and islands. These will also help keep your landscape maintenance within reason.
The simple gardening task of weeding from time to time will also make a huge impact on the quality of your landscape maintenance. By simply removing flowering weeds from the grassy areas as well as any beds or islands in the yard, the space will instantly look more organized and well kept. Remember to try to get as much of the roots of the weeds as possible, as this will help minimize the chance that the weeds will proliferate and strangle the grass.
Watering and replenishing the nutrients for all flora and fauna in the yard is also very important. Learn how much watering the yard needs in your particular climate and set the sprinkler system to meet that need. Also establish a regular schedule to spread fertilizers or compost that will restore the mineral balance in the soil. The result will be shrubs and plants that are healthy and bring a sense of vibrancy to the space.
By combining the right elements in the landscape design, keeping the lawn cut to a proper height and clearing out weeds regularly, it is possible to keep the space looking fresh and inviting all through the year. With an average sized yard, performing this basic landscape maintenance will normally require nothing more than two or three hours over the course of the week. That leaves the rest of your time to enjoy the yard to the fullest.
