Do-it-yourself landscaping is when individuals beautify the outdoor parts of their own properties. This is approached in many different ways. Some people tend to focus on planting things, while others become interested in shaping land and building outdoor features. Some people approach do-it-yourself landscaping in a very professional kind of way, or it can be a less elaborate hobby with very little planning.
For those that choose to approach do-it-yourself landscaping in a very serious way, there is usually a lot to think about before getting started. Many people choose to buy graph paper and design a scaled map of their property so that they can plan every feature. In this situation, a person will be concerned about the features present in the yard, like the location of the driveway and trees.
Landscaping can generally be broken down into two separate jobs. Softscaping is dealing with the natural elements of the property, while hardscaping is building fabricated elements to add to the space. An example of hardscaping might be building a deck or a gazebo. A good example of softscaping might be adding a garden or planting a tree. People interested in do-it-yourself landscaping may focus on both kinds of landscaping, or they may only bother with one.
Designing gardens is usually a very big part of the landscaping process. When most people think of what landscapers do, they may think of flower gardens, but principles of aesthetic landscaping can also be applied to vegetable and herb gardens in a way that can make them fairly attractive. Water gardens and rock gardens are also very common and are generally added purely for their beauty and sereneness.
Some people with an interest in do-it-yourself landscaping like to design a property from scratch before they even build a home on it. These people may concern themselves with issues like conserving energy for the home or finding a property with the best potential for landscaping projects. They may also be picky about choosing the exact right location for the house from an aesthetic perspective.
Do-it-yourself landscaping can potentially be a lot of work, involving heavy lifting and a lot of endurance. For this reason, some people use it as a way of getting additional exercise while simultaneously doing something potentially constructive. Other people simply want a beautiful property, but they don’t want to pay the price for professional landscapers, so they learn to do it for themselves.