Ideas to Transform Your Un-Landscaped Garden
Buying a new-build home is an exciting experience as you get to put your style and personality into your new living space. But what about the garden? Most new-build homes come with no or only basic landscaping.
If you don’t have a natural green thumb it can be intimidating to know where to start with landscaping ideas, but by following some simple suggestions you can create a beautiful garden you’ll be glad to spend time in.
Although a new-home from White Wolf Homes will usually come with basic structural and decorative landscaping elements such as patio areas, lawns and fencing, these tips will help you turn your yard into an oasis.
Consider These Landscape Design Principles
It is hard to know where to begin when you are starting with a blank slate, or blank garden space. When considering your desired garden landscape, it is helpful to first understand the five fundamental design concepts that professional landscapers use. These elements are the cornerstones of the world's most beautiful gardens.
Form - A plant's form is defined as its shape and the structure of its branching pattern
Colour - Refers to the use of basic colour theory to guide the eye across your garden space or to highlight specific elements
Scale - The size of landscape elements in proportion to their surroundings
Line - The notion that the arrangement of plants and their borders can influence the viewer's eye movement or flow
Texture - In garden design, this relates to the plant's surface quality
How to Design a Garden Landscape
Prior to starting your home's landscape design ask yourself these questions: Is your land beachfront, rocky, hilly, or do you have a narrow lot to deal with?
How do you want to utilise the size of your space?
Does it need to be multipurpose?
Do you want to include a pool or outdoor kitchen?
What are your land's light and shade ratios?
When designing your garden, keep the points mentioned above in mind. Visualising or drawing a rough map can help you plan out exactly where you want things, what you can include, and what is most important to you.
There are a few planning tools available to assist you to do precisely that. If you are hoping to create a garden space or utilise plants on your property you should make sure you consult the plant hardiness zoning map for your area. This will guarantee you are choosing flora that will thrive in the area you live.
Choose Landscaping Plants that Work for Your Lifestyle
Plants can help you save time, grow food, create privacy, add to the overall flow and ambience of your property, or highlight a specific aspect. The plants you choose can have a big impact on your yard and can even increase its resale value.
There are various suggestions and solutions for reducing time on maintenance, such as eliminating the lawn. You may not want to bother with grass care, no matter how lovely it appears. Hiring help can be costly, and it will need to be done on a regular basis to keep it looking attractive and free of weeds. Some simple options to replace your traditional grass lawn are:
Miniature clover
Moss
Rock gardening
Creeping thyme varieties
Turf or fake grass
Choosing perennials for garden beds and borders is another way to save you time each and every year. Perennials are plants that you only need to plant once and they will come back each year when they are ready.
There are even perennial fruit and vegetable garden choices if you want to have an edible garden space without the yearly replanting.
If you have a shady spot that needs greenery, choose easy care solutions such as hostas. Hostas are a versatile shade loving perennial that come in so many varieties you can easily group a few together to compliment one another and your shady space.
Plants can be used to attract attention to a specific area or element in your yard, such as a water fountain or statue. Using bright colours to help draw the eye around your garden space is one of the oldest tricks in the gardening book. Lining the edge of a garden bed, fountain or statue with a variety of colours or using patio planters, will also help draw people's eyes to any area you want to highlight.
How Landscaping Can Create Privacy Around Your Property
Privacy between neighbours is essential so that everyone can enjoy their garden to the fullest. Some landscaping ideas that promote privacy include:
Creating a complex rock wall that compliments the contours of your landscape
Using hedges and trees instead of a fence
Using tall grasses or bamboo varieties in planter boxes along patio sections is another attractive approach to increase the privacy of your environment
Landscaping Concepts for Various Property Types
Landscapes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, especially here in British Columbia. The natural flow of your property has a huge impact on what you can and will accomplish with it.
For example, a waterfront property will require a significantly different planning approach than an inland home in Victoria BC.
Considering the natural ecosystem and including native plants are thoughtful ways to build a truly unique area that has a good impact on the environment.
If you have a large rocky foundation it may prevent you from installing a large classic pool, but it could be the perfect spot to include natural pools or a waterfall feature within the natural rock face.
Work alongside a landscaping professional to consider all your options when it comes to your dream outdoor space.
Creating the outdoor living space you desire is possible with some thought and planning. If you still need inspiration for your own garden design project check this list of 75 landscaping ideas to create an enchanting outdoor space.
White Wolf Homes Helping Homeowners Achieve Their Dreams
Based in Victoria BC and building new homes across the Greater Victoria region, White Wolf Homes takes pride in building homes that fit your lifestyle.
Contact us for information about our upcoming new home projects and start planning your landscaping ideas today.