SPECIAL SECTION HOME IMPROVEMENT
what RealtyTimes.com called “an astonishing majority of 75
percent” of respondents in a recent survey chose to spend their
hypothetical home buying budgets on them.
DO-IT-YOURSELF
LANDSCAPING THAT
DOESN’T LOOK IT
If you’ve ever attempted
to transform your backyard
into a beautifully designed
paradise, then you have
probably planted, trimmed
and dug your way into a few
minor frustrations along the
way. While good landscaping
can vary by degrees including
budget, skills and climate, there
are a few easy things you can do in
order to be proud of your landscaping
without paying an expert.
The following tips will guide you on the right path to do-it-
yourself landscaping:
*Always layer your planting beds. Layering in three
rows, begin with your tallest plants in the back row, next tallest
in the middle and your shortest plants in the front. And don’t
just plant one bed—put another elsewhere in your yard to help
provide a sense of harmony.
*Calm your yard with water features. Providing focal
points in your landscaping work is a must, and one great way is to
incorporate water features such as ponds and simple waterfalls.
They both look appealing and add an attractive element to your
yard—the calming sounds of moving water.
*Utilize retaining walls. If you are planning on
protecting the fragile landscaping work around your
home, it’s imperative to construct a strong retaining wall.
Erosion-prone areas in your yard will benefit greatly by
incorporating segmental retaining walls constructed
from concrete masonry. Using concrete masonry not
only provides the best value for the investment, it also
delivers superior design flexibility and aesthetic appeal
to any landscape idea.
*When planting flowers, go with annuals. To
have a continuous sense of color throughout your yard,
plant annual flowers alongside your favorite perennials.
Research and lay out creative flower combinations that make
use of both kinds of flowers for year-round beauty.
*Think year-round. One of the biggest mistakes one can
make is only providing one or two seasons’ worth of eye-catching
landscaping. Plan for having plentiful trees and shrubs during
the springtime, fall foliage during autumn months and good,
visually interesting plant life in the winter, such as holly shrubs or
bayberry bushes.
Continued on next page >
WEST COUNTY
❘
SPRING 2019
25