As trends change and your landscape becomes overgrown, consider giving your home a fresh look by sprucing up your landscaping with a makeover. This will give your home a beautiful new look and make your home a more inviting place. How to know if it is time for an update? Landscapes that have been in for 15 to 20 years are an indication that it is time for an update. If you are seeing rotting railroad ties, large shrubs that have taken over, or the floor of your landscaped area is all weeds, soil and dirty rock these are also signs that you should make an update. Also, if the landscaping was done incorrectly this could result in the need for a new landscape sooner than would have otherwise been needed.
Out with the Old:
Start with a clean slate! When you have a plan for your new, updated landscape the first step is to start removing all of the old landscaping. This process is the most labor intensive and the least fun. It can be very difficult to do without the right equipment and a place to haul away the debris. Once removal is complete, adding new garden blend soil built up along any foundation and filling in any holes is recommended. Fresh, healthy garden soil is great for the new plants that will be installed.
Edging:
When planning the installation of your new landscape, keep in mind that edging is the first to be installed. Edging is used to define the bed lines, keep rock and mulch in the beds, and keep turf from creeping into the landscape beds. There are a number of different edging options including; black poly, steel, natural stone, bullet and poured concrete curbed edging. They are all great choices so consider your budget when choosing an edging option.
Plant Material/Outcropings:
Color is key! There are several factors to contemplate when doing a landscape makeover, plant material and outcroppings being two of those things. Take into account the color of the house, the front door, the trim, and the shingles when selecting plant material and outcroppings and consider carrying through some of those same colors in your landscape. When picking out plant material be sure to think about not only the color of the blooms, but also the foliage color. Outcroppings ideas include fieldstone boulders, limestone, granite, natural stones and are good to have throughout your landscape to add structure and color.
Rock/Mulch:
One of the final steps is to choose landscape rock and/or mulch. There is no right or wrong decision when choosing between rock and mulch as they both have pros and cons, so it is best to consider the look you are going for. Rock requires very little maintenance and should be used, with poly underneath, on downslopes so the water can drain away from the foundation. We carry a great selection of bulk rock at Pahl’s, including River Rock, Buff Limestone, Bryan Red Rock and St. Cloud Granite. Mulch is an excellent choice in areas landscaped with plant material as it helps retain moisture, suppress weeds and looks great. Pahl’s always stocks natural hardwood, dark brown hardwood, red hardwood, gold hardwood, western red cedar, and cypress mulches but we are able to order others. Remember, color is the key, be sure to choose a material that fits with your overall landscape design.
The above ideas are just a few examples of easy, low cost, common updates that will give an outdated landscape a breath of fresh air and beautiful new curb appeal! There are many different options to updating your landscaping but do not feel overwhelmed because we are here to help. If your landscape is in need of a makeover give the experts at Pahl’s a call!
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