It's essential to have a budget in place from the start. You'll also need to be aware of codes, local regulations, permits, and HOA requirements. Putting your plan on paper (or on the computer) is essential for designing your landscape. If you're working on a simple project, all you need is graph and tracing paper.
A professional landscape designer begins with a study of the property and a topographic map, and then usually creates a series of conceptual sketches, preliminary elevations, and final representations as their vision evolves and crystallizes. Consider who will use your garden and how they will use it. Will children be playing in your garden? Do you have pets? Are you hoping to use your patio for outdoor entertainment? You can create different spaces for different uses in your landscape using strategic plantations and hardscapes. Walkways can be used to move people from one area to another.
Hard landscaping is made of concrete pavers, bricks, wood, or stone. Once your garden is in place, it won't go anywhere. A well-designed hardscape can increase the value of your home; 16 percent of real estate agents suggest it, especially if the sale takes place in the near future. While planning a hardscape project can be a balancing act between wants and needs, creative inspiration, and practical preparation, we've broken down the basic aspects you should consider when adding a hardscape feature to the exterior of your home. With careful planning, research, and an eye for creativity, you can achieve a stunning hardscape design that fits the place you call home.
If you're not hiring a professional to plan your hardscape, budgeting is even more important. The definitive guide to elegant outdoor spaces, with garden tours, hardscape help, plant primers, and daily design news can help you get started. Once you've decided to create an outdoor space, you should plan carefully to meet your gardening goals. By choosing resource-efficient plants, managing water consciously, and choosing environmentally friendly hardscapes, you can help protect and preserve your environment. Even if you decide not to hire a professional landscaper (we'll talk about this in a minute), a little advance planning will save you a lot of time, money, and heartache.
Don't forget the floor plan (including how smaller plants will be grouped and organized as well as groundcovers and hardscapes). To achieve this, planning your hardscape requires thinking about your outdoor space as a whole rather than disparate parts. Either way, dress up your fantastic new hardscape accessory by cultivating very fragrant vines on the poles, hanging plants from the “roof” and covering everything with twinkling white lights that make it absolutely magical instantly. It's about working with what you have (talk about a good life lesson in general) when you're planning your hardscaping.
Plants, hardscapes, and garden ornaments have their own visual details from various shapes and sizes to a variety of colors and textures. Landscape plans use symbols to indicate plants, hardscape materials, trees, and architectural elements.
