My broken foot last year got in the middle of my plans for the outside of the house last year, but I’ve been waiting for the chance to get back to it! While I don’t love how my allergies always are out of control this time of year, I am thrilled to watch everything start to wake back up and how drastically the exterior of the house changes over the course of a few weeks. Tackling the landscaping process for the first time or trying to be a bit more strategic in your choices? Here are some things to keep in mind.
Know your sun patterns and water table.
One of the most important things in planning out the exterior of your house isn’t something the gardening store can figure out for you. It’s time for some homework! And it’s homework that has been a bit easier to do with us spending so much time at home the past year. How much sun / shade does your yard have? Are there areas that never receive sun at all? This is important both as you choose where to plant things as well as what you plant.
The water table is also important. We have parts around our yard that retain water more than others. Those spots have not worked well for us when we’ve planted there, so we now know to avoid them.
Decide on annuals versus perennials
When we first moved into our house, I didn’t understand why you’d ever want to opt for annuals when you could plant something once and be done! After owning a home now for several years, I have a newfound understanding for the annuals. There’s something nice about choosing the mix for the year, both of colors and of types of flowers, and changing it up a bit. Some years the combo is a winner, and sometimes not – but it keeps it interesting. The downside to perennials? They tend to be more expensive than annuals and many varieties are not in bloom as long as annuals. (This is why some serious gardeners will plant different perennial varieties around the yard so there’s one in bloom at different points throughout the year.)
My preference? I like to do annual flowers and perennial flowering bushes. The bushes are the bulk of the layout for our landscaping, so this gives our exterior a nice dependable structure. The flowers provide a nice accent, but we’re not left with as noticeable of a gap in case the flowers don’t take well for a given year.
Don’t forget mulch!
I don’t think I fully appreciated mulch until we bought our house. And now, one of my most favorite days out of the year is the day the new mulch arrives and is spread around our yard. It’s one of the days our house looks the best! Mulch plays a useful role in several ways. It helps to keep a nice, cool damp surface for your plants. It also provides a nice visual distinction between the greenery around your house and your flowers. For an added effect, go for a black mulch.
Take notes.
There will be a lot to learn each year – things that didn’t work, nurseries whose flowers were underwhelming, etc. If you don’t write it down, I guarantee you will not remember. I recommend that you write down what you planted, where you sourced and when you planted it. It will be invaluable to you when it comes this time next year so you make better choices. Better yet, take pictures too!
Call in the professionals.
Thinking you prefer the idea of something more complicated or short on time? Might be worth the investment to call in a professional to help you come up with a bit of a master plan. If you’re also in New Jersey, one provider to consider is Onorato Landscaping, LLC. They can help you to do it all. They can take upleveling your exterior to another level as well, with their Bergen County Paver Driveways, which will help you with driveway construction – from stone to concrete to brick to asphalt.
I can’t wait to get started for this year. What has worked for you? Drop your thoughts below in the comments.
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