Creating a perfectly landscaped backyard is a dream for many homeowners. You want it to blend in seamlessly with its natural surroundings and be a welcoming place to relax and have fun.
If you’re keen to take an active role in developing your dream landscaped garden, our guide will steer you in the right direction with several great tips and ideas.
Having a properly landscaped garden has many benefits. You’ll get to enjoy a beautiful space whenever you want, plus you’ll be adding value to your home. Spending time in your new garden also comes with added health benefits. Apart from getting more exercise, gardening has also been shown to relieve stress.
So, take a look at our landscaping tips and start the ball rolling on your new dream garden.
How to landscape your garden
Make a plan
Your first step is to create a plan for the area you’re landscaping.
This is not a job you work out as you go along or you’ll end up with an unsightly mess; plastic chairs here, pot plants there. What you want is a design that works in with the natural features of your outdoor area. Planning ahead will keep you on the right track throughout your landscaping.
Here are a few ideas to consider when designing your plan:
- What do you want from your garden? Is it a space for entertaining, children to play or a tranquil retreat?
- Do you have access to the necessary equipment to create and maintain your landscaping idea?
- How will you create exciting spaces in your garden?
- Think of the different ways you can complement your house with flowers and foliage.
- Consider how plants will look together, both when in bloom and during the off-season.
- Consider the ongoing maintenance of your newly landscaped area.
Draw a plan of how you imagine your dream garden will look. It doesn’t matter if you’re not great at drawing; this is to give you a general idea.
Once you have your landscaping plan on paper, you can think about the materials and fixtures you’ll need to get the look you want.
Separate your garden into areas, choosing one or two plant varieties that you can use throughout the space and stick to pavers, concrete, timber or composite decking when hard-landscaping.
While pavers are durable and require little maintenance, timber and composite timber-like decking look more at home in the garden.
If you’re not into maintenance but want a beautiful, long-lasting deck, composite decking gives you the best of both worlds – the look of timber and long-term durability.
Hard-landscaping
Hard-landscaping includes porches, decks, fencing, patios and arbours. This part of the project may require you to bring in expert tradespeople. Such disruption can affect your soil or turf in the short-term, so you should complete this work before you begin planting flowers or laying fresh turf.
Timber
Timber is the perfect choice of material for landscaping. It blends seamlessly into the surrounding nature and feels great under foot. Timber is a perfect choice for deck framing, decking, fences, pergolas and raised plant and vegetable beds.
With a range of timbers to choose from, all of which can be stained or painted, you’ll find a wood to complement your style perfectly.
Before you gear up to buy heaps of timber, you should know that wood decking does require a degree of maintenance (i.e. yearly (or every 3-6 months for some cases) cleaning, repair, sanding and sealing at least once a year) that not everyone can commit to doing. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a great looking deck.
A recent landscaping trend is the use of composite decking which has the look and feel of real timber but requires only basic cleaning, such as an occasional wash and scrub, to keep them looking like new.
How to maintain
Once you have your dream garden, you’ll have to maintain it. Don’t consider it a chore. This is one of the most satisfying parts of having a beautifully landscaped garden. Just imagine how fulfilled you’ll feel after you tend to your plants and maintain the lawn.
If you’ve had a new lawn laid, ensure you know what type it is and find out how to best look after it. It will require more than regular watering to keep it looking its best during the summer months.
Paving will require a hosing down at times. Weeds will thrive in any crevices that it creates. Stay on top of this by pulling them as they pop up.
Timber decks and fencing (depending on the type of wood used) need to be maintained regularly. This could involve applying a stain, deck oil or paint.
Are you ready to get your dream deck?
If you are looking for a timber or composite deck in Perth, then contact us today and speak to one of our outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts. We can answer any questions you might have and get you on the path to a garden you will love for years to come.
