Transforming your landscape with 3 valuable tips
Garden Planning is not “Set it and Forget it”
Remember that proper garden and landscape planning does not happen just once and then you forget it. For best results, landscape planning happens over the entire growing season, beginning before your garden awakens after the dormant winter, comes to life during the spring, thrives during the summer (hopefully), and transitions to fall foliage. When landscape planning proceeds the annual life cycle of your garden, you can create the optimum garden and landscape health for each season and properly schedule the appropriate actions and preparations. This approach will keep your landscape vibrant in all seasons and allow for time to enjoy the benefits of your efforts. Bottom line, while enjoying your garden, you are simultaneously creating the ideas that evolve with the next season of your landscape.1. Your landscape is always in a state of transition
Your landscape design, like our world in general, is always in a constant state of flux and transition. The soil and the plants that grow in it are not static. Go outside today and look at your lawn and gardens and take a snapshot of that moment in time, because it will never look exactly the same. That’s the nature of our outdoor world. If you’re underwhelmed by what you observe or you see glaring issues, what would you change? What’s missing? What’s struggling? How and when will you make that change?Once you truly understand the specifics of what you don’t like, you will be able to create a plan to change it. Just remember – landscapes are never truly complete. They are always a work in progress. Some years are more active than others. For example, drought may cause unexpected failures that don’t show up for a year. Or, a plant you thought was giving up enjoys an amazing rebound because of a rainy spring.
People can get complacent with what they consider a finished landscape design. This unfortunate circumstance creates a situation where the landscape falls into decline and eventually requires more expense just to return to the “status quo”. If you accept that changes will be inevitable and adapt your plan, your landscape will evolve in line with nature’s design.
2. Know when to stop designing and get to work.
One thing we see frequently is constant tweaking in an attempt to get the design just right. At Land Creations, we’re all about the design, the plan, and the goals. But at some point, you've got to jump in and get the project started. Failure to make that transition causes “perfection paralysis”. You could go on designing forever, constantly questioning your design and the desired outcome. Once you’ve invested your time and have developed a workable plan for your garden, just get it done.And here’s a tip to help once you have implemented your plan; give it time to take root and grow. Be patient and give the plants time to recover from the installation process. You can constantly evaluate your work, but take a deep breath and wait before making any drastic changes.
Patience and care are critical for your beautiful landscape. And if some plants are struggling, just show them a little love. Give them time and your attention and chances are they will please you with their drive to thrive.
3. Patience will pay you back.
We invest time, money, hopes and dreams in our landscapes and often have unreasonable expectations about how quickly they’ll provide a return on that investment. In our instant gratification society, we want instant outcomes. But when it comes to gardening and our landscapes, patience will provide a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction.Allow your landscape to be a functional part of your evolving life experience, and whether you are doing the work yourself or partnering with a landscape design professional, the task will feel less like a burden and more like a gift of creations and surprises.
For more information about creating a sustainable landscape in all conditions, and upgrading your outdoor living areas, contact Land Creations by sending us a message or request, or call us at (405) 755-7866.
