One of the most common issues for landowners looking at landscaping for a new property or thinking of redeveloping an existing property is “Where do I start?” The other natural question is “What will I achieve by landscaping?” If you’ve got a big property, these are natural questions.
If you have a big property which is basically a wasteland, you may also be thinking that you don’t want to enter in to any major commitments which might be expensive or result in a high-maintenance land management scenario.
The good news for landowners is that modern landscaping is a problem solver on multiple levels. Landscape design and construction is very much about creating useful land management values, as well as creating a beautiful living space.
Landscaping problem solving example
Best practice landscaping, in fact, is all about problem prevention and value-adding.
Let’s use a practical example:
The problem
A person owns a large property which has barren areas, and some steep elevated areas. The natural environment is a bit run down. The soil is sandy, not great for a lawn, or garden without some work. There’s a virtual jungle of weeds nearby.
There’s also one area which turns in to a very wet, saturated place in heavy rain and during the thaw because it’s right in the middle of natural drainage. It’s also right next to the house (naturally – where else would it be?) and could compromise the foundations and the driveway, which is a bit of a mess.
This is a pretty common range of site issues. The real problem is that the property doesn’t look good, the drainage is a risk, and the barren patches are real eyesores. These things do nothing for the value of the property, and can be expensive seasonal nuisances. The steep areas don’t help site access, either.
The landscaping solution
The landscaping design integrates solutions with design:
The steep elevations are designed to create easy access with walkways and stairs. They’re also planted appropriately with good hardy plants for design features and color.
The natural environment is restocked with the appropriate plants for the region, which can self manage and act as good wind proofing and privacy screens. The natural plants outperform the weeds, too.
The barren areas are completely renovated with good soil preparation and a beautiful lawn area is created. This also deals with weeds and aesthetic value-adding. The lawn area is then planted with roses and other straightforward, tough but very dependable plants which only need seasonal work.
The wet area has proper drainage installed and is scaped with good wet area plants to provide a nice garden feature. The area around the house is effectively water proofed, managing risk to the building. (This is also a good opportunity for managing the driveway, creating a proper safe bed for it, and ensuring it’s 100% stable and won’t break up.)
Result – The property looks great, maintenance is minimal, and some major problems are permanently solved. This type of landscape construction can also include a range of other amenities and exterior features like patios, outdoor entertainment areas, and much more.
If you’d like some help with your landscape design issues in New York, talk to us. We can help you with any site problems and create a great landscape for you.