30 Responses to “How Do I Improve The Look Of My House Through Landscaping?”

1. dt ~ librarian says:

   June 26, 2009 at 8:55 pm

   Go to Home Depot – they have a rack of self-help books (soft-covered) for all different areas of fixing up the house.
   I love that store!!!!!!
2. Kari T says:

   June 27, 2009 at 12:41 am

   u dont
3. emil n says:

   June 27, 2009 at 6:11 am

   For fall as some nice colored pansies, they will last thru the winter also, river rock is also a nice accent, and adding a path way to you front garden with white chat or pebbel rock is nice too.
4. chrissy m says:

   June 27, 2009 at 12:49 pm

   If you are a beginner the best thing you can do is buy lots of magazines! There are some great gardening magazines with pictures of yards & gardens that you can copy ideas from. learn what plants look well together, fast growing shrubs, just everything! I live on a 90 acre farm and can’t afford a landscape designer, but I “cheat” and copy some of the best designers work from gardens featured in magazines!
5. donna r says:

   June 27, 2009 at 5:26 pm

   Hiring a landscape architect would of course be the best thing to do. However, this could cost you plenty of money.
   As a start I would suggest that you take a good look around your property and see what looks sad, neglected and poor.
   1. Is there trash lying around? Remove it.
   2. Is the grass thin and/or weedy? Get “weed and feed” (brand name) material, apply it and water the grass.
   3. Is the lawn kept at 3.5″ in height or is it long and dangely? Mow the grass weekly. If you don’t have a mulching mower, mow remove the clippings.
   4. Do you have any flowerbeds near the house? If not, place a few large pots with annuals near your entrance.
   5. Now go around the neighborhood and check out what other home owners have done to spruce up their yards. For the next season you can implement some of these things on your own property.
   Small changes can enhance the appearance of your property and don’t need to cost much. This would be a start!
   Good luck.
6. tgbc says:

   June 27, 2009 at 7:05 pm

   landscaping is one of..i can say asset’s of the houses i’ve been viewing around.,so you if you have no any knowledge in landscaping find a landscapper,well in mine i do all the how’s and where’s of the landscape in my humble home since it’s too pricey for me paying one..,it’s really a great feeling viewing it while entering your house seeing what you’ve done,just see to it that it wont over look i mean you dont put something which is awkward as you do/plan the work…enjoy dude…
7. aqoniCgi says:

   June 27, 2009 at 10:25 pm

   Planting lots of flowers.Add some bushes and some roses.Make sure that the soil is well prepared for for your plants.Add some lava rocks or some other kind of rock or mulch.Adding a border around your plants etc.will make it look really nice.You might even try putting some plants and flowers in a big pot and then setting it on your porch.I have used a big half sized whiskey barrell to put an arrangment of plants and flowers in it and then put it in your landscaping or where ever you prefer it to be set.I think that landscaping can really make a house look really nice.
8. Baby Bath Rings says:

   June 28, 2009 at 1:40 am

   home depot has some awsome books. It is simple to map out some flower beds. roll out matting that blocks weeds. place rocks, stones along the lines you have drawn. put down soil;plants; mulch . dont over do it. go with a theme. and stick to it……….. if u have. rustic, victorian modern…… read the books. drive thur neighborhoods look for inspiration. a focal point and go from there. it is a expression uniquely you
9. tennesse says:

   June 28, 2009 at 4:33 am

   Can be simple and efective if you have an eye for colour and imagination.
   How about having an erea with pebbles different sizes and colour to look like a river flowing through.
   With some alpine plants and grasses .
   I also did an area at back of garden it now looks like my own beach with pebbles shells sand grasses drift wood .
   If you were closer would help lay it out.
10. scotkat says:

    June 28, 2009 at 7:08 am

    Bushes, placed in right area, trees, landscaping around tree,s and other noticable area,s of your lawn. Make sure front door/porch looks inviting and accessable. Go around and look @ other well groomed yards and try to incorporate some of their landscaping in your yard,altho it will look a little different in yours due to house style etc., but may even look nicer in your yard! Buy landscaping books for idea,s your can @ least find 1/2 idea,s that could work for you. Remember, your house is also part of the landscape, so do some updating with it too!
11. jmada05 says:

    June 28, 2009 at 7:23 am

    To improve the look of your house through landscaping will require a landscaping design that is appropriate for your house. If you live in a Dutch Revival, a lawn, hedge, and some flowering borders will do. If it is a 1950′s Eichler, you’ll want a little bamboo, some tall trees, and a small dicondra lawn.
    For an Edwardian cottage, a fence, a gate with an arch, and loads of flowering plants will be lovely – they should all have lovely fragrances and bloom at different times of the year.
12. soxrcat says:

    June 28, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    hire a landscaper….or plant trees that grow in your area…ask your county’s horticulture department (see white pages of your phone book under “county”). I can’t advise you because I don’t know if you want fruit trees or maples or arborvita plants or berry and flowering bushes nor do I know how much acreage you have. Take a look at what trees and plants are at the homes of your neighbors, then take a trip to the nearest plant nursery (or check out Home Depot, K-mart, Walmart, etc. as they have books there and plants as well as topsoil and plant food and tools).
13. Discount Garden Decor says:

    June 28, 2009 at 5:51 pm

    First, take care of your grass. Mow it, trim it, fertilize it, seed bare spots.
    You can landscape yourself if you want to save money. Know how much light the area gets. You can test your soil but we prefer to add new soil, especially in hard to dig/clay areas. You can amend what you have with compost and/or peat moss.
    Choose the look you like…formal & neat, cottage & natural/messy, etc. Compact shrubs, small manicured trees and perennials work good for formal & neat landscaping. Bushy plants, heirloom plants and roses are great for cottage style. Consider adding stone either as a low retaining wall, edging, or pathway. Mulch your beds. Cedar is great for repelling bugs. Mulch really looks great!
    Choose the type of plants that require the amount of sunlight in the area you want to landscape. If you have a sunny area, you have more options for color. Look for a color that accents your home and find a second (or third) color that goes well with that color.
    If this is too much work for you, hire a contractor.
14. A. M. H says:

    June 28, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    start with a budget, draw up a basic design and be wise to hire a landscaper and get their input and start off minimally. You can always add later. Oh, and use lots of Perrenials, they come back every year. Shrubs, and succulents which don’t require a lot of water, don’t be afraid to experiment. But get some advice from a real garden shop.
15. bpgagirl says:

    June 29, 2009 at 12:55 am

    Get a design book for landscaping. The idea is curb appeal. Using borders, shrubs, flowers and a colored mulch. Can add alot. The idea is to add to, not over do. And keep it balanced. This does not mean to make sides identical but to make them equal.
    With out seeing your home and knowing your location its hard to tell you what I would do.
16. DJ says:

    June 29, 2009 at 3:41 am

    Choose plants/bushes that are appropriate for the amount of sunlight available…..follow the general rule that taller plants are closest to house and shorter ones taper away….
17. superbir says:

    June 29, 2009 at 7:58 am

    I’m a landscape designer in Denver and have found a few simple measures to improve curb appeal. Add color…..it just looks valuable, even with the small investment. Keep things tiddy….mowed, trimmed and looking nice. Don’t skimp on irrigation…keep things green and looking healthy. Lastly and most importantly…..make the landscape low maintenance. Not a lot of trimming, mowing, weeding, watering. People are too busy to spend all weekend in the yard and they take value in a property that is simple to take care of!
18. Toad says:

    June 29, 2009 at 12:24 pm

    Do it the same way they do on HGTV.
19. laysonjo says:

    June 29, 2009 at 2:47 pm

    Pick some low maintance plants like landscape roses or lilacs if you don’t want to do a lot of work.
    If you want to get some fruit from them to, blueberries are a nice bet. They come in a lot of different sizes and are very pretty plants.
20. hell_ofa says:

    June 29, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    THERE ARE SO MANY OPTIONS ON THE INTERNET FOR FREE. YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR MEASUREMENTS FOR YOUR PROPERTY READY, WHERE YOU LIVE ETC….
21. fatkitty says:

    June 30, 2009 at 12:16 am

    First of all I recomend hiring a Landscape Designer who most likely has done many landscape designs. He or she can create a variety of conceptual designs concepts for you that give you ideas on what you can do with your space. The other benefit is that the designer can create a set of construction documents for you that you can give the contractor which he can use to build from etc. It’s like the old saying that he who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. Hiring someone that actually knows what they are doing is much better that trying to wing it on your own. In the end you will get a design that not only looks nice but functions well and meets your every desire. Hope this helps.
    crea-tions.com
22. ramidio says:

    June 30, 2009 at 4:15 am

    Landscaping Design:
    Starting a thread to collect ideas and tips for designing landscapes for both commercial and home.
    Develop a Long-Term Plan :
    A well-thought-out plan brings a lifetime of joy. Before you cry over the cost, remember that you need not carry out your plan all at once. Start with trees, which take the longest to mature, then add shrubs, and finally flowers. And don’t think you have to be a slave to your plan. Feel free to substitute, provided you replace like with like.
    Line :
    A line can be any “skinny” element that wanders through the garden. Common lines include paths, fences, edgings, or a wall. In general, curved lines are more interesting than straight ones. Use to entice visitors to a special place (like a shady nook) or to draw their eyes to a special element (like that Japanese maple you broke your piggy bank to buy).
    Go for Curves :
    Construct appealing paths and beds with pockets, bends, swells, and undulations. Gentle curves of a walkway implore you to slow down and enjoy the view. To stop and smell the roses. A curved line also disguises the size of its surroundings, leading you to think that a narrow yard is actually much deeper.
    Divide Space :
    Break large areas into smaller compartments using hardscape or garden structures such as arbors.
    Frame Views :
    Frame desirable views with short and/or open sections of walls or fences.
    Add Interest :
    Focus a space with benches, birdbaths, containers, boulders, and sculpture.
    Screen with Hedges :
    Create visual boundaries or screens with large evergreens or mixed-shrub hedges.
    Stagger Plantings :
    Stagger plantings into layers rather than arranging them in a straight line.
    Variety :
    It’s the spice of life, and of gardening. Introducing variety simply means creating some breaks in the monotony — some focal points that stick out. Little animal sculptures would be perfect in a small shady nook. A gurgling fountain might be just the tonic for a bland patio.
    Think in Groups :
    Nature plants in groups, and chances are you’ll be more successful in your landscape if you do, too. You don’t need to plant hundreds to apply this principle. Just follow the old design rule of working in odd numbers: 3, 5, 7, or 9 plants for a more pleasing grouping to the eye than their perfectly balanced, even-numbered counterparts.
    Proportion :
    Proportion is the relative size of one element to another. Use trees and shrubs to frame a house, not to conceal it or draw attention away from it. Another guideline: In a garden bed, limit the height of any plant to two-thirds the depth of the bed; for example, in a 25-x-6-foot perennial garden, the tallest plant should be no more than 4 feet.
    Measure up:
    Carefully consider the size of the space you have and how much you can reasonably fit. Remember that you need access to plants for trimming and deadheading.
    Balance: Formal
    Balance is a general sense that the visual elements on one side of a scene are of equal weight to the elements on the other side of the scene. Balance creates a feeling of calm. The easiest (or boringest, depending on your personality) way to achieve balance is to divide the scene down the middle and create mirror images on either side.
    Balance: Informal
    Informal balance is much harder to achieve than the mirror images of formal balance. For example, several small container plants on the right side of the dividing line balance a single large shrub on the other side. With informal balance, you have much more flexibility because the dividing line (or “pivot point”) can be anywhere in the scene. Think about how a see-saw works and you’ll be on the right track.
    Stage the seasons
    Plant bulbs in the fall for spring blooms. Use evergreens and structural objects, such as an urn, to maintain visual interest through winter.
    Don’t Try to Do Too Much
    Young plants are like puppies: they’re so cute and cuddly you want to take them all home. Unfortunately, plants, like puppies, need to grow up and need plenty of attention and care. Before you get yourself into an untenable situation, think about just how many plants you think you can comfortably handle. Grass, gravel, and ground covers may not be your idea of breathtaking landscape daterials, but they are much easier to tend than the same space devoted to most shrubs and flowers.
    Do Remember the Important Stuff – Soil
    One of the most important tasks in gardening is also the least appreciated — at least while you are doing it. Most garden soil needs to be improved if your plants are to grow their best. That means working in plenty of organic material, like compost or peat. Doing this step before planting will ensure years of optimal growth.
    Light
    Light makes colors and textures come alive. Place trees and shrubs with colored foliage along an east-west line so they can benefit from the backlighting of a rising or setting sun.
    Texture
    Plants are often divided into two classes: those with coarse foliage (such as broad leaf plants) and those with fine foliage (such as ornamental grasses). Put one type of plant next to the other and you’re a design genius.
    Contrast
    The eye loves contrast. The more dramatic the change, the better. For instance, the smooth finish of a painted wooden gate is a nice contrast to a white, rough-textured wall. Most gardeners are comfortable with using contrasting colors (blue iris and pink peonies). Look for other opportunities to use contrast in your garden.
    Color
    Color has many uses in garden design. Bright, warm colors create a sense of action and excitement. Cool colors and pastels lend a calmer feeling. Single-color designs create a sophisticated look, while multicolor designs engender a festive atmosphere. Color can also evoke a sense of time — think of the rusts and oranges of fall. Don’t be afraid of color: play with it in your garden, and try as many combinations as you can dream up.
    Repeat Colors
    Unify the entire garden by repeating the same color in different areas.
    Bulbs and Perennials – Interplanting
    Interplanting bulbs that bloom at about the same time gives you twice the show in half the space. Plant groups of bulbs in holes no smaller than a dinner plate, or dig wide, curving trenches and position the bulbs in the bottom. Layer different types of bulbs from bottom to top in the same hole to create companion plantings or a succession of bloom in a given location. For example, dig a 6-inch-deep hole and place several Dutch hyacinths in the bottom, lightly cover them with soil, then plant a handful of grape hyacinths at a 5-inch depth. The two types of hyacinths bloom at the same time in spring. The grape hyacinths create a softening skirt beneath the more massive Dutch hyacinths. As another benefit, the leaves of the grape hyacinth bulbs appear in autumn and remain all winter, providing a marker for the dormant Dutch hyacinth bulbs, so you won’t inadvertently plant on top of the hyacinths or dig them up.
    Interplanting with perennials provides maximum flowers in the smallest space and eliminates bare spots where bulbs go dormant. To create a succession of bloom and foliage, plant perennials around the bulb holes. As the bulb foliage dwindles, the perennials will grow up, camouflaging the bulbs’ yellowing leaves. This interplanting technique works in both formal and informal gardens.
    Water and Maintenance
    Group plants according to water need. Highly drought-tolerant plants can go in one spot; moderate-water plants in another. High-water use plants go in another — preferably close to the house so they’re easier to get to with a hose.
    Go lightly on the annuals, heavier on perennials, and still heavier on shrubs. The larger the root system, usually, the less ddependent the plant is on your babying it with the hose.
    Minimize lawn. Turf is a water guzzler, requiring at least an inch of water every week. Use it as an accessory in your garden, something to set off beds and borders filled with low-maintenance small trees and shrubs and perennials — not as the focal point.
    Bonus: You’ll cut mowing and fall leaf raking time considerably.
    Mulch:
    Mulch lavishly. Make sure annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs all have 1 to 3 inches of a mulch such as wood chips or pine needles. You can apply mulch to single plants or over a whole bed. Organic mulches, such as bark, grass clippings, rotted manure, straw, and shredded leaves, break down and improve the soil. Mulch keeps the soil cooler and conserves moisture.
    Soil Again :
    Know your soil and plant accordingly. Improving soil with ample amounts of compost is the best way to go. Compost loosens clay soils and makes sandy soils more fertile and moist. Spread 6 inches of compost onto the top of the soil before digging a new bed. Otherwise, apply 1 to 2 inches of compost to the top of the soil in beds, borders, and vegetable gardens every year. It’s the best investment you can make. However, “improve” soil with caution. Many drought-tolerant plants actually thrive in poor, lean, rocky soils and making the soil too rich or moisture-retentive can create disease and pest problems. They might even just rot.
23. IKRAM says:

    June 30, 2009 at 5:32 am

    Dude….IKRAM said it all.
24. dagr8bil says:

    June 30, 2009 at 10:12 am

    It depends on what shape your current yard is in. If you have a yard and foilage in place, want to improve it but don’t have any ideas, there are a few possibilities:
    1. Get some cheap software at any office supply, computer, or electronics store and play with that.
    2. Go to a nursery, look at the available greenery and talk to the employees there. Warning: when going to a nursery for ideas and advice, go to an expensive one, write down plant names and ideas you picked and liked, then go to a cheap nursery to make your purchase. The employees at the large chains pay their employees poorly and don’t hire “experts”.
    3. Have one or more landscapers look at your yard and discuss possibilities with you. Although they may not actually draw up a plan for nothing, you can get great ideas from them. Any really worth their salt should NOT charge you anything to come and look and talk.
    4. Get a SUNSET Garden Book. Covers geographic regions, climate, lighting, arrangement, detailed info on plants, special problems…a wealth of info you can apply.
    Good luck.
25. countess almasy says:

    June 30, 2009 at 3:53 pm

    Hire a landscape designer or landscape architect. First get references and a list of the most recent jobs they have done in your area on a home similar to yours. Check out the references and the jobs they have done. A good designer or architect will sit down with you and determine how you will use the space; to entertain, to get away, to look at, as an extension of the homes interior, etc. They will ask for a list of plants you like and colors you like. They will ask for a ballpark budget. They will then do a conceptual plan., perhaps several with different options and price ranges. The plans should include drawing(s) of what the project will look like when completed. Some will have hand drawn plans and some will have computer generated plans and of course an itemized spreadsheet.. Chose the plan and the designer you feel the best about, not necessarily the low bid…you get what you pay for. Many times the designer will sell you the plan and you can do the work yourself. I do design work, sell the plan to the customer and then rebate money back to the customer if they buy their plants and materials from me. I’m a designer, installer and plant nursery owner. One thing to keep in mind….a good landscape will return all it’s value and probably more when the house is sold. Best of luck.
26. xo_heart says:

    June 30, 2009 at 10:48 pm

    go with something that goes good with your house.
27. Jae says:

    July 1, 2009 at 12:16 am

    Hire a landscape designer who doesn’t work for a garden center that wants to push product. Good luck! I wanted to help you. I am a landscape designer but spell check will not cooperate and my spelling is bad. I had a detailed list but spell check kept spinning and spinning with no end.
28. JAN says:

    July 1, 2009 at 12:44 am

    J- What I read from the othrs they are given you the right answers and I do not need to add anything else other then read and do what they say. You will have a Great Landscape
    looking place. That can be the best in your neighborhood and be a award winning place.
29. Sknlvr10 says:

    July 1, 2009 at 6:26 am

    lots of pink flamingos and garden gnomes
30. Z-Dub says:

    July 1, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    I love Juniper Bushes. Actually any kind of ground cover will help but something that is three feet or taller ads a fresh effect
    as opposed to plain green grass. Check out DWPLA for
    trees.
    I Cr 13;8a

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Comments links could be nofollow free.

Security Code: