Landscaping Tips for Small Residential

Landscapes

Presented by:James Martin Associates

The best things come in small packages!

You don’t need a large outdoor space to create a beautiful and functional oasis in your backyard. What you do need, however, is a home landscape design. This is especially important for the smaller space where every inch of space and every little detail matters.

The landscape design helps keep you focused on the overall concept for your small landscape and gives you the freedom to install parts of it at a time. If you want to change something about the design, do it on the landscape design. It’s the best place to make changes and mistakes before costly installations!

Here’s a few tips to help you develop your home landscape design and what to consider before planting:

Include drainage in your home landscape design.

Before you begin planting and installing patios think about drainage! Without adequate drainage water may collect to undermine structures and drown plants. Flexible drain tile can be installed anywhere, including along the edges of patios and walks. Water can be moved into a swale or even held underground for reuse.

Remove standing water with drain tile.

Above ground extensions are unsightly and sure to ruin any design.

Install drain tile below the ground to move downspout and sump pump water away from the house. Water runoff stored and reused.

Keep it simple! Don’t try to cram too many design elements into a small space.

Too many different types of materials, paths, and even plants look messy. Too many detached garden beds, too many focal points, and too many bed shapes create unrest and confusion.

Limit the amount of materials to two or three. Limit plant choices. It’s better to have larger blocks of the same plants repeated throughout the space. Keep patio and bed shapes simple.

Use restraint and keep it simple!

Select the right plant for the right place.

Many things are cute when they’re little – puppies, kittens, and even plants. Plants, like other living things, grow. Before you know it, pathways, patios, and views can become obstructed. You’ll spend a lot of time pruning or replacing plants.

Choose plants that will not outgrow their place in the garden. Avoid plants that spread too fast.

Know your soil.

Many small sites have compacted soils with poor nutrient values. Small yards that were once lawn have often suffered more concentrated foot traffic. The natural cycle of nutrient recycling are usually disrupted in small home landscapes. Most gardeners remove fallen leaves, grass clippings, and other organic debris. Removal of these ‘natural fertilizers’ necessitates the addition of supplemental fertilizers and/or mulching to maintain vigorous plant growth.

Know what kind of soil you have and amend the soil with organic matter if necessary. Add organic matter or fertilizer regularly.

Call before you dig.

Lastly, call before you dig and watch out for overhead wires! The location of underground utilities may not be as obvious in a small landscape and many older communities have utilities running from the street or alley through residential landscapes. Don’t make any risky assumptions about what’s underground and avoid putting taller structures or trees under wires.