Most people think that landscaping is a fairly straightforward process: you find a plant, you plant it and you cut it every so often. If only it were so easy, a caveman could do it! Whether you have moved into or inherited a home planted during the commercial boom of the 50’s, when landscape details were often overlooked, or you have made or are looking to make modifications yourself, the following considerations will help you to avoid the following errors when changing your landscape?

Putting a plant in the wrong place

Do you love roses but only have a shady site? Are you a fan of pachysandra but your plot gets blazing sun most of the day? The reality is that plant breeding can only change a plants appearance and not its adaptive genetics. If you plant a sun-preferring plant in a shady site, it will either be stunted, bloom minimally or potentialy develop diseases such as fungal infections from the increased moisture levels. At the other extreme, shade-tolerant plants planted in full sun will either burn up and have singed leaves, wilt and potentially die during dry spells or be parasitized by insects due to weakened health. The simple solution is to plant a plant in the right space based on its light preferences, water preferences and soil preferences. If it says it on the tag, then you should probably listen to the plant’s tag (it’s trying to tell you its secrets!).

Another mistake often made is planting a plant in a space that does not suit its size. This mistake is commonly made with trees. A small, 3-5 foot arborvitae planted as a screen along a driveway can eventually grow into a 30-50′ giant that grows into your driveway and requires extensive pruning amid leave drop, broken branches and the risk of a tree falling during the storm. Most homeowners with limited knowledge of plants pick plants based on what they see at the nursery and how they see it, forgetting that plants grow. There are a variety of plants for each potential application that can suit a property owner’s visual as well as structural needs, and with proper landscape design, the right plant can be put in the right place to avoid future problems.

Improper plant maintenance

Plants are usually perfectly fine on their own, but if you are living in a suburban landscape, it’s hard to get away with the set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Grass needs to be mowed a certain way, perennials may require weeding depending on how they are planted and shrubs will generally require pruning. Many homeowners like to tackle their own landscaping chores, but a common mistake is in plant maintenance. For example, some common mistakes when mowing a lawn include cutting the grass too short on a ridge or slope causing “scalping”, cutting the grass when it is too long so that it forms thatch that can form a mat or kill new grass, or bagging your clippings without replacing any nutrients. By mowing at a higher wheel height, mowing more frequently or composting your grass clippings, you can keep your landscape presentable in a more effective manner.

In a similar vein, bushes require proper pruning. Many people make the mistake of pruning a bush in a vertical plane or one where the bottom portion is pruned further in that the top. In many shrubs, such as box shrubs and arborvitae, lower limbs pruned further back from higher limbs that don’t have as much sunlight will die back, creating a more unsightly appearance and leading to a more unstable shrub. By properly shaping the shrub so that the bottom limbs receive as much light as the top, shrubs can maintain proper health without sacrificing appearance.

Improper site maintenance

One of the biggest problems property owners face is with regard to water on their property, usually when there’s too much. Low spots on a property can accumulate water that attracts mosquitoes or kills other vegetation. Flowing water from gutters can cause grooves in your property, wash away mulch or wash out concrete work, causing buckling or cracking. At the other extreme, high places on your property or places blocked by retaining walls, patios or sidewalks can become much more water dependent. If you are experiencing problems with water flow on your property, adjusting low or high spots and regulating the flow of downspouts while adding a french drain can improve water retention issues on your site.

Another area that requires proper maintenance is with lawn care, particularly when reseeding a lawn. If a tree has been removed or you experience some dieback, homeowners will often throw grass seed down onto bare soil and hope for the best. Grass, like all other plants, has specific growth requirements dependent on light, water and soil conditions. Proper site preparation, including adding topsoil, aerating or adding organic amendments, can help ensure that grass has a nice place to grow.

Insufficient investments

As the saying goes “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Many property owners overlook their landscapes as worthwhile investments because they don’t interact with their landscapes as frequently or in the same manner as the interior of their properties. But, cheap solutions often generate greater long-term investments and costlier solutions than slightly more expensive investments. For example, concrete is a great material for exceptionally flat, well-drained and dry sites that is relatively quick and cheap to install. But, where there is water flow that can wash out the sub-base of a patio, walkway or step, where water can accumulate or freeze or where soil is insufficiently compacted, patios can gradually crack and break off over time. This then requires additional maintenance to patch, repair or replace the patio. Brick, stone or even crushed rock may require a slightly more expensive investment for materials or labor, but these materials are friendly for wet sites and much cheaper to repair than concrete.

These are just some of the many concerns and considerations that can influence the functionality of your property. If you are looking to improve and avoid some of these annoying and potentially costly errors, please contact ECOworks for a free consultation so that you can find the design that will make your property work for you.