Landscaping guide

Understanding some landscaping basics will be of great benefit when you begin to make decisions.

Some basic landscaping terms

• Hardscape refers to the non-living elements of landscaping. This can include concrete, brick, stone, and items comprised of non-living wood (such as a wooden tree house). Building a patio or deck is considered a hardscape project.

• Softscape refers to living landscape. Plants, flowers and trees would fit this category. Working on creating a vegetable garden would be a softscape project.

• Percolation and pH tests are both conducted on soil. A percolation test finds the rate at which soil absorbs water, while a pH test finds out how acidic or alkaline the soil is. Both of these tests help determine what kinds of plants and trees are ideal for growth in the area.

• Deciduous and evergreen trees. Deciduous trees are trees that shed leaves and foliage at the end of the growing season, while evergreens are trees that stay green year round.

• Island bed refers to "islands" of flowers which one can walk around. They usually appear in the middle of lawns, and are bordered with stone or brick.

• Accent refers to the use of a plant or other object in order to draw more attention to that particular area. Ferns surrounding a tree would be considered accent landscaping pieces.

• Landscaping fabric is a synthetic material that is placed over soil. It allows water to pass through, but blocks out sunlight and weeds.

Do it yourself

If you plan on doing the landscaping yourself, you'll need a plan. Following these basic steps will help you to be prepared well before the shovel hits the soil. A common mistake that people make when doing their own landscaping is failure to take note of the conditions of their property, which includes both front lawn and backyard.

• First, take yard measurements. This will enable you to see how much space there is to work with. Draw out a sketch of the dimensions.

• Next, note areas where cables are present. You may need to call your local utility or phone company about this. The reason is simple: a large tree can't be planted in an area where there is a cable. Note underground cables on paper as well.

• Note sunlight in different areas. Some areas of your yard receive more direct sunlight than others. Some places may remain in the shade a large portion of the day. Knowing the amount of sunlight at different times of the day is extremely important, because it can affect what types of plants go where.

• Then, write down areas that have specific problems. For example, some areas may have poor drainage. Perhaps there is a spot where no plant seems to grow. Or maybe there is a patch of soil that is particularly eroded. Again, identifying problem areas will help in deciding the overall landscaping design.
• Finally, begin to sketch in what will be added. Take light and soil requirements into consideration, think about what plants, flowers and trees would make nice landscaping additions. Do a little research and find out what grows well in your area. Also consider the placement of any hardscape features.