Creating Outdoor Spaces

Everyone knows that attractive plantings at the front of a home are key to that all-important curb appeal. But truly good landscaping means so much more than a few azaleas and a green lawn. It’s about creating outdoor spaces that integrate a whole array of elements into a cohesive whole that is at once, beautiful, functional, a personal statement of style and sustainable.

Consider the impact that a well-crafted landscape lends to the overall character of a home — not only its first impression, but also its livability. The landscape provides the calling card for your home. It influences the ambience of virtually every room in your house through window-framed vistas. It extends living spaces far beyond the boundaries of walls and roof to spaces for dining, entertaining, playing or just quiet relaxation. And it plays a significant role in the value of your home.

Well-designed and maintained landscaping can add 20% to the resale value of your home, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). And when it comes to bang for your buck, landscaping tops the home improvements charts for return on investment, averaging a whopping 100–200%. But while resale value might help guide you in setting your landscape budget, remember to take into account the intrinsic value of these improvements as well. How much are years of enjoyment and pleasure worth to you?

Creating the kind of landscape that perfectly suits your home, your lifestyle and your budget can seem a daunting task. With everything there is to consider — topography, climate, exposure, soil conditions, style and function, along with the abundance of options now available in materials and amenities — it’s hard to know where to start. We talked to some area experts about a few basic strategies for any homeowner, whatever their budget, to achieving the overall effect.

The Big Picture

The single most important element in your dream landscape is not in the ground. It’s on paper. While it may be tempting to dig right in, in order for your landscape to truly work, in form and function, the big picture must first be sketched, and then the components fit into that framework.

“It’s just so important to analyze the project as a whole, rather than just looking separately at individual pieces” says Curt Renz of Landscape Design Solutions. “Lack of good planning is probably the biggest mistake I see.”

Here is where even the most devoted do-it-yourselfer can truly benefit from the services of a professional. A good landscape designer has a wealth of knowledge — about topography and drainage; about the ins and outs of designing an effective irrigation system; about plant species and their specific features as well as exposure, soil and upkeep requirements; and about the many choices homeowners have today in hardscapes, from paths and terraces to full-blown kitchens and elaborate water features. An experienced landscape designer will also have the experience and expertise to advise you about maintenance after the installation of all your landscape elements.

“I start with a visit to the property,” says landscape consultant and buyer with Atlantic Avenue Orchid & Garden Center, Laura Weinberg. “It’s essential to build any landscape plan around the individual characteristics of the site. What is the topography? What are the drainage issues? What is the sun exposure? What are the assets? What are potential problems?”

The location of windows, the positioning of structures in relation to neighbors and the street, existing shrubs or trees that the homeowner wants to retain and the style of the house will all influence the overall landscape plan.

Weinberg asks homeowners lots of questions about their goals for their outdoor spaces. How will they use them? What are their priorities? “It really doesn’t matter what I like,” says Weinberg. “What’s most important is that the homeowner is happy with what they see when they look out their windows.”

The Backbone of the Landscape

Hardscapes — the fences and walls, patios and walkways, gazebos, fire pits, arbors, outdoor kitchens and the water gardens — are the workhorses of the landscape plan. They convey traffic across the property, level sloping lots, define outdoor rooms, provide focal points and hide whatever it is that mars the pretty picture you are trying to create.

“Always start your landscaping with the hardscapes!” advises Kim Boyle, owner of Proscapes of North Carolina. “Construction of hardscape elements will likely require a lot of earth moving and heavy equipment that could be devastating to lawns and plants.”

Boyle also counsels homeowners to incorporate hardscapes that are in keeping with the style and character of their home. “Continuity is essential,” she says. “You want all of the elements of your landscaping to belong — to look as though they’ve always been there.”

When in comes to the major hardscape features of your landscape, the services of a landscape professional might be a good idea. “Few homeowners have the technical skills or heavy equipment to build the kind of hardscapes that will stand the test of time,” says Boyle. A concrete paver terrace, for example, requires significant excavation, laying of a gravel base, leveling and tamping with a heavy-duty plate tamper. Only adequate preparation will provide a terrace that doesn’t buckle and warp over time.

Softening the View

Once your hardscapes are defined, it’s time to fit all of the other elements of the landscape into place. And like the built features of your outdoor environs, plantings should be in keeping with the style of the home itself. Consider your goals for shade, color and screening. And understand the maintenance requirements of your chosen plants. “It won’t matter how much you spend,” says Weinberg, “if your garden isn’t healthy, it won’t look good.”

A sound irrigation plan is vital to the health of your plantings — providing adequate water as well as preventing overly wet conditions and erosion. “You have to have a plan,” says Boyle. “How will you capture water? How will you tell it where to go?”

And when it comes to actually placing those carefully chosen shrubs and flowers in the ground, adequate preparation and careful planting, along with a season of TLC, will translate into more vigorous, lower maintenance plantings in the long run. And here is where landscape professionals encourage do-it-yourselfers to get out and get dirty!

Whether you choose to hire a pro just for your landscape plan, or for everything else, from installation to ongoing maintenance, it’s important to find the right fit for your job. A reputable landscape designer or contractor can provide you with a list of past clients, to speak to and to view examples of their work.

More and more, outdoor spaces are becoming important to the value of any home — for both beauty and livability.  A well-thought-out plan and the help of experts are key to creating the landscape of your dreams.

Paul Kerr is a freelance writer

Factoids

• Plan. When designing your landscape, don't just look outside; step inside the house and plan vignettes and vistas that can be enjoyed from key positions there too.
• Hardscapes. Hardscapes come first in the landscape installation schedule. Their construction is most disruptive to the property, and they form the backbone of the overall scheme.
• Soil Testing. The Agronomic Division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducts soil tests free of charge for all state residents. Visit www.ncagr.com for forms and information.
• Plants. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service publishes a list of plants that are resistant to deer. Shrubs that deer avoid include beautybush, viburnum, butterfly bush and Japanese barberry.
• Irrigation. Arranging your plantings into "watering zones" - areas of high, medium and low water requirements - and designing your irrigation system to accommodate can add up to significant water conservation.
• Staging. If budget or time constraints require staging of your landscape plan over time, try to focus on and finish one area at a time.
• Hiring a Pro. Ask a potential contractor about warranties and insurance. And it's a good idea to verify insurance coverage; ask for documentation.