Publication date: 04/02/2010

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Start planning now to pretty up the yard

With all the graduation parties and summer barbecues coming up, now is the best time to start planning to refresh your landscaping. Remember that prior planning prevents poor projects, and that is especially true in your yard. If you have been in your home a few years, often your trees, shrubs and bushes can get a little worn and outdated, and you may also want to change the look of the yard to give it better curb appeal.

But too often, people do landscaping projects without any advance planning, and as a result, get into a landscaping quagmire.

Mark J. Baldwin of Baldwin-Gonyer and Associates, (734) 455-1350, www.markjbaldwin.com, explains that now is the best time to formulate a landscaping plan. He also said when planning, size is important.

According to Mark, "When people are planting trees and bushes, they forget that plants grow, and often they buy something that will grow too big for the space they have available in their yard."

Because of the limited space that many urban homes have, Mark also points out that homeowners might want to consider purchasing the ever-expanding number of dwarf trees and bushes available at the local nursery or garden center that look the same as large plants but are much smaller at maturity.

"People really need to look into the future when re-doing their landscaping and consider the growth potential of their plants," Mark said. "For example, if they have overhead wires, they have to make sure that the tree they just planted won't grow into those wires in a few years and cause them bigger problems."

Terry Newman, owner of Superior Scape, (586) 739-9630, www.superiorscape.com, warns that when people first look at their landscaping they often get overwhelmed because there is so much to do.

"That's why I suggest homeowners break their yard into pieces, such as the front yard, backyard and patio and deck area, and then determine which area they want to focus on first and start with that," Terry said.

He also notes that landscaping is a lot like a kitchen, in that it is only meant to last 10 to 15 years before it needs to be "renovated." But unlike your need to "gut" a kitchen to remodel it, Terry doesn't always recommend ripping out every plant and tree in an area.

"Sometimes there are certain trees or bushes that you can leave in an area that act as an accent to the new landscaping. So don't rip everything out before thinking about what you ultimately want the area to look like," Terry warns.

Understanding a plant's growth habit is important and can also help save the homeowner money in the long run. "If someone plants a tree next to the driveway, and the tree grows big enough for the branches to hang over the driveway and scratch your car when you pull into the garage, they may have to remove the tree and spend more money buying something else," Terry said.

As a rule when planting new trees and bushes, you should also look at the light conditions and the amount of maintenance required so you aren't buying plants that won't thrive in an area that receives full sun or will require constant attention that you won't have time to provide.

"Landscaping does need regular maintenance like watering, feeding and trimming, but some plants require less of your time than others."

Both men agreed that now is a great time to plant new trees and shrubs, but that it is not impossible to continue planting into the summer. "As long as people are willing to spend more time watching over the new plant and watering it regularly, even planting in the summer is fine." Terry said.

Having a correct vision of what you want it to look like before you start working on your landscaping will save you time and money and give you a yard to brag about this summer.

Note: This article was accurate at the date of publication. However, information contained in it may have changed. If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.

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