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Whether you plan to be a DIY landscaper or a professional landscape client, it’s important to recognize that creating and maintaining gorgeous outdoor spaces is no easy feat. In fact, good landscape designers go to college in order to study topics like horticulture, turf management, ecological design, and more. There’s quite a lot of material to cover!

If you’re like most people, you love having a lush, green lawn. However, you might have noticed that your lawn doesn’t always look quite as lush and green as it could. One reason might be that you don’t have the proper irrigation set up. By simply automating your yard system, you can make sure your lawn gets the water that it needs—while you also save money.

A retaining wall can be used for both aesthetic and functional purposes.  The primary reason for a retaining wall is to help keep your yard or garden safe from erosion. Oftentimes erosion happens when land is situated on a slope or a hillside.  The underpinning dirt and soil are susceptible to rain, winds, even burrowing animals. Eventually, the land above begins to collapse.

Last year, the big landscaping trend seemed to revolve around “outdoor living space,” with more people expanding their living environments out into their yards, patios, and gardens. Interior design elements and accessories were repurposed for outdoor use, and a notable uptick in garden parties and backyard dining helped parents enjoy their landscaping as much as the kids.  So what are the five most popular trends in landscape design right now?

It is not always easy to decide which landscaping ideas are best when you have a small yard. Less space means you may not have a wide variety of growing conditions (full sun, partial shade, etc.), which limits your planting options. Your patio may serve double duty: outdoor dining area and kids’ playground. You may even start to think it’s simply not worth investing in a space that can’t grow.

Weeding, watering, mowing, pruning…are you really ready to start the process all over again? Let last year be a lesson to you: heavy-duty landscaping may be better left to the professionals. Consider these five ways a landscape maintenance firm can save you time and money. Then reconsider whether you want to spend another season as a do-it-yourselfer. 

1. High-quality landscaping requires expertise.

As a science, landscaping is easy to underestimate. Most of us learned about photosynthesis in elementary school. Ever since, we think soil, air, water, and sunlight sum up the entire field. In actuality, there are complex factors that define how well our grass grows and whether or not our plantings will thrive. If you think you’re saving money by planting your own trees or building your own patio, you may be disappointed by the costs of the do-over work that will eventually arise.

2. Landscaping can involve backbreaking labor.

Caring for your lawn each year is nothing short of exhausting. And fall cleanup in New England is like a full-time job. While completing labor-intensive chores such as mowing and raking, you may even put your health at risk—especially if you are not accustomed to rigorous activity. Remember: landscaping costs are negligible compared to medical concerns. Your knees, your back, your heart…they’ll all thank you for calling the professionals. 

3. DIY landscaping equipment may be cost-prohibitive.

Don't assume that hiring professionals to do your landscaping will prove to be unaffordable. In fact, landscaping service is often cheaper than DIY efforts that have you heading back to the home improvement store every half hour. Landscaping companies provide quality, heavy-duty equipment. They can dig holes, accomplish aeration, mow acres, and complete many other tasks much, much faster than you can. For the same cost of buying tools that need to be fueled and serviced every year, you can outsource the work…and save space in your garage.

4. Regular maintenance prevents long-run expenses.

Regular maintenance helps to ensure that your outdoor environment is at its best. For example, without regular pruning and tree-care, tree branches become susceptible to the effects of extreme weather. If you ignore your yard, you might wind up losing a major source of shade and greenery, at a replacement cost of thousands of dollars and decades of waiting. This makes the seasonal cost of maintenance services seem more than reasonable.

5. Landscape professionals have better buying power.

When it comes to your yard, you want a look that’s beautiful, timeless, and easy to maintain. The solution? Native New England plants.

Good landscaping involves much more than trimming hedges and cutting grass. If you want to uncover your property’s full potential, get to know the most important landscaping services available. With professional advice, you can create the beautiful yard you’ve always wanted.

Proper irrigation is essential for maintaining lawn and garden health. But many homeowners are confused about irrigation options. If you’re comparing in-ground watering systems, the following tips may help.

First, choosing between drip watering and spray irrigation is a basic decision you will have to make. The choice should depend on factors such as the size of your lawn, the plants you wish to grow, and your budget. While spray irrigation systems are more commonly seen, you should consider the advantages of drip irrigation before making a final decision.

In general, spray irrigation systems are better for covering larger areas. Typically these areas are home to plants that do not have very precise water requirements. Drip irrigation, on the other hand, tends to be more precise in administering particular quantities of water over a given period of time. It can also work better when you need to irrigate a plot of land that is not flat. While drip irrigation systems deliver water directly onto the ground, spray systems disperse water into the air over an expanse of land so that it falls down in the same manner as rainwater. 

Spray irrigation systems can be easier to move around and relocate, and their installation does not typically require as much work as a drip irrigation system. Permanent spray irrigation systems can be installed with buried water lines, and they can regularly deliver large quantities of water to your plants.

One disadvantage of spray irrigation is an increased risk of overwatering plants and bringing about problems caused by excessive moisture, such as the growth of fungi.

One major advantage of drip irrigation systems is their increased efficiency in terms of water usage. Drip irrigation systems lose less water to evaporation and runoff than spray systems. This can be important in very dry areas where drought is a constant possibility. Drip irrigation delivers water slowly and directly, and most drip irrigation systems put you in precise control over how much water your plants are getting.

On the downside, installation of a drip line irrigation system can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and costly. Drip lines often require a water pump, and they need to be maintained at a certain pressure to ensure the water continues to flow through the system. Drip lines can present hazards due to the fact that they require a line to rest about the ground, creating the potential to trip people walking in a yard or obstruct equipment such as mowers and trimmers. 

In order to choose the best possible irrigation system for your yard, do your research before making a decision. Contact our team of expert landscape designers and irrigation professionals. We’re happy to answer any questions you have.

Designing a beautiful landscape for your yard without breaking the bank is possible. There are easy ways to create a lovely, stylish area on the cheap by taking advantage of old treasures and do-it-yourself projects. With a little ingenuity, creativity, and shopping savvy, you can achieve a custom, high-end look in your yard.