Few things make as big of a difference on your home’s exterior as your landscaping. Whether it’s your front or back yard, your landscape design helps improve your home’s curb appeal, makes your home a more enjoyable place to be, and is a great opportunity to get creative. In need of some landscape design inspiration? Here are a few ways to give your landscape a new look this spring.
Ornamental Grasses
Whether they’re used in small amounts, such as in planters placed throughout your yard, or grouped together in large bunches, ornamental grasses can make a very dramatic impact on your landscape design. Ornamental grasses tend to be pretty low maintenance and there’s a multitude of ways you can use it around the yard. Some types of taller grasses, like reed or switch grass, can be planted together to help add privacy to your yard. Many people like using ornamental grasses to define borders of walkways or flowerbeds. They can be planted in flowerbeds to add dimension or serve as an accent. Or you could try planting some in individual pots to arrange on your deck or patio. Let your imagination run wild!
Water Features
Whether it’s something small and simple like an urn or something bigger like a water wall, water features have become one of the most popular landscaping features over the past few years. Not only do they add visual interest to your yard, the sound of the water can also be very relaxing to listen to. Since they use recirculated water, water features aren’t as high maintenance as swimming pools are. And since they come in so many different styles, it’s easy to find an option that works for your yard and your budget. Take a look at this guide to water features by Houzz to get some inspiration.
Lighting
Help your landscaping stand out after the sun has gone down by adding exterior lighting. Lampposts and wall-mounted lights are excellent choices, but smaller lights can be placed in flowerbeds to bring attention to your plants and flowers or to line walkways. In addition to helping bring attention to your yard, they help you and your visitors stay safe by preventing trips and falls.
Planters
If you don’t have much room to plant flowers and other plants, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options for landscaping. Large planters full of flowers or plants look great when placed on decks and patios. They also look great when placed amongst things that have been planted in the ground. While there are many different styles of pots and other planters which can be found at garden supply stores, you can also think outside the box by using things like old wooden pallets to make a planter, or find a unique vintage planter at a flea market.
Native Plants
Trying to plan which types of plants and flowers you want to have in your yard? Consider using plants that are native to your area. Not only do native plants look great, they require less time, effort, and money to care for than non-native plants. According to one study cited by HouseLogic, it costs $3,000 to maintain one acre of native plants for 20 years but $20,000 to maintain an acre of non-native plants for the same amount of time.
