7 Landscaping Errors to Avoid

If you love gardening, you probably love living in South Florida.

Our climate allows for year-round growing of many tropical plants and exotic flowers. Beautiful properties don’t just happen, however. If you are looking to landscape your lawn and garden in such a way as to gain the admiration of the neighbors, you may wish to avoid a few simple landscaping errors which many homeowners make.

Avoid these Landscaping Errors

1. Ignoring the Lawn: While it may be more fun and glamorous to shop for orchids and bromeliads, the largest part of your property is covered by grass. If your lawn has brown patches, is infested with insects, or is plagued by fungus it takes away from your curn appeal in a major way. Be sure that your lawn and sod are healthy, and you are well on your way to great landscaping.
2. Buying Cheap Mulch: We love mulch for its ability to minimize weed growth and keep your roots from drying out. However, many mulches seem to fade far too quickly, and can wash away with rain and irrigation. Choose a hearty mulch or gravel with a long lasting color, and ask a landscape supply company if there are any concerns with your variety of mulch and the plants you have chosen.
3. Losing Control of Groundcover: Many groundcovers are beautiful when they begin, but as they mature and their growing field expands, they can get out of control. As a matter of fact, a fast-growing groundcover can often begin to look and act more like a weed than a plant. When looking for the right groundcover for your property, do some research and understand how much maintenance will be required to keep it within its boundaries.
4. Planting Too Close Together: Planting flower, bushes and trees in beds requires design in order to guarantee the right aesthetic as they grow. This means that you will need to understand the mature size of each of your plantings, and leave enough space between them – both for the overall design, and to keep the roots from battling for territory and nutrients.
5. Crowding Your Home: Planting flowers, bushes, trees too close to your home’s foundation can cause multiple problems. With larger trees, the roots can become an issue. Hedges and bushes can crowd walls, ruin paint, cause mold and block windows. Keep a perimeter away from your home in order to protect the house and give plants room to breathe. Try dwarf trees and columnal bushes to avoid blocking windows as they grow.
6. Not Understanding Pruning: Many small trees and bushes, such as hibiscus or roses, require pruning in order to coax the best growth and floral performance from the plant. However, if you prune too much, too little, or at the wrong time of year, you can do more harm than good. Doing a bit of research as to how to best prune your plants will go a long way to cultivating a beautiful landscape.
7. Overestimating Your Commitment: Designing a complex and intricate landscape may seem fun at the outset – but as time goes on, if your yard and property require a large amount of specialized care, you may grow tired of the constant maintenance. Unless you are a tried and true lover of gardening, you may wish to stick to low maintenance plants, trees and shrubs which are beautiful, but easy to own.

Are you ready to get started? Head to the online shop of Big Earth Landscape Supply. From mulch to outdoor furniture, we are here to help you to make your yard spectacular.