Purchasing a brand new home is always exciting. However, when you first move in your property likely still looks like a building site. Once you are settled in it is time to tackle your landscaping. Here we explain how to landscape from scratch to create curb appeal and idyllic outdoor living space.
Start with Curb Appeal
Landscaping a new home from scratch includes both your front and back yards. Since your front yard is exposed for all to see, creating some curb appeal makes sense. You don’t have to get too carried away when creating curb appeal for your new home landscaping. You can start small by installing hardscaping and a lawn. Hardscaping includes:
- Your front porch and steps
- Pathways to the home and garage
- Your driveway/parking area
In hand with your lawn, you’re well on your way to creating curb appeal. You can then plan out what plants you’d like to include such as flowers, bushes, and even a tree or two.
Continue Hardscaping in the Backyard
Once your front is presentable, you can continue your hardscaping plan in the backyard. This might also include work needed along the sides of your house. Common hardscaping to create outdoor spaces includes:
- Decks or patios
- Fencing
- Retaining walls
- Paths and steps
- Firepit
- Cooking area
Keep in mind many of these projects require construction and some engineering finesse, especially for building retaining walls. That’s why getting all the hardscaping done first is important as the construction will damage your new turf and plants.
Check Your Soil
When the hardscaping is installed, you’ll need to deal with your soil. Between your hardscaping project and the construction of your home, the soil quality on your property won’t be very hospitable. Right now your soil is hard-packed and needs to be loosened with some organic matter. This is necessary to help your plants thrive.
Plan Your Garden Beds
With healthy soil in place, you can now plan where you want to plant your garden beds. An easy trick is to use your garden hose to outline different configurations. Once you are happy with the design, you can use spray paint to draw out your beds.
Complete Your New Home Landscape Design
Once you complete your backyard landscape design, you can finally plan your planting. This becomes more scientific as different plants have different needs. Track how and where the light falls in your backyard throughout the day so you understand what type of light tolerance plants will require for each of your flower beds. Your local garden center can then help you choose the right plants for each area of your backyard.
Add the Finishing Touches
Once all the heavy work is done, you can look for the finishing touches that complete the look of your landscaping scheme. This can include something large like a pagoda or arbour, or smaller-scale details like benches, urns and planters, a water feature, etc. With your final touches in place, your new home landscaping is complete.
If you are ready to start your new home landscaping design from scratch, speak to our experts today and they can recommend the best products.