When designing a garden, there are certain factors you should take into consideration. Often we tend to overlook those crucial aspects, leading to undesired outcomes. Here are common mistakes one can avoid for better results.
Wrong plant selection and inadequate paving
First of all, the plants or flowers that you are going to have in your garden should comply with the regional climate. Or, if a certain plant is not in concordance with the climatic condition, you can have the genetically modified stem of the same plant and get it planted in your garden. Also, paving should be constructed in such a way that you get easy access to all the plants without having to step on the grass. Proper passage for irrigational water should be provided to avoid annoying situations, like waterlogging.
You might be tempted to include wild plants in your garden. Wildflowers are great in the wild, but not so much in your garden. A typical example is the California Poppy, if planted in a garden with fertile soil, grows very tall and tends to flop all over. It can be a laborious task to get rid of.
Cutting grass
Cutting the grass too short than its mowing height can damage the lawn. Generally, mowing removes the portion of grass which is responsible for the food production. But if you cut too much part of a leaf, it affects the root growth and draws the energy stored in the roots, which weakens the grass. Also, mowing too short exposes the grass tissues and creates a brown appearance on the grass.
Overlooking scale and proportion
Every professional landscaper knows that one should use different plant lists for a small private garden as for a large public park. Always visualize the dimensions of the area you are about to landscape. Plants’ irregular growth and adjacent construction damages lead to creating an unsafe area rather than a peaceful and safe landscape. How to honor the importance of scale?. Think about how the planting design will change and grow over time, right from the beginning of the design process.
Bad pruning habits
Pruning usually helps. However, if not done correctly, it can harm the plant; too little is better than too much. A general rule is to take off no more than a third of the whole plant. You can prune for aesthetics, like trimming a hedge or making a plant look less unruly. You can also prune for health – by cutting a plant (especially a bush or shrub) back when you plant it, it promotes healthy root growth, essential for the plant in the summer or winter. Pruning blossoms a flowering plant, encouraging root growth, and allowing the plant to channel its energy in flowering rather than producing fruit. Deadheading flowers like daisies is also a form of pruning and encourages the plant to flower more.
Overwatering
It is essential to water plants reasonably either in the morning or at night. Overwatering severely limits the supply of oxygen to the roots leading to their decay.
Now that you are familiar with those common landscaping mistakes, you should be able to achieve the outdoor garden space you always dreamed of.
