Landscaping your new home can be a satisfying end to your building experience. Not only does effective landscape design add curb appeal and value to your home, it can increase the number of functional areas on your property. With just a bit of planning and know-how, you can create the perfect outdoor oasis and add a bit more personality to your home.
Here are five aspects to consider when landscaping your outdoor areas.
Make room for functional features
Kick off the landscaping process by thinking about the practical outdoor features best suited to your family’s needs, such as a vegetable garden, hanging herb garden and fruit trees.
If you have limited space, use pots and rectangular containers to grow basics such as herbs, tomatoes, spring onions and lemons. Think about what you cook with regularly, and use your limited space to focus on growing these edibles. For added convenience, place any pots close to your back door so it only takes a few steps to grab the fresh produce you need while cooking in the kitchen.
If you have more space to play with, consider creating a raised vegetable garden so you can plant a wide range of seasonal vegetables. You can even plant fruit trees that suits your area’s specific climate.
Keen gardeners may want to invest in a garden shed so all tools and equipment are stored away safely; make sure this is considered as part of your overall landscape design.
Decide on your entertainment areas
A key factor in any outdoor area is your entertainment space, so think about the features you’re most likely to enjoy. A deck in the backyard allows for a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, and creates another great space to relax with the family or host friends.
Avid entertainers may want to customise their outdoor area with features such as built-in barbecues, fire pits, sunken outdoor seating, high top bar leaners and petanque courses - all depending on the space you have to work with. Also, outdoor kitchens are no longer reserved for professional chefs; if you love to cook for friends and family this is another great entertainment element to include.
Add relaxation hotspots
Just as your home is a haven that promotes relaxation, your outdoor area can provide the same calm spaces to unwind in. Depending on your family’s interests and needs, you may want to invest in relaxation features such as a spa pool and/or swimming pool. Even with limited space you can create special ‘solo’ or couple areas – for example, you could include a small bamboo-enclosed zen garden with a cement seat. A nook that catches the morning sun is a great place to set up a metal garden table and chairs as an outdoor breakfast area.
The simple addition of a wooden bench or hammock in a quiet corner of your yard can give you the perfect spot to read a book. Don’t worry about privacy, that’s easily achieved by using a trellis, pergola, living wall or carefully placed trees as a screen.
For families, keep it child friendly
If you have children, you may want to start by planning your landscape design with them in mind. Play features such as a jungle gym, sandbox, miniature house, climbing wall or a trampoline are great ways for them to expend their energy and have fun at home.
It’s important to take into account any health, safety or maintenance when it comes to your children’s play area. For example, if any of your children suffer from grass allergies, you may want to install artificial lawn or hardy turf material instead of grass. Besides being hardwearing, it will lower the amount of outdoor maintenance you need to tackle. When choosing plants, be sure to pick ones that aren’t harmful to children. If you have smaller children, it may be best to keep clear of planting any thorny bushes.
In the same vein, ponds, pools, water features and fire pits pose a safety threat to children. If you decide to install these elements, be sure to put measures in place to keep them safe and you will need to comply with council safety regulations if installing a pool.
Pull through aesthetic themes
One of the benefits of being involved in your landscape design is that you can add as much personality as you do to your home. If your home features a specific style or colour, you can thread this through to your outdoor spaces for continuous flow. For example, if red is an accent shade used throughout your home, use oversized plant holders or garden features such as sculptures and ornaments in a similar shade.
Interesting types of plants and unique garden accessories are a great way to draw attention to certain areas of your exterior. For example, if your interior is filled with French-inspired furniture, consider plantings neat rows of lavender and rose bushes near your front door, and create a pathway using a clipped shrub and stone paving. Not only will these elements add to your interior theme and stand out as outdoor focal points, it will fill your home with a relaxing scent and add to the French ambience.
Generation Homes is a National top 10 residential building company that offers customers a fixed price and on time delivery guarantee. This means customers receive a fully completed product, with no hidden extras, that includes basic landscaping and garden, a letterbox, fencing and clothes line. We can help you customise your home to include outdoor additions as entertaining areas, outdoor kitchen or barbeque areas, as well as other features.