Landscaping your yard in Fredericton is a great way to beautify your outdoor space and increase your home’s curb appeal. However, it’s important to carefully plan your landscaping project to avoid common mistakes that can waste time and money. With so many design and plant options to consider, it’s easy to get overwhelmed or leave important factors out of your planning. In this article, we will discuss several key mistakes people often make when planning their landscaping projects. Following some basic guidelines and learning from typical pitfalls can help ensure your hard work results in an attractive, functional landscapethat meets your needs and budget.
Table of Contents
Underestimating the Scope of Work
When planning a landscaping project, it is common for Fredericton homeowners to underestimate the scope of work involved. They may not fully understand how much labour and time is required to complete all the necessary tasks from start to finish.
For example, building a new patio can seem like a simple project but there is a lot that goes into it beyond just laying pavers. The area needs to be cleared, levelled, and compacted first. A base made of sand and gravel also needs to be installed for support and drainage. Edging is required to contain the materials. Only then can the actual pavers be installed.
Additional skills like concrete work may be needed as well. Underestimating the full scope often results in projects taking much longer than anticipated or budgeted for. It is important to get guidance from landscaping professionals on realistic timelines and budgets based on the full scope of work needed.
Ignoring Soil Conditions
Soil conditions are a key factor that is commonly overlooked when planning a landscaping project. The existing soil needs to support any new plants, hardscaping features, or structures being added. If the soil has poor drainage, is heavily compacted, or lacks necessary nutrients, improvements may be required. For example, clay soil that remains wet is not suitable for a new lawn or garden bed as plants will not thrive. Amendments like compost or sand may need mixing in to improve drainage and aeration. In some cases, the soil may even need to be completely removed and replaced. Ignoring underlying soil issues can lead to failed installations if the soil cannot properly support new features. It is important to have the soil tested to understand its capabilities and limitations.
Choosing the Wrong Plants
Selecting the wrong plants is a mistake made by many inexperienced landscapers. Just because a plant looks nice in the nursery does not necessarily mean it is suitable for Fredericton and conditions in a particular yard. Factors like climate zone, sunlight levels, soil type, space limitations, and more need consideration when choosing what will grow best. Plants need to be suited to the average low and high temperatures as well as water requirements where they will be planted. Those picked should also be an appropriate size and shape for the intended space so they do not overwhelm the landscape or need constant pruning. Failure to properly research plant needs often results in expensive replacements when selections die off or get too large. Consulting plant hardiness zone guides and nursery staff can help avoid choosing plants that will not thrive.
Neglecting Drainage
Proper drainage is critical for a healthy, long-lasting landscape but is frequently overlooked in the planning stages. Standing water can waterlog soil and plant roots, causing damage. It also creates muddy, messy conditions. Areas that see a lot of foot traffic like paths or patios need drainage to prevent water from pooling. Simply sloping the yard away from the home’s foundation with a 1-2% grade is usually sufficient but low-lying spots may require additional solutions like subsurface drain tiles. Downspouts also need extending with buried perforated pipe to move roof runoff away. Neglecting drainage leads to issues like erosion, saturated soil that inhibits air and water flow to roots, and mushrooms or mosquitos breeding in puddles. Drainage should be incorporated into the overall landscape design from the beginning.
Overlooking Maintenance Requirements
Many landscaping projects are started with enthusiasm but maintenance is a long-term commitment that is easy to underestimate. The new lawn needs regular mowing, edging, aerating, and watering to stay healthy. Beds require weeding, pruning, deadheading spent blooms, and seasonal cleanups of fallen leaves and debris.
Hardscaping like patios get dirty and need pressure washing. Irrigation systems may need winterization and spring startups. Trees and shrubs are pruned for shape and size. Pests and diseases must be monitored and treated if spotted. Failure to plan for ongoing maintenance results in unkempt landscapes that quickly become overgrown and messy. Setting realistic expectations for future upkeep is important to avoiding an abandoned project down the road.
Failing to Consider Privacy
Privacy is an important design element that is commonly disregarded in landscaping plans. Whether screening a backyard from neighbors, blocking views into the house from the street, or creating a secluded seating area, privacy needs should be addressed. Strategically placed fences, walls, trellises, arbors or dense, tall plantings can provide visual boundaries as needed. This could include fast growing hedges for immediate effect or smaller trees and shrubs that will mature to fill out. Overlooking privacy results in a landscape that does not serve the homeowner’s needs. In some cases, privacy structures may also be required to comply with local zoning ordinances regarding sight lines at intersections or between properties. Proper planning ensures new plantings and structures thoughtfully address both function and aesthetics.
Forgetting about Safety
When the focus is on beautification, safety can easily slip through the cracks when designing and implementing a landscape. However, certain precautions need to be incorporated to protect families, and property, and avoid liability issues. Plantings should not block visibility for drivers exiting the driveway. Shrubs and trees need regularly pruned so branches do not hang low over walkways. Slip-resistant surfaces like textured pavers reduce fall risks.
Outdoor lighting illuminates’ paths and entrances at night. Fences have self-closing and self-latching gates. Poisonous plants are avoided or marked clearly if kept. Built structures and hardscaping meet relevant building codes. Assessing potential safety hazards in advance prevents injuries or hazards down the road as the landscape matures. Assuring a safe, functional landscape is worth addressing proactively.
Not Planning for Seasonal Changes
Seasonal changes seem obvious but their impact on landscaping often goes unconsidered in the initial plan. Plant selections and design elements should suit the landscape needs year-round. For example, deciduous trees that provide valuable summer shade may leave areas exposed and windswept in winter. Annuals that bloom in spring and summer eventually die off, leaving gaps that need filling. Evergreen screening may be necessary to block cold winds or prying eyes in colder months.
Landscape lighting, patio heaters or a fire pit can boost the use of outdoor spaces even on chilly nights. Consistently factoring seasonal conditions into the design ensures functionality and aesthetics are balanced no matter the time of year. By accounting for how the landscape appears and performs across seasons, it remains attractive and user-friendly for more of the year.
Overspending on Landscaping
It is easy to get carried away with landscaping dreams and end up spending far beyond the project budget. Large, established trees and custom-built structures tend to be the biggest budget busters. However, there are often more affordable alternatives that can still create an attractive result. For example, bare root or smaller container plantings may cost less up front compared to specimens in large pots but grow to the same finished size with time. DIYing some elements like walls, sheds or water features saves contractor fees. Choosing do-it-yourself lawn installation methods rather than hiring for sod reduces costs.
Prioritizing budget needs from the beginning and obtaining firm cost estimates from contractors helps curb overspending tendencies. Focusing on longer term phased installations versus trying to tackle everything in one year also prevents breaking the bank all at once on landscaping. Proper planning keeps projects financially feasible.
Not Hiring a Professional
While it may seem cost-effective to do landscaping work independently, hiring a professional for some tasks is often worth the investment, especially for larger or more complex projects. Professional landscapers have extensive training in design, plant selection, hardscaping techniques, procurement, project management, and safety compliance. They also own heavy machinery required for big excavation or grading jobs.
Attempting specialized skills like retaining wall construction, irrigation system installation, or felling trees risks liability and safety issues for untrained DIYers. Landscapers stand behind their work with warranty coverage as well. Professional consultation adds value through maximizing curb appeal, factoring low maintenance needs, ensuring code compliance, addressing drainage and structural integrity properly. DIY projects sometimes require rework by professionals to fix issues later. Hiring help strategically leverages expertise and minimizes risks of a botched landscape installation.
Summary
The most important things to avoid when planning a landscaping project are: underestimating the full scope of work, ignoring soil conditions, choosing plants that won’t thrive, neglecting drainage, overlooking long-term maintenance needs, failing to address privacy, forgetting safety precautions, not planning for seasonal changes, overspending the budget, attempting too much as a DIY project, neglecting to communicate with neighbors, and ignoring local regulations. Proper planning that accounts for all these factors sets a project up for success right from the start.
