Beautiful Landscaping Ideas Are Spring-ing to Mind

To paraphrase a modern holiday classic, "we don't care what the groundhog said; springtime prep is here." For homeowners,landscapers, and nature lovers, spring is an exciting season full of possibilities for the natural world and your semi-natural property. So don't waste the opportunity! While the options for your Indiana yardare nearly endless, Divine is brainstorming just a few ideas of what you can do today. Landscapingis part work, part creativity, part knowledge, with a hefty maintenance follow-up, and Divine is here for all of it. Let's get creative!

What Makes Landscaping Interesting and Compelling?

In general, landscape design and nearly any aesthetic design are based on contrast. Your flowers are beautiful, but they look even better next to something that contrasts their look. For another example, stone gardens work because the stones are in different shapes and colors- not uniform. So when landscaping, use contrast in color, texture, shape, and size.

Color Variation

Your green lawn is the foundation of your yard. It makes up the majority of it. So you can think of it as the green canvas on which you add splashes of light or dark color. Within that green, you might have a garden bed. A good rule of thumb with your garden colors is to pick ones that are contrasting and complementary. For example, two light blues of a similar hue might not create work together if they are too similar because the difference might not stand out. But with enough difference, they might work very well. Similarly, white goes with everything and creates the contrast you need.

Texture Variation

When we discuss textures in landscaping, we don't necessarily mean how plants and other garden elements feel literally to the touch. It's more about the perception of that feeling. Rough mulch with smooth flowers or smooth-barked trees next to rough ones is good examples of textural variation. But different shapes can give a textural feeling too.

Shapes and Height in Your Garden

Flowers and trees come in all shapes and sizes. Putting a tall, elegant rose or tulip next to some lying ground cover creates a compelling visual contrast! Likewise, shrubs do an excellent job filling the medium space between the flowers on the ground and the taller trees.

Remember to Consider Your Seasons!

We're entering the spring when many flowers, trees, and shrubs will be blossoming. But remember that some of your landscaping (namely your perennial installations) will last all year when designing your yard; how it will look later matters. If you like little trees, remember not to buy a tree based on its current height but the height it will one day reach. If you love vivid annuals and the vibrant colors and shapes they bring to your yard, don't forget that they don't last beyond a season, and intersperse them with perennials that will keep your yard compelling into the fall and may winter.

Living and Non-Living

It's worth noting that not everything that makes your yard beautiful is alive. Stones are an element that requires very little maintenance but adds height, color, and texture to your gardens! Boulders fill the medium-height space similarly to shrubs. Likewise, mulching your gardens is not only essential for the many benefits it provides your plants, but it also creates the visual contrast you need for your flowers. Dark mulch looks amazing with light-colored flowers. During colder parts of the year, mulch may be the only color in your garden, and you can layer your mulch varieties to still have contrast.

Hey, You Do You!

Here's the most critical landscaping advice we could ever give you: do what makes you happy! We give suggestions. You make decisions. Conventional wisdom isn't suitable for everyone. For example, you might have a particular plant or color you love with which you'd like to fill your yard. That's your right! Divine wants to help you create the landscape that makes you happy and then help you care for it.

Maintenance Matters Too

Whatever you do for your landscape will need maintenance. Plants are alive and need care. So before you plant any landscape installation, think about the upkeep required for the plants later. Of course, with Divine's help, you won't have to do it alone, but knowing what you're getting into is always a best practice.

Ready to Landscape?

The weather is changing, and your yard is changing with it. We are ready to add all the installations to make your yard beautiful. Even if it's not time to plant a particular plant yet, it's never too early to plan, so give Divine a call!