Heres Your FREE e-Book on Increasing the Value of your Home By At Least $50,000

Creative Home Landscape Plans

A Step-By-Step Guide to Making Your Surroundings Unique, Conserve Energy, and, Increase Your Homes Resale Value

Roxanne Kim-Perez
http://www.forget-me-notlandscapedesign.com/

Introduction
What Is Landscaping All About?
A Landscape is simply an outdoor environment; it can be designed by nature or by people. In simple words, its to improve the appearance of your home or property by planting trees, shrubs, or grass, or altering the contours of the ground and much more to beautify the appearance. Landscaping is a creative art of living sculpture, works of art that change with the seasons and grows with the years. It aims at purposefully changing the natural features that exist out-of-doors, with the intention of making the environment more beautiful and functional. By adding a deck, patio, walkway or garden, you are increasing the useable space and "personal value" of your home. Exterior improvements ought to tie in to your interior in such a way that it's a seamless transition from inside to outside and vice versa.

The ROI on Your Landscaping

Landscaping not only enhances the beauty and appearance of your home but it also increases the monetary value. Spending little money on landscaping can increase the value of your home by 15% to 20%. It can earn you back 150% or more on your landscape budget. It is one of the most cost-effective tools for improving and maintaining the quality of life, whether in the city, the suburbs, or the country. Roxanne Kim-Perez is a professional Landscape Designer based in San Diego. Her creative yet practical design style has helped many clients live their dream in and around their home with comfort and style and at the same time improve the value of their home. Contact Roxanne Kim-Perez for all your landscape design needs.

Table of Contents
Heres Your FREE e-Book on Increasing the Value of your Home By At Least $50,000.......................................... 1 A Step-By-Step Guide to Making Your Surroundings Unique, Conserve Energy, and, Increase Your Homes Resale Value ... 1 Roxanne Kim-Perez .................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................. 2
What Is Landscaping All About? ..................................... 2 The ROI on Your Landscaping........................................ 2

Table of Contents ...................................................... 3 Chapter 1 - Keys to Good Landscaping ............................. 6

Where to Begin? ........................................................ 6 Important Steps When Planning a Landscape..................... 7 Step 1 Understanding your Needs and Wants ................ 7 Step 2 Understanding the Floor Plan .......................... 7 Step 3 Understanding the Scope of Your Budget ............ 7 Landscape Overview .................................................. 8 Knowing What You Have .......................................... 8 Knowing your Neighborhood Style ............................... 8

Chapter 2 - Landscape Style ....................................... 10

Landscape Style and You ........................................... 10 Understanding Design ............................................... 11

Chapter 3 - Landscape Design Elements ......................... 12

The Design Process .................................................. 12 Garden Survey ..................................................... 12 Survey Evaluation ................................................. 12 3

Design Synthesis ................................................... 13 The Four Elements of Design ...................................... 13 Color ................................................................ 13 Texture ............................................................. 13 Line ................................................................. 13 Form ................................................................ 14 Basic Design Principles .............................................. 14

Chapter 4 - Growing In Style ....................................... 16

Three Different Styles of Garden ................................. 16 Formal Style Garden .............................................. 16 Informal Style Garden ............................................ 16

Chapter 5 - Living and Non-Living Landscape Material ....... 18

Selecting Right Plants for Your Garden .......................... 18 Landscape Floors..................................................... 19 Lawns ............................................................... 19 Ground Covers ..................................................... 19 Stones ............................................................... 20 Wood ................................................................ 20 Bricks ............................................................... 20 Concrete............................................................ 20 Landscape Ceiling .................................................... 20 Trees ................................................................ 21 Fiberglass and Plastic ............................................ 21 How Much Time Will You Devote to Maintenance? ............ 21

Chapter 6 Conserving Water ..................................... 22

Xeriscape or Water Wise Gardening .............................. 22 Seven Useful Water Conservation Tips .......................... 22 4

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Select Native Plants for Native Climate ................ 22 Limit Lawn Size ............................................ 22 Rethink Irrigation/Sprinklers............................. 22 Consistent Mulching ....................................... 23 Efficient Landscape Design Layout ...................... 23 Soil Management........................................... 23 Stay on Top of Weeds ..................................... 23

Chapter 7 - Make Your Surrounding Unique and Increase Your Home Value ..................................................... 24
Elements That Increase and Improve Home Values ........... 24

Chapter 8 Landscape Improvement Checklist ................ 26

Ways to Enhance Your Landscape: ............................... 26 Plan for Practicality ................................................. 26

Chapter 9 10 Tips for Reducing Landscape Maintenance ... 27 Chapter 10 Nine Critical Things to Look for in a Professional Landscape Designer .................................. 28

Chapter 1 - Keys to Good Landscaping

Every homeowner dreams and wishes to have a landscape that brings them joy and beauty to their home as well as to serve their landscaping needs. A good landscape has provides all these features. A successful landscape is the result of the sensitive balancing of many elements. Before creating landscape work you must be sure of what you want and what you need so that when the landscape is ready it can be according to your requirements. Thoughtful planning can yield a practical and an enjoyable outdoor living space where you can be very close to nature, relax, forget all your worries and play with your kids.

Where to Begin?
One of the major concerns while doing landscaping is deciding the starting point. Its a big hurdle to decide where to begin. The key to a good landscape is to divide the entire task into sections and then starting with one section at a time. This will make your work easier and give confidence. The vital thing to a successful landscape is design, distinguished from mere fancy decoration. Having a good design will give you what you want and will be functional whereas to decorate is to put things into the environment without a purpose in mind. For example, if you dont have kids its not worth putting a slide or swing in your lawn; instead, you can put a beautiful patio. A well designed landscape is one that has been properly thought through from start to finish.

Important Steps When Planning a Landscape

Step 1 Understanding your Needs and Wants Successful landscape planning involves some important considerations. Landscape is similar to your home. In your home you pay special attention about the flooring, the walls and the ceiling. In the same way treat your ground as your floor, your ceiling will be your sky and your house boundaries are your walls. A good landscaping depends on how well you understand your needs and your wants. Step 2 Understanding the Floor Plan Next step is to study the floor plan. Consider the location of your entrance door and then your window locations and then figuring out adequate spacing in your front yard or back yard, primary living areas of your house to establish a relationship between living and service areas in the house and similar areas out of doors in your garden. Step 3 Understanding the Scope of Your Budget Lastly, final landscape plan will depend upon how much money you want to spend on the entire landscaping project. Keeping in mind whether you have kids or not, location of your home, your family's interests and activities they like, amount of time you will be giving to maintain your landscape, and what type of neighborhood you have. Once all of the above steps are considered and put in writing then a successful landscape plan can be developed and implemented to get the desired results.

Landscape Overview
Some of the basic concepts of landscaping should be considered before developing a landscape plan. A proper understanding of these principles will help to develop a functional Landscape. Knowing What You Have A good Landscaping plan can fail if its not meant for your home. It may fail to take advantage of the unique qualities of your home and its surroundings. Avoid using generic cookie cutter plan that serves many locations or places. One must be aware about the climate, soil condition, location, etc. to get a good Landscape. Try to take advantage of what you have. If you live in a condominium and have very little space for landscaping, consider this as your positive point and try to get best out of it. In a condominium, you cant plant huge big trees; instead, you may want to grow small plants or might want to create a beautiful container garden. A container garden is a simple concept of growing plants in pots or urns in addition to other objects, offering you a variety of enjoyable and creative ways to maintain and experiment with your garden. Most outdoor environment falls somewhere in between the two extremes. Its very hard to find a house with perfection. Sometimes you have problem of limited space or too big space. Whatever case may be you can always create a beautiful landscape with what you have. Knowing your Neighborhood Style Before designing your landscape plan make sure to take into account the landscaping styles adopted in your neighborhood. The flowers you grow, the trees you plant will be seen from afar as they grow. What you do within your yard boundaries makes an impression elsewhere. The attention you pay to the streetscape will definitely have an impact on the atmosphere of your own place. The more interest you take in the environment around your home, the more you will, in effect, own it. 8

Appreciating What You Have You will appreciate and enjoy nature more if you are alert to its needs, and if you work to satisfy them in the design of the garden. Landscape designing is not only the art of making changes that complement existing architectural and natural surroundings. It also involves appreciating and using the unique qualities of the area. The genius is that special quality characteristic of natural setting, unchanged by human hands. This demonstrates attentiveness to and feeling for what is natural. Try to preserve all of the best natural resources of the site, such as trees, brooks or streams, good soil, rock outcroppings, and turf. Carefully study good as well as bad views. Screen out unattractive and objectionable views either by structures or by proper plantings. For more information visit us notlandscapedesign.com/index.html. at http://www.forget-me-

Chapter 2 - Landscape Style

The style that you choose for your garden landscape may reflect modern concepts, traditional concepts or it may be highly individual. Whatever the style, it will almost certainly give you more satisfaction if you begin now and consider carefully what landscape style meets your personality. A Landscape with a consistent design style has a special kind of integrity and coherence. A Landscape designed with a specific style has a look, whereas landscapes without a coherent style often are confusing to visualize. It is not simply a collection of unrelated ideas, but it is a unified whole with parts that work together to achieve an overall effect. An awareness of your gardens natural and man-made surroundings is very vital to the development of a coherent landscape style. You must always remember that landscape style is a reflection of ones nature, personality and individuality. Also it is very important for you to consider the difference between fashion and style. Fashion changes with the time but style remains more or less constant. A garden that suits one place or person may not be worth for other people or place.

Landscape Style and You

You must choose or develop a style that best suits you and your family. It speaks about your personality, your taste, etc. Before developing your personal style, you must first determine your needs for landscaping. The landscape design and style, landscape functions, and its features and their arrangements will all depend on your landscaping needs. Your needs could be to create privacy, beautify the property, attract wildlife, reduce your electricity bills etc., or an important need is just to create a low maintenance landscape, your garden might have many structures, few plantings with the resulting style that is spare, clean, and simple.

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You must always remember that when creating a style that it should please you first before pleasing others.

Understanding Design
Your design choice will always depend upon your site. For example, the style of your home may influence the type of design youd like to have. A house with natural wood siding will have wood-chip paths and rail fencing. If you have a brick house, the landscape might include brick paths. There are two general types of garden design styles, one formal and another informal. Formal style gardens have classical symmetry. Flower beds, pools, and other features are generally rectangular or sometimes round with straight walks. They are simple and less fussy garden styles. While informal style gardens include curved, free form flower beds that sweep along the lands features. Lawns, terraces, walkways are irregularly shaped yet they jell well together.

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Chapter 3 - Landscape Design Elements

A successful landscape requires the use of basic design principles. By applying this principles you will be able to create the look and feeling you want for your landscape. The trees, shrubs, flowers, plants are noticeable features of any landscape. Other obvious features are the physical confines of the site, such as the fences and the houses and the outdoor living areas such as decks, patios, walkways, etc. The degree to which each element is considered in creating the garden plan will determine how effective and successful the final landscape will be. Designing a landscape is not simply an ordered process of working with a known set of elements. As with any project, the whole of a successful landscape more than equals the sum of its parts. A memorable landscape makes an impression on the viewer on many different levels, some of which are quite subtle.

The Design Process

The process of design is a creative, thoughtful process involving new ways and ideas of beautifying and modifying the existing landscape. It involves.. Garden Survey Surveying includes all the relevant information about your garden i.e. type of soil, climate, topography, existing plants, etc. This is very important and requires a lot of homework from your side before you can enjoy the final fruits. Survey Evaluation It is evaluating the results of the survey to decide what is most important to change and what can be retained. It is a constant process till the final landscape is ready.

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Design Synthesis Assessing the information collected will help to get ideas about the garden. By examining the features of the landscape and the priorities for changing it, you can begin to create a design. This is the process which helps to get better landscaping ideas.

The Four Elements of Design

Basically, there are four elements of design namely color, texture, line and form. When all this four elements are used in proper way it can give your garden an impressive look. Color Color is the first element easy to identify, but at the same time challenging to use correctly. Carefully placed color directs your guests right to your front door. Flower beds are obvious sources of color, but trees, shrubs, vines are bloomers as well. Color evokes an emotional response. Bright colors give a garden a cheerful look. Texture Texture is a subtle yet an important element of good design. If selected rightly it can give professional look to your landscape. Texture is not just something you touch and what you feel but its also something you see. Coarsely textured plants have big leaves, large flowers, while finely textured plants have tiny leaves, small flowers. Leaf texture matters in landscape design because flowering time is usually brief. Line Lining has a major impact on landscape design. The horizontal outlines of patios, walkways, and bed lines carve fluid shapes and create spaces. They separate planting areas from lawns.

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Vertical lines are also important. If everything is of the same height it will make the landscape look dull and flat. The goal is to frame and balance open spaces with vertical lines. Form It defines the physical presence of a plant and the space it takes in your yard. Knowing the form of the plants is very vital before you plant them. Regular forms are symmetrical, compact or oval. Irregular forms are uneven, resist pruning, loose, spreading, and airy.

Basic Design Principles

Now its time to apply the elements of design in your garden. Every good garden design owes its effectiveness to certain basic design principles. These rules apply to all levels of gardens, from a simple garden to more larger and complicated garden. In a well-designed garden no one factor, plants or structure, is dominating. Instead, every individual feature work together to establish a sense of harmony. 1. Repetition: Repeating an element like color, shape, certain plants, textures throughout a garden adds unity and harmony to a design. For e.g. repeating red color at regular intervals in a flower bed leads the eye through the design and creates a feeling of wholeness and unity. Balance: Balanced design gives the viewer a feeling of peacefulness. Balance doesnt mean symmetry; it is when elements on two sides of a central point are similar in size they are called balanced. Symmetrical balance is a hallmark of formal gardens and for informal gardens its asymmetrical balance. No one element or feature should overpower all of the others. Simple: The design should be very simple from being cluttered and unfocused. Simplicity enhances the design style.

2.

3.

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4.

Proportion: Various garden features like plants, beds, and flower are in proportion when their scale is in good relationship to their surroundings. Scale refers to the balance between sizes of various elements, which includes the house, walkways, paths, fences, garden beds and plantings. No one element or feature should overpower all of the others. For example, a huge shed would be out of proportion in a small yard.

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Chapter 4 - Growing In Style

The exterior of your home is also very important as your interior and should fit your personal style. The appearance of your home, its architectural style is very vital. The way you arrange the plants to create a setting is the essence of style. Understanding this will make it easier for you to create a landscape in style thats right for you.

Three Different Styles of Garden

Formal Style Garden A formal garden style is characterized by even number of windows symmetrically placed, formal columns, and balanced wings. Formality is achieved by arranging the plants, and other outdoor features along an invisible line, known as an axis. Plants are set in rows or in recognizable patterns like a circle or a square which lends a formal style to a landscape. Formal landscaping shows the designers hand in nature. Your choice of plant material also affects formality. Informal Style Garden This style represents natural arrangement of elements. They are asymmetrical i.e. their components dont match up like a mirror. Instead of dividing the landscape with an axis, arrange planting beds in broad, sweeping curves. This will soften the hard lines of any house and make it seem nestled into the landscape. Plants with natural and irregular forms are informal.

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Combined or Blended Style Garden This type of a style is a combination of formal as well as informal style and should be done carefully. As long as you dont have formal features competing with the informal ones, you can combine styles successfully. Combining styles can also add contrast. A landscape full of curving bed lines without a central axis is informal, but to this you can always add formal effect.

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Chapter 5 - Living and Non-Living Landscape Material

Landscapes are made from various living and non living materials. Selecting colors, textures, plants, and materials is very vital and at the same time an opportunity to express your creativity, ideas, and views. Most people are familiar with the characteristics of construction materials like wood, stone, concrete, brick, and other substances and one can confidently select one or another based on appearance, suitability, and cost. But because of the diversity of available plants, some people feel less confident and comfortable about choosing the ones needed to complete their landscape project. A good landscape designer can be of incredible help here. It is very important to get yourself familiar with the plants that grow in your area to create a successful and functional landscape. To get the most out of your garden you create, you need to research the type of plants you would like to plant in your garden. Some elements may already exist in a landscape. Try to adjust them into new landscape design. If you have recently moved into a previously owned home, there must be some elements available for use in the landscape which may not be readily apparent. In such cases dont make hasty decisions to change these elements. In almost every case, size or established nature of the plants makes them a valued addition to the landscape.

Selecting Right Plants for Your Garden

Choosing right types of plants which are well adapted to your site i.e. soil, climate, rainfall, and topography is very essential for balanced and healthier growth of any garden. If the plant is appropriate or not will depend on how well it fits your requirements and complements the landscape as a whole, and if it will be able to grow to maturity in the location where it is placed.

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Native plant selection is also something that you should consider. These plants are already adapted to your area and chances are they're already growing "right in your own back yard". This could amount to a substantial savings not only in plant purchases but in natural resources as well. Proper plant selection is one the most important "secrets" in successful landscaping. Plants and colors are the flavors that bring life to your garden. The goal in choosing plants for a landscape is to create a willing garden, one that welcomes and nurtures the plants within it. Selecting the right plants are much less easy to recognize simply because they blend easily well into the natural setting of your landscape.

Landscape Floors
The color, texture, and pattern of a good garden floor covering should blend with other features of landscape. Materials can be selected for their ease of maintenance but at the same time it should be pleasing to the eye. For decorating the floor various living and non living choices are available. Proper selection is must to reduce maintenance cost, time, and labor. Lawns This is one of the most popular and favorite ground coverings. They are often used to stimulate a meadow surrounded by flowers, trees and other plants. In areas where there are few meadows because of water shortage in summer they become an inappropriate choice. But they help in oxygen conversion, filtering of air particulates, prevents soil erosion, and place for kids to play. Ground Covers These popular flooring plants include cotoneaster and wild lilac, which when used as ground covering or carpeting gives a less tailored look than lawns.

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Stones This comes under the category of non living material for ground cover. By using stones as landscape flooring, its color and texture will give a completely new look to the landscape. It also works well around trees and large shrubs, as air and water circulate through sand base. Wood This is another common non living material used in relation to decks. A wooden deck is generally about twice as expensive to construct as a concrete surface. Bricks Bricks may be used formally or in a zigzag pattern and it is the most versatile material for ground covering. However, a house need not be made of brick for a brick walkway or patio to look attractive. By using appropriate shape, color and texture bricks can give a unify look to any garden. Concrete Concrete floors are the most economical of all paved surfaces. Popular ways to add proper color and texture to concrete are to inlay it with stone, intersperse it with planter beds, or make good patterns by combining it with bricks and wood. Today, concrete can come in a variety of colors, and designs that look nothing like your parents old patio. These new and modern techniques allow the concrete's surface to be transformed into an endless array of possibilities.

Landscape Ceiling
Sky is the most beautiful ceiling for any landscape. Although most outdoor space is open to the elements, a landscape should have places that are covered and protected from sun, rain and wind.

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Trees It is one of the best natural materials available for landscape ceiling. They provide cool air, shade, fresh oxygen as well as have appealing size, texture, etc. Selecting the right trees is very vital and proper knowledge about the leaf shedding time, leaf color, their mature height, spread, growth rate, fruits, pest problem, etc. all this helps to know whether they require some special maintenance and care. The best suited trees are the native ones, which can thrive in natural conditions with easy maintenance. Other options are broadleaf evergreen trees, deciduous trees, and coniferous trees. Fiberglass and Plastic Mostly this material is less popular for landscaping purpose. But transparent fiberglass or plastic panels overhead ensures complete privacy, softens the light, and provides beautiful view.

How Much Time Will You Devote to Maintenance?

Its an important question to ask before starting the landscaping activity. Maintenance consideration will affect choice of style. How much time will you to devote to your landscape maintenance is very important on which to base your selection, arrangement and garden style. If you enjoy pruning, try a formal landscape with lots of plants clipped into neat shapes. To reduce maintenance hassles avoid mixing many different kinds of plants closely together. Consider growing condition of your site when choosing plants for your garden. The right type of plant and in the right place is the foremost principle of practical landscaping.

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Chapter 6 Conserving Water

It is a moral duty of every individual to minimize the wastage and conserve the most valuable resource Water. Due to recent drought and water shortage conditions citizens of California and also other parts of the globe are aware to avoid wasteful use of water.

Xeriscape or Water Wise Gardening

Xeriscaping refers to the practice of planting native plants, shrubs, and trees to reduce maintenance, water usage, and upkeep. Whereas water-wise gardening ensures that plants always receive enough water to thrive. Various reports have proved that over fifty percent of the water resources in many municipalities go towards keeping landscape alive. Due to faulty designs, lack of proper planning large amount of water is wasted in our own gardens. This can be avoided to a large extent by applying some of the useful tips, proper use of equipments, proper designing, right selection of plants, use of proper soil, etc.

Seven Useful Water Conservation Tips

Following tips will definitely help all homeowners to conserve large amount of water in their landscape: 1. Select Native Plants for Native Climate When selecting for the plants for your yard, make sure they're used to your native climate, or come from an area with similar demands. 2. Limit Lawn Size Keep the size of the lawn as small as possible because it is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to wasting water. 3. Rethink Irrigation/Sprinklers Proper irrigation system like drip irrigation or sprinklers is must for minimizing water wastage.

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4. Consistent Mulching Proper and regular mulching your flower and garden beds goes a long way towards conserving water. 5. Efficient Landscape Design Layout Garden layout should be such that it will use water as efficiently as possible and by creating separate water zone areas for your plants. 6. Soil Management Proper soil management is necessary because soil not only serves anchor for plant roots, but also serves as a reservoir for water and nutrients. Amending the soil improves its texture, allowing better water and root penetration. 7. Stay on Top of Weeds Get rid of weeds completely because theyre stealing water from your plants. Thus by utilizing smart choice of vegetation, water saving irrigation techniques, and other water conservation measures, we can cut down the water use in our home by up to 60%.

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Chapter 7 - Make Your Surrounding Unique and Increase Your Home Value
A house with a beautiful garden, patio, outdoor fireplace, barbecue pits, and pleasant backyard will definitely have more value and will be more appealing to a prospective buyer. Many studies have found that landscaping can result in more than a 100% return on investment. A good landscape not only beautifies your home but also increases its monetary value, provides various other benefits like fresh air, keeps the surrounding cool, reduces your electricity bills, and much more. A good and functional landscaping can increase the resale value of a property by as much as 15% to 20%. Also, a good landscape cuts the time it takes to sell the property into half.

Elements That Increase and Improve Home Values

The following are a basic list of areas that can have a positive effect on increasing your home values. They can give your home a fresh and appealing look which can envy your neighbors and friends. A Beautiful Garden Side Walkways Water Fountains Garden Arches Swimming Pool Patios and Decks Outdoor Fireplaces Barbecue Pits Appealing Front and Back Yard

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Above and beyond the improvement of home value, attractive landscaping actually reduces the apparent age of a building, further bolstering curb appeal and improving the potential asking price when wishing to sell the property. Realtors believe that mature trees have a "strong or moderate impact" on the salability of homes. A good landscape improves home appearance and optimizes the use of land and outdoor space. Besides offering monetary value trees can reduce temperature by as much as nine degrees Fahrenheit and help to create pleasant surroundings by the chirping sounds of the birds. When a proper tree is selected, planted and well maintained it can significantly absorb sounds waves and reduce noise pollution by 50%. In short landscaping is a profitable investment. It can earn you back 150% or even more on your landscape budget. According to a study, consumers value a landscaped home up to 10% to 12% higher than its base price. Call your residential landscape designer now to find out how a professional can help you with your landscape design needs and provide you with the surroundings that reflect your unique style.

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Chapter 8 Landscape Improvement Checklist

There are many ways by which you can use plants and gardens to enhance and give new look to your landscape. Start preparing a garden notebook once youve started thinking about your yard. A good record will help to know what you want and how and where you want in your yard.

Ways to Enhance Your Landscape:

Add a welcoming entrance to the house. Create a place to walk to in the yard. Beautify a lamppost or your mailbox. Make the front yard and specially the home entrance more appealing. Create a sitting space under tree shade. Install a small water fountain in the front yard.

Plan for Practicality

Always make sure that your finished landscape plan suits your needs and wants. Dont add a pool only because your neighbor or your friends have it. Add only if it is needed and useful for you. Make use of plants, trees, shrubs that are best adapted to your area, soil, climate, only then your landscape will have the appropriate look and will consume less time and labor for maintenance.

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Chapter 9 10 Tips for Reducing Landscape Maintenance

1. Using proper plant selections which are well adapted to your area is very vital for easy maintenance and healthier growth. 2. Applying mulch under trees, shrubs, and plants reduces weeding, watering and trimming. 3. Confine the lawn to small or limited areas only because lawn care will take a lot of your time, labor and money. 4. Choose plants that dont create mess by dropping seedpods, lots of leaves, and fruits. 5. Choose disease and insect resistant plants to avoid pest control problems. 6. Use the right tool for right job which will make a tedious job a pleasure. Always keep right tools handy for easy maintenance. 7. Use hedges, shrub borders, and special plants that have natural looking shapes. 8. Choose plants which do not require supplemental watering. Also install drip irrigation systems for plants which need regular watering. 9. Make a few large beds around a number of trees and shrubs, rather than dozens of little planting islands that consumes lots of time to mow and trim around. 10. Use pavers in mortar, or plant something like ground covers between them to keep weeds from growing up.

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Chapter 10 Nine Critical Things to Look for in a Professional Landscape Designer

A designer should create a livable design plan that is within a clients budget. The designer is flexible to a clients need, uses creative thinking and is good at problem solving. The designers specialty and a clients desired style should match to get the most benefit. The designer should have considerable experience in the field. The professional landscape designer should use knowledge to better educate clients. The designer should have artistic talent and create a functional space that reflects a clients personality. The professional designer continues to broaden his or her knowledge and stays current with industry and landscape trends. The professional designer should have good interpersonal communication skills and be able to deal with people from diverse backgrounds. A professional landscape designer primarily focuses on a clients interest first and foremost.

Roxanne Kim-Perez is a professional Landscape Designer based in San Diego. Her creative yet practical design style has helped many clients live their dream in and around their home with comfort and style and at the same time improve the value of their home. Contact Roxanne Kim-Perez for all your landscape design needs. She can be reached via email at landscapedesigndoctor@gmail.com or via phone at (858) 229-6035. 28

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