Home landscaping talks about planning the extra space in one’s house. It usually involves planting trees and flowers in a small backyard, constructing a small garden to add some features, and incorporating outdoor recreational activities and other aspects. Every home landscape is unique depending on the owners’ personality, and this is evident in different plant arrangements in their respective gardens.
Plants serve as a therapeutic in many aspects, not only in physical treatment but also in improving one’s mental, spiritual, and emotional health. From a medical perspective, plants are the common ingredient to remedy and treat illnesses. Some plants can cure anxiety and depression. Other plants give a feeling of peaceful thoughts just by being surrounded with them.
In terms of home landscaping, you need to be strategic and careful with the plans you make. It will help if you treat your plants as human being wherein you will care for them for the rest of your life.
Here are five guidelines to think about in starting your home landscaping.
1. Plan for the right spot.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Where can I locate my plants?
If you have a front yard, you can transform it into a landscape and start planning your landscape design. If you prefer indoor landscape, you have to make sure that your plants have the suitable space.
- How will I keep plants healthy and alive during the dry or summer season?
- What are the safety measures on rainy days that I should be aware of?
These questions should pop up in terms of locating your plants for the home landscape that you plan.
Planning will challenge yourself because you need to think outside the box. Choosing the appropriate location for your plants is easy, but you have to accept the possible outcome for the position you decide for your landscaping.
2. Sketch your landscape.
Sketch how your home landscape will look. Consider the plants’ color, height, and even their shapes. You can Google some images on the internet or tap your mom’s old home magazines for some inspiration for a start.
If you have the budget, you can seek a landscaper for your home landscape. The professional ones will give you a good design layout, the amount of space allowed for the plants, and even maintaining your desired home landscape outcome.
3. Make a to-do list.
One of the practical planning methods is to become organized in any task. The essence of having a list on your home landscaping is to keep you on track every day.
Here are some samples of tasks that you need to accomplish:
√ Determine the location to plant.
√ Determine the time and day to trim the grass and excess stems.
√ Put fertilizer.
√ Schedule to water them.
√ Clean the leaves.
√ Treat garden pests: snail, moth, slugs, etc.
√ Plant fruit trees.
√ Use gardening tools: gardening gloves, shovel, watering cans, etc.
You can provide sticky-notes or even create your own, and then pin them to your wall to start the ‘to-do list’ method. Create a checklist when you accomplish the assignments every day. You can also consider using your cellphone to reflect the list you make. Using this technique, you will fulfill your responsibility and accountability by doing your tasks for home landscaping.
Reminder: Always check your schedule so that it will properly maintain your landscape.
4. Pick multifunctional plants.
Multifunctional plants are plants that produced two or more benefits and functions. Colors, fruits, edible seeds, tea leaves, and medication are the primary qualities of multifunctional plants. Based on the climate condition, tropical multifunction plants are recommended to add to your home landscape.
If you consider getting one, here are recommendations and studies from Keith Mikkelson (Executive Director of Aloha House Inc.):
Moringa oleifera
- Has nutritious leaves.
- Seeds are edible – the horseradish tree
- Seeds filter water.
- Fast-growing shade covers or prevents erosion.
- Goats and rabbits feed on leaves.
Bamboo
- Solid fuel and charcoal
- Decorative woodwork
- Furniture shade
- Contour erosion control
- Edible shoots
- Leaves for goats and geese
- Tea is high in silica or humans. This tea can also aid hair growth.
- Building material
Madre de Cacao (Gliricidia Sepium)
- Fodder crop for hogs, goats, and chicken.
- Living fence – grows from cuttings and used to form fence.
- Use for contour planting.
- Biomass for much.
Picking multifunctional plants will add volume to your home landscape and eventually will become multiple parts for the plants produced. These plants are considered assets plants. The more you have, the more value they will have for your home landscape.
5. Create a comforting place.
After you work on your home landscape, you can now create another spot within it. As you spend your time making outdoor activities and long tiring journeys from work, you will be able to start questioning yourself where you can sit and rest to cap your day.
You can provide a small bench, stool, statue, and many decorations you want to select. Consider also the place for you to meditate and exercise. In this manner, you are not just building your home landscape, but you also create a safe place environment for you to relax, enjoy, think, and so on.
As time goes by, some people look for a glamorous place to live in; others make their own place to become beautiful, like planning a home landscape. When you decide to have your home landscape, consider these five guidelines.
#realestateblogph | #realestateblogphsundayfeature | #REBPH | #realestate | #homelandscape | #plants | #guidelines | #diegosarcaoga
Original article written by Diego Sarcaoga, REBPH Intern.
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