10 Common Landscaping Mistakes& How to Avoid Them to Make Your Curb Appeal

Even Better

Presented By: Jeff Moyer & Brit McCoy

1: Not Starting with a Professional Plan

Avoid:

‘Piecing’ together a landscape through a collection of small, individual

projects

Putting together a plan without the knowledge and expertise of plant

growth and maturity, material habits, and a full understanding

of balance.

Pursue:

Professional consultation and a professional 2-D or 3-D plan

customized for your home and lifestyle from an accredited

landscape designer.

A vision of what you want your entire space to look like when

completed, even if you are going to complete it in ‘phases’;

planning out the entire landscape before allows you to think

through the space in its entirety, in the long run it will save

you time and money

2: Poor Drainage

Avoid:Allowing downspouts to drain near the foundationNot addressing existing poor grade in a landscape

renovationPursue:

Proper drainage away from the house foundation; compact soils around the foundation

A properly graded yard so pools of water do not formInstallation of subsurface drainage via drain-tile through

downspouts leading to pop-up emitters to direct water away from homes, while addressing potential erosion, legally

Pop-Up Emitter

3: Improper Selection of Plant Specimens & Installation

Avoid:Selecting plants that do not fit the sun exposure

and/or water requirementsPlants that thrive and survive only in a warmer

zone: 6, 7, 8, etc.Know:

The sun exposure of the area you are plantingThe soil condition: rocky, sandy, clay, pHWhat growing zone you are located in: Madison

area zones are 4b & 5aGrowth maturity and habits

4: Not Accounting for Seasonal Interest

Avoid:

Planting specimens that only provide spring and summer interest; only planting

perennials with spring and summer flower, or deciduous shrubs

that only provide spring flower and drop their leaves in winter

Planting only deciduous specimens and specimens that do not have unique

structural elements to provide winter interest.

Pursue:

A variety of plant specimens that have interest in multiple seasons; look for

shrubs that have early spring flower and fall color. Ornamental

grasses can provide summer, fall and winter interest. Some deciduous

trees and shrubs offer a unique branching structure that provides beautiful

winter interest

A balanced landscape of evergreen, deciduous and perennials

(don’t forget about shrubs that are showy for fall)

5: Not Creating a Focal Point

Avoid:

Using the same plants throughout the entire space; variety

keeps your eye moving over the landscape and

exploring the entire outdoor space

Overlooking important views and/or areas within your landscape

Pursue:

Creating a focal point within the most important views from

outside and inside

A unique plant specimen, pergola, fire feature, or water feature

to highlight an area of your landscape

6: Forgetting Views from Inside

Avoid:

Planting specimens that will mature too large and

cover your windows

Placing a focal point (pergola, fire feature, water

feature) that is not also viewable from inside

Pursue:

Views of focal points in the landscape; views from the

main living areas of your home

Connection from indoors to outdoors

7: Overlooking Lighting

Avoid:

Discounting lighting because of budget

Disregarding lighting because you have never had lighting within your

landscape

Pursue:

Highlighting the most beautiful parts of your home and landscape:

trees, water features, architecture.

Functional lighting to provide safety: path lights, stair lights

Lighting up your outdoor space for use at night: patios and fire pits are

a great space to use for entertaining even after the sun sets

Lighting extends your usable and visible investment of your landscape

8: Improper Layout and Undersizing Outdoor

Spaces

Avoid:

‘Guessing’ on the size needed for your desired activities

Making a space larger than you need; too large of a patio can result in un-

utilized space and make the patio feel uninviting

Making a space too small for its intended use or uses. Trying to fit in too many

uses in a small space will cause poor traffic flow and may lead to

lack of use of the space

Pursue:

Complete understanding of the size and intended use of the space prior to

installation; paint out a patio space and ‘set it up’ as you would if

you were using it to insure you have adequate space for your

needs and lifestyle

Understanding standard dimensions of dining areas, cooking areas, and fire

feature areas. Following standard dimensions will give you a good

starting point

9: Lack of Variety and Material Diversity

Avoid:

Planting only a few plant specimens in your landscape; avoid the

sea of spirea and daylilies

Choosing only one type of mulch; especially in large landscape

beds multiple mulches can add interest to an otherwise

uninterrupted surface

Choosing only one type of paving material

Pursue:

A variety of plants; don’t forget about choosing a specimen for a

focal point, and utilizing plants for seasonal interest

Changes in mulch; perhaps landscape beds along the house

have rock mulch and exterior island beds have wood

mulch, or a large bed has both wood and rock mulch

Variety of hardscape texture and color

10: Not Performing Proper Maintenance

Avoid:

Overwatering and under-watering plants

Over-fertilizing and under-fertilizing plants

Ignoring pruning your plants

Pursue:

Proper watering; know the plants, some require regular moisture while others

can tolerate dry soils. As a rule establishing plants require 2” of

rainwater each week. After establishment water as needed, and

pay special attention to plants during drought periods.

Fertilization during key growth periods, spring and late fall.

Enhancing your landscape with proper pruning. Spring flowering shrubs should

be pruned right after flowering, summer and fall flowering plants

can be pruned at any time. Make all your pruning cuts at an angle

and prune live branches back to the closest growth node.

Thank you!