Curb appeal. Almost everyone has heard of it, yet few actually know how inexpensively to improve the curb appeal of their home. In this guide, you will learn the top four landscape design ideas of 2016 to improve curb appeal and make your outdoor areas more enjoyable. Continue reading to learn more!
Outdoor Rooms
One of the most popular outdoor landscape designs is creating wonderful outdoor rooms that can help you enjoy the great outdoors. These “rooms” do not have traditional walls. Instead, they use the natural landscape and strategically planted bushes and trees to create an intimate space. Outdoor rooms are often found in the backyard and may include a fire pit, a water feature, and lighting that allows you to enjoy the area late in the evenings. Situate the seating in your outdoor room to encourage long, enjoyable conversations. Finish the area with a few small tables for drinks and citronella candles. Placing a few beautiful containers filled with fragrant flowers is another thing that can be included in these areas. Finally, you can light up the night sky with twinkle lights strung in the trees or create a chandelier with solar powered lights.
Colorful Containers
Containers are a great way to add color and interest to your landscape. Find a couple of large colorful urns and fill them with potting soil. Then, plant colorful flowers that compliment your home’s exterior. Use a variety of plants of various heights to add dimension and structure to your container garden.
Most gardeners use a three-part technique that incorporates thrillers (vertical plants at the center of the container), fillers (compact plants that surround the vertical plant) and spillers (plants that are leggy and will grow over the sides of the containers. Examples of thriller plants include canna, agave or colorful ornamental grasses. Filler plants are low-growing plants, such as begonia, petunia or impatiens that are used to fill in the middle third of the container. Finally, finish the container off with a few plants that will spill over the sides of the container, such as lobelia, sweet potato vine or English ivy.
Fire Pits
Fire pits are often used in landscape designs. These fire pits not only create warmth, but they also add to the ambiance of your outdoor areas. There are many options available, including wood burning fire pits, propane fire pits, natural gas fire pits and gel fuel fire pits. The sizes of each of these range from small tabletop fire pits to large fire pits perfect for roasting marshmallows. If your outdoor area has enough space, a larger fire pit is the best choice. Imagine sitting around with your friends staring into the flames of a fire pit. Sounds relaxing, doesn’t it?
Water Features
Water features can add instant curb appeal and enjoyment to any home. When many people hear the words water feature, they think of large Koi ponds with water lilies. This is a great option, but what if you do not have that much space? There are still many options to choose from, including a small water fountain or even a water wall. When it comes to water features in the landscape, the sky is the limit. For example, you can take a beautiful container that will hold water and place a small water pump with a fountain head in the bottom of the container. Fill the container with water and plug up the fountain for a babbling water feature.
This article was filled with advice on how to incorporate the top four landscape designs of 2016 into your landscape. Follow the instructions here to create colorful areas in your landscape, beautiful container gardens, and outdoor rooms.
Contact Hyatt Landscaping for more ideas today.