Understanding Basic Landscape Planning and Use

How well your individual landscape is planned and used, regardless of what your particular preference or style may happen to be, depends mainly on your understanding of the four basic areas of your landscape, the proper uses of those four basic areas, and how well that understanding has been incorporated into your existing landscape or the landscape you plan and envision for your home.

The four basic areas of planning and of use for your landscape are the Public Area, the outdoor Family Living Area, the Service Area, and the Private Living Area.

Consider every aspect of the landscaping of your home - the outside, just as you would the interior of your home. Unfortunately, this concept is one of the most overlooked by many homeowners. The Public Area of the interior of your home is the portion that is seen by everyone coming into the home. This includes the front porch, the entry foyer, and/or the reception room. In some homes this can also include the living room.

The Family Living Area includes those rooms of the house that are used for family activities and for entertaining friends. Rooms such as the living room, dining room, family room, and game room fall into this category.

The Service Area includes those rooms of your home that are designed and used to meet your family’s operating needs. These include the kitchen, the laundry room, sewing room or separate office and the utility room. The garage, while not considered a room, can sometimes fall into the category of the service area.

The Private Living Area of the home is used only by the members of the family for their personal use and activities. The bedrooms and private bathrooms comprise the major rooms of this area. Dressing rooms, if present, are also included.

By understanding that the outside of your home, in terms of proper planning and complete satisfaction of use, is no different than the interior of your home, the proper structure, enjoyment, and value of your landscape can begin to be utilized and your own personal satisfaction with your home can be realized.

The concept and implementation of proper landscape planning and use is one of the most vital in enjoying your landscape, and increasing your homes overall function and ultimately, its resale value. That's just one of the many reasons why hiring a professional landscape designer to review your property can be such a valuable asset and tool in developing the maximum potential of your landscape.

When things in the landscape (no matter what they may be) are out of place, disorganized, or seemingly done without a reason or purpose, the value of our property can be diminished and our overall satisfaction, enjoyment and use of our property suffers. With the cost of travel increasing day by day, many people are beginning to realize that an investment in the landscaping of their own property can create a vacation oasis right at home. By understanding the proper use of our individual property we can begin to understand the full potential our property offers.

Exactly what is Xeriscaping?

Xeriscaping essentially is the art, process and development of establishing a water-wise landscape.

Xeriscape, pronounced "zeer-escape", is the term used to describe the techniques of landscaping that conserve water. Contrary to popular understanding it does not necessarily mean exclusively using native desert plants. Harmonizing the plantings of various plant species into zones where all plants can benefit from specific watering is called hydro zoning and can be and should be incorporated into a Xeriscape landscape.

There are many benefits to understanding and incorporating Xeriscaping and hydro zoning into your landscape. Of course, there are the economic benefits. Water costs money. If your landscape uses water wisely then it stands to reason that your water bill should be lower. There are also benefits to the community in general. This does not mean that you need to remove all your plants and your lawn and replace them with rock or concrete. You may simply switch one resource hog for another. Too much hardscape material around the house, especially too close to the house, can actually cause temperatures inside the house to be higher than desired during the summer and colder than desired during the winter, thus raising the cost of cooling or heating the house. You’ve simply traded wasting one expensive resource for another. Rather, sound and thoughtful planning can lead to lower cost of water and maintenance, thus increasing the beauty, enjoyment and value of the overall landscape.

There are also environmental benefits. Anything that reduces the demand on a region’s water supply and this is especially important in our region, must be considered beneficial. Many plants are inappropriate for their sites, surviving only because of excessive supplemental irrigation, fertilization and horticultural technology. This places stress on local resources, and especially, your wallet.

Then there are the aesthetic benefits of Xeriscaping. Many people, when they hear the word Xeriscape, think of a landscape that is all cacti, no color, dull and unimaginative. Yet while some landscapes that are simply all cacti and little else can be quite beautiful and interesting, simply by starting and using a well though out landscape design plan, using effective watering and planting techniques, and incorporating hydro zoning, a quite stunning, beautiful, interesting, and especially water-wise landscape can be created.

There are 7 specific principals that have been prepared by the National Xeriscape Council that serve as a guide to the development and maintenance of landscapes that use water wisely, not wastefully. They are as follows: Proper Planning and Design, Proper Soil Analysis, Appropriate Plant Selection, Practical Turf Areas, Efficient Irrigation, Proper Mulching, and lastly, Appropriate Maintenance. All work in harmony to create landscapes that are beautiful, functional, easy to maintain, and most important, conserve water and reduce excessive fertilization. Use of these principals can add value to your home.

Here are just a few suggestions to help with your Xeriscape ideas: Reduce present lawn size and increase bed size of low-water use plants. Regard all planting beds as hydro zones. Use as many low water-use hydro zones as possible. Choose plants that adapt well to existing soil conditions around your home. Place trees where their shade will benefit the most plants underneath them. Use water retention rings around trees. Use organic mulch whenever possible in that inorganic mulch, such as gravel and rock, can bake the soil underneath by retaining solar heat. Use landscape fabric to prevent excessive weed growth. Always water in the early evening, or early morning, and for a period of time that will “soak” the root system of plants, including lawns. Don’t water plants and lawns everyday! Plants and lawns need deep soaking, not an everyday deluge. A 20-30 minute soaking every 3 to 4 days is more effective and cost saving than watering 3 times a day for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Mulch often and regularly, using organic mulches, especially in early spring and late fall.