Landscaping in Kirkcudbright

What Is Landscape Gardening?

Landscape gardening is basically the art of setting out grounds or planting of ornamental plants so that a picturesque effect is created. In other words, it can be seen as the beautification or decoration of a portion of land to generate a naturalistic effect in a limited space. However, it should also be noted that landscape gardening meant to beautify places, but also important and very functional as our surroundings make a whole lot of contribution to the quality of our lives. Landscape is a word that’s not only used to qualify an beautiful scenery, but also stands for a great historical records of natural features created by human activities over time. So what are the general principles of landscaping?

• The right landscape garden should express some thought or feeling, just like a good landscape painting. The expression can be bold, quiet, retired and more.

• The landscape garden area should be divided into various sections with a plan for each individual area. The whole plan should be actualized in such a way that an observer or visitor can imagine the entire plan and purpose without having to analyse each parts.

• It’s of great importance to combine both beauty and utility effectively.

• The design’s simplicity should be emphasized while executing the plan.

• The garden and building should perfect blend with each other in such a way that they could be seen as one rather than the landscape garden stopping abruptly in front of the building. The view of the garden from the building’s door or window should offer an breath taking scenery. In short, every part of the landscape should be planned so that every visitor will have a surprising effect when seen.

• The ideal landscape should not be too tight and should possess an open space.

• Do not overcrowd the plants and objects.

Does Landscaping A Garden Add Value?

When taking a good look at the image of new homes or perhaps you’re just thinking about getting one, one thing that several people will look out for is the garden. The thought of owning a perfect little oasis is all homeowners’ dream.

In a recent study conducted by Rightmove, it was discovered that to more than 60% of home buyers, an access to a garden was a priority. And according to the Royal Chartered Institute of Surveyors, this demand for garden is set to grow by 20% over the next 2 years.

Therefore, it’s obvious that having a beautiful landscaped garden is always a great asset to possess. But exactly how much value does a garden add to a property?

According to the studies carried out by Foxtons, it’s suggested that a garden can add as much as 20% to any property’s value, however, it should be expected that this value can vary based on a number of factors. In urban locations such as London, where there’s really not much outdoor space, possessing a garden can add an enormous amount to your property’s value.

However, if you happen to live in sub urban areas such as Wilmslow, where almost every home possesses a garden, what will influence the amount of value a garden will add to your property depends on it’s size as well as it’s unique features.

What’s more? Another important influence of a garden’s added value is the time of the season in which you’re selling your property. For more value, the best time to sell is always in the spring or summer when there are several gardens in bloom and multiple colours to please the eye. However, when it’s autumn and winter, the idea of staying outdoors for a quick get together or gardening is always very far, hence the value that’ll be added at this point may be low.

How To Plan A Landscape Garden

If you’ve decided to go for a landscape garden, this might imply putting in new gardens entirely or probably just coming up with a planting plan for the current year. However, because you want a beautiful landscape garden doesn’t mean you can just go out, get a couple of plants and decide to plant them anywhere that looks good to you once you get home.

For a much better landscape garden, doing some proper landscape garden planning can go a long way to help you get the results you desire. So how do you plan a landscape garden?

• Set Goals

The first step is to determine how you want the garden to feel and look, how it’s going to be used or what’s going to be used for as well as how you’ll work to boost the small ecosystem.

• Site Plan

Identify what you already have on the site like the plants, paths, gardens etc, and draw them out perhaps on a graph paper. Once done, you can make some photocopies and start playing with different ideas.

• Site Analysis

Carry out an in depth site analysis to identify the areas that’s sunny and shady areas as well as the ones in between. This way, you can figure out the best place to put the plants and other items.

• Functional Diagrams

This is stage at which you go through both the site plan as well as site analysis and start to identify the right spots to position the landscape garden’s items.

• Planting Plan

Here, you’ll decide which plants you’ll like to use on your landscape garden while also identifying what plant goes where. You’ll have to draw them at size close to what they’ll grow to become, so as to ensure there’s sufficient space for them once they grow big and tall.

How To Draw A Garden Landscaping Plan

Are you thinking about constructing a new garden landscape? Do you have an existing one but forgot where you planted those tulip bulbs the previous autumn? Or perhaps you’re just trying to identify the exact spot where you cut back that clump of wilted foxglove, without mistakenly digging it up. For everything to be much easier when it comes to a garden landscape, it’s always a wise decision to draw a garden landscaping plan.

To get started, let’s take a look at the materials you’ll need to acquire. These includes a piece of white paper on which the existing elements on your garden will be plotted, a piece of tracing paper and tape to give options for planned additions, a pencil, an eraser as well as a measuring tape.

For more accuracy while drawing your plan, you’ll need to measure the garden’s distances, perimeter, the existing garden beds size as well as the trees’ and shrubs’ shape and size.

• Write down the measurements taken on the scrap paper.

• Assuming it’s a medium sized backyard garden that’s 18 feet wide, we allocated a scale of 3 feet to equal an inch.

• Using a piece of white paper (could be graph if you wish) and a pencil, carefully outline the perimeter of the space. Once done, you can then sketch in the existing plants as well as other special features on the space (features that are of a permanent nature like trees, fences and paths).

• Hold a piece of tracing paper and tape in on top. Then you can sketch out the plants you wish to add to fill in the spaces in the garden on the tracing paper.