Don't Forget the Landscaping

Summertime is the season for exterior home renovations. It's the time of year when people start planning picnics and backyard parties. They begin to think about how nice a deck would look coming off into the backyard. They think about swimming pools, hot tubs and a variety of other outdoor enhancements. At the same time, you will wan to consider your landscaping options with these enhancements as well. What's a new backyard if there is no nature around?

Exterior home renovations range from new siding to lawn irrigation systems. Landscaping can add that extra special look to just about any project you can think of. How about a new outdoor pond with water plants and a waterfall that gently flows on one side of your new backyard deck? What about a beautiful bed of roses around the perimeter of your home that features new siding? While you're working in the yard, you might as well add an automatic sprinkler system as well.

Landscaping designs can be as simple or as complicated as you want. You can go with simple flowerbeds along the front of your home or you could start a new hedge line as well. If you are looking for a more luscious, floral look consider ornamental grasses, ivy, ferns and flowering shrubs. These plants will provide you with a lot of lush green as well as a little color. These types of plants can add that lush look you are looking for either in your front or back yard. They also make great backdrops to a nice, green backyard or around that new deck.

If you need a little more shade in your yard, trees are your answer. There are a variety of trees from ornamental flowering trees to fruit trees. You can even choose trees that will produce beautiful fall foliage as well. Trees are also a great addition to the value of your home, as homes with trees and shady backyards tend to sell very well. A great tree selection is nice as well. This allows you to have beautiful trees that produce nice foliage in the spring as well as fall foliage in autumn. If you want beautiful spring trees, magnolias will produce beautiful flowers. For the fall, you can't go wrong with maple trees. They are beautiful in the fall and provide excellent summer shade.

To ensure that all of your landscaping work receives adequate care and water, landscaping is the perfect time to add an automatic water sprinkler system. These systems ensure that you plants, grass and trees are receiving adequate water, even when you're traveling. They help in water conservation and allow you to water so that the roots of your plants are target. They can also be programmed to discharge specific amounts of water in certain areas of your yard. They just make lawn care and landscaping that much easier.

Bill Doane is a regular contributor to modern-japanese-gardens.com and is currently landscaping his gardens. Visit Modern Japanese Gardens, Home Remodeling Center, and Garden and Lawn Sprinklers where you can find information on creating a magnificent garden.