Time to Start Brainstorming for Summer Landscaping Ideas!
The patio furniture has been tucked away in the garage or shed. The last round of mowing, fertilizing, and aerating has long since passed, and hopefully you managed to get the majority of the leaves raked up in time!
Don’t let the relatively warm December fool you. It’s still very much winter in Michigan, and our dormant lawns will surely be buried in snow most of January and February.
Do you know what that means? It means it’s time to start brainstorming for next year!
Now, it’s probably no surprise that we’re always thinking about landscaping all year long—we are a landscaping company after all. But if you’ve been thinking about making your own outdoor upgrades, you should be thinking about it now, too.
After all, if you do the brainstorming and start planning your projects with Bosch’s now, you can get on our calendar for early spring and get maximum enjoyment out of your landscape in 2020!
What Do You Want Your Outdoor Space to Be?
If you take a quick drive around the neighborhood, you’ll probably notice that different people can have very different ideas about what the “perfect” landscape should include.
Some people love to show off a vibrant garden, with carefully curated flowers and shrubs adding beautiful color and striking visual contrast to the front façade of their homes.
Others want their landscape to be a hub of family and community activity, with a relaxing and spacious patio, fire pit, and outdoor kitchen space.
Or maybe you want your backyard to be your own private oasis, lined with evergreen trees, perhaps a cozy stone bench in a shady spot, and centered by a calm, babbling fountain and pond area.
Maybe you want it all—flowers in front, party in back, with some calming features for winding down after the party.
There’s no wrong answer—it’s all about the kind of life you want to live, and the kind of space you want to live in. Whatever you decide, we can help you achieve it!
Quick Ideas to Help You Build Your Dream Landscape
Of course, not everyone knows exactly what they want right away. Many of us need a little extra inspiration. Here are some quick suggestions to get you started with your thinking and planning.
Look for inspirational examples.
Start by thinking about your own neighborhood. Is there another yard nearby that catches your eye every time you walk or drive by? What do you like and dislike about it?
Then, go further. Peruse Pinterest and Instagram. Take a trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens or a local park. Review the Bosch’s online gallery.
Just remember not to go overboard. Settle on one or two motifs and try to stick to them. You might love ten different styles on their own, but mixing them all together might not produce the effect you want.
Set your focal point.
One helpful trick is to set a main point of focus for your project. For the front yard, that focal point is often the front door. For the back yard, that focal point might be a door, a patio, a fire pit, a pond, or a pool (to name a few common examples).
Once you know your focal point, consider how other elements of your landscaping can help frame it, accentuate it, or even guide the eye (or people) straight to it. Would you like a winding path from the patio to the fountain? How about a row of shrubs or small trees leading to your doorstep? You may find that setting that focal point helps the other elements fall into place much more easily!
Consider the lay of the land.
The size and shape of your land does, obviously, have an influence on what types of designs will look best or even be possible. Landscapers are extremely good at what they do, but they aren’t miracle workers!
So instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, consider what kinds of elements will take the natural beauty of the terrain that already exists and dial it up to 11.
A sloped area might not work for a pond, for example, but it might be great for flowering plants or a waterfall feature. An awkward corner next to the garage could be perfect for a vegetable garden or children’s area.
One should also consider the needs of specific plants. You shouldn’t put flowers that need a ton of sun in an area that’s shaded all day long.
Don’t underestimate the power of small touches.
You don’t always have to go big for your home. Sure, grand features like fountains and trellises are exciting, but sometimes all you really need is one or two carefully placed flowerbeds, or a decorative border around your driveway.
For example, if your concrete patio is looking a little tired, we can touch it up and overlay or stencil it with custom designs and patterns, or even make it look like brick, slate, sandstone, or crushed glass!
When you already really like what you have, those small changes can make a surprisingly huge difference.
Start Your Planning Now. We Can Help.
By the time spring rolls around, we are going to start getting a lot of calls. Trust us—our calendar fills up fast.
So don’t get left behind! If you have any big ideas for what you want for your landscape, or you want some expert input from a team that loves landscape design, winter is the perfect time to make your initial call to Bosch’s. Let’s get your plans in place and your spot on the spring calendar reserved early so you don’t get left behind until 2021!
To request your free estimate, give us a call at (616) 399-6861 or reach out online today!