Hosta In Bouquet

In the home building industry, the first sign of Spring is the sighting of the landscaping trucks. Like birds returning from warmer climes, they suddenly appear in front of homes throughout the neighborhood and get everyone to wondering "what is going on over there?"

Spring is the time for home improvement projects to move outside. But in the rush to get something started, good planning and design can be left behind. And while most gardening bloopers are easily corrected, rebuilding a too-small deck or relocating a 300-pound root ball isn't any fun at all.

Landscaping projects can be perfect for the do-it-yourselfer. Plantscaping work doesn't require a building permit, and there are endless resources available to help with the design and construction of decks, patios, pergolas, and screened porches. The key is planning, and that's where a design professional can be a valuable partner in helping prevent costly blunders.

Since the same planning oversights seem to happen over and over again, I've enlisted the help of Jeff Davis of Scioto Landscaping in coming up with the following list of common outdoor living space mistakes - and how to avoid them.

Problem #1: Lack of an overall landscaping plan. Like any other design project, a good landscape considers the entire environment. It isn't uncommon to see a landscape begin with one style in the front yard, and finish with a completely different style by the time the work gets around to the back. A chaotic and disconnected landscape is the result if a coherent plan isn't prepared up front.

Solution: Start with an overall plan for the whole environment - including what not to do and where not to do it - and implement it in stages as time and budget permit. Even if the design evolves as it's executed, a clear road map will assure that a consistent character is maintained throughout.

Problem #2: Decks and patios are undersized. A sense of scale is hard to grasp without the familiar architectural landmarks of walls, doors, and furniture. A deck or patio may seem quite large when it's laid out and built, but it's often too small once tables and chairs are in place. If a deck or patio is too small to move comfortably around in, it won't get used.

Solution: Arrange all of the table, chairs, benches, or other furniture on the ground first, and then plan the space around them. Leave at least three feet from the edge of a table to the nearest edge of the hardscape element. Plan several smaller, connected areas for each outdoor activity or furniture arrangement and use a variety of materials- combine a wood deck with a brick patio, for example.

Problem #3: New plants are not thriving. A source of much gardening frustration is that beautiful flowering plant that looked so nice at the nursery, but never took hold at home.

Solution: Choose plants that are appropriate for the regional climate and the microclimate of your yard. Don't assume that every plant for sale in the nursery is automatically appropriate for your yard, or even for your part of the country. Many common plants are very sensitive to the amount of light and water they receive, and to the quality of the soil. Too many amateur landscapers choose plants strictly on looks without giving proper consideration to suitability.

Problem #4: Underestimating the cost of the project.

Solution: Start with a rule of thumb - for a new house, it takes a landscape budget of about 10% of the cost of the construction of the home to install a fully developed outdoor environment. For more budget-minded projects, establish your spending limits first, and then concentrate that budget on one or two areas of the landscape. You'll get much more enjoyment from smaller areas of high quality than you will from cheap work spread over the whole landscape. Determine which parts of the landscape are the most permanent and implement those projects first. Build the decks and patios now and add the plantings later.

Problem #5: All available options not considered.

Solution: Your ability to visualize creative solutions is limited by your experience. Just seeing a wide variety of landscape designs can open your eyes to new possibilities for your yard. Go to backyard garden tours, walk public gardens, hit the home and garden shows, and visit your local library. Ask your landscape professional for tours of projects similar to yours. You'll be surprised by the variety of creative solutions you'll find.

Richard L. Taylor, AIA is a published author and recognized expert in Residential Architecture. He is President of Richard Taylor Architects, a 5-person firm in Historic Dublin, Ohio.