Learning About Landscaping Materials

Posted on: 3 March 2017

Landscaping your property can increase the value of your property by thousands of dollars and at the same time improve your home's overall curb appeal, which can both come in handy if you decide to sell or refinance your home in the future. A well-landscaped property makes spending time in the yard more enjoyable for everyone living there, which means you'll get a lot more use out of your investment as time goes on. All you need is some vision and access to a reliable nursery to turn your property into a lush paradise. Here are a few features to look for when choosing a nursery to work with:

Planning and Design Services

One of the most important things to look for in a reliable nursery is landscape planning and design services. Without proper planning, your yard may end up looking cluttered or disorganized after planting all the foliage you want on it. Worse, you may miss the opportunity to place things like hedges and shrubs in a way that will provide your home with weather protection and therefore improve its overall energy efficiency. So, make sure that the nursery you decide to work with when developing your landscape offers services such as:

• Blueprint designs
• Planning seminars and workshops
• In-Home consultations
• Systematic directions for specific project plans
• Predesigned plans that can be customized for personal use

When comparing local nurseries to one another, ask them for a list of planning and design services that are offered so you can compare them apples-to-apples and figure out which facility is most likely to provide you with the most guidance and support throughout the landscape development process.

Enhancement Accessories

In addition to trees, shrubs, flowers, and plants, the nursery you decide to do business with should offer accessories that enhance the foliage you choose to feature in your landscape design. Things like lighting, water features, grass seeds, pots and hanging planters, soil, and garden gnomes should all be readily available so you don't have to hunt around town to find the final design touches that you need. Ask the nurseries you consider buying from to provide you with catalogs of their available accessories so you can spend time perusing them before making any financial commitments.

Multiple Native Foliage Options

It's important to include lots of native foliage in your landscape design to ensure ease of maintenance and a lush yard year-round. Native plants are used to living and growing in the area where you live, which means they'll do well with little support from you. Native plants will also make your property look like it belongs in the neighborhood and isn't simply transplanted from some faraway tropical island or desert oasis.

Contact your local farming college or gardening association and ask for a list of foliage that is native to your area. You can use it as a checklist when determining how many different options are available at the different nurseries you're considering working with to develop your landscape. Send the list to each nursery and have them check off any options that they keep in stock so you know exactly what to expect from each of them.

A Deciduous Tree Selection

According to the National Arbor Day Foundation, landscaping with trees can increase your overall property value by up to an impressive 20 percent, so the nursery you decide to do business with should keep a wide variety of options on hand. At the very least, they should be able to order the trees you want for your yard without charging an arm and a leg for shipping or delivery. Specifically, look for a nursery that stocks deciduous trees. When they get big, they'll be full of large, beautiful leaves during the summer months which will help to protect your home from the sun's heat. And in the winter months, deciduous trees typically lose their leaves so the sun can heat things up. This seasonal change in the trees can lead to a significant savings in energy costs throughout the year.

Making sure that the nursery you work with offers these features will help ensure that your landscape project turns out as awesome as you imagine.