When it comes to landscaping, there’s no doubt you want your home to always look its best. Good curb appeal and a well-landscaped backyard adds value to your home and lets you enjoy it to the fullest. What do you do, then, when things go sideways and you’re staring at a DIY fail or bad landscaping that needs some help? That’s where we come in.
Today, we’re taking a look at how to fix bad landscaping and common issues that can arise. Read on, and let’s fix that landscaping so you can fall in love with your home all over again!
How to Fix Bad Landscaping: Tips for Homeowners
When it comes to landscaping blunders, it’s likely an example of the downsides to DIY landscape design that can hurt curb appeal and leave you unsatisfied with the final result. It’s not that homeowners don’t care. To the contrary, we know you want your home to look its best! Most often the need to learn how to fix bad landscaping and common issues is simply due to a lack of proper landscape design planning, unfamiliarity with knowledge needed to bring your idea to life, or not having the right tools for the job.
Let’s explore a few ways for how to fix bad landscaping and common issues that include:
- Calling in the landscape professionals
- Choosing plants for your region and climate
- Fixing water feature issues
- Landscaping where grass won’t grow
- Planting trees at the right depth
- Planning for pet-friendly landscaping
Hiring Landscaping Professionals
Kicking off this list of ways for how to fix bad landscaping and common issues is simple: call in the pros! Professional landscaping services take the guesswork out of how to fix bad landscaping, and will bring your yard back to looking its best without you having to lift a finger.
Aside from their knowledge and experience of things like how to landscape the front of your house or backyard makeover ideas for entertaining, other benefits of using landscaping services in Upstate NY are that they will know what plants will thrive in your area, be familiar with local laws surrounding water or fire features, and more. If you didn’t call in the pros to begin with, doing so now is the easiest way for how to fix bad landscaping and common issues that will leave you with the look you were going for!
Choosing Plants for Your Region
Oftentimes the need to learn how to fix bad landscaping can come from not choosing the right plants and flowers for your space. There are a lot of factors to consider for backyard flower garden ideas, planter beds, and container gardens like how much sunlight an area gets, plant hardiness zones, and even the type of soil you have in your yard.
For example, choosing plants or flowers that require full sun but then planting them in an area that is shaded for half the day means there’s little chance they’ll be able to thrive. Conversely, too much sun for shade-loving flowers could scorch the petals and dry up the root systems. Once again, calling in the professionals is the ideal method for how to fix bad landscaping here. Capital Region landscaping professionals (like us 👋) will be able to determine the best choices for plants and flowers in your yard that give you the look you want at the maintenance level you’re comfortable with.
Fixing Water Features
When it comes to landscaping, few elements will transform your yard like a water feature installation. Not only do water features add value to a home, but they can bring a sense of calm with the natural sounds of running water, give your yard a polished look, and even possibly help keep your yard cool during hot summer days!
All these benefits, however, are moot if your water feature doesn’t function properly. Some of the many DIY water feature issues homeowners experience include things like:
- Water feature liners leaking
- Clogged water feature pumps
- Unstable water feature design elements
- Water source connection issues
While maintaining a water feature after installation isn’t overly difficult or time-consuming, these amazing landscaping elements can become a nightmare if they’re not installed properly to begin with. If you’re considering a water feature addition to your yard this year, skip the potential hassle and call in the professionals to make sure it gets done right and leaves you with a showpiece for your yard!
In Case You Didn’t Know: NVS Waterscapes, a division of NVS Landscapes, will build you the water feature installation of your dreams. From pondless waterfalls to beautiful fountains, we’ll bring your vision to life and transform your yard!
Landscaping Where Grass Won’t Grow
The need for how to fix bad landscaping can also be the result of an uphill battle with your yard. If your yard gets lots of shade or water runoff, sometimes it can be difficult to keep your landscaping looking its best. Instead of fighting a losing battle here, consider creative landscaping ideas where grass won’t grow!
Landscape design elements like raised flower beds, water feature installations, and even hardscaping services to create unique walkways or new patio ideas are all great ways for how to fix bad landscaping and avoid a never-ending battle with your yard. Our landscape design professionals will be able to determine what will work best for your yard and desired maintenance level.
Planting Trees in Your Yard
Next up on our list of solutions for how to fix bad landscaping and common issues, we’re looking at trees! Choosing the best trees to plant in Upstate NY is a firm start to creating a beautiful yard, but you also need to make sure they’re being installed properly. One of the quickest ways to kill a tree is to plant it too far into the ground. Unfortunately, most homeowners don’t have experience as professional tree services providers, meaning they may be digging the soil too deep and accidentally choking the root systems by denying them enough air.
While calling in the pros is still the easiest method for how to fix bad landscaping that’s killing your trees, a general rule of thumb is to consider digging down the height of the original container the tree came in. You want the root ball to just meet the surface. Any deeper and you may inadvertently be encouraging root rot and other problems.
Bonus Tip: Not all landscaping issues are disasters; some are missed opportunities! Don’t forget to consider landscaping around trees to complete the look and make your yard stand out for all the right reasons.
Planning Pet-Friendly Landscaping
Last, but not least, on our list of methods for how to fix bad landscaping is to plan for your pets! Oftentimes, our landscaping can start looking bad because it’s been thoroughly…lived in…by our pets. While we love them as part of the family, we don’t want them to be destroying all our hard work, do we?
To avoid this, start your landscape design with dog-friendly landscaping ideas that offer designated places for digging, using the bathroom, and other activities that could otherwise be harmful to your yard as a whole. Planning for these activities can help with how to fix bad landscaping before it even starts!
As you can see, there are a lot of things that could go wrong when it comes to DIY landscaping. The easiest method for how to fix bad landscaping is to simply call in the pros. Years of experience means our team can design the look you want and deliver on it without you having to lift a finger. Contact us and let the best landscape professionals in Albany, Saratoga, Colonie, Schenectady, and the entire Capital Region bring your yard back to its glory!
Looking for more ideas for your landscaping? Check out these ways landscape design can transform your yard and be inspired: