4 Tips For Planning Your Garden
A grass lawn is rudimentary. Passé. Everyone has one, and they aren’t hard to keep up. However, planting a garden takes effort, and it shows a commitment to the beauty of nature. A vegetable garden can be a source of fresh and cheap vegetables, and if you’re particularly skilled and attentive, you can even raise the value of your property.
Here are 4 tips to keep in mind while you’re still in the planning stages for your garden:
- Work with the landscape and not against it. A beautiful garden is one that looks like it rises naturally out of the ground, as opposed to one that’s boxed in against the world.
- Choose your site carefully. Most garden plants prefer a decent amount of direct sunlight, and it’s not going to get enough if it’s hidden under the shade of a massive tree or if it’s tucked away against the northern side of your house.
- Pick your plants wisely. You need to consider the local climate, the nature of the soil, and the latitude to find out which flowers flourish, which ones need extra attention, and which ones you shouldn’t bother with at all. The best garden plants are the ones that thrive in the local environment without much extra help.
- Keep proper drainage in mind. If your garden is going to be up against the edge of your house, especially if it’s going to be built as a terrace or overlap with a downspout, you need to make sure that it gets proper drainage so that you don’t accidentally end up directing rainfall into your foundation. If you have to replace the topsoil with something more fertile, make sure the ground still slopes slightly away from your house. If you need to replace the end of the downspout, make sure the water that comes out still drains some distance away from the house. And if you install a sprinkler system to keep your garden hydrated, make sure it doesn’t spray the side of the building too heavily.
While a garden may prove to be a fulfilling hobby and a benefit to your property value, water damage and cracks in your foundation are nothing but expensive trouble. If you should happen to live in or near the state of Maryland, the folks here at AA Action Waterproofing will gladly help out with pre-construction waterproofing consultations and any extra waterproofing you think you may need before you start building your garden. Remember, it’s your house – treat it with the care it deserves.