Your Sidewalk Isn't Just a Sidewalk Anymore

The route from your driveway to your house is more than a way to get home: it is an opportunity to create a focal point of beauty that enhances your house, much like a frame accents a beautiful painting. Opportunities for added beauty-and value-exist throughout your property when you take time to determine where they are, and what you like.

Now, during the winter doldrums, you can take the time to plan additions to your yard.

Thoughtfully planned outdoor living spaces can be practical as well as beautiful. You may want to create a windscreen, or an area of privacy. Spaces designed to accent functionality can also enhance indoor living by providing scenic views and aiding temperature control within your home through positioning trees that shade and shield.

Before approaching a professional landscape designer, take some time to physically list yard features that you like as well as items that you don't like.
I always suggest using a legal pad with a line drawn through the middle of the page. List color combinations that you hate, as well as those you find attractive, note neighbors' yards that you admire, plants you like-even if you don't know the name, your landscape designer can drive by and identify the variety for you.

This list should also include particular needs of your family. If you have young children and want to work around outdoor play equipment or activities such as volleyball or croquet, make sure you include that information on your list. Also consider areas and needs such as vegetable gardens, clotheslines and a site for a compost pile if you don't already have one.

Take into consideration the time you plan to spend working in your yard, also. Be honest with yourself-are you a dutiful gardener or to you want "easy care" plants? Do you plan to hire maintenance professionals or do it all yourself?

Now, consult with a landscape professional, and see what can be designed to meet your needs. Remember that you can stipulate a plan with a "multi-year approach." In other words, choose areas that you want to work first and leave less important areas for the following years.

Choosing colors, plants and arrangements that are right for you, your lifestyle and your area are the surest methods of enjoying your home to its fullest. And don't forget that in addition to being beautiful, a professionally landscaped home has a much higher value.