Landscape Design Plan

How do I get started with a landscape design plan?
The best garden landscapes begin with an overall plan that addresses your wants and desires, your preferred financial outlay and a sound, regular maintenance program. Your total landscape—the green, growing environment surrounding your home and the attending hardscapes—sets the tone and creates an ambiance. Its purpose is to provide visual, auditory and sensory pleasure for you, your family and your guests. Further, your garden landscaping distinguishes your property from all others—something that is particularly welcomed when it comes time to sell your home.

During the planning phase, you get to dream. What colors and textures do you prefer? Perhaps have a theme in mind, such as a formal landscape design, a Japanese garden, or an English garden design. You want to factor in how you and your family live in the space. Will your garden landscape fit your needs—whether that means a children’s playground or an outdoor room for business entertainment? We remind our clients that good landscape design supports and enhances the architecture of the home. It also does practical things like addressing the way you get on and off the property. It evokes emotion and creates an experience as you approach the home.
A landscape designer or landscape architect can develop an encompassing plan that works with the natural features of your property such as drainage, soil composition, and sun positioning. They will accentuate your view, or, if you don’t have one, they can help create focal points such as outdoor water fountains. In short, these professionals help you maximize your enjoyment of the landscape, while avoiding long-term problems and minimizing any naturally-occurring disadvantages.

What’s the next step?
The installation of your garden landscape is critical and begins with the demolition of existing features you no longer want. As for those you want to keep, Exterior Worlds, advises tree preservation—building barricades around trees you want to preserve so that roots don’t get compacted or severed during construction.

Other aspects of the landscape installation involve installing irrigation systems, drainage systems, and landscape lighting. This phase also includes the building of garden structures, such as outdoor gazebos or garden arches; also other items like gates, retaining walls, pathways and luxury swimming pools. Next comes the planting of trees, shrubbery, groundcover and any seasonal color. The final step consists of mulching and cleanup.

Once the installation is done, can Exterior Worlds help us with maintenance?
Garden landscapes are living entities and thus require ongoing maintenance. From mowing to watering, regular landscape maintenance protects your investment, preserves the quality of the space and enhances your enjoyment of a lush, healthy landscape. Our Houston lawn services entail 52 or 42 visits a year that include regular lawn mowing and trimming, shrub and tree pruning, fertilization and management of pests and diseases.

At Exterior Worlds, our standards go beyond those of our competitors and even of our clients. We do everything for you. You don’t have to micro-manage us or worry about the job getting done and being done right.