A well-designed and maintained landscape can last for years, but even if you love your landscape design, time can take a toll.
According to Richie Everage, design consultant with Landscape Management, landscapes can fail for a variety of reasons. Insects, disease and environmental extremes such as floods, droughts, heat or freezes can destroy a landscape. Factors such as sunlight, drainage and soil fertility can change over time and negatively impact plants. “Regardless of the cause, once a landscape has deteriorated to a point where it no longer provides the full benefit of enhancing your property, landscape renovation is an option,” says Everage.
He explains that landscape renovation is a relatively new term in the landscape field. “It’s the process of improving and/or modernizing an established landscape, versus starting with a completely blank slate.”
For example, he says there may be elements of your existing landscape that you want to keep. You may like the shape of your beds but want to refresh with new plants and features. Or you may want to enlarge your landscaped space.
One of the main benefits of landscape renovation is that it can give your outdoor space a fresh, new look. “Styles and trends change over time, and just as you update different aspects of your home, updates to the landscape can keep your property looking the way you want it to,” says Everage. “This is particularly true if you’ve recently completed a renovation or purchased a new property. A renovation can breathe new life into an outdated or overgrown landscape and really enhance the curb appeal. You can choose to update individual features or overhaul the entire space. You can liven up the space by adding new plants, trees or flowers. You might also want to consider changing the layout of your landscape or adding features like a water fountain or pond.”
He adds that another benefit of a landscape renovation is to create a low maintenance landscape by removing some of the landscaping features that require regular upkeep and installing hardscape and softscape elements that are low or no-maintenance.
“And as homeowners increasingly seek to maximize the potential of their outdoor living spaces, landscape renovation offers a great way to incorporate desired landscape elements in this space for relaxing and entertaining,” says Everage. “By combining aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability, a landscape renovation can turn your outdoor area into a beautiful, functional extension of your home.”
If you’re not sure where to start, Everage says his team can work with you to provide options to make your decisions easier. “We’ll create virtual renderings, so you’ll know exactly what to expect. Our goal is to create a plan that makes the most of what you like, removes what is not working, and adds beautiful new elements to enhance your landscape.”
For more information, call Landscape Management Services at (337) 478-3836 or visit www.landscapemanagement.org.