New Year, New You: Landscape Edition
We originally wrote this article for Fine Homes and Design magazine, which you can find around the Asheville and Western North Carolina area.
With the days becoming subtly longer and the energy of the holiday season fading down, we now have time to focus on the newest addition to our daily routine – 2017. For many home owners, the colder air offers a feeling of relief. Less time doing outdoor projects means more time spent on the indoor ones that were set aside during the warmer weather. The winter months are the ideal time to spend reflecting and planning for a landscape that brings you joy – long before the planting, maintaining and hard work begins.
In our personal lives, many of us also view the end of the year is a time for self reflection and planning for the year to come. We see the fresh calendar as another opportunity to reach new and exciting goals. Here at Snow Creek Landscaping, we always encourage our clients, friends and family to include your own personal development with the planning of your landscape. We firmly believe that the outside of a home can greatly affect one’s happiness.
Have you ever felt unattached when you pull up to your house? Too often people unconsciously feel agitated or disconnected because their landscape doesn’t fit what they internally envision their home to be like. Whether it was designed for previous owners, unkept because of a busy work schedule, or it just doesn’t match the person you have become throughout the years – all of those can affect your personal life.
What Makes You Truly Happy?
As we focus our attention in the outside of the house, it is extremely important to understand what makes you happy. So many people focus solely on creating a personalized space on the inside of their walls. For us, the outside of one’s house is just as important as the inside. Then, if the outside of our home is truly an extension of who we are as a
person, surely it should include things that give us joy.
To start off, we suggest writing down characteristics of what your ideal yard is. What is it that makes you stop and stare in appreciation at other homes? Is it a clean cut and simplistic design that just makes you feel comfortable, or are you drawn to a more organic and natural looking yard? For some, functionality and maintenance plays a big role, while others may be initially drawn to certain smells, colors and textures of specific plant species.
Creating a list doesn’t mean that everything on there has to be completed, so think of it more as a brainstorming session. Some yards wouldn’t be complete without statues, stepping stones and waterfalls – extras that are tailored specifically for the owner. Get creative and follow your instinct.
Imagine your ideal outdoor environment and put it into a list. Again, write down what makes you happy. You know what brings you joy better than anyone.
Once your characteristic list is complete, compare it to what you already have. If your perfect yard is well trimmed with not a weed in sight, but your current situation is the opposite, that could potentially be a source of frustration for you. For those who are in the process of building – knowing what will make you feel satisfied is a crucial part of the planning process.
Priority Work
While the overall goal of owning a home is to create a place that makes you happy, there are unfortunately going to be certain ’unflattering’ aspects. If with each storm you are worried about a seemingly dead tree falling over or water flooding into the driveway and neighborhood, those should be a priority for the new year. Take time to make a list of all the things that need to be fixed around your yard before taking on new projects.
Examples of priority items on your property:
Unhealthy or dead trees
Incorrect drainage of water
Obstacles in the way or unsafe pathways
Dim lighting making it hard to see
Anything that could promote structural
damage
As a company, we value our clients. We want the natural environment around you to be thriving and healthy, while at the same time creating a safe place for you to live. Our arborists, production and maintenance crews are trained to make sure both plants and clients are happy. When you make your plans for the next year, we ask that you please take the time to look at your property and identify the landscape jobs that need to get done to ensure your safety and well-being. We also offer environmental assessments in our packages.
Making a Plan
Obtaining the perfect yard, most of the time, can’t be achieved overnight. Nature needs time to grow and settle into it’s place. Like our personal goals, preparing and planning can lead to those successes. Consider the following when tackling projects in the new year.
What is your budget for the next couple of years? Investing in landscape projects often is multi year project that increases property value and overall happiness. Start with priority items, then move towards the preferred projects. If contacting us for our tree service to remove a dead tree is an urgent need, budget that as soon as possible. After those are done, figure out what is left for those extra projects that you been wanting to have around the home.
How is your landscape going to be maintained? Creating your backyard oasis is just the first step.Watering and general upkeep is key to having a flourishing yard. If currently you cannot maintain your yard, then let’s work out a plan with our maintenance and gardening crew before new projects are installed. Remember, if you know that a clean and healthy yard is what makes you happy – let’s work on getting that for you!
What is your timeline? Sometimes giving yourself a deadline to get things accomplished by is a great way to take that first step. Using an upcoming family reunion or graduation party as a deadline is a great way to start the design and installation process. We often have clients come to us with a specific date they would like the job to be completed by. This helps us make suggestions and create the best timeline for completion.
A landscape that brings you joy and happiness each time you come home is something that we want all of our clients to experience. As a local landscaping company in Western North Carolina, we strive to promote beautiful and healthy habitats that are both native and environmentally friendly. Give us a call and let’s see how we can help you grow in 2017.