A yard is a valuable addition to any property. Apart from increasing a home’s value by 16%, it's also a functional area wherein you can hold various activities. On the other hand, landscaping your backyard is a serious investment when it comes to the money, effort, and time you put in it. You'll have to consider a lot of things, such as lawn maintenance, as well as plant selection and placement, among other things. The challenges that come with landscaping increase significantly as your yard gets larger. However, there are certain things you can do to make landscaping a large yard easier.

Divide Your Yard into Zones

One of the key challenges of landscaping a large yard is that it can be overwhelming. It's only natural that you'd want to complete your project all in one go. However, realistically speaking, attempting to landscape in one day can be risky. One solution that experts recommend is to divide the area you're working on into zones, and then take a phased approach. This technique allows you to divide your landscaping project into more manageable segments that relate to each other, thus resulting in a balanced outdoor area.

To do a phased approach, consider first the types of outdoor features that you want to include in the area that you're working on. For instance, according to experts, more people today are investing in outdoor rooms and entertainment spaces. Some of these outdoor rooms can be a meditation space, an outdoor kitchen, or a multi-functional gazebo. These can serve as the zones of your landscaping projects, and you can work on them one by one over an extended period of time. Then, to make your entire landscaping project more cohesive, choose a common theme, such as accents or colors, that will be used in all these zones.

Select the Right Plants

Choosing the right plants is also critical when you are doing a large landscaping project. Plants can have various functions aside from acting as accents to the overall look of your outdoor area. According to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the concept “right plant, right place” is an important consideration for any kind of gardening project as this will make your yard easier to maintain, and more importantly, it will ensure that the plants you select will thrive.

As such, for your large landscaping project, make sure that you consider environmental variables when choosing plants, such as light and water availability, as well as exposure to wind and extreme temperatures. When it comes to trees, choose ones that are resistant to disease and insects. Pre-existing trees in your outdoor area may need to be professionally trimmed or totally removed if they do not fit your landscaping ideas, so you'll need to call a tree removal service to do the job. You may have to consider the function that your plants serve, too. For instance, certain plants such as arborvitae and bamboo may be used as replacement for fences.

Enhance Visual Appeal Through Shape and Form

Once you’ve selected the plants that you'll use in your landscape design, you need to consider the shapes and lines that you would like to integrate. This will make sure that you will end up with a well-balanced design for your outdoor area. As such, when thinking about your landscaping project design, you need to think of the feeling that you want a space to invoke. Curved  lines, for instance, can add interest to pathways and give a space a more natural feel. Meanwhile, cornered shapes and straight lines convey a sense of order. Taken together, these shapes and lines can create patterns that will create texture, making your design more interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Use Alternative Ground Covers

One of the most typical features of a yard is the lawn grass. However, maintaining lawn grass can be costly, as keeping it green and tidy entails regular watering and mowing. On average, maintaining lawn grass can cost around $129. This amount can significantly increase when you are landscaping a large area, and this doesn't include the time and effort that should be invested for its maintenance. As such, when landscaping a large yard, it may be practical to consider alternative ground covers including gravel or bark.

This concept is adapted from xeriscaping, which is a landscaping practice that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is said that xeriscaping can reduce water use by 50% to 75%, though this might be lower if other elements of your landscaping projects still have plants that need constant watering. Other alternatives that you can consider as ground covers are creeping perennials and clover. These are  low-maintenance and do not require regular mowing and watering. They also spread easily, making them ideal for large spaces.

Taking on a large landscaping project can seem daunting, but it does not have to be. Of course, it will take time and effort to make your large outdoor space functional and aesthetically pleasing. However, following these tips can make your project easier to accomplish.

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