Big Picture Gardening Tips for a Quickly Approaching Spring Season

Neil Sperry, Garden Guru, and publisher of Gardens Magazine recently spoke to news outlet Star-Telegram on the often-challenging but always-rewarding hobby of gardening.

As he says, gardening is not so dissimilar from the advice given to every driver’s education student since the beginning of time: “‘You gotta’ see the big picture’… Great landscaping color doesn’t just happen accidentally. It comes with a thorough knowledge of the tools you’ll be using, and it requires careful planning.” 

As noted landscaping and real estate expert Matthew Vettese recently stated on a related blog tells us, “You probably already know the way a simple coat of new paint can make a property pop. But paint is not the only way to make your home stand out above the rest. Landscaping plays a critical role in a listing’s appearance.” 

So, In the midst of an unusually mild winter, spring is quickly approaching.  So it is time to start planning where and when to develop the landscapes that beautify your property.

The first question is simple: “What are your favorite colors?”  It seems obvious, but it’s always better to consider your color scheme ahead of time, lest you find yourself picking blind at your favorite flower retailer. 

And beyond your own personal preference, it is also important to “Be sure your colors are harmonious with the nonliving things that surround them, such as walls, walks and patios, then go with the shades that most cheer and inspire you,” as Sperry says.

One of Sperry’s main suggestions is to think of your landscapes as “rooms.” If you live on a smaller property, at the very least, you’ll be able to separate your front yard and back yard into 2 separate rooms.  That way, you can have two entirely different structures and color schemes – so long as you can’t see both at once. 

Gardening and landscaping can be a complicated science.  If you want to get the most beauty out of your lot – especially considering color – you might consider planting many different flowers with varying flowering schedules.  That way, you’ll get to enjoy an array of color schemes throughout the year. 

As Sperry suggests, changing landscaping color schemes at least twice a year will help keep your property looking great. It will reflect the changes in the weather and allow you to keep up-to-date with the best looking trends and ideas.

These options will brighten up your landscape for the greatest portion of the year, and are a great start for newcomers to the art of landscaping.