8 Tips for the Perfect Landscape Design for Your Home

Does your lawn look thin, revealing exposed dirt patches? Are your trees misshapen? Do your flowerbeds sit empty? Does your driveway lack an attractive perimeter of stonework or greenery?

Your Tulsa home deserves landscaping that looks beautiful, enhances its curb appeal and makes you proud to say, “This is my home.” With planning and careful maintenance, your home’s lawn and yard can go from drab to fabulous, making it a pleasure to sit outside and enjoy nature’s beauty from the comfort of your home.

Not sure where to begin with your landscape design goals? Not to worry. Use these 8 tips to start envisioning how you want your home’s landscape to look. It’s easier than you might think to achieve the beautiful landscape design you desire.

Take an Honest Look at Your Landscaping

Consider how your home looks from the curb. Try to see it with a first-time visitor’s perspective. Is there anything missing? Does your home fit with other homes on your street — or does it stand out, and not in a good way?

You don’t have to do exactly what your neighbors are doing, but their landscape designs may highlight weaknesses in your own, giving you ideas that will help you revitalize your landscaping. Be sure to consider what matters most to you as you move forward with your new landscape design project.

Establish Focal Points

A central landscaping focal point draws the eye and makes your home pop from the curb. A focal point for your home could be anything that attracts the attention, such as:

A tall, majestic oak tree
A stunning fountain or lawn statue
Decorative pillars at the edge of your driveway
A brightly painted, creatively designed front door
Tiered, colorful flowerbeds

Look at other yards and homes that are similar to yours for ideas, and consult with a professional landscaper for an expert opinion on focal point options that would go well with your Tulsa home.

Choose a Design You Can Easily Manage

Shaped trees and fancily laid out beds and hedges may look stunning at parks and in front of museums. But they involve intensive maintenance time and costs to keep them looking beautiful year-round.

If you don’t have the time or budget for this level of landscaping maintenance, don’t invest in overly formal features. Instead, opt for designs that fit well with your time and budget, and you’ll be a lot happier in the long term.

Use Subtle Geometric Patterns

Patterns and geometric shapes are fun, as long as they are incorporated with restraint and a clear eye toward clean design aesthetics. One well-planned geometric feature will draw the eye, while several mixed geometric shapes scattered across the lawn are likely to feel disorganized and unattractive.

A professional landscape design team can assist you in incorporating the geometric shapes you find appealing, the flowers you like, and the materials you prefer—all the while ensuring that the design looks appealing to everyone who visits your home.

Invite Natural Movement

As you plan your landscape features, remember that movement is a part of nature. Incorporate movement, and you’ll boost your yard’s aesthetics. Tall grasses sway gently in the breeze, for example, adding an element of soothing motion. Certain flowers draw butterflies that will fly delightfully across your yard. Wind chimes and lawn art with movable features, such as windmills, also add movement.

Choose the Proper Plants for Each Spot

If you’ve ever planted what you thought would be a small, delicate bush, only to see it grow tall and misshapen, hiding key home features you want to show off, you’re not alone. The wrong plants in the wrong spot can make your landscape look unkempt. Before you plant anything, carefully think about where it will look its best, enhancing rather than detracting from your home’s aesthetics.

Also, consider how much sun exposure and how much water various areas of your yard enjoy, and choose flowers and greenery that would grow well in those spots.

Incorporate Hardscape

When homeowners hear the word “landscaping,” they often think only of trees, hedges, and flowers. But man-made structures also add to a home’s landscape design and functionality. As you envision your new landscape design, consider how hardscape features can enhance your home:

Paths and walkways — If your home lacks walkways, people will end up crossing your lawn to get to your door. This can be tough on grass that you’re trying to keep lush. Install paths that flow well with the natural way that people access your home, such as a short stone walkway from your driveway to your door.
Fire pits — Your backyard can be a luxurious space to entertain friends and relax with family. Fire pits are a popular, attractive, practical feature—giving your yard a focal point and offering a space to gather, roast marshmallows, and chat.
Landscape lighting — Lighting features can be used to illuminate walkways, paths, and steps for increased safety for you and your visitors. Lighting can also be used to illuminate focal points such as a tree, fountain, or lawn statue, boosting your home’s curb appeal at night.
Front porch and back deck features — Potted plants, flowers that neatly line front steps, bushes that hide less attractive home architecture, twinkle lights, cooking spaces — all of these options and more can add to the look and feel of porches and decks.

Your Tulsa Home Can Stand Out with Beautiful, Pleasing Landscape Design

Landscape design is a vital element in boosting your Tulsa home’s curb appeal, overall value, and functionality. And the great news is, you can begin planning for a new, delightful, attractive landscape design any time of the year. There’s no better time than now to explore your options and decide on a landscape design that you’ll love for years to come.

The experienced, passionate pro landscapers at ProActive Landscaping know Tulsa’s climate inside and out. They can guide you in choosing design elements that will make your home look stunning. Whether you need hardscape, landscape lighting, paths, walkways, flowers, trees, fire pits, or any other landscaping feature you can imagine, our team can make it happen.