Your landscape is the crown jewel of your home and deserves some regal attention throughout the year. The living parts of your landscape have different maintenance needs throughout the seasons. Similarly, there are a few things you can do to keep your hardscapes in top shape. Here are four tips to keep your landscaping looking great all summer long in Hollis and Amherst, NH.
Related: 5 LANDSCAPE DESIGN TIPS TO ELEVATE YOUR HOLLIS, NH LANDSCAPING IN 2021
Maintain Your Lawn… But Reduce Its Size
If your lawn is primarily decorative (if you don’t have kids and a dog who needs room to run), chances are you are spending a lot of time working on it and watering it. Proper mowing, watering, weeding, aerating, and fertilizing should continue throughout the year; but you can also make life easier on yourself by reducing the size of your lawn and replacing parts of it with beautiful native vegetation that will bring color and interest to your landscape.
Not only that, but native plants require far less water and care than exotic imported plants or lawns. The look can be a clean and modern, country cottage, or anything in between with the right choice and placement of native plants. And, your water bill will go down significantly while your landscape remains beautiful year-round.
Some of the most beautiful plants you can add to your landscape are the perennials native to New Hampshire and greater New England. These plants have been evolving in the area for millions of years and require minimal watering and maintenance while providing incredible natural beauty. As the summer winds down, it’s a good time to plant native perennials, trees, and shrubs for a dazzling display of natural color all year round.
Install An Automatic Irrigation System
Watering your lawn and other plants in your landscape can be an arduous process during the heat and drought of summer. Unfortunately, it’s easy to forget to water sometimes, or fall out of a regular cycle; and since many plants need an extra drink during the summer, you may be tempted to water them all “a little every day” instead of taking the time to do deep watering.
Installing an automatic irrigation system in your landscape will help alleviate those problems with moisture sensors that ensure the system will never miss an appointment to keep your plant life hydrated. These systems are designed to calibrate individual sprinklers or drip nozzles for specific amounts of water at specific times. Both can be aimed directly where the water needs to go so there’s no more watching your water (and money!) go straight into the storm drain or onto your driveway.
Maintain Your Trees and Shrubs
Your trees and shrubs are the anchors of your entire landscape. Part of keeping them healthy is carefully regulating their growth by pruning them in spring at the first signs of growth and removing dead or damaged limbs before the snow falls. Pruning helps trees and shrubs prioritize where to send their resources so instead of looking lanky and leggy they will be more compact and robust: the result will be a pleasing shape and plenty of shade all summer.
Light It Up
Don’t neglect the after-dark atmosphere of your landscape. As beautiful as it is during the day, you can enjoy an equally beautiful and welcoming outdoor living space with a good landscape lighting strategy. Choose LED light fixtures that are small, energy-wise, and incredibly long-lasting. This allows you to place them creatively for the best effect both in terms of ambient light as well as safety and security.
Related: 7 LANDSCAPE DESIGN SUGGESTIONS FOR WARM-WEATHER LANDSCAPING IN BEDFORD, NH AREA
