Local experts say there is no way to tell you what you should plant and how you should take care of it, because every homeowner's situation is so different.
"My job is saving people from themselves. Eighty-percent of the homes I see, I can't believe people spent that much money to get something that ugly," said Landscape Architect Paul Keeler of Deseret Land Design in Plain City.
Keeler said it's a good idea to get expert advice on what to plant because even trees that are native to Utah may not be right for soil west of the freeway.
"If a tree has a 60 percent attrition rate, you really aren't getting bang for your buck. Getting bang for your buck is getting a plant that won't die," he said.
You also aren't getting your money's worth if the finished product is boring.
"I see homes where every edger is two feet wide and the rocks are terrible. You need the street appeal aspect. Do something pizzazy and create a mini plaza. You don't have to do the whole yard, just one spot to make it jazzy if you're not getting the wow factor," he said.
Keeler said vegetable gardens and fruit trees are popular, but he likes to see people be creative with them.
"Raised gardens can have abstract shapes. Instead of rule, rule, rule, give it some pizzazz," he said.
If you want to spend less time maintaining gardens and flower beds, Keeler said chemicals are the best way to go.
"There are so many secrets to reduce maintenance. If you use a pre-emergent herbicide religiously and a contact herbicide sparingly, you will reduce maintenance. You'll spend more time on the lawn than on the beds. Use chemicals to save time. If you want to go nonchemical, you better be careful how you design your yard," he said.
Using a pre-emergent herbicide once it is 75 degrees outside and before weeds are actively growing is the best way to reduce maintenance for the lawn, said Nate Harmon, of Harmon & Sons in Layton.
The biggest mistake homeowners make, besides ineffective weed control, is not watering enough or cutting the grass too short.
"People listen to the guy on the news and don't water. Lawns need an inch of water each time. Grass needs to be two and a half to three inches in the summer. Grass is made of 90 percent water. Cutting the grass too short cuts off the water supply to the plant," he said.
Even the most weed-infested or brown lawns have hope, though. Pre-emergent and broad leaf weed control, slow-release fertilizer and water will do wonders.
"It may take a little bit of time, but it will come back," Harmon said. "Grass is the one thing in nature that will always come back."
If you are thinking about a water-wise landscape, he said, it probably won't save you money until water becomes more expensive.
"If you do the math and do it totally right with the right soil, plants and a Cadillac sprinkler system, it costs so much more than planting a lawn. I've only done two water-wise landscapes out of a couple hundred inquiries," he said.
Keeler said that will change, as water becomes more expensive and secondary water is metered.
Comments