I have been a professional landscaper for over a decade now in the Southeast United States. More specifically, Atlanta, Georgia. Landscaping is a highly competitive business in this city as it is in other cities but with a 12 month growing season and lots of trees and grass, Atlanta landscaping is a bit different than most other places.

The trick in many cases is the client wants their landscape to make a statement and stand out but they have a budget that won't allow them to really do what they need or want to do.  Over the years we have come up with some tricks to really spice up the landscape and minimize the cost. Now don't get me wrong, you still need to spend some money to bring about positive change to an unkept landscape, but with some creative ideas you can make some great improvements that won't break the bank.

Step 1.

The first thing that needs to happen in an unkept property is a clean up. If the landscape is unkept and in disarray it needs to be cleaned up so you can see what you have. All the shrubs need to be trimmed, if you are going to keep them, and leaves and sticks and underbrush all cleaned up and hauled off.

Step 2.

Decide what you want to do. The budget is of mind here but a lot of times we do a complete overhaul of the front of the house and leave the back for phase 2. This is usually the best way to go about the process if you are on a limited budget. Depending on your situation a lot of times trying to get a little done in this corner and saving that corner for later ends up looking like you didn't do anything. Its hard to get heads to turn if you still have an eye sore at a visually significant area of the property.

If your landscape is in good shape you might just need some things moved around and some freshening to give it that little boost of landscape juice that will get the place looking awesome.

The point is, take some time and assess what you have and what you want to accomplish. This is the area where we, the professional, come in a lot of times to give you some suggestions that will work. These are usually dictated by the amount of sun or shade you have and what particular plants you want to keep or are partial to in adding to your landscape.

Step 3

Figure out how much its going to cost.  Ah, the fun part. The pricing. If you are going to take a lot of stuff out you should tie this part of it in with the clean up. This will add to your cost a little because there will be some hauling you will need to do but you are probably taking some debris out any way.

The other major cost will be the plant materials. You don't want to put small little plants in after you rip out full grown plants. That looks ridiculous. Spending a little extra for larger plants will pay off in the end with a full looking landscape. Make sure you are getting hardy plants that will do well in your region. There are a variety of plants in the southeast that are sold in the nurseries but really don't do well here. Make sure you get hardy plants that are going to last in the conditions of your region.

Here is where the head turning starts. One of the best ways to turn heads and save money is to install boulders in your landscape. The trick is to install them in a way that makes them look like they have been there a while.

I will be writing a post on the finer points of boulder installation very soon. And yes, there is a method to the placement and installation of boulders. I have become a student of the art of boulder placement and actually have a few books in my library on the very subject.

Boulders are great because:

#1 - they never die.

#2 They take up space.

#3 They add a significant amount of contrast, texture and strength to the landscape.

#4 - Did I mention they never die.

This is huge. I have never had to replace a boulder and I can't tell you how many complements I have received on a landscape in reference to the boulders we installed.

The other head turner is the contrast of color. Its important you find some plant materials that  are hardy in your area and that will give you a good contrast of color.  Yellow and red are the best.  As consistently yellow or red as they can be. In other words, not just when they bloom. One of the plants we use a lot is called a gold mop cypress. It is a bright yellow all year long. It does not bloom but is a conifer with bright yellow growth. When you contrast the gold mop with a burgundy plant the look is head turning.

Annual flowers or perennials are another area that will get those heads turning. Contrast again is key. 

This is really a designer area because just sticking some flowers in a spot to stick some flowers in a spot can look ridiculous. Take some time to plan out where you want the flowers to be.

The concept is to have the eye flow across the landscape with the different colors and textures you install. So as your eye flows across your landscape, where are there areas where some eye popping color would catch the most attention and add to the landscape and not take away from it.

Here is where you will put your color beds. And one of the best additions to color beds is the old stand by --- Boulders.

Installing a boulder or two or three, depending on the size of your flower bed will again take up some space and give you some dimension to the flower arrangement.

You can check out our site and maybe get some ideas from some of the videos.

Arbor & Turf

Step 4

Buy the plants and materials and get r done.

Step 5

Enjoy and be happy that you got r did.

Happy planting.