Creating Beautiful Landscapes in Utah: Tips for Homeowners.
Designing an appealing landscape in Utah can be challenging, particularly due to the state’s changing climate. For both new homeowners and long-time residents, selecting the right plants for their yards is not always straightforward. However, there are effective strategies to create a stunning landscape by focusing on key elements such as contrast, blooms, foliage, and texture.
1. The Importance of Contrast
Many homeowners wonder why their yards lack the “designer look,” despite their efforts. Often, the solution lies in achieving balance through contrast.
Focusing solely on blooming plants can lead to a “green jungle” effect, where everything merges without making a statement. Instead, homeowners should view blooms as one aspect of landscape design. Incorporating plants with diverse foliage colors and textures enhances visual interest and makes the overall design more dynamic.
In landscape design, beauty arises not just from individual plants but from how they contrast with one another. This contrast creates depth and curb appeal.
2. Prioritize Blooms
When selecting plants, people often look for flowers first. However, nurseries typically stock plants seasonally, so if you only shop in the spring, you’ll likely find mostly spring-blooming flowers. This can leave your yard looking dull later in the year.
Not all blooms are equal; some perennials may only flower for a couple of weeks, while others can bloom for up to four months. To maintain a vibrant yard year-round, focus on long-blooming perennials as the foundation of your landscape.
3. Don’t Overlook Foliage
While blooms are lovely, they are temporary. Foliage provides color and texture throughout the entire season. Look for plants with gold, silver, burgundy, or variegated leaves to ensure your yard remains interesting year-round.
4. Add Texture for Visual Depth
Texture is a vital aspect of landscape design, created by the shape and structure of leaves. Ornamental grasses, large-leaved plants, and ferns are excellent choices to introduce texture and variety. These plants contrast with other foliage and create a layered, dynamic appearance.
Though some textured plants may also produce blooms, their main role in the landscape is to offer contrast and depth, not just flowers.
5. Create Repeating Combinations
To keep your landscape visually engaging throughout the seasons, establish plant combinations that repeat across your design. At the upcoming Salt Lake Fall Home Show, I will teach attendees how to design these combinations effectively. We are also developing an “easy button” to simplify this process.
6. Introducing the Utah Plant Selector
We are excited to announce a new tool we call “Tinder for Plants.” This user-friendly app guides users through a series of questions and suggests plant combinations based on the techniques I will present at the Home Show.
The Utah Plant Selector will feature the best-performing plants for Utah’s climate. Like a dating app, users can “swipe right” to swap out plants and create their ideal landscape.
This tool will be available in December and will be free for all Utah residents. We are partnering with local nurseries and online vendors to facilitate the purchase of suitable plants for gardens. Users will also be able to download a park strip roster and sign up for notifications when the Utah Plant Selector launches.
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