Residential Landscape Design

Madison Parade of Homes 2014

Do It Yourself Landscape Plan for Homeowners

We are so excited for the opportunity to have created the landscape design for one of the 2014 Madison Parade of Homes entries! This gorgeous new home is located in Bristol Gardens in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The home was built by Farnsworth Builders.

DIY landscape plansSprout Landscape & Garden created a do-it-yourself (DIY) landscaping plan for the homeowners who were excited to put some sweat equity into their new home. But there were some things the homeowners needed assistance on, so Sprout provided guidance and additional manpower as needed. At Sprout, we’re here to help, and we can provide as much or as little help as needed!

The focus of this do-it-yourself design was low maintenance plantings and beds. The choice of plants and spacing will allow for maximum future growth and reduce the amount of pruning and maintenance in the future. The beds were lined with weed barrier fabric and covered in a native washed stone for low maintenance.
But keep in mind, there is no such thing as “no-maintenance landscaping!” Every landscape takes some care.

If you have a yard, you will have to give it some care. But knowing the right plants and building materials can drastically reduce the amount of time you spend pruning, weeding, watering and managing your landscape. And of course planting the right plants in the appropriate places will reduce maintenance and increase the likelihood of survival, saving you money and time in the long run.

The other consideration with the plant selection in this Parade of Homes design was to make sure they are wind resistant. In new developments, wind can be a problem. We chose trees such as bur oak and greenspirelinden for their hardy nature. They will withstand much more extreme wind conditions than, for example, a soft wood maple.

Another important feature in this design is that the homeowners wanted plants that would be blooming all season and have a variety of fall colors. For this, we choice trees such as serviceberry for its characteristics. The serviceberry has lovely white flowers in the spring, attractive fruits that birds love to eat, and beautiful fall tones of orange, yellow and red.

See below for the a close-up of what you can expect for a do it yourself landscape design and please contact us today if you are interested in learning more!

diy landscape ideas

 

 

 

Rabbit Damage In The Landscape

Winter Rabbit Damage

Nothing can be more frustrating than winter damage on plants caused by wildlife. Rabbits, in particular, can cause major damage in the winter, especially to thinner, more tender shrubs. More established plants, such as this Bridal Wreath Spirea and Eastern Redbud, will be able to recover from the winter grazing and naturally heal over their wounds.

Tree Damage from Rabbits

Eastern Redbud

Rabbit Shrub Damage

Bridal Wreath Spirea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This winter has resulted in a higher amount of rabbit damage than normal. The weather was colder and produced more snow than typical winters, where rabbits and other wildlife had a more difficult time finding food. Because of their desperation, you may see damage to shrubs or other plants you’ve never noticed before. This spring, keep an eye on plants that experienced rabbit damage. You may be surprised to find that many will naturally recover, possibly even thrive from a “natural pruning”, while others may be beyond reasonable repair.

Winter Plant Damage

Ping Pong Buttonbush

When assessing rabbit damage, consider selective pruning as an alternative. Seen on the photo to the left, this young Buttonbush had almost all its stems bit off, leaving only one older stem. For a more attractive, healthy plant, prune the nubs left by the rabbits by pruning the stem down to the next bud, remove odd looking stems (such as the one older stem), then allow spring growth to emerge. Soon, this shrub will pick up where it left off, being a step behind in growth, but still in tact. Flowering may not be present this coming season, because of the extent of damage.

Once the leaves fall next Autumn, plan to protect the plants you discovered can be a favorite of the neighborhood rabbits from future winter damage. Wrapping plants with fine, black netting (also called deer netting-see photo below) is a great way to keep the plant protected from critters, while still allowing the plant to breath and receive sunlight. Make sure and secure the netting around the bottom of the plant to protect the main stem and keep the netting from becoming compromised.

Prevent Rabbit Damage In Your Landscape

Black Netting