Don’t be afraid to remodel your landscape

Is it time to change your landscape? None of us likes to talk about change. I hate removing, rearranging or redoing anything in my yard. Those trees and shrubs have become sacred to me. But just like cars, landscapes need to be overhauled or junked at some point.

When considering your need to remodel, ask yourself: Are trees and shrubs crowding each other? Have plants overrun pathways? Is your shrubbery hiding your home's architecture? Has your family outgrown the original design? Do you want to change to a water-conserving landscape or switch from a formal to an informal landscape? Is the scenery cluttered with many kinds, textures and forms of plants? Will a tall hedge screen out someone's view of your swimming pool? Are tree roots heaving the walks? If you answer yes to many of these questions, consider remodeling your landscape.

A few years ago, I planted rosemary in planter boxes along our lawn. I wanted it to spill over the boxes.

It was pretty the first year, but three years later, those bushes towered three feet above the boxes and eventually out into the lawn. They interfered with the sprinkler system and mowing, and I ended up with a dry, spotted lawn. It soon became yank-out time, either that or redo the sprinkler system.

I recall a homeowner planting two golden arborvitaes next to his front door. He and the plants grew to hate each other. The plants were never allowed to grow to their natural shape and beauty, and he was constantly hacking at them and finally yanked them.

Many gardeners plant junipers along sidewalks, hoping they grow to the sidewalk and stop, but junipers spread. A tam juniper will spread more than 20 feet, when the gardener probably wanted it confined to a 3-foot area.

Juniper shrubs slowly creep over sidewalks. Many of us massacre them, but here's the catch: junipers won't regenerate new growth from branches back in the bush and become unsightly.

Here's how to avoid wholesale changes with your project. Bring in a landscape architect, who might save most of your plants. The fee isn't as high as one might expect. Let the expert's talents turn your dreary landscape into a showplace. The architect will walk through your yard with you to determine your needs and the status of existing plants to decide what must go and what can stay.

With ideas now on paper, the expert will create a plan. Later, the specialist will go over your plan in minute detail with you, because it is hard for some to conceptualize on paper. Once you understand the plan, you're ready to make changes.

The landscape architect will provide planting, fertilizing, staking and pruning guidelines to get you off on the right foot.

If you choose to do your own remodeling, take a cue from professionals, starting with an overall assessment. If the original landscape suited your requirements, it will involve only some minor modifications. Otherwise, you might need a master plan.

Your most difficult decisions will be deciding which plants to save or take out. It becomes an emotional issue to cut down healthy plants, especially if you planted them. Try to remember, plants are expendable once they no longer serve a purpose.

The most common problem is overgrowth. Rather than continuing to hack back a large shrub under a window, yank it. Many shrubs such as euonymus, mock orange and privet will regrow and give many more years of service if you severely cut them back now.

When considering large trees, seek the opinions of experts. It's sad removing old trees that might have been rehabilitated by pruning. The cost of professional pruning might be less than removal.

After you've removed the expendable trees and shrubs, the remainder might now have room to attain their natural shape.

Take time to fluff up your front entrance. Make it so inviting that everyone will want to come in. Add that personal touch to get the maximum return for your effort. It's an ideal opportunity to upgrade your paving by laying brick, tile or flagstone.

Be dramatic; bring in a few boulders, or add a few choice plants in containers and include low-voltage lighting.

Make the most of a nice view. Add a path to a secluded bench. A gazebo offers shade in the absence of trees.

In all seriousness, remodeling need never happen. With proper planning and proper care, your landscaping will last a lifetime.

Linn Mills writes a garden column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@ springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.