LANDSCAPING AND YARD MAINTENANCE

  As trends change and your landscape becomes overgrown, older homes look 
outdated and out of place. Consider giving them a fresh look by sprucing things 
up with a landscape makeover. This will easily improve the overall appearance of 
your home and make your outdoor living space a more inviting place. 

Recreating your landscape may seem overwhelming, but it’s a rewarding task 
that will greatly impact the usability and value of your home. Start the process by 
deciding what look you want in your yard. If you need help visualizing, ask a 
professional landscape architect or designer for ideas and a landscape plan. 

 Think ahead before starting your outdoor remodel. If you also plan to renovate 
the outside of your home, you should do that before you install your new yard. 
Make sure your projects don’t impact each other. This can cost you time and 
money.

 There are new things to consider with your landscape design. Fire safety is a real 
concern and you want to plant fire resistant plant material and mulch for the 
areas closest to your home. Junipers were used as foundation plants in many 
older homes, but they should be replaced because they are highly combustible. If 
your home is located in a high wildfire hazard area.

It’s also important to incorporate water conserving ideas into your new yard. 
Consider water-wise plants that don’t require a lot of water once they are 
established. A well-designed, efficient irrigation system, installed by trained 
specialists, is a must for conserving water and maintaining healthy plants. 
Most of us have hectic lives, and a low maintenance landscape is a must. Use 
plants that are hardy for our high desert climate, slow growing and require 
minimal pruning. Ask an experienced plant specialist to suggest the right plants 
for your particular yard and tell you how to care for them before making your 
plant selections. Although no yard is maintenance free, good choices and 
planning can free up time working in our yards and reward us with time to enjoy 
them. 


 The process of removing, replacing, and choosing new materials can be fun, 
though overwhelming for many. Here are a few tips to help get you started.

Find a landscape architect to design the yard of your dreams. A landscape 
architect is a licensed professional who can help create concepts, sketches, 
detailed plans, and construction documents that are used for significant or 
complicated installation plans. The landscape architect may manage the project for you, or you can select a licensed landscape general contractor to install your 
project. You can also do it yourself, depending on your skills. 

Another option is to work directly with a licensed landscape contractor. Many 
landscape contractors utilize design professionals or their own talents to create a 
plan for your yard. The contractor will then use your chosen concept and install 
the landscape materials. A landscape contractor can not sell you a landscape 
plan but will work with you to create a design/build project. 

 Choosing a licensed professional will provide you with a competent individual to 
install your landscape project.

 Some people like the idea of designing and installing their own landscape. If you 
have the will, incentive and physical ability, you can definitely do it yourself. 
There are various landscape magazines, books and websites you can refer to for 
inspiration. A good place to start is the helpful Moana Nursery Plan & Plant 
instructions. It walks you through several simple steps to put together a 
complete, well thought out plan just for you.

Take the time to search out knowledgeable, local professionals with experience, 
reliability and awareness. With good planning you will be ready to transform your 
old landscape into something extraordinary.