Tips from some Missoula landscaping pros for making 2016 the year of your best yard. Ever.
It’s February. And it’s snowing as I write this. This isn’t the time most people are thinking about their landscapes, unless it’s something like, “Where am I going to put all this snow?” or “Is it spring yet?” Still now, while the snow is falling on Missoula, is the time you need to take the steps for your best yard ever.
Plan now, enjoy it later.
Whether your dream yard is a beautifully manicured lawn, a sprawling patio set with an outdoor kitchen, a wild-looking native yard that bees and other beneficial wildlife will enjoy, a vegetable garden and chicken coop on your own urban farm, or some combination of these, now is the time to take the steps towards your own dream yard. Then, when spring rolls around, you can get to work building the yard of your dreams. If you’re not the type who likes to play in the dirt, consider hiring a landscape contractor to do the work. Many contractors (the good ones at least) are booking their season often the fall before, or at least over the winter, so contact us early if you’re considering a project, particularly one that will require a landscape design. But, I digress – back to the topic at hand.
The landscape design.
Planning your best yard takes into consideration many factors, not the least of which is how you plan to enjoy it. Other items to consider include aspect, slope, soil type, and elevation. In Missoula, our landscaping challenges also include elevation and local wildlife. Temperature (and consequently zone appropriate plantings) vary drastically depending on where you’re at in the valley. Spring in the University District is still winter in Pattee Canyon! Similarly, the roaming herds of deer in Missoula affect our landscaping differently depending on what part of town you’re in. Rattlesnake area deer have a different taste for plants than do Grant Creek deer, and Miller Creek deer eat things not seen in other parts of the valley. Weird, I know.
If all this sounds overwhelming to you, it’s OK. Planning a landscape design is an intricate, time consuming process. Many of our clients turn to us for advice, recommendations, and often, landscape design work. Because we are so familiar with the Missoula valley and what works or what doesn’t, our landscape design typically share a common theme of deer resistant, low maintenance, seasonally interesting plantings. We also love to incorporate hardscape elements (think boulders, walls, and patios) and efficient watering systems into our designs. Once you have a plan, the rest falls into place. And guess what…? Winter is a great time to design your landscape, so when spring arrives, you can get to work making 2016 the year of your best yard. Ever.