This was going to be a playtime, adventure post. But after talking to a former neighbor today, I can't help but post a few maintenance tips and tricks. Having a nice yard isn't about spending a lot of time weeding, its about using your time and resources wisely. A nice yard is for enjoying and relaxing in on a cool evening, its not for weeding. This was our second yard, before we took control.

And, here was the after. In the past couple of years it has returned to the before picture.  I could mow and weed this yard in about two hours each week, not bad for all the flower beds and areas I never got planted. So why was maintenance so easy for me and so hard for the current owner?

Trick 1: Professional Edging - whether you do it yourself or not, invest in a solid edging like a concrete mow curb or an aluminum edge. No matter what you do, bricks and rocks will move and let more lawn in. A solid edge will look clean and be fast to trim.

Trick 2: Keep the lawn away from fences, buildings, walls, and trees. Whether you plant the area or just put in mulch, it will look cleaner and be faster to maintain. Keeping lawn and lawn weeds from under chainlink fence can be a nightmare and trimmers tend to damage tree trunks.

Trick 3: Mulch! While any mulch is better than nothing, bark is the best. Three inches of mulch will reduce water usage, protect plants, reduce weeds, improve your soil, provide habit for vital insects and creatures, and improve the appearance of your yard. Yes, you will have to replenish it every year, but it is worth it.

Trick 4: Only pull the weeds you have to and don't weed every day. Pulling weeds takes time, energy, and can be hard on the body, but most of all, the roots often get left behind (especially if you have tangle vine running throughout your yard). Spray any weed you can. Chemical control of weeds is faster and more effective. There are a wide variety of sprays, so find one that suites you, even if it is a DIY recipe. Most people wont count your weeds, so relax when you see a few.

Trick 5: Regular maintenance is key. If you let the yard get out of control, then it will be hours to clean up again. It doesn't matter whether you spend Saturday morning doing yard work, or a half hour each day while waiting for dinner. You can fall a week behind and not suffer too much, so just keep it regular.

Last year I could spend two hours a day weeding and pulling lawn out of shrub beds. This year, I'm down to two hours per week and that includes a veggie garden. I could spend more time pruning and pulling lawn, but I'm weeding in half the time because the regular maintenance is paying off. Once I get the lawn away from the trees, or the trees out of the lawn, then I'll reduce my mowing time too. A great yard is beautiful and easy to maintain.

But, wait! Here's why designers are good.

1. A professional design will keep all of your contractor bids and budgeting on even ground.
2. A professional design can minimize changes, and therefore costs, during construction.
3. A professional designer will tailor the design to you, giving you a better design that you will enjoy longer.
4. Now matter how awesome you are, bouncing ideas off of someone else will give you a better product.
5. A professional designer will pick the best plants for you, not the most convenient plants.
   

Think about this, you have a general idea what you want to do with your yard. You talk to three contractors and tell them your idea. They say great and give you three different prices. You take the middle price, thinking that one is safe. But halfway through construction you realize that the contractor isn't doing things the way you wanted. Now you have to make changes and add in extra costs. Your yard is done, it looks good, but now that you see it, you kind of wish you had done some things differently.

If you had started with a designer, there would have been loads of ideas to go through. Many times clients don't settle into what they really want until halfway through the process. So now you have plenty of time to think about your landscape, lots of ideas to consider, things are well placed in your yard. You get bids from the same three contractors and they are all much closer this time because the contractors are all bidding on the same things and not just guessing. Now you also have less surprises during construction and less changes. You are also more able to construct portions yourself or build your landscape in phases.

It might seem like you paid more money up front to hire a designer, but in the end it can save you money. It not only makes construction smoother, but a well-designed plan tends to last longer and be more satisfying. That means you wont be changing your landscape any time soon, and that saves a lot of money.

Wendy took all that experience, started her own business, and was able to travel and live throughout the western U.S. and working on various residential and business projects. She has now lived and designed landscapes in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Arizona, and Kansas. While in Wyoming she was able to spend time volunteering at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens helping with the seeding, planting and weeding of annual beds around the gardens and city. Now settled in the Richfield area Wendy is excited to share her love of plants and design with the surrounding communities to combine the natural beauties of central Utah with the man-made environment.

Meet Sebastian, Our Office Assistant, Emotional Support, and Entertainment. He may not be much help on a site, but he always keeps things moving at the office. He joined us two years ago and is a huge factor in how we ended up in Central Utah. Sebastian is a Woolly Husky Malamute Mix. He enjoys walks, playing, meeting new people, going for rides, getting pets and scratches, and naps (lots of naps). He is a crazy combination of Fluffy Teddy Bear and Tazmanian Devil. If he shows up at your site, just know that he is super excited to meet you. He loves to spend the work day nestled in under either of the desks in "his own private den".