A Seasonal Guide to Landscaping

Effective landscaping requires some degree of maintenance and effort all year round to create a space that is constantly healthy, attractive and welcoming. Here we have collected some of the best landscaping tips to use in your garden, according to the needs of the season.

SUMMER
In many climates, summer is the time to really take some time off and simply enjoy your landscaping efforts. Hotter weather makes the garden a refreshing escape from the stuffy interiors of a house and longer days are perfect for entertaining on a cool grass lawn or backyard verandah. With care throughout the year, your vegetable and herb landscaping should be overflowing with all sorts of fresh summer tastes, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, basil and parsley. Summer is also the perfect time to get the kids involved in the landscaping. Tasks that seem mundane in the cold, such as watering and raking, are so much more fun in the sun!

AUTUMN
Many landscaping experts use autumn as an intensive planting time for all kinds of bulbs and seedlings they can expect to enjoy in the spring and summer. Although it may be tempting to quash your garden's thirst with litres of water after the dry heat of summer, you should instead rely on the natural weather conditions to nourish your landscaping in these cooler months. Although it is common practice to rake up and dispose of fallen leaves in autumn, it can actually be more healthy for your landscaping to simply leave autumn leaves in garden beds to act as a fantastic organic mulch.

WINTER
Winter presents a more sparse landscaping plan for many gardeners and is a good time to tidy up and cut back your garden. Depending on your climate, a harsh winter freeze may prevent you from doing much landscaping at all, or more clement weather might allow you to create a cosy natural haven in your own backyard. If the latter is true then you might consider introducing some easy care, hardy plants into your landscaping. These could include cyclamens, hellebores and ferns, all of which can easily be planted into cool, shady spots in your landscaping.

SPRING
Spring is traditionally considered to be the most fruitful and rewarding time in landscaping, as it is the period in which all avid gardeners can enjoy the return of the warming sun, bringing with it fresh blooms and the alleviation of frost. Spring is also a good time to plan ahead with your landscaping, using the previous winter to determine which plants and methods work best in your climate. If you want an instant impact with your landscaping use the harmonious spring weather to plant mature flowering trees and shrubs for dashes of colour and beautiful views.