Landscaping For Dummies. Lance Walheim

you to good resources, including their favorite suppliers in your area.

      THINKING LONG TERM

      How long you plan to live in your house influences your landscape planning. If you’re only planning to live in your house a couple of years, concentrate on fast-growing trees and shrubs to give you a more powerful effect sooner. Expensive projects like a deck or gazebo may add to the value of your home, but you may not recoup those costs before you’re ready to move.

      In general, the shorter your stay, the less complex your landscape plans should be. If you plan to stay in your house for a long time, go ahead and tackle more difficult projects, such as adding a deck, fence, pool, or patio (see Part 2).

      Are you or someone else in your home aging, or planning to stay and garden at this address until older? Is anyone, of any age, handicapped or mobility-challenged (regular visitors or residents)? Sooner or later, you and your landscape design may need to accommodate these specialized needs. Among the design ideas that facilitate such folks are: wider, flatter smoother paths providing access to different spots, elevated gardening beds, comfortable (shady) places to sit, and specialized maintenance tools. Among many great resources for ideas and advice is www.accessiblegardens.com.

      Use this book

      Flip to Part 2 of this book for information on building hardscape and Part 3 for ideas on plants. You can also check out the latest edition of Gardening Basics For Dummies by Steven Frowine and the Editors of the National Gardening Association (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Drawing within the Lines: Living with Practical Issues

      Some parts — only a few, don’t fret — of working with your landscape are nonnegotiable. Here we discuss them in greater detail, in case one or more applies to your situation. Although they may be necessary considerations, they don’t need to derail your dreams. Just find ways to address them.

      Making sure you know where your property lines are

      Our advice here is quite blunt: Don’t work near or on the bounds unless you know where the bounds are. By that, we mean, don’t plan a change, or don’t start up a new fence, hedge, or any landscaping project close to the edges of your property unless you know for certain where the legal lines are.

       You won’t find your property lines drawn on the ground. If you’re lucky, though, you may find monuments, or markers, at one or more property corners. These markers may be conspicuous posts driven into the ground, but more likely, they’re small pipes, rebar, or brass medallions, often buried over time under soil. Property corners at the street are usually marked by small crosses inscribed in the concrete curb or gutter. If you can’t find your markers easily, ask your immediate neighbors or long-time residents living nearby. As a good-neighbor policy, you may want to conduct the search with your immediate neighbors anyway, especially to clarify the ownership of fences.

      Keep in mind that your actual property line may be set back several feet/a meter or so from its markers. Also check your deed to see whether the street occupies an easement along the front of your property (an easement essentially means that your city, county, or neighbors may use the space if ever needed).

When you can’t verify your property lines, you need to hire a professional land surveyor (PLS); they can also provide seasoned advice about any disputes or ambiguities.

       Tax maps, sorry to report, are estimations and won’t hold up in a legal dispute. Deeds have written descriptions, not so useful to you in this situation. If your deed references a recent survey map, that can be useful … you can trace it.

      Verifying whether you need permits

      If you’re contemplating some new and substantial features or dramatic changes (a grade change or rerouting where water flows, for example), make sure you call your municipality permitting office to find out if a permit is required. New decks, patios, and water features are among the items that some municipalities regulate.

       Don’t find out the hard way that you’ve planned, or worse, completed something that isn’t allowed or doesn’t meet codes. The penalty can be anything from a citation and fine, to an order to dismantle what you installed, or both.

      Lawns remain popular in front yards, at least, in some areas. You may have read about homeowners who turned their front yard into a food garden or a wildflower meadow, only to get in trouble. (This stance is changing in some areas, though. For more on lawns and lawn alternatives, see Chapter 16.)

       If you live in a development, make sure to check the covenants of your HOA (homeowner’s association) to see if there are any restrictions on hardscapes and plantings.

      Considering children and pets’ safety

      If you have children or pets living with you or visiting now and then, their safety isn’t just a matter of showing you care. Their safety can be or become a legal issue. When you have concerns or questions, check with your local municipality or homeowners association.

      Here are a few basic principles to bear in mind:

       Incorporate raised beds or elevated planter boxes (for flowers as well as vegetables or herbs). Kids and pets tend to prefer flat, easily accessible areas.

       Take out, and don’t plant, any plants known to have poisonous leaves or berries. Look them up; the information is readily available online. Cross-check with the American Association of Poison Control Centers. When in doubt, err on the side of caution and remove/avoid.

       Avoid planting thorny bushes or trees, especially in high-traffic areas. These obstruct sightlines and access and also can snag or scratch skin and clothing.

       Monitor children and pets when they are in the yard. Doing so is especially important if you lack fences or have a water feature.

       Never leave your tools, supplies, or sprays lying about … or even accessible. Kids are curious, and these items are often hazards. Better safe than sorry — put stuff away, up high, out of reach. If you’ve decanted garden chemicals or sprays into other containers (jugs, jars, sprayers), be sure they’re both clearly labeled and stored out of reach.

       Don’t set up a play structure or swing set close to trees, fences, or the property line/neighbor’s yards. You don’t want to risk injury or damage, to people or property.

      Consider creating areas especially for children and pets, so the rest of the landscape is (ideally) freed up for your many other ideas and plans. Kids need places to play, relax, hide, or make forts. Get them involved in designing their areas and helping you around the yard. (How about a bean-pole teepee? Or a sunflower house?) Perhaps have a storage area or bench for their toys (see the section, “Designating storage areas,” later in this chapter for ideas).

      Dogs are creatures of habit and will mark, and lounge, in the same spots,