There is nothing more enjoyable than appreciating the creative, imaginative and absolute aesthetic beauty of the South Florida landscape. It is the perfect complement to its tropical weather. It is impossible not to feel the tinge of jealousy as you drive by these illustrious yards overflowing with tropical beauty. How do they achieve this look? Surely their efforts must have cost an absolute fortune and require a great deal of maintenance. But after you do some research, you’ll realize that dream South Florida landscaping doesn’t need to be the expensive and daunting task some would have you believe.
Here are 5 quick and simple ways to spruce up your front and back yard and create a tropical oasis without going broke.
The Front Yard as a First Impression
1. Fruit Trees
In a world where privacy has mostly gone out the window, this is a nice and functional way to restore some of your personal space. Why not start a front-yard edible garden? If you plant mango trees they will provide delicious mangos, while creating the perfect privacy fence. Some of the fruit trees that grow best in South Florida include avocado, orange, banana, jackfruit, lychee, mamey sapote, papaya and passion fruit.
2. Pocket Garden
You don’t need to go-all-out to impress with something elaborate in your front yard. Why not keep it informal with an inviting pocket garden that leads to your front door, with all of your favorite flowers. You can start right by the sidewalk and have it lead right up to your front door. This creates a welcoming feeling not only for you, but any guests or mere strangers passing by.
3. Enticing Walkways
Create a front yard entry garden as mentioned above, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical. Place the garden on both sides of a flagstone patch leading to your front door. A path created by steppingstones is always a good choice. Also ensure that your guests are rewarded with a little something extra at the end of the pathway, such as a couple of relaxing chairs on a porch or even a birdbath where the calming whistles and chirping of local birds soothes the soul, in this picturesque tropical setting.
When planning and laying out the garden on each side of the pathway, try to mirror some trees, shrubs and flowers on either side. Some trees creating shade on the path also creates a nice effect.
4. The Long Windy Road
This is an option that is available to those with space to utilize. If you have quite a big front yard at your disposal with the house situated at the back of the property, you can create a fantastic effect with a simple driveway up to the house. We recommend choosing native Floridian shrubs and trees that will flourish and require much less cost to maintain. Plant them all along the driveway leading up to the house. You can decide whether you would like some trees creating a canopy over your driveway or whether you’d prefer smaller shrubs in order to give guests a sunny welcome.
Whether you are planning on increasing the aesthetics of your front yard for yourself, or whether you are planning on selling/leasing your property, the importance of curb appeal should never be underestimated. If your curb has well-designed landscaping that has taken the appropriate size and placement of all elements into consideration, you will definitely have increased curb appeal. This in turn puts your home in a good light and creates a welcoming feel for your visitors.
The front yard is not the only part of your yard that needs attention when it comes to landscaping. The back yard is just as important. Here are a few back yard pointers to get you started in the right direction:
In today’s world, the backyard has truly become an extension of our homes. When a back yard is taken care of and has an aesthetic landscaped feel to it, it becomes a great place as additional living space where friends and family can spend some quality time together. This is becoming more and more evident with fantastic decorating ideas such as back yard fireplaces for socializing. With the right planning and design, the back yard can be turned into a place of relaxation with a Zen garden or include an entertainment area such as a game area for the grown-ups as well as a playground for the kids.
• Get Yourself A Patio
Patios are no longer used merely to have a catch-up-coffee with old friends, or to try and gather your thoughts after a long day at the office. Your patio can now serve as an entertainment area with various activities such as table tennis, darts, and even a rock climbing wall for the kids. It can serve as an outdoor dining area and can even be turned into your favorite sunbathing spot with a few lounge chairs and a little built in splash pool. When planning your patio, just remember to keep the proximity to your home, available space, exposure to sun and shade as well as views into consideration.
• Choose A Theme
There are a few popular and trending themes when it comes to backyard gardening styles, such as modern, traditional, country, tropical, Mediterranean and even desert. There is definitely no shortage of designs and styles. Natural Floridian landscaping is one of our most common requests, due to relatively low cost for installation and maintenance. Many new residents are moving to historic neighborhoods in South Florida and seeking a, authentic “Old Florida” appearance.
• Splash Around In Your Swimming Pond
Yes, you heard right, swimming pond. This is your chance to get back to nature. No chlorine, salt water or other gadgets to clean your local watering hole. A simple pond where the eco-system takes care of itself and you can spend some time with the fishes on those hot days. To make it even more authentic, you can carve it out of the rock deposits that can be found in most yards.
• The Fountain Debate
Love them or hate them, fountain features have been around for eternity and are very popular in South Florida. Some people can go overboard and make it the center attraction in their front or backyard. We suggest you purchase very low-key or modest fountain feature that will not only increase the aesthetics of your back yard or front yard, but also create a spot for you and your family to sit and spend some relaxing.
The most important thing to remember during your front and back yard revamps is to have fun with it. No-one knows you and your family’s needs better than yourself. This could also turn into a great bonding experience for the entire family.
For more design ideas for your South Florida home visit some of our favorite neighborhoods including Little River, Miami Shores, El Portal, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove or give us a call for a free price estimate and consultation.