You would never consider leaving your home's architecture up to chance, just going with the flow, depending on what happens during the building process and what materials happen to be available. And yet, that's often what happens when it comes to landscape architecture. Your home's surroundings matter every bit as much as the  bricks and shingles that make up your home's structure. In fact, beautiful landscape architecture brings out the best in your home and provides the solid "bones" necessary to keep your landscaping looking good season after season.

To help you achieve your ideal landscape architecture, we've put together six considerations to think about:

1. Your Current Landscape Amenities and Space. Even if your home is brand new, it has some existing landscaping to contend with. Perhaps you love some aspects of your current landscaping and hate other aspects. We can design your landscape architecture to highlight the parts you love and completely change the parts you'd rather get rid of.

2. Landscape Grade. It's possible to change some of the grading on your property, but it's important to consider its natural grade when designing your overall landscape design. When you carefully plan your landscaping around your property's natural grade, your landscaping will flow and perform beautifully.

3. Proposed Landscape Architecture Changes and Budget. Here at Green Impressions, we don't start working on a landscaping project until we have a full and complete budget, even if the project will be completed in stages. For the sake of your own personal finances, we suggest that everyone follow the same course. Make a complete plan for your landscape architecture, including how much it will all cost.

4. Your Home's Natural Environment. Homeowners are happiest with their landscaping when it reflects the property's natural surroundings for several reasons. First, native plants live longer and happier lives than plants imported from different climates. This means less work for you over the years. Second, planning your landscape architecture to fit in with your natural surroundings gives your home a more harmonious look.

5. Privacy Needs. You buy and install window coverings to protect your privacy while you're inside your home; there's plenty you can do to ensure privacy while you spend time out of doors on your property as well. While some parts of your landscaping should be designed to show off your home's architecture, other parts should be designed to hide your personal and social lives from public view. Here are some simple ways your landscaping can help to protect your privacy:

• Hedges and shrubs
• Layered plantings
• Container gardens
• Fences and walls
• Pergolas and arbors
• Fountains and pondless water features

6. Landscape Maintenance. When all is said and done and your new landscape architecture is installed, a lifetime of maintenance begins. That's why it's imperative that you consider landscape maintenance from the earliest steps of your planning. You can significantly decrease and simplify your future maintenance tasks by planning low-maintenance landscaping in the first place. Including hardscaping, native trees and plants, water features, and irrigation systems are all ways to reduce your future landscape maintenance.

When you approach your landscape's architecture with these considerations in mind, you'll be happier with your landscaping in the end. As with most things in life, it's wise to start any project with the end in mind, even if you won't arrive at that end for several years. To consult with a skilled and experienced landscape architect, contact us to set up a time to discuss your vision for your property. We have the tools, the experience, and the local expertise to build the perfect landscaping for you.