Q: I know "landscaping" refers to plants, fences and the like. But is there a core idea behind landscaping and landscape design?

A: Landscaping novices and buyers of new homes can profit from a practical, working definition of "landscaping."

By definition, to be properly said to be "landscaping" a property, you must be making home improvements on that property's grounds -- either in a practical or in an aesthetic way. In an extended sense, everything on your property that stands outside of the home itself is part of a property's landscaping. Simply put, if you can see an object, then it is affecting the overall aesthetics of the grounds of a property -- i.e., its landscaping.

A house and its landscaping should be harmonious with each other. Achieving such harmony is sometimes possible intuitively; but if you're more serious about complementing your house with your landscaping, you really need to take matters to the next level -- landscape design.

Q: I just became a homeowner for the first time. Is there a good reason why I should bother with landscaping and landscape design at all?

A: Those who have just become homeowners for the first time might want a good reason why they should bother landscaping that piece of real estate at all.

If enhanced enjoyment of your property is insufficient incentive, consider this: landscaping enhancements can raise your real estate's value by at least fifteen percent!

Q: What would be the first landscaping issue that I should begin to look into?

A: Your home is your best investment. Therefore, its safety is of paramount concern. If there are large old trees whose branches are looming ominously over the roof of your home, you may have a significant hazard on your hands. To protect your home, you may have to Hire a Pro for Tree Limbing, because tree limbing can be a dangerous operation.

Q: Should I hire a professional to work on my landscaping and landscape design and, if so, how do I go about hiring a professional, such as a landscape designer?

A: Besides tree limbing, there are many other specialty tasks for which you may want to hire professionals. For instance, you may wish to hire an arborist to have a prize tree pruned properly. "Limbing" and "pruning" are entirely different operations. You may even want to have a landscape architect or landscape designer to re-do your entire landscape.

The decision of do-it-yourself versus hiring landscape architects and other professionals largely depends on your budget and personal tastes.

Q: I don't have a lot of time to maintain a landscape design, so I'm going to plant perennials rather than annuals. After all, they come up every year, right? Is this a sound strategy for beginners at landscape design?

A: Since perennials come up every year, beginners sometimes wonder if they don't require care. Could perennials be the easy answer for the on-the-go crowd that still wants to grow plants?

Not really. Perennials do require care. If you choose to grow perennials, choose perennials for the right reasons -- and labor savings is not one of them! It is not even true that perennials are guaranteed to come up every year. If they are not maintained properly, you can very easily lose some perennials. Don't think perennials are the beginner's "easy way out"!

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