When it comes to a keeping a well-maintained home, landscaping holds an important place in the hearts of many Americans.
In 2016, the U.S. Lawn Care industry saw $77 billion worth of revenue and retail sales of lawn care supplies are projected to reach $6.6 billion in 2019. Those numbers alone indicate that Americans are more than willing to spend big on landscape materials.
Eighty million households in the United States have private lawns and 83 percent of Americans think having a yard is important. What’s more, 90 percent of those surveyed think it’s important to have a yard that’s well-maintained. In fact, the average American spends an average of four hours per week taking care of their lawn. That’s more than 200 hours per year that the average person spends making their lawn look its best.
To make your yard sparkle and shine, here are some landscaping tips you can use:
- Add a walkway: If you’ve got a patio in one spot, a hot tub in another and a barbeque pit in a another area, consider adding a walkway. This eliminates having to trample your lawn and some stepping stones can add another dynamic to your backyard.
- Add a Water Feature: A small, self-contained water feature surrounded by some natural stones can added a natural feel to a backyard and can make for some great eye-candy, especially in nicer weather.
- Add a Wood Stove: Commercial wood burning stoves are great for indoor use, but they can be just as great outdoors too. Installing commercial wood burning stoves outside can help to heat patios and greenhouses. It also removes the smell of burning wood from a house, but can still be useful outdoors.
Commercial wood burning stoves can also be very cost efficient. Outdoor furnaces are a cost-effective source of heating energy. Owners who cut their own wood or can obtain fire food as fuel can entirely eliminate their heating bills. Over a 10-year period, a homeowner or business can save potentially as much as $50,000 or more on heating costs.
Installing commercial wood burning stoves can also make for a fun DIY and can be done by following this guide. - Add seating: Putting in a patio with plenty of seating gives homeowners and their guests a chance to sit back and enjoy the view. If you’re feeling like you want to add more than just chairs or a bench, try a hammock or any of these ideas.
- Add Plants: Nothing draws the eye to a yard faster than lush green grass or lots of colorful flowers. There are dozens of options to choose from and you can choose to plant certain flowers that bloom at specific times of the year to keep your yard looking colorful all year.
- Plan For the Year: Planting in the spring and summer during nicer periods of weather is fun, but certain types of flowers bloom at different times of the year. That means there’s potential for you to plant flowers for most of the year and keep your yard looking vibrant. Plants like evergreen shrubs retain their leaves and needles over an entire year, so even in winter you can have color in your yard.
Whether you’re adding seating, a wood stove or flora and fauna, there’s no shortage of things you can do when it comes to landscaping your yard. If you’re looking for some ideas, read here to get started.