Water Garden: Adding Great Value to your Home
There are many different factors that go into the overall value of your home. But you can definitely increase the general appeal and value of your home with water garden. While the interior of the home is going to be one of the major deciding factors at the end of the day for most people, the reality is that a water garden can add an x-factor to your property. In the same way that a person may choose one home over another because one of them has the added benefit of a backyard pool. You may also find that the same situation applies with a water garden.
Water Garden: Fountain or Pond
The amount of extra value from your water garden will really depend on a few different factors. First of all, you have to take a look at the bigger picture when it comes to your yard. A fountain or pond will not help you out very much if the rest of your yard is a complete mess. The people who are usually able to get the largest value increase from a pond or fountain are the ones who also have a nice patio to go along with the water area.
If you really want to add more value to your home with your backyard, then you may want to look into creating a calming atmosphere. An atmosphere that covers the entire backyard rather than just throwing a random bit of water into the mix. A bridge that runs over the pond would be a best case scenario, and perhaps you could have a walkway that wraps itself around a fountain.
Using Xeriscaping for your water garden
While having a full-fledged water garden is rewarding and enjoyable, lots of people simply don’t have the time that is required to maintain it. Whether you have too much going on at work or too many kids to take care of, you should never try to operate a garden if you don’t think you can handle it. For those people who are just too busy for a normal garden, I would suggest a somewhat recent method of gardening known as Xeriscaping. This minimal yet stylish theory first emerged in Colorado when water levels were at an all-time low. It is a great method of having a great looking yard or water garden, without having to maintain it or water it very often at all.
If your area is undergoing a drought, you should check with the water suppliers and see if they are offering lessons. If you attend those, you will be able to get advice specific to your region (IE types of plants to grow, how much to water them, etc.).
To some, the name Xeriscaping conjures the image of a yard that consists of a giant rock bed. However, this is known as “zero scaping”, and it is a considerably different concept. It focuses on reducing your yard to nothing that requires any maintenance whatsoever. Unfortunately this is usually just rocks. But this shouldn’t be your goal. While keeping maintenance at a minimum, it is still possibly to retain a nice looking yard that won’t attract the negative attention of everyone who passes by.
This might sound like it would be hard to implement without making your yard into a hideous mess, but this is not so at all. The theory basically involves choosing plants which are low maintenance to begin with, then putting them each in environments that are ideal. It is usually applied by figuring out what side of the house to place it on to get the best amount of shade, and figuring out how to group it with plants with similar water needs.
To get started in your Xeriscaping renovation, you first need to pick out all the plants you will be using. They should for the most part require a low amount of water. This doesn’t mean you can only grow cactuses in your yard. Just cut back on the really thirsty plants that you have to water every day to keep alive. You’ll want to stick with local plants for the most part. Don’t go with anything too exotic as these generally require larger amounts of water.
The second most important principle of xeriscaping is placing the plants in ideal areas. Place them all together with plants that require essentially the same amount of water. This way, you will end up saving lots of water. Also place the plants in areas where they will be protected from wind or excessive sun, depending on the needs of the plants. Xeriscaping is almost the same thing as microclimating, just with more of a focus on adaptation to harsh conditions rather than avoiding them. So if it sounds good to you and you’re looking to save time and water by renovating your garden, you should look for xeriscaping lessons.
The size of the pond or fountain for your water garden is also going to have an impact on how it affects your home’s value. If you have a large pond where large fish are stocked on a regular basis, then you could be looking at adding a few extra thousand dollars to your home’s overall value. On the other hand, a small fountain that is placed in the center of your backyard is probably not going to do very much for you. At the end of the day, you need to make sure that your water garden is the main attraction in the backyard. You are really going to be able to get any extra value out of it.
Looking for more water garden tips? Find out more from the experts! Call us today at 805-773-5395.