Landscape gardeners are responsible for designing, building and maintaining outdoor spaces. Their duties include operating equipment like mowers, trimmers and weed control tools.
It is rewarding for landscape gardeners to see the results of their labour in a finished landscaped space. Depending on their employment status, they may work in the public or private sector. Find out more at landscaping ipswich.
Designing
Whether you have an old, overgrown yard or a blank canvas, it’s important to start with a clear vision. Landscape gardeners use a variety of design principles to create attractive outdoor spaces, including line, form and space.
Begin with a base map of the landscape, including hardscape items like walkways and structures as well as developed trees, pools and ponds. Sketch out your plan on paper or with a landscaping software program to get an idea of the final layout.
Lines—both curved and straight—draw the eye to a focal point, separate areas of the landscape or tie it together. They also determine the overall form theme of the landscape. For example, a repetitive motif of a type of plant promotes unity. Rhythm, the patterned repetition of a shape, is another common design element.
Planting
Landscape gardeners can help you turn your outdoor space into a living work of art. They are experienced in choosing plants and shrubbery that will thrive throughout the year and can give advice on how to maintain your garden over time.
Plant layers and patterns are important for visual interest. It is also helpful to use color in the landscape, and a landscape gardener can choose trees, flowers, shrubs, or berries that bloom at different times of year to provide varying amounts of color all season long.
It is important to make a drawing of your landscaping project to scale. This will help you determine how much space your plants need. It’s also important to consider your landscape’s microclimate. For example, if your property is shady most of the day and sunny in the morning, you should choose a variety that thrives in both conditions.
Maintaining
Landscape gardeners keep their client’s gardens and landscapes looking their best by performing tasks such as aeration, weed control, pruning, fertilizing, soil management and pest control. Landscapers also maintain the adjacent landscape by pressure washing paved surfaces, cleaning gutters and downspouts, and replacing light bulbs and sprinkler heads.
Landscaping involves the creation of new outdoor spaces, and requires knowledge of horticulture, design and construction techniques. It is important for a landscaper to have an understanding of plant biology and species, soils and climate zones, and construction materials.
A good landscape gardener will have the ability to balance the elements of nature, simplicity, symmetry, variety and beauty. They will avoid the absurdities of clipping trees into formal figures and disposing hedges in the form of walls, which, although in accordance with the law of beauty, become tame and monotonous when carried to an extreme.
Dealing with Pests and Diseases
As gardeners become more familiar with the soil ecosystem, they can recognize how healthy plants are able to resist pests and diseases. Preventative actions include regularly inspecting the landscape, observing for signs of ill health and making sure that tools are cleaned thoroughly after each use.
Gardeners can also select plants that are resistant to common pest problems in their area, such as yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) or winterberry (Ilex helix) for the home landscape and butternut squash (Cucurbita maxima) for the vegetable garden. Incorporating native plant species can help to prevent local pests, as can selecting a variety of flowering plants that attract beneficial insects to the garden.
When problems do arise, it is important to take a step back and evaluate the situation carefully before resorting to chemicals. This can include determining whether the problem is caused by cultural conditions such as irrigation schedule, soil pH or weeds; or by choosing susceptible species, planting at the wrong time or by not using barriers to deter pests.
Adapting to Climate Change
Landscape gardeners are well positioned to reduce the environmental impacts of climate change. They are the first line of defense against greenhouse gas emissions, since every pound of carbon sequestered within the leaves, stems and trunks of photosynthetic plants is one less pound of carbon occupying space in the atmosphere.
However, climate change is also impacting the work of landscape gardeners and horticulturists. For instance, changing temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns cause plants to bloom earlier or grow in regions they weren’t originally adapted to.
Heavy rains and intense storms can wreak havoc on home gardens by flooding yards, bruising plant leaves and fruit, and oversaturating soil. Changing climate conditions can also promote fungal diseases that plague turf and flower beds. These challenges often require innovative methods for pest control and weed prevention.
