By SHANNON HATHAWAY, Landscape Horticulturist and Sod Specialist
In every aspect of life, from clothing to coffee cups to pick-up trucks to landscaping, I find myself talking about good design.
Good design is design that combines function and form beautifully. Consider home architecture for example. A house can be a plain square that functions well but lacks aesthetic interest. A house can also have lots of architectural complexity for interest, but none of it makes any functional sense. A well-designed house functions well AND looks great! We can do the same with a lawn.
Let’s face it. A lawn that encompasses the entire property with no other plants, patios, or shade structures, and maybe one tree is boring. The house appears to have been dropped from the sky. It is not anchored to the property if it appears to float in a sea of grass.
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Now consider the shadows that will be cast by the one tree and the house, creating more shade than a lawn can handle. If the houses next door are close, you will have to consider their shadows as well.
Find North, and examine the track the sun will take throughout the year, keeping in mind that the sun sits directly overhead in mid-summer and recedes into the southern hemisphere in the cooler months. Pay attention to the areas that will be too shady for grass, and keep in mind grasses need 4-8 hours of direct sun per day, depending on the variety.
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Maybe your family needs a storage space, a playset, a patio, or a privacy screening. Look at the shady spaces and plan to use those to accommodate these needs. You will be grateful for the shade on the patio and the playset during our hot summers! The simple design below takes the shadows, family needs, and aesthetics into consideration – form + function = good design!
The open areas can now be the lawn that receives adequate sunlight and functions well for the site and family play. And we have decreased the amount of sod needed from 5500 square feet (11 pallets +/-) by 45 % to 3000 square feet (6 pallets +/-) of lawn that will thrive in these conditions! The landscape is more functional and more beautiful!
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Does your yard look exactly like this? Of course not.
But the right sod company can combine good design with expert knowledge to help you make the right decisions for your yard. Contact us here for more information.