Landscaping wisdom

Reuben Herrick, landscape designer shares his top tips for anyone wanting to reduce the physical and mental load of their outdoor spaces.

Understanding the nuances of the construction and landscaping industries can be difficult at the best of times. When it comes to improving your outdoor space, how do you know if you need a landscaper, designer or gardener?

Investing time and money into your landscaping is a great way to make your outdoor space more liveable. When done well it can also greatly increase the value of your home.

When was the last time you shared a meal outside during the winter? Specifically, the middle of winter, perhaps after a few wild and wet weeks have ravaged your property.

Native New Zealand plantlife is suited perfectly to Wellington’s wily weather conditions. Because of their adaptability to local environmental conditions, most New Zealand native plants are able to thrive in Wellington landscape design.

You’d think your lawn would be thriving with all this rain. While summer might sear patches into your lawn and cause your grass to brown, winter drowns everything in mud; the sort that’s easily shifted and deformed under even the slightest application of pressure.

The beauty of ornamental Japanese landscaping is that it can be achieved in the smallest of spaces. A small front yard or back yard can be transformed into an intimate natural escape.

It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security with a lawn. With enough rain and an occasional mowing, surely a patch of grass can maintain itself, right?