Landscaping Options For a One Acre Home Lot

If you own a house that sits on a full acre of land, you have the opportunity for some spectacular landscaping. What you choose to do with your landscape depends on how much time, money and energy you want to invest. If you have more time than money, you can do all the work yourself and make it a labor of love. Hiring professionals results in less labor but more money.

With a full acre available, you can fit a small pond onto your property. A pond is a good, useful feature. Stock it with goldfish or koi, use it for watering, grow aquatic species such as water lilies and even swim in it. Depending on the porosity of your soil, you may need to line the hole that you dig for your pond with a pond liner to prevent the water leaching away into the soil.

A shaded area is welcome on hot, summer days. If your property already has mature trees, clear out underbrush or otherwise develop a space underneath them as an area for relaxing and socializing. If you don't have mature trees, plant some in the area where you would like some shade. Fast-growing deciduous species such as birch or poplar give the most rapid results. If you plant small seedlings, keep the grass cut around them for the first few years, or they may choke and die.

Fences add definition to a property. Tall, opaque fences provide privacy. Front yard fences made of split cedar logs or pickets can delineate the property and help to keep out neighborhood animals. If you have pets or livestock, a sturdy fence all around the border keeps them on the property and out of trouble. Review local zoning ordinances before putting expense and effort into a fence and obtain necessary permits.

Add flowerbeds and blooming features. Raised beds contained inside of stone walls are attractive along the edges of a property. Planting perennials, and splitting and propagating them every year gives an increasing number of blooms without the effort of annual planting.