Micah Raskin On Landscaping Tips for Difficult Yards

NASSAU COUNTY, NY, UNITED STATES , October 22, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Your home is a big investment--for most of us, the biggest investment of time and money we’ll ever make. Creating and maintaining attractive landscaping helps you enjoy your home to the fullest while increasing its value. However, it’s not always as easy as planting some bushes or mowing the grass, says Micah Raskin.

Different yards have different needs. There are dozens of factors that can affect the success and aesthetic appeal of your landscaping. From your environment to the size, slope, and grade of your yard to the acidity of the soil, you have to take every factor into consideration. “It’s like a puzzle,” says Raskin. “And when you’re finished putting it together, you have a living, breathing piece of art that adds to the enjoyment and value of your home for years to come.”

Certain layouts can make laying the foundation for your perfect landscape difficult. But luckily, there is always a solution! These are a collection of some of the most common landscaping problems, and Raskin’s advice on how to make the most of them.

How To Make a Small Yard Look Bigger According to Micah Raskin

At first glance, many people assume that landscaping a smaller yard is easier because there is less space to cover. While this can be true to some extent, landscaping a small area comes with its own challenges.

For instance, says Micah Raskin, the smaller the space, the more noticeable any imperfections or mistakes will be. Every detail counts when you’re limited by the available space. Make sure that you consider the yard as a whole and build around a central theme when you’re dealing with a smaller yard, advises Raskin. This prevents you from overwhelming the space with too many conflicting statement pieces.

Don’t make the mistake of dividing a smaller lawn into separate sections like deck, patio, flower bed, etc. Instead, try placing important features like playhouses and water fountains in separate corners. This leaves an open lawn in the middle, creating the illusion of space. You can also use stone, paving stones or gravel paths to draw the eyes outward. This further widens the space visually.

You can also use the basics of optical illusion to make your small yard feel larger. Place plants with larger leaves near the entrances and design focal points while leaving plants with smaller leaves at the edges. This creates the illusion of space and draws the eye where you want it.

You should also take advantage of your vertical space, says Micah Raskin. Use trellises, vertical walls, planter walls, and tall trees to draw the eye up and create the illusion of spaciousness. Use tiers of garden beds and levels to build vertical visual interest.

How to Deal With Large Yards

On the flip side, large lawns can be just as daunting as small ones. You have to fill up all that space and focus on creating visual interest to avoid a landscape design that feels flat and one-dimensional, advises Micah Raskin. Even once you pick a theme and find plants and design elements that you love, you have to ensure that it stays cohesive throughout the space.

An easy way to create visual interest and still have a functional yard is to do the exact opposite of what we advised for smaller yards. Divide up your space into clearly defined outdoor areas--pool, children’s area, vegetable garden, koi pond, grilling area, etc.

Start in the corners for practical areas that are easily hidden behind decorative fences, bamboo walls, etc. For instance, if you have a large vegetable garden, it’s better to tuck it in a corner than place it smack in the middle of your lawn where it divides up space you could use for something more attractive and relaxing.

You should also consider the layout as you build your outdoor areas. Don’t place the koi pond near the kid’s play area for instance--that would put safety (and serenity!) at risk.

Because large lawns have so much space that needs to be filled, they can be incredibly expensive to fill and maintain. Start with one section and build from there instead of trying to buy and install everything at once, advises Micah Raskin. There’s nothing wrong with a beautiful stretch of well-manicured lawn to play on while you build your dream outdoor getaway.

And to reduce maintenance costs, choose plants that are right for the environment! Trying to keep cactus alive in Alaska or orchids thriving in the desert is going to take a lot more money and effort than choosing foliage appropriate for your growing zone.

How to Make the Most of Steep Slopes

One of the most challenging landscaping layouts is a steep slope, says Micah Raskin. Whether your house sits on a hill or water has eroded hills and valleys into your yard, slopes can disrupt water run-off patterns, create uneven terrain, and even change the amount of sun your plants will be getting.

Taking all of this into consideration can be daunting at first, but if you’re stumped, turn to the professionals, suggests Raskin. This is especially true if you’re considering leveling the yard. Anytime you fill in or level a yard, you risk destabilizing the soil, so make sure you have someone on hand who knows what they’re doing!

A great way to deal with a steep hill is to use tiered flower beds or retaining walls. By shoring up different levels of the slope, you can prevent further erosion while also making the area more aesthetically pleasing. Sloped landscapes can be very striking. Consider using bold color contrasts. Or use the slope to create a waterfall effect with draping and trailing plants!

Blend practicality with beauty by choosing a visually interesting material for the retaining walls. Stones, bricks, driftwood, and concrete can all lend an extra texture, color, or element to your design! You can even use materials that allow you to double your retaining wall as seating.

You can further shore up your slope by using plants with strong root systems, which deters erosion. Just make sure you choose plants that won’t grow tall enough to block out the tier above them, advises Micah Raskin. And make sure you leave enough room to walk between the tiers so you can easily maintain and care for your new landscaping!

Micah Raskin is a professional poker player and local philanthropist from Queens and Nassau Counties NY. Landscaping is one of his creative passions, along with singing lead vocals in “Backseat Betty”, a local rock band. It’s the colors and textures that drew Micah to landscaping. He loves the idea of creating living breathing art that people can enjoy for decades to come.

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