Landscaping can completely change the look and feel of your property. Get it right and you have the perfect outdoor oasis that brings many benefits to your life and your home. Get it wrong and it's a disaster you need to live with until you can afford to rectify it.

The trouble is that landscaping problems don't show up until deep in the changes, and then suddenly they jump out to smack you in the face.

If you're considering an overhaul of your outdoor space, and you want to avoid major mishaps, this post is to look at the common mistakes people make that come back to bite them.

Designing for The Garden You Wish You Had

We've been there. Wistfully looking at magazine spreads or Instagram shoots of stunning gardens that you really wish you had at home. And for the most part, people understand replicating this isn't always feasible.

One of the most commonly seen issues with landscaping is people designing for the space they wish they had, not what they actually have. Trying to cram elaborate designs into small spaces or adding too much into cramped gardens will only backfire and make the space look bad. Make changes to enhance the space you have and bring it to life.

Forgetting Aftercare

That water feature you've been coveting is all well and good when it's just been installed, but a few months on, after a classic soggy British summer, it's full of green stodge and leaves, and the thought of touching stagnant water turns your stomach. The same goes for fussy plants. They might look amazing when first planted, but can you realistically maintain them? You need to be aware of the upkeep demands of the features of your landscaping.

Sometimes, those aspects that need less intervention from you can be a better alternative if you can't commit to a regular cleaning or gardening schedule.

Skipping Out On the Pros

Sure, everyone in social media is doing their own landscaping, but this can catch a lot of people out. DIYing your landscaping to save a few pounds can backfire and leave you with a money pit that costs you way more than the quotes you got.

Landscaping services can help you with things like choosing the right plants for your garden, levelling, drainage, and much more. They can be a wealth of knowledge, and their expertise can ensure that the job is done right the first time, saving you money for rectifying mistakes you might make because you didn't know you needed to consider something important.

Ignoring Drainage

Drainage isn't glamorous, but it's essential. You need to make sure water has somewhere to go; otherwise, you're in big trouble. If you don't consider drainage when laying paving or planting beds, you'll end up with a puddle, a soggy lawn, or cracked blocks, and this isn't fun or cheap to fix if you need to rectify it down the line. So when you make changes to your garden, always think about drainage and ensure you have adequate drainage options iso you don't experience the damage of pooling water down the line.

This is a collaborative post.