The Sunday News
Amanda Ncube
HERE are some tips on things to avoid when doing your exterior.
Mr Tendai Zonde, an outdoor décor expert said there are certain things that homeowners tend to turn a blind eye on yet they destroy the look of their homes.
“One thing to take note of that is if you decide to have a tropical garden is to avoid too much colours. There shouldn’t be much of bloom or colour in tropical gardens, it is usually green and light green.
“In this particular garden you don’t usually find petunias. No pink, no baby blue and no red. You can make your garden unique and have petunias here and there but only on handing baskets,” he said.
Mr Zonde said in most cases palm trees are found in tropical gardens because they are resistant in terms of heat and they store a lot of water in their trunks . . . it stores as much as it consumes.
He added: “Avoid clustering in your outdoors, with most yards especially in high density suburbs, they are too small to accommodate some things such as thatched gazebos.
“I am not saying homeowners with small spaces should not have gazebos but they can have a sitting area within their garden and a concrete underneath it. I know a proper gazebo should have a thatching with a sitting area but taking into account the space that you have you can have one that does not have thatching and it can still look beautiful,” he said.
Mr Zonde said: “Don’t let landscaping overwhelm your house. Choosing varieties of trees and shrubs that are bred to grow to a particular size means you won’t have to spend your time pruning — or fighting your way out the front door.
He said homeowners should avoid planting too much of the same thing . . . have variety but not too much.
“Do not let the trees overshadow your home. Don’t plant trees too close to the house, and don’t plant species that may overtake the yard or your home’s proportions.
“Do not install one-dimensional planting beds. Plant in layers, with low-growing plants concealing the legginess of the taller plants behind. The small “facer” plants give you the chance to introduce plants of a complementary colour and texture,” he said.
He also emphasised that homeowners and decorators should make sure that the house and the garden complement each other.
