We’ve been in our new build for about four months now and the landscaping/grading has finally begun. Yay for Modern Farmhouse Landscaping.

If you follow this blog (and you should!) you know that it took a while to find a landscaper that totally got our vision.

never hired a horticulture company to handle the landscaping in our previous homes. I’ve always done it myself. However, this new build required more than I could handle.

From grading, leveling, and drainage to everything in between, this project required way more than I could offer.

We have a huge yard. There were huge circles of cement left in different places, and a small sand pile left over from the bricklayers.

The Front Yard Has Been Leveled

Last week, dump trucks hauled in several loads of dirt/soil/sand or whatever. All of the weeds etc. were dug up and the soil was spread out. Now we need a good rain to pack it before they drag it and prepare it for grass seed.

We decided to go with sod around the house and seed the rest of the yard. It was just more budget-friendly for us.

How Much Should I Spend on Landscaping?

According to Landscaping Network, ” A general rule of thumb is to spend 10% of your home’s value on landscaping. So, if you have a $400,000 house, then a landscaping budget of $40,000 is appropriate.”

Landscaping Network is fairly accurate! However, if we sodded our entire (huge!) yard, that price would go way above 10% of our home’s value. More like 25%! Prices are crazy high right now!

Yesterday, preparation was made around the foundation of the house to get it ready for compost, drip irrigation, and mulch. This is the part I’ve been waiting for because foundation plants and flowers add so much curb appeal to a house.

Modern Farmhouse Landscaping Plan

Because we got such a late start, our landscape designer has decided (with our blessing!) to plant rye grass for now. They will return in the spring to plant the warm weather grass. He recommended Bermuda grass and it will be spring before that happens.

When our landscape design was presented to us, I immediately fell in love. After our meeting, I poured over the drawings for hours. I googled every single plant that I was unfamiliar with and they knocked it out of the park with over 400 plants!

A different landscape designer only included a little over 100 plants in his drawing and his prices were higher. And a lot of the plants were daylilies. What? Yeah, I’m not paying what he charges when I can go to my daughter’s house and dig up all the daylilies I want.

So when comparing landscape companies, make sure you take note of the amount and the type of plants.

Also, make sure you go with your gut and don’t be afraid to give them a firm budget. They need to know what you’re willing to spend and they can help you cut back in areas without sacrificing the design.

The Foundation Planting Begins

If you’re doing your own landscaping, make sure you know what plants will work in your zone.

Below are a few photos I snapped while the landscapers were planting.

The photo right below is the back of the house looking towards the garage.

Excuse the mess. The pipes will be used (buried!) for drainage.

We live in the country and we don’t have natural gas lines so we have to use a propane tank. You can’t see the gas tank from the road in front of the house. Plus, it will be shielded by a huge tree on the other side.

I wanted to get the type of propane tank that is buried. However, there was a shortage at the time and we couldn’t find one. Hopefully, we can get one later.

The photo below is of the side of the house and the wraparound porch.

We also have two islands on either side of the pool. The palms are being delivered today so I’ll share more on those later.

This is one of the islands below. It’s not done yet. The little shed to the left was delivered a couple of weeks ago. The wood has to cure before I paint it the same color as the house (SW Pure White).

There are two arborvitaes on either side of the back porch steps.

I’ll be back soon to add more photos as the landscaping progresses. I’ll also include a list of all the plants we have. I’m in plant hardiness zone 8A. I noticed that a lot of our plants are from the Southern Living collection.