Falling right between the two extreme seasons - summer and winter, landscaping during fall poses a challenge to many landscape designers. So what are some of the things you could consider paying attention to when landscaping in the fall? How do you ensure that the plants can withstand the harsh winter and regain their health and appearance in spring?

1. Mulch

Fall mulching happens to be more effective than mulching in the spring. This is because when you mulch in the fall, you are doing so in preparation for the cold winter that is set to come. You would be ensuring that you are protecting your plants’ roots from the frost; and you would also be preserving the soil moisture; set for the dry cold winter that may be lying ahead.

Is it important to pay much attention to the driveway? Of course yes. It is the first part that visitors see when they enter a home and so many homeowners want to get this space just right. As a designer, what are some of the ways you could help your client create that wow factor in their driveway?

1. Creating a focal point in a circular driveway

The middle of a circular driveway can offer a great spot for planting trees and flowers. Since it stands out in itself, you could completely indulge in this little space and even add rocks and pots to add to the interest. This will be a pleasant welcome for the guests and you could even use this to demarcate vehicular path directions.

It is everyone’s desire to enjoy a lovely landscape around their home, but many home owners fear that they might end up spending too much time and money on the landscaping. So what are the ways in which you as a designer could advise your clients so that they can enjoy a low-maintenance landscape? Or even if you are not to advise them, how can you produce a great landscape for your client when they have given you a rather tight budget?

1. Drought-resistant plants

These will need less water and when they are pest resistant too, there will be reduced need to treat pest problems. The exact kind of hardy pants you decide to go for will depend on the location of the site.

The biggest challenge with creating drought resistant landscape is coming up with creative ways to conserve water in your landscape. The immediate approach is normally to reduce vegetation and factor more into the landscape. So how can you as a designer create interest while still working with little or no vegetation?

1. Dramatic sculptures

One way you could use hardscape to create interest is by using dramatic sculptures within your space. A large unlikely structure could be used in place of plants and it has the benefit of not needing any water, thus making the perfect drought-resistant landscape.

Almost a dying kind of landscape, how do you recreate the original Mediterranean style garden for your clients? It is much simpler than you think. Say a client of yours has been scouring through books showing the gardens of Tuscany and now they would like a replication of the same. Where would you start on this project?

To begin with, what are some of the features synonymous with the Mediterranean style?

• Terra-cotta colored hardscaping and painting