Ranch Landscaping

The Ranch landscape appeals to our senses ofdifferent times, with many different pieces, a
rural beauty, nature and living in a slower time.Master Plan Design can be a tremendous help in
Ranch properties usually have vast acreage, oldproviding cohesiveness and unifying even the
buildings that might have been built at differentlargest property by its various uses. It can be a
times and land uses that have changedvery rewarding process in piecing together farm
considerably over time. Often times, the sheerhistory of the past with the present. Below are
scale of the rural landscape can be overwhelmingdesign approaches utilized on large ranch
for the average landscape contractor, landscapeproperties to create cohesiveness:
designer as well as the owner who no longer• Approach to the House-the first impression
works the land but uses it for rest and retreat.up the gravel, dirt, or long paved drive is the
The prospect of maintenance, care andentry to the home in the rural landscape. A
management of a Texas Horse Ranch, Farm orcolonnade of oak or fruit trees along one or both
Estate can be overwhelming. The approach is twosides of the drive can be a wonderful approach
fold and should be one of phased managementlending order and accentuating the length of the
and implementation of a landscape design.drive and size of the property. Windbreaks
Comprehensive Management Planstrategically placed in patterns can provide a
A comprehensive management or maintenancesense of scale and shelter to the entry approach
program for a ranch landscape defines zones ofas well.
management, prioritizes tasks and determines if•
various maintenance areas should be expanded orLawn-Landscape-Garden-Orchard-Woodland-start
deleted altogether to make the job ofto define the landscape
maintenance much more manageable. DefiningAnd give it some structure as well. As referred to
zones of management for ranch landscapingabove, the closer to the home. The more
would look something like this: 1) the most intenseintensive the maintenance, as one gets further
and highest maintenance takes place around thefrom the home the less Intensive maintenance
perimeter of the house. These include weeklyshould become.
tasks such as mowing, shrub pruning and weeding.• Outdoor Fountains -the wonderful sound of
2) The next zone might include bi-weekly orwater and appeal of the rustic rural fountain.
monthly maintenance tasks such as weeding andThese may need to be built in a simplistic manner,
pruning around less used walk, patio or pool areaseasy to maintain, or only for use during social
for entertaining. Both zones one and two shouldevents. Materials might include old stone, brass or
receive regular fertilization, mulch and have ancopper weirs.
irrigation system as well. 3) the next zone might• Outdoor Kitchens-covered open outdoor
include biannual spring and fall clean-up such askitchens that before air conditioning were built as
fields that are seasonally mowed, shrub brushnot to heat the house in the summer. Materials
edges that need regular thinning out or filling potthat reflect the home can be repeated such as
holes in the entry road all categorized as springmatching roofing or molding details giving it a
and fall clean-up. Simply by organizing tasks bycounty nostalgia feel and creating unity with an old
their intensity, zone of management and time offarm house.
year for tasks to be done a yearly maintenance• Walkways-similar to English Gardens,
schedule of tasks and budgets even the largestwalkways of gravel, limestone chips and reused
estate can be created and brought into reality.brick or stone from the original construction can
Master Plan Design for the Ranch Landscapelead around the property and link to arbors,
Because many rural landscapes have been built atbenches, or swings.