If you are tasked with landscaping a community roadway, there are a number of considerations that you should make in order to make sure that the end result is easy on the eye and practical for you to maintain.

Here are a few top tips on designing a suitable roadway landscaping layout for a community development. 

Maintenance considerations

The first thing to consider is how much ongoing maintenance your community roadway landscaping project will take. This is especially important if you don't have the budget to employ a professional contractor to do the work and are relying on volunteers from within the community.

Take a trip to your local garden centre or wholesale nursery and ask for advice on which varieties of plants to choose that require minimal maintenance for maximum effect. Look for varieties that are hardy and don't need much water to survive, especially during hot summers or droughts. Watering beds and beds of plants is hard work, not to mention expensive on water if your supply is metered.

It's a good idea to use rock or pebble mulch on your flower beds. Mulch cuts down the need for watering, prevents weed growth, and looks good too. Rather than having great swathes of lawn, you might want to consider using rocks and hardy ground cover plants instead to save time on mowing.

Safety considerations

If you're going to plant trees and shrubs along your roadway, try not to choose anything that will become too intrusive and bushy, as this could impede drivers' visibility. You will also need to prune overgrowth back, creating more work.

Another consideration when planting trees is the likelihood of damage that their root systems may cause to pipework and pavements as the roots grow and spread. Choose varieties with fibrous root systems that don't become invasive and damaging, such as Japanese Maples.

Overall impression

Think carefully about the overall impression that you want to make on visitors to your community. To get this right, it's a good idea to sit down with other community members to come to a final plan that everyone likes.

If you find that you are struggling for ideas, why not have a chat with a local professional landscaping firm. They will be able to advise you on the selection of plants and trees for the scheme. The money you spend on this consultation will be more than recouped on savings you will make in the long run on maintenance costs.