When you invest time and energy into cultivating a landscape, it’s worth doing so with the mindset that your landscape will outlive you. Well-designed gardens can provide a brilliant mix of colors and textures, shade, and a source of peace for those within them. If you’re hoping to craft a legacy through your landscape that can sustain itself for generations to come, you’ll need to be intentional with your planning.

Read this guide to understand how you can design an outdoor setting that can sustain itself in Gulf Coast weather conditions while looking beautiful in every season.

Select Plants with Long Lifespans

When you’re trying to establish a garden landscape in the Gulf Coast region, you’ll want to choose vegetation that can withstand the elements and live a long life. That means choosing plants that can do well in hot and humid conditions. Magnolia trees, azaleas, and hibiscus can do well, for instance. And some species of oak, like the Southern Live Oak, have the resilience to handle coastal conditions well. You can expect these trees to live for hundreds of years.

Supplement these plants and trees with perennials that will offer recurring beauty in your garden. You’ll be able to add flower beds studded with irises to help your garden grow, for example. As you add trellises, patio space, and decorative pots, look for plants that can still have a presence in your garden decades down the road.

Choose Trees That Can Handle Hurricanes

Living on the Gulf Coast means that hurricanes and severe storms are a way of life. Consequently, when you’re planning a garden that will stand the test of time, you’ll need trees with the structural makeup to stand up to hurricane-force winds. Look for trees with deep, wide root systems and bendable branches. Trees should be compact with porous crowns so wind can move through them.

Live oak and bald cypress trees are among the most resilient during hurricane season. Some palm trees can qualify as solid choices, as well. Keep in mind that the tree itself is only a piece of the puzzle when you’re constructing a storm-resistant landscape. Make sure you’re mindful of where you plant these trees. They should be far enough away from buildings to avoid causing damage if they do fall at any point. Give your tree room to grow and expand.

Keep Planting New Trees

As a human, you’ll need to look into succession planning. This can entail getting an insurance policy, like whole life with health issues, and creating a will. Succession planning also applies to your work in your garden. You’ll want to continue planting new, younger trees, even as healthy trees remain standing. You’ll help keep your garden looking full and lush during generational changes.

Maybe you have a Southern magnolia that’s getting older. When you plant another new one close by, it will reach maturity by the time the older one needs to go. Applying this strategy to all trees and bushes ensures you’ll have a garden that always looks robust.

Develop a Maintenance Schedule

Once you’ve cultivated a beautiful garden, you can’t neglect it. Without proper care, your garden won’t last for the next generations. Create a maintenance calendar that accounts for the different types of vegetation so future generations can maintain it, as well.

Organize your calendar by season. For instance, you can indicate that spring is the ideal season to introduce new mulch and clean up garden beds. Caretakers should also prune shrubs and fertilize grass. During the summer months, individuals will need to be attentive to watering and treating vegetation for pests. In the fall, caretakers should remove dead leaves and debris, create compost piles, and plant perennials for the next year. And in the winter months, it’s important to trim back plants and hedges.

Create a Garden That Carries Your Legacy

A well-designed landscape can bring joy to your children, grandchildren, and all generations to come. Choose plants and trees that can tolerate Gulf Coast weather extremes. And continually plant new trees and bushes to sustain vegetation, even as older trees begin to decline. Develop a maintenance schedule that can be passed on to new caretakers. With intentionality, you’ll be able to cultivate a stunning landscape that carries your legacy forward.