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Assess Your Site

Every landscape is unique, and everyone is starting from a different place. Before planting or making changes, take time to understand your site and its existing conditions.

Learn what’s currently growing on your property and how it’s currently being maintained. Observe your property at different times of day and in different weather. Notice sun, shade, wind, snow, and water movement. These observations will help you make smarter choices and build a landscape that’s resilient from the start.

Check for Hazards and Requirements

Before digging or planting, call Montana 811 to locate underground gas, electrical, or utility lines. Also look for other potential hazards, such as steep slopes, unstable soils, or areas prone to erosion.

Before making changes, review your HOA’s landscaping requirements. 

Identify What's Growing

Take inventory of what’s currently in your yard. Learning to identify native plants and noxious weeds is an important first step.

Noxious weeds can outcompete native plants and degrade habitat. If they aren’t managed early, they can quickly undo restoration efforts.

Helpful next steps:

Schedule a Site Visit with Grow Wild

Understand Your Fire Risk

Map your property and identify the Home Ignition Zones around structures. Note existing plants, dense vegetation, and any materials that create direct pathways to your home. 

Helpful next steps:

Schedule a Site Visit with BSFD

Water Use and Sunlight

Pay attention to how water and sunlight move across your site. Your site’s sunlight, moisture, soil, and snow patterns should guide plant selection and irrigation decisions.

  • Do you have an existing irrigation system?
  • Where does water flow, pool, or run off during rain and snowmelt?
  • Which areas are sunny, dry, shaded, or exposed to wind
  • Are there noticeable temperature differences across your property?

Helpful next steps:

Schedule a Site Visit with GRTF

Soil

Soil texture and organic matter strongly influence how water moves through your landscape. Understanding your soil helps improve water efficiency, support plant health, and guide amendment choices.

Soil types in Big Sky vary widely:

  • Sandy soils drain quickly but may not hold water long enough for roots to absorb it.
  • Clay soils hold moisture longer but absorb water slowly, making them prone to runoff and ponding if watered too quickly/heavily.
  • Loamy soils balance drainage and moisture retention and are ideal for plant growth.

 

Organic matter is a mix of living and dead materials usually found in the top 10″ of soil, called topsoil. It helps provide nutrients, improves moisture storage, and insulates soils against cooling and heating. Adding organic compost or peat moss is a simple way to increase organic matter in your soil.

Note on construction: If construction is planned, stockpile topsoil first. Native topsoil contains organic matter and a natural seed bank that helps landscapes recover more quickly when it is backfilled into the landscape.

Helpful next steps:

It’s common to find multiple soil types on the same property in Big Sky, especially on sites that have been graded or backfilled, so conditions may vary across your landscape. Your elevation can also offer helpful clues about typical soil and growing conditions:

Below 6,500 ft (Canyon): Longer growing season (90–110 days), lower frost risk, hotter and drier summers, and more sheltered from wind. Deeper soils with better moisture retention.

6,500–7,500 ft (Meadow): Moderate growing season (75–90 days), warm days, cool nights, early and late frost risk. Sunny, often dry summers. Rocky to fertile loam soils.

7,500+ ft (Mountain): Short growing season (60–75 days), high winds, intense sun, cool temperatures year-round, and possible snow any season. Shallow, rocky soils.

Snow Load

Snow piles from plowing, drifting, and roof shedding can damage plants and landscapes.

Observe where snow accumulates and design around it. In heavy snow storage areas, consider gravel, rock gardens, or hardy plants. For areas exposed to snow load, prioritize native plants with flexible branches, upright forms, strong branch attachments, or low-growing habits.

Avoid planting trees and shrubs directly below roof snow-drop zones. Leave at least five feet of clearance or use low vegetation in these areas.

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