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Posts Tagged ‘landscaping’

Know what I love about getting the garden all cleaned up, it stays that way for much longer than when you get your home all cleaned up.

More and more people are turning to landscaping their gardens, not just planting a tree here and a shrub there but looking at their garden as they would look at the inside of their home. More thought as to the overall look and appeal and how plants can compliment each other.

The results are very rewarding. There is so much help too if you are not confident in the planning, your nursery, wonderful landscaping books, TV and radio shows and the Internet are all there waiting to guide you.

Be careful with books, make sure the book is for your area and the plants suggested for a design are suitable for your part of the world.

It’s fun to get a graph pad and do your own design, give it a try and you could surprise yourself.

One word of advice, if you purchase plants from the big chain stores and they have been in air- conditioning or inside a building even with the shade cloth inside/outside style of shop, never take the plant home and put it in the garden straight away.

Take about three weeks acclimatizing the plant. Keep the plant inside or on an enclosed patio and gradually over the three week period, increase the outside time and decrease the inside time. Doing it this way you have a better chance of the plant surviving and growing into a beautiful specimen for you.
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There’s an old saying that states something like – “Getting Started Is Half Finished”. And so many times I find this to be true as I see do it yourself landscapers struggle to find their initial design idea. However, once they establish a framework of necessary design elements, it usually goes pretty smooth from there.

It’s not surprising that the most common landscape design question that I get is – “where do I begin?” or “how do I start my design?”. I know it can be difficult. And especially if you don’t have a vision for your design.

So where do you begin? How do you start your landscape or garden design?

While every design is different and every designer follows a set of rules and principles, I find that most do it yourselfers all have the greatest success from using the same starting point. Begin by laying down any paths, driveways, access routes, or walk areas that might be needed. And also create access to any areas that you may plan on creating. In many designs, this will help to establish a framework that you can simply design around.

Of course, this won’t be applicable in all designs as many don’t require any access or travel. So take and use this advice where and if you can.

Paths and walkways can accomplish many functions in your landscape or garden. Their main function, of course, is to create a designated space for people to walk on.

However, in design and as an aid to design, their function could be to guide your visitors to, through, or away from some other area in the garden. Also, they’re a great way to break up a vast expanse of lawn, meadow, or bed area.
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For homeowners around the world, a big part of owning a home is landscaping the yard. Front yard landscaping or backyard landscaping, the work must be done. While the front yard is important because it’s more visible to neighbors and others who drive by, the backyard is no less important. The backyard is where families and friends gather for barbeques and birthday parties and where some families place their swimming pools. Most backyards are landscaped with careful thought and preparation. Special consideration is put into the positioning of every blade of grass, each decorative stone and all of the species of flowers that beautify a backyard.

Flowers, stones and grass are just some of the ways to landscape a backyard. Large shade trees, waterfalls and herbal gardens are some other ways. The theme of your landscape will depend on your hobbies, interests and goals for your backyard. Backyard landscaping can be a lot of fun, especially when you make it personal. Landscape your yard to reflect your personality and your homes personality. If you and your family like to entertain, add a bar to your back patio. Clean up the barbeque grill and don’t forget the citronella candles to keep the bugs away. Maybe you’ll want to build a croquet course, mini golf course, or put in a sand lot for some sand volleyball. Whatever your preference, make backyard landscaping fun for the whole family.

Keep your family in mind too, when it comes time to maintain the backyard landscaping. Large yards will require a lot more maintenance and grooming. Taking care of the yard can be a nice family activity. You can mow the lawn, pull the weeds and get the kids involved in watering the plants. If you have a fruit tree in your backyard, you’ll probably be spending some time picking up the fallen apples or cherries. And of course, you’ll also need to reserve time to tend to your herbal garden. It can be surprisingly rewarding to grow your own herbs and use them in special recipes that you cook when you’re entertaining friends and neighbors.
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If you feel that your backyard is lacking a certain something, a water feature might be just the thing to bring new life to your outdoors.  There are many different types of water features to consider, such as a pond or a waterfall.  Flowing or still water has a peaceful relaxing quality to it, and water features allow you to bring this natural beauty right into your own yard.  You may be thinking that the care and upkeep of a water feature may not be worth the hassle, but they are much less labor intensive as you may think.  By following a few simple guidelines and understanding how your water feature lives and breathes, you can enjoy this natural work of art for as long as you own your home.

Water fountains are considerably easier to deal with then a water garden.  Fountains must be regularly cleaned, but really require little upkeep.  If you want a successful water garden you will probably need to invest a little more time, especially when you’re first trying to get it established.  When creating a water garden, it is vital that you understand the relationships between the plants and animals coexisting in this environment.  If you want your water garden to thrive, you’ll need to take special care to choose the right fauna and flora.
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