Monthly Archives: July 2011
Landscaping Can Add Beauty and Value to Any Home
No matter what size house you have, whether a cozy cottage or a waterfront mansion, well considered landscaping can make your home stand out from others in the neighborhood. There are various types of plants, shrubbery, and trees available that complement any style of house. Not only does beautiful landscaping make a home look better, it also increases resale value. Buyers relish the idea of moving into a home with a well-manicured, established lawn with carefully selected plantings.
Preparing for a New Season: Landscaping Ideas for Enjoying Autumn
As summer wears on, many homeowners and professional landscapers are already beginning to prepare for their autumn landscaping changes. Each season is unique and requires certain adjustments to ensure your home shines no matter the weather. For fall, the focus is almost inevitably on foliage. However, it’s also important to prepare the lawn to endure colder months ahead without looking brown and forgotten. Here are a few great tips for those who do their own landscaping and need a starting point.
Water Fountains Will Beautify Your Home Using Very Little Work
One of the easiest things to beautify your home or garden to have a fascinating landscape design is an outdoor fountain. Installing one and having it ready to go can be done in just a couple of hours. Before you begin you need to find the best place in the yard for it. If you have a flower bed, a fountain gurgling out water will be a great compliment to it. It can be placed in the center of the yard as a stand alone or at the end of your patio so you can relax to the running water. There are many different places to put a fountain, just know where you want it before you purchase one. This way you will know more of what size and design you will want.
Choosing the Right Gazebo Design for Your Yard
A gazebo is a outdoor structure that is used for shade and shelter from the elements. Gazebos are commonly octagonal-shaped, although they may come in a variety of less traditional shapes, and generally consist of a base (floor) and a roof supported by columns. It is not uncommon to see gazebos in gardens, park areas or yards and, depending on personal taste and environment, they may be as simple or ornate as desired. For example, a gazebo in Persia may be sprawling and decorated with flowing curtains and throw pillows, while a backyard gazebo may be a small structure with just a wooden bench. A gazebo can be a wonderful addition to your property, but in order to choose an appropriate fit for your back yard, you should take certain things into consideration. These guidelines can help you choose the right gazebo design for your yard.
Landscape Lighting for an Exciting Outdoor Escape
Home design does not only mean that you are decorating the interiors of your house. It also entails setting up a design for the exterior portion. Although it may seem easier to decorate the outside because there is no need for heavy furnishings and lighting fixtures, it is important that you put a lot of thought into the design. There are several aspects of exterior home design that is crucial to the overall look and feel of the home. This is especially true because it is the first thing that many people see when visiting your home and it can also raise or lower the property value as well.
A crucial aspect to consider in outdoor home decorating is the lighting. This is not only for design purposes, but it is for functional reasons. With a comprehensive lighting scheme set up around the outside of your home, you will eliminate problems with minimal visibility, especially during the nighttime. When the sun sets and you cannot see, it is best to have lights that automatically come on near passageways. These are called motion detecting lights. They will help you get to your front door by illuminating the steps and surrounding areas. These lights are also good for people that tend to loiter in dark areas. It will be good for both safety and security reasons.
There are many other types of light that are good for illuminating pathways and entranceways. These include fixtures like ceiling lights near the front door or wall sconces that line the outer portion of your home. There are also post or pilaster lights that can go alongside your drive way or walkway that leads to your home. It is both decorative and functional. These lights can come in a variety of different styles that match the theme you have chosen, but remember they are an integral part of the home lighting design, so don’t neglect them.
After you have figured out the practical parts of the design, you can move on to making a more decorative project. Landscape lights can entail several different aspects including deck lights, garden lights and other such illuminating features like tree lights. These lights all work to highlight your garden or backyard in a way that is enjoyable and mood enhancing. Imagine a source of light that is illuminating some of your trees from the bottom and creating an awe-inspiring look with an up-lighting method. It not only brightens up your back yard, but it will produce a kind of ambience. You can then add other landscape lights that line the perimeter of the grass. It will act as small walkway lights as well as highlighting your garden features.
Landscape lighting and outdoor lighting is important to have in order to create a safe and enjoyable environment. You can have extra illuminating features depending on the design of your outdoor area. If you have a large enough home, it is best to outfit it with enough lights to cover the square footage. Having a comprehensive and working design entails having the right amount of lights as well as placing them in the right areas.
Lighting is an important part of home design whether it be inside or out. Having the right kind of lighting fixtures to illuminate your home is something that takes thought and planning. With the many kinds of fixtures available, from ceiling lights to landscape lights, you can create a home environment that is both functional and enjoyable.
Tips transforming Gardens and Outdoor Spaces
You can extend your living and entertainment space by adding a few pieces of furniture accompanied by some functional and attractive accessories to your patio, deck, or garden area.
As a bonus, you may also find this beautiful outdoor area a vacation-like retreat where you can spend solitary moments or romantic moments with someone special.
Give your garden the X Factor with a Garden Shed
It’s no secret that as the temperature gets warmer and the nights get longer people spend longer in their gardens enjoying the flowers, the smell of cut grass and of course entertaining guests. With your own garden being the ideal setting for some fun in the sun, one way to turn a good garden into a great one is by adding garden sheds and outhouses to your garden. From plastic sheds to wooden structures to steel outposts, garden buildings constructed of a variety of materials provide can give your garden the X-factor, and make you the envy of your neighbours.
Plangarden – The Best Landscape Design Software For Beginners
If you are looking to make your front and backyard fancy, then you will need a landscape sketching software. The best thing about landscape design software is that you pay once while purchasing and then can be used whenever you want. It gives you a fair idea about the possible changes that can brought in the architecture of landscape.
In market you will come across variety of landscape design software each claiming to be best. In such scenario it is very difficult to judge and get exactly what you are looking for. The ideal way to select suitable software is that you analyze both your landscape needs and software features. In this article I will focus on newcomers who have no experience of using landscape programs. So first I will discuss basic features which can found in all landscape software and then there will be review of distinguishing features of Plangarden software.
Top Landscape Design Schools in the USA
Landscape design is an interesting career that blends interests in art, science, architecture, environment, and the outdoors. A career in landscape design can provide exciting opportunities to work for or own major architectural firms or small businesses. A quality education at a top rated school will help launch a successful career in landscape design. A list of the top three schools is provided below.
The University of California Berkeley
The University of California Berkeley has both undergraduate and graduate programs in landscape architecture. There are specialties including a degree in urban design and environmental planning. For those who already have an undergraduate degree or a major in another field, there is also an eight week intensive summer study program called (IN)LAND summer program. In terms of facilities, Blake Garden is a 10.6 acre garden adjacent to the campus where students learn and work on landscape architecture programs. Additional information is available at http://laep.ced.berkeley.edu/.
Cornell University
Cornell University is the only Ivy League school to offer a landscape architecture undergraduate degree. The program has been in existence for over 100 years and focuses on theory, technology, and design. In addition, students who complete the graduate program are eligible to receive their license. To learn more about the Cornell programs, go to http://landscape.cornell.edu/.
Ohio State University’s Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture
Ohio State University’s Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in landscape architecture. The goal is not only to educate the students on current theories and trends but also to anticipate and prepare students for what is coming next in the field of landscape architecture. The Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture’s website is http://knowlton.osu.edu/.
Though these are viewed as the best programs, landscape architecture can be studied at 59 colleges or universities accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects (as of 2004).
Landscape architecture is a thriving career because of increasing environmental restrictions, growing population, and a desire to blend natural and man-made elements. In 2004, the median salary for landscape architects working for private companies was $53,120. The average salary in 2005 for a Federal Government landscape architect was $74,508.
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Who Else Wants a Living Fence?
Last year we paid around 3 thousand dollars for a fence… covering only one of the sides of our small garden for landscape design. I wish I knew about living fences back then. I would have saved quite some cash. And saving is not everything. Living fences have a lot more to offer for a gorgeous landscape. Read on:
