Monthly Archives: August 2011
Tips for Creating Outdoor Rooms
Creating an outdoor room can give your landscape design a more spacious feel while possibly increasing the square footage and value of your home. You can create a great outdoor room with any size budget. Your outdoor room could consist of a simple chair on the corner of your porch or it could be a multipurpose kitchen, family, and entertaining area.
Picking the Right Trees For Your Landscape Design
Of the many aspects of landscape design, choosing the best variety of trees for your specific yard might be one of the most important. An otherwise beautifully landscaped back yard can be quickly ruined by planting a tree that doesn’t take advantage of the current design. As one example of this, we’ll consider a small yard with many small plants and perhaps some water features. Planting a few trees that are known to grow to a very large diameter could, in a few years, overpower your yard and even take up the majority of your usable space. What was once a beautiful and spacious yard soon becomes a few small patches of grass with large trees dominating the rest of the space.
Consider the Seasons
Depending on where you live and the climates that change throughout the year in your area, the seasons will play a big part in what trees you choose for your landscaping. For example, flowering trees are absolutely beautiful when in bloom and can really add some great color and personality to your yard. If, however, you live in an area that will likely cause those flowering trees to only show their flowers for a few months, then the rest of the year you will have mostly barren trees. If this is the case for you, remember that there are things that you can do to offset this. One idea, for example, is to plant evergreens behind or near your flowering trees so that during the barren months, you still have some green foliage in your yard.
Function or Beauty?
Another item to consider when picking trees for your landscape design is if the trees are to primarily fulfill a functional role or are simply there to beautify the area. Trees can perform many functions such as creating an image barrier to a property line, helping to deter soil erosion, or even helping to lower your air conditioning bill by shading your home and naturally keeping it cooler. As another example of planting tree to fill a functional role, if your area is known for it’s frequent and strong winds, you could consider planting some larger evergreen trees along the windward side of your yard to act as a wind wall which will block much of the wind. Of course, many trees will certainly be able to perform their function while adding green foliage and beauty as well.
So when designing the landscaping for your home, remember that simply going to the local store and grabbing what few trees they have in stock will often provide less than desired results. Be sure to give your design some thought and possibly even talk to a tree or landscape specialist about what your plans are – they are sure to have some great suggestions for your specific needs and wants. With a little planning and searching, your new landscaping project can truly transform the look and feel of your home.
Carter B. is a outdoor and plant enthusiast who is helping a great wholesale tree nursery spread the word about landscape design, tree selection, and the benefits of healthy trees.
4 ways to get rid of weeds in your grass
Are you tired of putting up with weeds on your lawn? Having weeds in your lawn can be very distracting and can be an eyesore. There are many varieties of weeds that can attack your garden’s landscape design. Similar to grass, weeds would compete with other plants for nutrients in order to survive. If the weeds take up more nutrients, your grass and other plants may die in the process. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?
Selecting Plants for an Interesting Flowerbed
When selecting and placing plants in flowerbeds for your landscape design, one of the most popular and practical options is layering. This method involves placing taller plants at the back of the bed, medium-size plants in the middle and short, ground-hugging plants for the front or border. Many gardening experts suggest drawing a plan to follow when selecting plants for a flowerbed. Such plans are useful for determining how many plants are needed as well as properly placing them according to height.
Successful City Gardens
The demands of running and maintaining a city garden are often quite different from those of a gardener in the suburbs or country. Spaces tend to be much tighter with limited areas of open topsoil, meaning that a successful garden is often created by utilizing the available space as efficiently as possible. In this article we take a look at some of the ways you can escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, by creating a serene green space to relax in.
An Indoor Garden with Bite : Growing Carnivorous Plants in an Orangery
Are you bored with seeing the same old house-plants growing in your orangery? If so, why not take a different approach to indoor gardening and create your own carnivorous plant collection. Be inspired by the Siena Botanical Gardens in Tuscany, Italy and the Russian Academy of Science Botanical Gardens in Moscow, both of which feature this unique genus of plants in their orangeries. The exotically named Venus fly trap, the dainty sun-dew and the awe-inspiring pitcher plant are fascinating to grow and will be a great talking point when you have visitors in your home.
The Importance Of Using A Landscape Design Tool
A landscape design tool is important when undertaking a landscaping project whether you are a professional landscape designer or a property owner who want to try this one out as a DIY home improvement project. Nowadays, this tool for landscape design is synonymous to the various landscaping software that you can either buy or download for free. Whether you choose a simple free version or software with all the bells and whistles that could cost nearly $100, using one is very important.
Say No to Mulch Volcanoes
If you haven’t noticed, mulch volcanoes are cropping up all over the landscape. Mulches are comprised organic and inorganic materials, such as pulverized rubber and wood chips. They work like an insulating blanket to keep soils warm in winter and cool in summer. The problem is that mulches take a long time to decompose and some forms must be replenished annually. Many homeowners pile new mulch over old mulch and end up creating “mulch volcanoes” that inadvertently kill plants, shrubs and trees, thus spoils their landscape design.
