Hillside Landscaping - Outtask To Professionals Or DIY (Do It Yourself)
May 11th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedIf you want to start hillside landscaping, think of your safety first ![]()
What would you do if your hill is fairly steep? I mean if it is very hard to walk up it because of the angle. You would want to outtask the job right?
Have professionals do the hillside landscaping then and save yourself from a hassle.
However, if the hill is simply an area of your yard that you just wanted to landscape, but have not had any real ideas for it? Just do the hillside landscaping yourself. You should start with a survey of the land itself and its location.
For example, if the hillside is in the front of your home, you can create an ornate landscaping design. First of all, evaluate the soil itself – is it arid? If so, be sure to purchase nutrient-rich soil before you begin. Next, you need to think about the plants that you would like to incorporate in the hillside landscaping design.
The best idea is to forgo plants and plant bushes instead. The reason for this is that bushes are hardy in many different kinds of weather and they only require minimal pruning during certain times of the year. The kinds of bushes that you should consider for the hillside landscaping project should ideally be ones that grow horizontally instead of vertically.
Have you selected the kinds of bushes that you want? I will take it positive so the next step will be to figure out the kind of pattern that you want them in. And for this, you will not only have to calculate the quantity of bushes you will need, but also the area that you want to dig out for the bushes.
Popular shape that many people choose is the square shape, however yours can be any shape you want - you are the owner here.
Hehe…
Now with design. Bushes can be placed in a linear pattern and equally spaced so that they form the inside of the square like a checkerboard. Or, you could place the bushes in a spiral pattern. You should discuss design ideas with a professional landscaper if you would like a more ornate pattern.
More information on hillside landscaping can be found at your local bookstore, in various gardening magazines. Ask for assistance at your local gardening center too and you are sure to find the right hillside landscaping ideas doing the proper research.
;) Good luck!
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Free Landscaping Software Assists Exterior Design On A Budget
May 1st, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedWhen designing your landscaping on a budget, you might not want to spend a lot of money on 3D software for designing your exterior design. Some companies offer free landscaping software to help you choose the plants and their colors and sizes to get the most out of your living space outdoors. Most have different types of plants, including annuals, perennials and allow the user to change the size of the pictures for a more accurate rendering of how the project will look after completion.
One of the disadvantages of using free landscaping software is it may not allow the user to change the style of the house or the layout of flowerbeds or other gardens. With many of them, there is one major house design surrounded by beds and if it is not the same as your house design the free landscaping software can be used to choose only the sizes and colors of flowers to see how they will look together.
Some of the free landscaping software available offered by companies selling flowers and flower seeds, usually online and their recommendations are usually centered around the products that they offer for sale. However, with some basic landscaping software around 100$, this can be a cheap trade off to the benefits of the software. Although suggestions are made, there is no reason why plants cannot be purchased at a local nursery.
Complete landscaping software usually includes options for adding stones or lumber while most free landscaping software lacks this option. Depending on the company from which you receive your free landscaping software, some options may be included or be eliminated. Often DIY landscape companies offer free software for potential customers that contains more features than the software offered by seed companies.
Many of the free landscaping software offers made online and one of the good things about them is that they do not require registration, are quick to download and, once you see that they will not offer any help, can easily be removed from your system. It may take a few minutes for the whole process, but you will not spend any money.
Mostly free landscaping software will be user friendly and self-explanatory. Rarely will be there any help available, except what is included with the software, but they can provide information on the selection of plants for individual climates.
With landscaping software given for free, it is obvious that basic features will be included, but remember that you get what you pay for.
Click here to learn more about best home and landscape design software
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Implementing Desert Landscaping Around Your House
April 16th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed
Possibly when most people think of the desert, the only things that come to mind are broiling hot days, cacti, and dry heat. Many deserts are located in high altitude terrain and the hottest of days can actually turn into cool nights. Many deserts experience cold winters as well that can include snow and desert landscaping often reflects this.
The Hot And Cold
The desert can experience such a range of temperature changes and this is why desert landscaping needs to be hardy enough to tolerate heat as well as cold. Evergreen shrubs and trees withstand the heat and tolerate cold, it is why they survive well in high terrain deserts. Many cactus plants are cold hardy too, which surprises many people, because they think of cactus as hot area plants.
If by any chance you have a home in the desert and want to deal with some desert landscaping around your house, the best place to buy plants will be a local nursery. Frequently big box garden retailers have their plants ordered by someone in their regional office. This person often doesn’t understand the complexities of desert weather and orders plants that might not do well in yard.
Choosing landscaping that is locally grown or ordering plants from a local nursery ensures that you will get plants that will thrive and grow in your desert landscaping.
Water With Care
Watering your yard shouldn’t be a problem if you stick to plants that are native to the area that you live in, but if you want to grow flowers, vegetables, or other plants that don’t normally grow in the desert, make sure that you provide a source of water to your desert landscaping.
Before you are going to design your desert yard, check with your local authorities to ensure that there are no watering restrictions in your city or county. When you have decided how much water you want to spare on your yard monthly, come up with a watering plan.
Do you want to water manually?
The easiest way to water your lawn and garden is with a timed sprinkler system. Set your timer to go off in the early morning hours if you plant grass, so that the water can seep into your ground before the sun rises and causes it to evaporate. Choose a drip irrigation system to water ground covers, shrubs and you will see minimal waste.
If you want to cut back on the amount of watering your desert landscaping requires, then consider filling your yard with gravel or rocks instead of grass. Low maintenance alternative to grass such as this looks attractive in a desert setting.
But be aware of one caveat to rocks. It is that light colored gravel will reflect the sun’s heat, causing your yard to seem even hotter each afternoon.
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Free Landscaping Ideas And Where To Find Them
March 20th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedLately you have been staring at your yard and found yourself dismayed at the way it looks. Despite that you mow the lawn on a regular basis, it still looks more like straw and when you try to weed when you can, the weeds just keep coming. Finally if you don’t have a lot of money at the moment in your pocket, what you need are some free landscaping ideas.
What To Do If Your Lawn Is Straw-Like?
The first thing that you should do is to find free landscaping ideas in reference to why your lawn is so straw-like. The main cause of this probably has to do with lack of watering. It can also have to do with too much mowing. So, you should begin by only mowing your lawn when it really becomes taller than three inches – so no more than once per week.
The next free landscaping idea that you need is in reference to why you have so many weeds. Much of this might have to simply do with the climate that you live in. For example, if you live in a humid climate, weeds thrive on moisture. So, a free landscaping idea to try is to take some lemon juice and spray it throughout the lawn. The acidic nature of the lemon juice can help to kill the weeds.
If you need other free landscaping ideas, a simple thing that you can do is take a walk around your neighborhood. Look at the lawns of your neighbors, and take a notes of things they have done with their lawns that you might like to do as well. You can also ask them about their lawns.
Another free landscaping idea that you can do is to go to your local garden center and look at the free pamphlets that are usually available throughout the store. Not only can these pamphlets give you free landscaping ideas, but they can also give you ideas as to how much landscaping products generally cost
When it comes to free landscaping ideas, something else that you can look into is the gardening section of your local bookstore. Many places now have sections where you just sit and read without the obligation to actually purchase the book. Of course, the intent is that you buy the book if you think you will like it.
However, take your time and go through the gardening books and any gardening magazines that are available. The pictures alone can help you find what you are looking for when it comes to landscaping your yard. You can also search the internet, but regardless, you are sure to find the right and appropriate free landscaping idea that you need with the proper research.
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Impress Others With Your Front Yard Landscaping Design
March 20th, 2008    Subscribe To Our FeedYour front yard says a lot about you and it is the first thing that visitors see, even before they enter your home. Often your front yard landscaping is the first impression that your neighbors will form about you and you will see that investing a little time into landscaping your front yard will pay off with years of enjoyment.
Keep Front Yard Landscaping Consistent With Your House
Before you decide on your front yard landscaping design, take time first to choose a style that suits the type of house you live in. If you live in a Spanish style stucco bungalow, choose a plant scheme that is compatible with this style of architecture. For example, consider terra cotta planters, draping bougainvillea plants and other tropical foliage. If you live in a sprawling ranch house, consider low growing shrubs and changing annuals.
Keep Your Front Yard Landscaping Easy On Maintenance
Before you invest your time and money in landscaping your front yard, take the time to do the preliminary work the correct way. Invest in a good sprinkler and drip water system, complete with a timer. For years to come, you will enjoy a green lawn and healthy plants without ever having to worry that you forgot to water.
Take the time to have your yard leveled before you plant grass, and have an expert give you advice on any drainage issues you might face. Putting the extra work in before you plant can save you lots of money and work down the road. If you don’t like the grade of your yard, it is easy to add top soil to your yard and change the level of your slopes.
If you don’t feel comfortable with mowing, consider having easy to maintain groundcovers instead of grass as a part of your front yard landscaping plan. Many people prefer to have their grass behind their house and choose to landscape their front yard using:
- Shrubs
- Rocks
- Bark
- Flagstone
Have Fun With Front Yard Landscaping, But Don’t Overwhelm
It can be a lot of fun to show off a little personality in your front yard and while your front yard can be a great canvas for expressing yourself, don’t make it an eyesore that causes your neighbors to shudder. Don’t you think that having one garden gnome or a cute garden sign is fun, but having a collection of gnomes or pink flamingos can be a bit overwhelming?
Strive to create a classic balance of whimsy in your front yard and your landscaping will be appreciated by everyone who visits.
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