Livingston Reporting - page 347

Landscaping installation does not need to be done by a professional. It is important to know that professionals and DIY can have good results following a simple plan of action before they begin digging up an area. Hiring a professional landscaping installation company is a good idea when doing a complete yard renovation or when new construction is involved. It is often hard for the untrained eye to look at a blank canvas and visualize a landscape plan.

Although is you are looking into doing some landscaping installation on your own the first issue you will need to consider is the landscape border. A border gives the landscaping a professional look and feel and is relatively easy to install. You must first decide what type of material you would like to use to compliment the desired look and feel. It is also important that the material is able to follow the design of the landscaping for easier installation.

To begin any landscaping installation project you will need to draw a plan out on paper. This will give you a better feel for how the overall project will look. Make sure to include on your drawing any yard items that are permanent fixtures. This would include any existing trees that you are not planning on removing, fencing, statues and larger items like your home, decks and patios. After your project is laid out on paper it is best to purchase some spray paint that can be used to safely mark out the design pattern on the ground.

Once the border is marked out it is the proper time to begin digging up the area. You can turn up the soil using a shovel or a rototiller. A rototiller is the best for getting all of the grass up and loosing the soil for the installation of the border. If the soil is ease to move the border will be able to be inserted and become part of the land instead of lying on top of the soil.

Picking a landscaping border might be the hardest part of the landscaping installation process. There is a multitude of materials available to homeowners today. It is like picking a picture frame to be used on your entire home. Some people choose not to use a border material. Be careful if you choose this option because often the materials, whether rocks, mulch or pine needles will seep out into the grass.

One material is concrete. You can buy kits now where you can pour the concrete into moulds making your own unique border. My neighbor did this and then stacked the concrete plates on top of one another. This gave texture to his landscaping which looks beautiful. Another concrete option is scalloped edged. This gives height to the border and can be purchased in many colors. If your landscaping has many curves the scalloped concrete edging may be difficult for an inexperienced landscaper.

A popular border among homes within subdivisions is preformed concrete blocks. They provide uniformity and are consistent. They can be used on small landscaping job or larger ones and keep gardens looking similar without having to be the exact same. For instance one homeowner might choose to layer the preformed concrete bricks where another would lay one level row. It would depend on the scale of your home.

I have wooden edging for the border on our landscaping. I love it because it gives a rustic feel to the landscaping. I have seen multiple ways in which wooden borders are done. We have cylinder shaped pieces of wood that are stuck together using a hidden flexible tube. I have however seen where each piece of wood edging is put into place separately and layered in size so that some are smaller than others. This gives a very natural feeling to the space.

Steel edging is used where you are looking for a very modern look. It is often used in areas where it is important that water seepage is kept to a minimum. For instance, steel is used in a space with a paved sidewalk where extra water runoff could reposition the sidewalk leaving it unlevel and therefore not safe.

Lastly and most popular amongst do it yourself landscapers is plastic edging. This is an inexpensive easy to manipulate material to use. It also does not take away from the landscaping itself because it is simple. The only downside is that it does not hold up like the heavier thicker materials so it may have to be replaced more often.

Landscaping installation should be a fun process. It does require a bit of planning and sweat equity. The end result adds not only aesthetic beauty but also value to the overall value of your home. It is a project that can be done with the whole family because most landscaping installation mistakes are super easy to fix and can be handles without too much extra time spent on the project. Happy planting!

I do not know many people who love to do yard work and mow their lawns. I for sure am not one that does. I am too cheap to hire landscape services so each spring, summer and fall I moan and groan doing it. I know companies are now doing landscape services for cheaper than ever before because of new faster equipment available to them. I still cannot fork out money for something I know I can do myself though.

In order to make sure I was doing things correctly I employed my own landscape service schedule. It helps me stay on track in the yard and eliminates incorrectly taking care of my lawn and landscaping. I also have several tips that I follow in regards to taking care of my equipment, lawn and landscaping.

Let me begin by telling you about the landscape services I provide each year to my lawn. When mowing I set my mower to two and a half inches. This makes sure that I do not burn the lawn by cutting it to short and the sun baking it and the root. I will not mow in the extreme heat or when the land is wet. I found these conditions are not the best for the grass.

I also sharpen my blade each month. Do not overlook this process. It keeps the cut clean and maintains the color of each blade and eliminates ragged blades of grass. It is also important to properly mow the grass to eliminate the possibility of ruining the grass by burning it. If you mow correctly you will end up with a lush, thick, dense lawn.

Watering is another area where caution should be executed. The best time of day to water is early morning. This allows the lawn to soak in the water and allows the extra to evaporate, with the help of the sun, throughout the day. Make sure your lawn sprinkler system is reaching all areas of the lawn. This makes your lawn consistent in length and color. Water on a regular basis but do not saturate that is the key to a beautiful lawn.

Aeration is important in lawn maintenance. When you thatch the grass is increases activity for the microorganisms that promote a healthy lawn. Thatching can be done with special spiked shoes or a machine that actually pulls the pits of grass out. It allows the nutrients to seep deep into the root system of your lawn.

When it comes to pruning trees and bushes spring is really the season to do this. Accomplish this when you are doing lawn cleaning. Pruning in the spring allows for the new growth to appear. However, maples should be trimmed in the fall to keep sap from flowing through. It is important that your instruments are sharp and that you are using equipment designed for the job of pruning.

When mulching it helps retain moisture around your plants if the mulch is thicker than two inched deep, three is ideal. This will help to keep the roots safe in the winter also. Soil moisture helps prevent damage to landscaping plants and trees. It is also important for winter safety to fertilize the trees and shrubs to sustain health throughout your landscaping.

In keeping up with your landscape services you save yourself time and money. It also increases the value of your home by providing curb appeal to your home. It is important to keep up on home and landscaping maintenance. Happy planting.

It is so exciting to start any landscaping design project. Many home owners begin without a plan and end up dissatisfied with the overall result leaving them with wasted money and time. The planning stage is one of the most important pieces in the landscape design and should be carefully planned out to give your home the best look in regards to landscaping. There are many things to think about when designing the landscaping in your yard. Create the space on paper and let your imagination go before you spend money and time on planting and the creation of the space.

Here are some things to think about before your green thumb gets to work.

1) Accessible: Make sure your yard is still accessible to all areas that might need maintenance further on down the road. When we began landscaping I had to take into account access into our back yard. We have a grinder system that needs to be accessed by the township so it was important that they did not trample my new landscaping. Other things to consider are where your well and septic are contained. You will have your own obstacles to review before you begin your landscaping design project.

2) Focus: It is important that you design your landscaping around a point of focus. Options for a focal point include a larger tree with flowers, a statue or garden art piece or even something as simple as a bench. All it needs to be is something that says look at me and brings the attention to your landscaping design. It needs to stand out not stick out like a sore thumb so plan accordingly.

3) Ditch Formality: When a landscape design is formal it sets up the garden for disaster for the inexperienced landscape designer. For instance if you are trying to keep complete symmetry that will require weekly maintenance and up keep. Also, if you are planting in symmetry and one object dies or is infected it will need to be removed leaving the challenge of finding a replacement of equivalent size.

4) Straight not Curvy: Landscape designs that are overly curvy are not appealing to the eye. Instead of a small garden with lots of curves look into something with subtle curves and more lines.

5) Make it Move: Make sure your garden has elements that move in the wind. Larger grasses or shrubs that move with the wind add interest and leave your garden from becoming stagnant and still. You want slight movement. Plants that attract animals are wonderfully pleasing to the senses as are the creatures they attract. Butterflies and birds bring another degree of movement which is pleasing to most.

6) Accents: Do not allow the landscape design to overkill your homes design but also don’t let it completely over shadow the home either. It is important to keep things in proportion and to soften any flaws in the home.

7) Delete: Instead of designing the landscape around elements that you dislike remove them. If you dislike that oak taking up the entire back yard remove it. It may give you a new motivation in your design and you will be making it a space you love instead of one you can just deal with.

8) Follow Direction: It is important to make sure you plant items where they will thrive. If you have shade don’t plant items that are in need of full sun. They will not thrive and you will be wasting funds. It is important for you to review what the plants need before you make purchases to make sure your environment is one in which will allow the landscape design to flourish.

It is best not to walk into a landscaping center without a budget and a plan. Without those two items you can end up throwing valuable resources down the drain. Lack of planning will end up costing you money that could be used elsewhere in your landscape design. It is important to also remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that a landscape design can be added as you continue to live in your home.