Things to Consider in Having an Edible Landscaping

Edible landscaping has been a part of daily living way back in ancient Egypt and other seed civilizations. Royal palaces and laymen abodes had gardens adorned with flowers, grape vines and fruit trees combined with sitting areas. But throughout time as architectural designs became more modern, edible plants lost their way in becoming a part of most gardens. Bring back the glory days of edible landscaping right in your own home with simple steps below landscaping

Edible Landscaping

As was said, edible plants had little or no presence at all in most home gardens. Such type or landscaping or gardening has been typically associated nowadays with large industrial farms. Actually, you can have your own source of varied produce fit for human consumption. You have a wide range of promising and exciting choices of tasty plants regardless of the space you have at home. If you have a huge backyard, enjoy making expanse plant beds. And even if you live in urban spaces, you can still have your edible landscaping via containers.

Do a prior research about edible plants suitable for the soil and weather in your area. Either do an online search from numerous home gardening websites or approach the agency in your area that focuses on horticulture program. You can also seek assistance from garden shops. List down the plants once you have been familiarized which ones could thrive in the environment in your area.

There are hundreds of species and varieties for each category of vegetation. Pick at least one from each category of fruit trees, shrubs, berries, common vegetables, vines, herbs and flowers. Typical choices include apples, apricots, figs, blueberries, currants, cabbages, onions, grapes, mint, oregano, thyme, daylilies, scented geranium, roses and the list goes on. But be cautious in picking edible plants, shrubs or trees that attract pests or insects. What you can do is to include flowers that are known to ward off pests and rather attract healthy bugs, which are also known healthy soil boosters. Some samples of ornamental and medicinal flowers are yarrow, zinnia, cosmos and daisy.

You must also take note of the costs involved in this project. Since you already have your list, scout for their respective prices. Decide whether it would be more cost-effective to plant seeds or to sow baby plants. Include in your calculation the implementation costing that would comprise of labor fees (for creating a huge garden) and gardening materials. Try to project the costs for fertilizers as well. Of course, to have healthy edibles, you must as well employ organic fertilization rather than having pesticides or chemical sustenance. Thus, you should also budget for a composting system.

Now that you have prepared your plants list and costs, lay out the final design. Either make your own free hand drawing plan or have a professional make the illustration for you. Some design ideas are as follows:

For wide spaces:

– use anti-pest flowers or berries for borders
– incorporate dimensions by planting small soft looking vegetables like asparagus in contrast to taller shrubs or trees
– boost visual impact of the entire garden by placing plants of the same color or type in one concentration, such as designating all yellow colored fruit vines or climbers and flowers at the center or borders of a lush green landscape

 For container gardening:

– establish dimensions by placing taller shrubs at the center of the container and herbs with expanse growths at the borders (use big tubs or huge baskets to achieve this effect)
– create depth by situating potted plants in a layered holder
– increase visual impact by painting the pots in different colors, using baskets or pots in different sizes and styles or gathering same colored plants on one side

Take advantage of the benefits edible landscaping can give you. From having your own farmer’s market to creating aesthetic enhancement for your entire property, such landscaping option can be really productive.…

Tips for Choosing Landscaping Rock Near Me

The good thing about landscaping rock near me is that people are able to have depth and texture to the design of their landscape. There are few different forms of landscaping rock but there are two, which are commonly used. And it that case, let me introduce you good information about it.

Landscaping Rock Near Me

These forms include the different colors of rock that are used for landscaping and there are also stones of different kinds that everyone can use to add some highlight to their yard. There is a need to have different kinds of rocks for every landscaping design. It may be large or small depending on what is best suited for your landscaping near me

The best way of using landscaping rock is to apply it with its full significance toward your design for your yard. Rocks should be used to actually add some accent to your yard and not just to cover up some ugly spots or some parts, which you do not want to be noticed.
Putting them in random parts will only be useless and that will not do anything good to your yard. It will instead cause an unbalanced look of the yard. Landscaping rock should be put in such a way that it will add beauty to the design of the landscape.

It will be better if you bury these rocks to where they will be placed. Not only that it will prevent disposition, they will also look like it is where they are supposed to be placed and not look like they are just put there for no reason.

Landscaping Rock

The depth of the rock to which it will be buried matters a lot depending on the size that you choose for your yard. The larger the landscaping rock, the deeper it should be buried and shallower for the small ones. A depth of four to six inches is good enough for a rock.
Landscaping rock will not give you a hard time. You just have to dig a spot depending on the size of the rock then place it there. Fill up the surroundings of the rock with some soil and you are done!

Imagine how great these rocks and boulders will look like if they were placed in your yard and still look as natural as they do when they are out in nature. So if you are hiking or maybe just taking a walk, take your time to stop by and take a look at some rocks that you think will be good for your yard.…

DIY Landscaping Tips

DIY Landscaping is undeniably one of the best methods that you can use if you want to improve the overall appearance of your house. The problem is that there are a lot of people who are not aware of the things that they need to do in order to be successful with landscaping. Today, I will be showing some of the best tips that you can take if you want to be successful with landscaping, even without spending a lot of money. Reading this article will also help you learn the dos and don’ts of landscaping ideas

DIY Landscaping

If you are going to place colorful flowers, choose them wisely. There are a lot of people who wanted to place flowers in their landscape. There’s nothing wrong with this idea, but you should remember that you need to choose the colors of the flowers that you will be purchasing. There are a lot of people who think that for as long as they have flowers in their landscape, everything will be perfect. The types and colors of the flowers that you will be choosing should complement each other well.

If there are bushes in your DIY landscaping , make sure that you trim them regularly, and prevent them from blocking the view on the window. This is a very important factor, because you, as a homeowner, wanted to have a great view when you look outside the window, and if the bushes are blocking the view, you won’t find your landscape very attractive.

There are also borders in the bushes, right? So you need to make sure that you will be doing everything to keep it visible. This will add up to the overall appearance of your landscape, and will allow you to enjoy more of it. As always, regular trimming is the key in keeping the border more visible.

The last tip that I will be sharing with you can be used to increase the overall value of your house. If you are going to place plants on your landscape, make sure that you choose those that are mature. Younger plants tend to die easily, and do not cost as much as those that are mature, even if their price in stores don’t have much difference.
Always remember that you don’t have to contact a DIY landscaping service every time, especially if you are already familiar of the most important things to do. Remembering these tips will help you save a lot of money in the future, since you won’t be needing much service from them.…

Top Modern Landscaping Ideas You Need To Know

Getting a neat and well-kept garden is something that a lot of homeowners want. But this is not an easy work to do if you are going to do all these improvements and renovations by yourself. If you want your garden to have a newer look and feel soon, here are some modern landscaping ideas that you should remember:

Modern Landscaping

The issue of cost is something that you need to consider when you are planning to come up with ways on how to update the look of your garden. It can go as minimal or expensive as you want, it depends on how much are you willing to assign as a budget to give this particular space a modern look. So as you plan this needed renovation, set a budget to work on. This will also help you adjust your preferences. Another advantage is that you can easily provide this information to the company who will implement the modern landscaping ideas design plans based on the budget you set at the onset of the project.

Go Online To Find Landscape Inspirations

If your garden only consist of potted plants and Bermuda grass all over, then it is time to make a change. Go online today and search for some home improvement blogs with some posts about landscape management and how they go about changing the look of their garden. Most of the time you will find out the story behind those improvements, including a summary of costs and a list of people who helped them in that project.

Finding these inspirations is a very accessible way of knowing the types of modern landscaping ideas that worked for them. This can inspire you further to come up with an original concept on how to do this for your own garden.

Decide On What You Want To Achieve After The Renovation

Do the same thing just like what you have done before when you improved the overall look of your home interiors. What is the purpose of this project? Is it to provide a greener look on your garden? Do you want to have more space in this area without sacrificing the number of plants that you already have? Or do you want to minimize the volume of plants so you can place a sofa set for your outdoor reading pleasure? These are just examples of questions that you might want to ask yourself before you finally call your garden landscaper today.

Place Elements That Will Add Character To Your Garden

Most homeowners realize that this is just what they need to add character to the old, plain look of their garden. If you want to add water element in this area, you can add a fountain at the center or just in one corner of the garden. You can also add a pond below it if you wish.

How about a bigger space for your next garden barbeque party? If this is what you want, then you can assign a safe area there to place a fire pit. Your family will surely be excited about the idea. You do not need to look for a bigger space to hold your next barbeque party if you already have a space in your garden to do this with your family.
These are just some of the modern landscaping ideas that you can use to improve the overall look of your garden. Give some time to think about these and see the difference it brings in the way you manage this part of your property today.…

Evergreen Landscaping Ideal

This may sound like a strange concept. You are probably thinking to yourself, “Isn’t all landscaping green?” Actually not all landscaping is green, there are some things you need to watch out for when planning your evergreen landscaping and the plants that you want to put in.

Evergreen Landscaping Ideas

1. How much rain does your area get each summer? Will you need to water often or do you need to try and find drought tolerant plants?

2. Try to find species that are native to the area you live in. If the species are native to the area that means they will need less maintenance than plants that are not native.

3. If the plants you want to use are not native, are they invasive? Invasive means will they spread if not contained.

4. Do you want annuals or perennials? Do you want to have to replant each spring, or do you want a garden that comes back each year?

5. Is the area you are landscaping sunny or shady most of the day?

6. Do you want to add hardscaping to the yard? Hardscaping means patios, walls, or pathways.

7. Do you want a water feature in the landscape landscaping ideas

Evergreen landscaping takes all these things into consideration. Landscaping that uses mainly native materials, whether plants or types of stone, is usually considered to be “greener”. This is because landscaping with materials that are native to the area makes less of an impact on the surrounding land. For instance if you live in a hot dry climate, planting species that take a lot of water to survive is going to be harder on the surrounding land, and will take more resources, not to mention work on your part.

Evergreen Landscaping

This does not mean that you cannot have a beautiful landscape. You just need to plan ahead. Consulting a landscape specialist in the area is usually a good idea. Most landscapers will be happy to talk to you about your plans even if you are going to do the work yourself. They can help you find plants and materials that do well in your area and provide a beautiful outdoor setting.

Let’s go back to that hot, dry climate for a minute; this would be a good area for hardscaping. Adding an outdoor patio with a pergola would be perfect in this area. It would not only add usable outdoor space that is shaded, it would also help to keep the interior of your home cooler. Spaces like this that reduce the inside temperature of your home are considered green because they help reduce the amount of energy it takes to cool your home. They usually increase the value of your home as well. This can be an excellent idea even if you do not live in a hot, dry area.

When you are planning your evergreen landscaping, think about your lifestyle and how much time you will have to maintain it. Many people just do not have the time to replant each spring, and some just do not want to have to mess with replanting. Not all of us are avid gardeners. I usually suggest a combination of annuals and perennials, just because it is nice to be able to change the look of your outdoor space from time to time.
For those that want a beautiful space with almost no work involved though, perennials are the best solution. These are plants that will grow again each spring with very little effort on your part. If you still want to add some different colors you can always use planters for a few annuals.

Beautiful outdoor spaces are in demand all over the world. Ensuring that your space is also green is just an added bonus.…

Tropical Backyard Landscaping Ideas

When we think of vacations, we automatically think of white sand beaches and palm trees. If you want to have a piece of this relaxing ambiance, then you should be on the lookout tropical backyard landscaping ideas.

How to Have a Relaxing Backyard Landscaping

It’ll be very dandy if you can take the tropics with you. It’ll make for a very refreshing environment. If I may say so, it will even feel like you are taking a vacation all year round if you have this kind of landscape right in your own backyard landscaping ideas

There are major considerations to achieve this kind of landscape. And whether you will hire a landscape artist or you design your own, fact remains that you still have to go through every aspects of backyard landscaping you get the kind of landscape that’s perfect for your home. Some of these are:

Plants Play

Plants play a very essential role in achieving the tropic feel of your backyard. The choice of plants you are going to feature in the backyard landscaping is one important thing you need to focus on. In choosing the plants, you need to think of those kind which is easily associated with the main theme of your landscape, which, in this case is the tropics.
For example, when you think of tropical vacation, you can immediately picture out palm trees. The same goes when choosing which kind of flowering plants and ground covers you’re going to use.

Fixtures Pathways

From pathways to stones to outdoor furniture, each of these fixture must complement with the overall theme of your landscape. Due attention should be given when selecting the furniture and fixtures found in your backyard.

Pathways for example, are important for you to enjoy thoroughly the lush greeneries in your backyard. You can complement it with shells or tropical stones scattered around the whole place. If you are deciding on furniture, it is best that you go for wooden ones or at least those that complement the surroundings.

Water Features

Water is one of the key feature in tropical backyard landscape ideas. Most landscape of these types include a pool as the focal point of the whole landscape. If a pool is out of the question, have at least a fountain or a pond included.

ater is both refreshing and very stimulating. There’s something definitely relaxing when we get to hear splashes or even the gentle sounds made by flowing water. Thus, this feature helps enormously in achieving the look as well as the feel of your backyard landscape.…

Ideal Small Backyard Landscape Ideas

With funds tight these days, maybe buying a large jungle gym or swing set for your child isn’t feasible. However, it doesn’t mean that your backyard needs to remain a vast wasteland either. Below you will find a few ideas to transform a piece of your small backyard landscaping ideas.

Small Backyard Landscape Ideas

The sunflower fort is a great idea for people who have a relatively flat and grassy backyard. When the sunflowers have finished growing, your children will have a secret garden to play in that allows for both shade and sunshine landscaping ideas

Sunflower Fort

Germinate the seeds 3-4 days prior to planting by placing seeds between a few damp paper towels. The seeds that have started to germinate after 3 or 4 days are ready to be planted. Outline a square in a sunny area of your backyard, preferably on flat land, at least 5 feet on each side. You could also outline a rectangle.

Create a 2 foot wide space on one of the sides of the outline. Plant sunflower seeds in a straight line. Water the seeds as necessary.
Tips: Plan in advance, as you’ll need time for the sunflowers to grow. When the back of the sunflower turns brown, harvest the flower for seeds!

Reader’s Corner

If your child likes to read and the weather is amenable, creating a shady little reading nook for your him or her would be a welcome surprise. A simple set-up such as a child sized blow-up chair, some bottles of water, a tin of cookies, and a blanket are a perfect set-up. Complete the area with some of her favorite books and let her know that is her space for reading.

Hammock “Tent”

Usually the space beneath your hammock is much good for anything except for grass. A 6-7′ foot pole can be used to transform your favorite napping place to a wonderful “tent” for little ones. It’s a simple matter of securing the pole into the ground in the middle of the hammock, then gently letting the hammock fall on top of the pole. This works by itself for a canvas hammock, but if you have a net hammock, use a pillow between the hammock and the pole.

Tree House

The ultimate in childhood fun has become more rare these days largely due to homeowners insurance regulations. However, if you have a sturdy tree worthy of a house for your little ones to safely play in, nothing beats a tree house. A quick search on the net will provide you with loads of blueprints and plans to build your child’s dream “tree” home.

You may pay a bit more for a tree house, but the rewards are certainly worth it, and a well-made tree house has a lot more character than an assembly line jungle gym/swing set.…

Designing a Above Ground Pool Landscaping

Above Ground Pool Landscaping

An above ground pool landscaping is quite different from an ordinary landscape. Unlike an ordinary landscape, a swimming pool landscape has some limitations in the planting area. Aside from the fact that you cannot plant directly on the ground when you’re planting in and around your pool, you also need to put up with some width and height limitations that wouldn’t otherwise have existed. Here are some tips that you can follow if you are planning to design your swimming pool landscaping ideas

Do your Research

Your end result will work out better if you do some research before you proceed with landscaping. Aside from looking for above ground pool landscaping ideas online and in magazines, you should also look into which kinds of plants you want to include and what kind of soil you’ll need as a result. If you know someone who has a swimming pool landscape then make sure to chat with them as they can probably give you some more great tips.

Know your Flower Beds

You should also have a clear picture of how you ant your flower beds to look before you begin. First, you should know the measurements you want for them – their exact length, width and depth. If they have some curved areas, you should also take note of that and make an estimate measurement. Additionally, measure your desired distance between the fence or screen and the flower bed. Do this for all the flower beds in the swimming pool area.

Plan the Landscape

Now that you know the exact measurements of your flower beds, it is time to plan your landscape. By now, you should have some ideas on which plants can grow near your pool. You should now plan which plant species will go in your flower beds and how you’ll arrange them. If you can, make a rough drawing of how the plants will look.

Know your Plants

It may help to research the background of each plant that will go into your landscape before you begin. Aside from knowing how to maintain them, you should also know how big they can grow. Many do-it-yourself landscapers are surprised to learn that plants which look good in pictures grow too big or don’t work with the shape of the pool when they’re full sized. Don’t let this happen to you.

In the same way, you should also take note of other things that may harm you or your above ground pool landscaping. Does it constantly shed leaves? This can clutter your pool. Does it have thorns or spikes? This is not good if you are going to have children around the pool. Does it multiply on its own? This can be a problem if you have limited planting space. Always research your plants before you use them in your landscape.

Decide on a Landscape Dressing

Once you have decided on your plants and have planted them based on their size and growth habits, it is time to finish the landscape with some dressing. Decide if you will use lava rocks, plain dirt or lava rocks to cover the soil. Some creative landscapers may even want to use shells.

If you’ve done all this then congratulations, you’re done! You have just successfully designed your own swimming pool landscape.…

Ideas for Green Thumb Landscaping

Green thumb landscaping is landscaping without the use of dangerous chemicals or harmful methods that will destroy the environment. Green landscaping helps to restore all the natural resources back to the earth that has been taken away by misuse.

Green Thumb Landscaping

Most of us have become aware of the damage that chemical products have done and are now trying to do our best to use only natural products. We have also started using less water on our gardens for conservation. We also realize that many of the chemicals we use are probably a big cause of the climate changes around the world. Now is a good time to research ways to help and creating a green landscape would be a great start.

There are a few things to consider before thinking about any green landscaping ideas. The first to consider is the climate in your part of the country. Temperate climate zones will tolerate a wide variety of plants but an arid climate zone will only support a smaller variety. In either climate zone you want to conserve water and it is better to select plants that drought tolerant and still be able to handle their own climate environment. The second consideration is the elevation such as high mountain areas, rocky areas or marshy areas with heavy water content in the soil. Whichever area you reside, it is best to purchase drought tolerant native plants.

In most cases it is how you water the landscape not how often to water. The majority of sprinkler systems spray water way too high and the water ends up on the sidewalk or driveway and not on the landscape. This water gets wasted and finds its way to the sewer. The best way to water your landscaping is by using a drip irrigation system where the water spray is low to the ground and goes right to the plants’ roots. Another good way to water is by using soaker hoses, these hoses sit on the ground and seep water directly the plants’ roots. Both these irrigation systems work very well on individual plants, trees, shrubs, and lawns in your green thumb landscaping.

If your family uses environmentally friendly shampoos, soaps, and detergents you can hook that gray water to your drip irrigation system; this will save you money on your fresh water usage. Another green thumb landscaping tip is to use collected rain water to water your green landscape and to conserve water usage for your home. Many people collect rain water from their roofs each time it rains by directing their gutters directly to one or two rain barrels. You would be surprised how much water comes off a roof and how much money you can save.

There are a number of components that will help with green landscaping namely compost or natural fertilizers, mulch, native plants and ornamental grasses. Your grassy landscape can become very dependent on water unless you water less often; keep the grass at an optimal length and mulch. During hot weather the length of the grass should be a little longer in order to keep the soil cool and to retain moisture. Even better start mowing with a push reel mower, this way you will keep harmful pollutants out of the atmosphere; you not only will be cutting down on noise but will maintain your muscles.

Natural Materials

Another way of using natural materials on your lawn is to use a mulching lawn mower that will chop up grass clippings; by leaving the chopped up grass clippings on your lawn it will begin to decompose and fertilize your grass. If your grass is long just bag the clippings and add to the compost pile. Another way to conserve water, prevent weeds and cool roots is to use organic mulch around the plants. These are just a few things you can do when creating a green landscaping.…

Evans Landscaping Projects For Spring

As Summer grows nearer for the residents of Arizona, we begin to think about those tasks that we would ideally do prior to the arrival of the real heat to Arizona. The next two months will be ideal to carry out those changes that you’d like to make to your garden and evans landscaping prior to the more heated days of the summertime.

Evans Landscaping

Your garden and landscaping in Phoenix are a big deal to you because the outside is where we choose to spend a great deal of our time in the summer. Not only does it offer a greater amount of comfort to us in the evening, but spending time cooking outdoors means that we don’t heat up the kitchen and the entire home when we make a meal.
The cooler spring days such as are arriving now are the ideal time to begin taking out lawn furniture and other items that you may have stored for the season. Arranging the items on the patio, beginning plants indoors that you will transfer outside in a few weeks should also take place.

Herbs may safely be planted outside now and achieve full growth early on when you’re dealing with Phoenix weather and landscaping. In addition to these tasks, now is the perfect time to assess the things that you want to add to your yard or garden and to begin planning with your Phoenix area landscaper. Phoenix weather is perfection and spending the time outside to take advantage of it means that you’re going to want added features in your garden landscaping near me

If you’re considering an outdoor kitchen or a grilling area off the patio of your Phoenix home, there is not a better time than now to get that accomplished. Likewise that pizza oven outdoors that you’ve always wanted will be easily accomplished in the springtime months and be ready for your use when the real heat rolls into your evans landscaping

Phoenix landscape

With the ground truly thawed now, excavation can begin for your raised bed planting, as well as for any water features that you’ve been considering. Consulting a Phoenix landscaper to assist you in the planning as well as the implementation of any new items that you’ve been considering is in your best interests.

You will want to add your home improvements to your Phoenix yard before the summer heat makes it harder to work outside. Likewise you’re going to want them to be ready to use when those summer evenings are in full swing.

Consulting a landscaper and beginning to plan your Phoenix area evans landscaping projects now means that you’re going to be ahead of the game and ready to relax in your outdoor paradise well before summertime.…