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.…

The Best Options For Desert Landscaping

You can not just pick any plants because died plants cannot do much for your property. Spend a while to think carefully about your desert landscaping plan and confirm that everything is suitable for the climate of your area.

Desert Landscaping

Using a better irrigation might keep your plants alive but its time consuming and also cost you a lot. It will be much better if you just stick to an easier plan which includes only plants with high survivability under the hot climate.

The best thing about desert landscaping friendly plants is that the plants will survive under the hot tempered sun and adapt to the bad characteristic soils. Do not look down to those abilities because the areas under the hot sun usually have bad soil too. You do one thing, but you get two results. Here are the list of beautiful plants that you can employ in your desert landscaping ideas

Longwood Blue bluebeard

This is a shrub, it is deciduous and it will grow back each and every spring. Its capability to restore health and happiness makes it very great for desert landscaping. It is a big shrub; it can grow up to three and four feet high and two feet wide. You will love this shrub in your desert landscaping because it has beautiful blue flower clusters and silver foliage. Furthermore, it also spread a very nice fragrance.

Autumn Joy

Autumn Joy is a lovely evergreen that perfect your desert landscaping with its great amount of leaves which twist beautifully. It has many leaves colors which can fit with any plant in your garden. It is also suitable for any desert landscaping plan. If there is a plant that should always be used in any desert garden, this is that plant. It grows easily anywhere, even on the rocky gardens. It also has beautiful flowers that you have never seen anywhere before.

The flowers have different colors and shades, mostly are red, pink, yellow, and orange. One thing for sure; this plant attract butterflies which give even more peaceful nuance to your garden.…

A Sense of Welcome – Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

One of the key decisions when drawing up a garden design is how to approach the front yard landscaping ideas. Behind the house, in the backyard, you can hide a million things that nobody sees, but the front yard is your home’s ‘public’ face as it were. So this begs the question – how do you want others to see it – and therefore you? Another consideration is value adding. Quality landscaping can 5% – 10% value to your property – and this can benefit you if want to borrow against accumulated equity or, more importantly, if you are putting the house or property up for sale. Good landscaping doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg – even if the front yard is quite large. Trees can fill up large spaces when combined with lawns. They also can add a touch of serenity or elegance landscaping

Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

By their shape and foliage trees can also add be an extra architectural feature in their own right. This can also be true in small front gardens if you use trees like silver birches or Japanese maples or flowering cherries or almonds. Some simple beds of cottage flowers are easy to construct and inexpensive – and with all the color you can obtain from annuals like marigolds, foxgloves or petunias and the like – you add both a sense of welcome and enhance the front yard with beauty. The main aim is to create a sense of invitation and accessibility. As we don’t use the front for much else, it doesn’t have to cost a lot. A simple design front yard landscaping ideas usually works best.

DIY Front Yard Landscaping

Anyone can do their own front yard landscaping ideas if they need to save the expense of professional landscape architects. If you do not know what to choose, simply look around at the better gardens in the street and neighborhood – to see what you like – and if they look healthy, then you know they will also work in your garden. Good gardeners love to talk about plants and garden owners will identify the names of the plants if you don’t know them. They will also pass on tips if you need them. You also can take a leaf from a plant or a digital picture, and your local nursery should be able to identify the plant from that.

Care And Maintenance

All plants prefer good well drained soil, mulching and occasional feeding with manure and other targeted feed from time to time. In the heat of summer keeping up the mulch will conserve water and keep your plants happy. Having said that, many plants will grow in soils and conditions that are not optimal. I have grown roses will in the tropics – with a constant fight against fungal diseases! But I deemed it worth it as I can’t live without roses! The better the growing conditions the better the plant will be of course.

Soils can always be improved and mulching helps be more water wise in dry regions. Clays can be broken down with gypsum and sandy soils can be built up with regular mulch and manure. If you need information on how to plant (soil, mulch etc), the local nursery will always provide free advice. They will also tell you what plants are drought resistant, tough, not delicate and how fast they grow and what maintenance they need.

Quality comes from balance and careful placement of what plants you choose for your front area. Simplicity works well, as do more complex designs that incorporate a wide range of plantings and features like cottage garden beds, hedges, trees, bushes, arches, fountains and so on. Add to that a perception of order (in the sense of tidy, not necessarily formality). Finally, adding subtle landscape lighting can heighten the beauty of your garden and make your front yard landscaping an asset at night as well as in daylight.

Keep an eye open for “The Backyard: Trash-heap or Treasure?” (Landscaping For Beauty And The Environment – Part 4)… and later a dirty story (Soils ain’t dirt!)…

Tips Desert Landscaping Ideas

Everyone tends to think of the desert areas such as the area around Phoenix Arizona as being hot. While its true that the desert is hot, the characteristic that is most defining about the Phoenix area is that it is very arid and lacks the humidity of many of the other areas. In fact, the desert can be, and often is very cold. To qualify as a desert, it is necessary that your area has a rainfall total of under ten inches each year. Most of the state of Arizona meets that which is why it’s often difficult to get the kind of desert landscaping ideas that you might want in this type of an environment.

Desert Landscaping Ideas

Regular kinds of desert landscaping ideas in this dry environment isn’t going to be functional. The reasons why normal landscaping techniques for regular environments isn’t a viable solution is that it would require a vast array of energy and water and resources to make normal things bloom in the desert. Yes, you can accomplish it but the reality is that you’re going to be using a wide array of things that you could live without and still get that blooming desert.

Water and power are not infinite resources. Using them unwisely is simply not the right way to go. Yes, you can do those things but the reality is that they are no longer fashionable or smart. The desert has it’s own kind of beauty and a relatively knowledgeable desert landscaping artist will be able to help you to find that beauty, to offer you splashes of color, even help you to get a water feature that is useable in the desert without eating away at resources.

Your quality landscaper knows the inherent beauties that can be found in the desert and how to offer the color and the textures that you want without sacrificing the precious resources that are found in the desert. He or she will be best able to advise you about how to use native plants or plants that are well suited to the quality of soil and the arid environment that is found in the desert.

Desert Landscaping

sing native plants instead of imported plants, using plants that are well suited to the desert and the wildlife there means that you’re going to be well able to enjoy natural beauty, beautiful flowers and brilliant colors without using up vast resources, vast energy, and paying out major amounts of money and time to keep and maintain your landscaping properly landscaping ideas

Among the many plants that you can use which are brilliant in color and texture are cacti, succulents, yucca, agave, and even mesquite trees, as well as flowers like the Arizona yellow bell, the desert daisies and others which offer you those splashes of color that you want. The best kind of desert plant life will be the native plants. Your Phoenix area or Arizona landscaping professional can help you to select the best type of plants for your desert landscaping ideas project.…

Home Depot Landscaping Rocks Project

It is a well-known fact that if you want to improve curbs appeal of your home depot landscaping rocks and property is through landscaping. This has made many home owners to have an interest in starting a home landscaping project. In this article tips which are useful in helping one complete the project successful are outlined and discussed in detail.

Home Depot Landscaping Rocks

This should be the first thing you should do before the start of any home depot landscaping rocks project. You should be aware of what you have in your home yard. You should make notes of the features that interest you in your yard. Some of such features may include trees and so on. They you can go ahead and create a landscaping design which is based on the features that interest you.

Have a look at you neighborhood

You can do some online research about the best available landscaping designs. The designs should incorporate the style you prefer your yard to be set at. If you like something about your neighborhood you can have a copy of it. If you come across a home with an amazing, you can have a picture of it. You should drive your inspiration from everyplace.

Have a look at your home style

It is important to understand that when it comes to landscaping design, the style in which your home depot landscaping rocks was built matters a lot. For instance, you are living in a home built with old Victorian style it would not match with tropical Hawaiian theme. If you decorate your home with non-matching style, it is likely to have a ridiculous look. Therefore ensure that your home matches with a given landscaping rocks theme.

Have a look at your final design needs

What is the main purpose of the landscaping design project you are undertaking? Are you after creating an outdoor room or increasing the entertainment space, creating an ideal place for children to play. Your final design needs determine a lot of how you want your landscaping design to be.

Hire a professional landscaping company

A professional landscaping company will play a big role in ensuring that your project is successful. The main advantage of hiring such a company is that they have a wealth of experience in home landscaping projects.

To ensure that your home landscaping project adds value and appeal to your property you should ensure that it is carried out by professionals and it is completed in a functional and attractive manner.…

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.…

Create a Creek Bed With Landscaping Rocks

How many times have you looked at your beautifully landscaping rocks and felt there was something missing. An empty area that just needs to be spruced up a bit to make it look just right. Or, have you ever had a perfectly imagined yard only to see a trail of washed away topsoil and vegetation after a long storm. If that is the case then a creek bed just might be the answer to your woes.

Landscaping Rocks

These beautiful features can liven up a landscaping project as well as facilitate drainage in your yard. Using a creek bed can reduce erosion and keep your lawn looking great. While these are great reasons to get a creek bed nothing beats the fact that like anything you do with landscaping rocks if you install it, you can leave it be and it will keep looking great without any up keep. That is the greatest benefit to any landscaping rocks project, no maintenance landscaping

Now that we know what a creek beds can do and what they bring to your landscaping project, let us get down to how to put a natural looking creek bed on your property the right way. The first decision that must be made is where you want to place the creek bed. The right location is key to a well executed creek bed. The best spot would be along a natural drainage path.

Landscaping Project

If you live in an area with a lot of rainfall many times these areas will have substantial erosion due to the excess water flow. Other locations that are excellent for a creek bed are below a rain gutter or by the drainage area for a hot tub or above ground pool. Find a place where water will flow and that enhances the look of your landscaping project.
Once the location is selected you will need to dig out the path you wish your creek bed to follow.

In some cases the erosion from the water flow has already done this job for you. The path should be from one to two feet deep and have a slope of around 30 degrees. The slope is essential as it will give the water a channel to flow through when it is needed and create the look and feel of a natural creek bed when it is dry. It is also important not to forget to add some curves and bends to the path to make it look more natural. For there is nothing more boring than a straight creek or less natural.

Landscaping Fabric

After the trench is dug and the path laid out the next step is to lay down landscaping fabric or a weed barrier along the path you plan to use. This is one of the most important steps for if you continue without the landscaping fabric weeds will begin to grow between the rocks and ruin your creek bed. Not to mention increase the amount time you will have to spend pulling weeds, when the landscaping fabric would have eliminated that issue from the start. So, do not forget the landscaping fabric or you will regret it in the near future.

Finally we get to actually installing the landscaping rocks. It is important to use a heavy rock when you are creating a creek bed. The best bet is naturally a type of river rock. River rock great because it is easy to find and relatively inexpensive, I guess it is called river rock for a reason. But, if you are set on something else, other forms of landscaping rock can work as well as a good river rock.

It must be stressed that it is best to stay away from lava rock and other lighter landscaping rocks as they can get swept away by any water flow through your creek bed. This will force you to replace your rock regularly, so make sure you are using a heavy rock for your project. Now it is time to install the rocks evenly through out your creek bed. It is best to make the rocks form a smooth channel without any obstructions that could block the flow of water while still making the bed look natural. In other words, do not pile the rocks up, but do not line them up in rows either.

Now that the rocks are laid your creek bed is finished. You now have a beautiful accent for your landscaping project. You can now enjoy your hard work and know that while grass needs to be cut and shrubs trimmed, your creek bed will remain the same without having to maintain it. Now that is what I call a day well spent working in the yard. So, congratulations on finishing you project and remember a well …

Your Guide to Brightview Landscape 

Brightview Landscaping lights are a great way to light up paths and walkways around your residence or business at night. These lights come in all different styles and are made by many different manufacturers. They are environmentally friendly and require no electricity to operate.

Brightview Landscape

hese sources of landscape lighting need to have the sun’s full light during the day in order to operate well. Solar landscape lights use small solar cells to charge their batteries which are built into the actual light fixture. You do not have to run wires for solar landscape lights since they operate from their own batteries. By receiving a full charge from the sun all day, the battery is able to provide enough of its own electricity to illuminate the lighting after the sun goes down. Most of them can stay powered for up to twelve hours.

Brightview landscaping lighting can be set-up in the ground, but they can also be installed or mounted on walls, fences, decks or patios. They can be placed on a hanging post along your walkway or path. Along the walkway or sidewalk, they help to light a safe walkway path. They can be used to light up parts of your garden as well. The key factor in purchasing any type of solar landscape light is the PV panel.

Landscape Features

This is what charges the battery and needs to be in a spot where it will receive the most sunlight. If there is too much shade surrounding the PV panel by trees or buildings or maybe landscape features, the battery will not charge properly if at all. The winter time can change the number of hours of sunlight you will have during the day by up to fifty percent. The battery’s life will be reduced if there is not enough light in the day time to power the lighting landscaping ideas

Before you purchase any type of brightview landscaping, find out from the store sales clerk or the manufacturer of the lighting if you are able to buy replacement bulbs and batteries. Solar lights have come a long way from when their earlier versions. They still do not produce lighting that will be as bright as a traditional lighting with low voltage. The best types of solar landscape light are durable, stainless steel and weather resistant. They have advanced battery cells that store more energy more efficiently.

Solar landscaping lights provide added security to your home by brightening darker yard areas. They accent your garden by adding charm, especially in rock gardens or flower beds. They add beauty and style and can be incorporated into any landscape design. Solar landscape lighting can decorate any yard. They come in colors like red and green for Christmas, and pastels for Easter. You can also get party lights in solar form for evening gatherings to use around the yard. Solar landscaping lights are easy to put together and easy to install and do not require any type of maintenance. These make a great way to show off your yard.…

Awesome Back and Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Most amateur front yard landscaping ideas include some grass, a tree or two and maybe a flower bed. And sadly, a lot of people completely ignore their backyards outside of the grass, the pool or a vegetable garden. But the benefits that come from adding professional landscape to your back yard or front lawn are incredible. Everything from the worth of your property to the condition of your neighborhood can change when you commit to professional landscaping. Your front yard and back yard will not only look great, but the improvements have some terrific additional benefits, too landscaping ideas

Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Energy Conservation: You can actually cut down on your utility bills with professionally landscaped front yards. If your home sits on a corner property, or faces an intersecting road, you probably get the full force of the sun and wind. NJ landscapers take those elements into account when they create designs, and as such might plant trees that will provide shade (keeping A/C costs down), or construct hardscapes that will protect your home from the winter winds (keeping heating costs down.) Some front yard landscape designs even help absorb the heat of the sun by working like a natural form of insulation

Bio-Diversity: In the interest of honesty, it has to be said: bugs are pests. Grubs and beetles will eat your plants, and mosquitoes are both annoying and dangerous. But when you have someone professionally landscape your backyard, you get a person who knows which plants will attract which insects or birds, and which are more likely to attract bugs or rodents. Certain flowers will attract butterflies, who will take of pollination, saving you money on expensive “flower food” or fertilizers. And while birds might be a problem when you first seed a yard, they also eat the bugs that may destroy your plants later.

Additional Living Spaces: Most people want to get the most use they can out of their outdoor spaces. When you landscape your backyard, you can create an additional living space for you and your family to enjoy on nice days. You can have a design team build the perfect outdoor kitchen, or create a peaceful Zen garden. You can even incorporate such elements into your front yard landscape designs, too. If you have a large front lawn, why not add a reading corner or a water fountain? Professionals who create landscaped front yards for a living know how to make private areas for you to use, so that you can utilize all of your space without feeling exposed to the neighborhood.

Curb Appeal: Landscaping your front yard adds monetary value to your house – period. Landscaped front yards look better, encourage sustainability and water conservation, and promote the value of the neighborhood. In fact, studies have shown that people searching for their first home believe good landscaping is indicative of better housekeeping – a fact NJ landscapers will willingly share. So by landscaping your front yard, you’re showing the world that you devote time and energy to maintaining your house. Think about it: who on earth would dedicate so many hours to pruning the trees and mowing the lawn if the roof leaked or the foundation was bad, right?

Continuing the Landscape into Your Backyard

There’s a lot to be said for continuity, and having your front yard landscape designs flow into the back yard is a good idea. Hiring a design team is the easiest way to do this, because they’ll know exactly how to create beautiful front yard landscape designs that become useful and practical in the back yard.

Need an example? Let’s say that while landscaping your front yard, you decide you want to add a natural stone wall to set off the plants and shrubs that have already been planted. When it comes time to design the back yard, you need to reconsider that stone choice: will it be strong enough to double as pavers? Will you need to double the amount you purchase because your back yard is very large – or will they look out of place because your back yard is small? Will it break your budget?

Hiring professionals eliminates these issues, because they’ll already know which materials will work best for both beauty and utility. They’ll have a specific budget with which to landscape your backyard and your front yard, and can choose plants, stones and trees that are both pretty and sturdy. They’ll keep costs down, too, because all of the guesswork will be eliminated.

J landscapers make it a point to know which materials can be purchased locally, so that the natural environment of the area will flourish – and so that you won’t pay a fortune in shipping costs, either. Overall, it makes more sense to hire a contractor to …