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Improving Your Home Landscaping

Few things are more frustrating than a messy front yard. In addition to disrupting your curb appeal, overgrown, messy landscaping can also harbor pests and make it look like you don't care about your property. Fortunately, tidying up your yard doesn't have to be difficult. I have spent years learning more about landscaping, and this blog is all about how to become a landscaping enthusiast. Check out these articles about fun topics like planting flowers, perfecting pruned trees, and decorating your yard with whimsical additions. After you know more about landscaping, your yard might become the talk of the town.

Archive

Improving Your Home Landscaping

2017

Creating A Great Environment For Bees
Bee populations were declining at a rapid rate recently. Luckily, with more and more people stepping up to help increase populations, bees are no longer in danger of becoming a thing of the past. That doesn't mean the work is done, though. Learn how you can contribute by utilizing local landscaping services next season.  Climate Bees can survive in just about any climate but the polar regions. However, bees work best in temperature between 57 degrees and 100 degrees.

Four Reasons You Need To Install A Sprinkler System In Your Yard
Sprinkler systems are designed to save you time and keep your grass green and beautiful all year round. However, it's an investment that isn't for everyone. Here are four reasons it's definitely one worth considering for you: You Don't Have Time: As someone who works full-time, you probably don't have time to water your grass. When you install a sprinkler system, you can be sure your grass is getting watered every day to stay green and such without it taking any time out of you.

3 Benefits To Having Plants In Your Office
You want for your office to look nice, so you do what you can to make sure that it's an inviting place for your clients to come in and do business in. There are several things that you can do so that you can create that atmosphere. One of the things you can do is to have plants in your office. There are a lot of benefits to having plants in your office, such as:

Tips For Designing A Four Season Yard
A beautiful yard isn't just for the warmer seasons. With some advance planning, you can create a four-season landscape that looks lovely no matter the time of year. The following tips can help you develop a landscape design you will love: Tip #1: Take advantage of hardscaping Hardscaping refers to any permanent "hard" features, like sidewalks, retaining walls, statuary, and structures. The beauty of hardscaping is not seasonal. By adding low walls and some benches, your lawn will have depth even when most of the plants are dormant in winter.

Eliminate Fire Ants And Mounds And Plant A Grass Seed And Fertilizer Mixture
If fire ant mounds are dispersed throughout the front of your yard, eliminating each colony of ants and destroying the homes will help prevent you from being bitten by ants when you go outdoors. The following steps will teach you how to treat the ants, remove the mounds, prepare the soil, and plant grass seed in bare spots on your property. Materials Needed rubber gloves long pants plastic sheeting fire ant granules large shovel hoe rake seed spreading machine fertilizer grass seed watering can garden hose nozzle Administer Pesticide And Break Up Mounds

3 Signs You Need To Have A Tree Removed
Having trees on your property can have several benefits. They provide a great deal of shade and privacy, and they are also very beautiful to look at. However, there are some cases in which the trees on your property may need to be removed. This article will discuss 3 signs that you need to the help of tree removal services: It Hangs Over Your Roof If you have a tree that has grown so large that it actually hangs over your roof, this may be an issue for you.

Four Exciting Ways To Add More Non-Greenery To Your Landscape
When you think of landscaping, the first thing that comes to mind is probably lots of green bushes, flowers, and trees. But landscaping is not just about the greenery. You need some non-greenery to balance it all out! If your landscape is looking a bit heavy on the greenery, here are some exciting ways to add more non-greenery to the space. Build a Boulder Wall Consider building a wall with a few large boulders down on side of your property or even to one side of your grilling space.

Getting Your HOA's Approval On A Fence Project: What Homeowner's Need To Know
If you own a home in a neighborhood with an established homeowner's association, then there are most likely some regulations in place regarding the type of fencing homeowners can install on their property. If you're thinking about having fencing installed at your home, then, you'll need to get permission from your HOA's governing board before you get started. Otherwise, you could end up facing fines or even having to tear your fence down if it doesn't comply with neighborhood regulations.

Hydroseeding Versus Sod: Can Hydroseeding Give Better Results at a Fraction of the Price?
Hydroseeding can give you a vibrantly green lawn at a fraction of the cost of sodding a lawn; with hydroseeding, a blend of grass seeds, binders, fertilizer and mulch is sprayed evenly over the topsoil. This provides even coverage of a natural bed for your grass seeds to germinate and grow in. In addition to being much less expensive than sod, hydroseeding usually gives you more attractive results and has less risk of not adapting to your soil.

Tips To Assist With Cleaning Your Brick Home's Exterior
If you live in a brick home and grass clippings, mud, and other materials have stained portions of your home's exterior, improve the appearance of your residence by completing the steps below. Afterward, maintain the cleanliness of the bricks by occasionally removing dirty substance from each one's exterior. Supplies ladder safety harness broom long-handled scrub brush (stiff bristles) plastic sheeting gas or electric-powered pressure washer detergent water hose oxygenated bleach Eliminate Loose Debris And Prepare A Cleaning Solution

Tips For Installing A Cottage Garden
A cottage garden evokes charming images of a profusion of plants. The combination of traditional flowers and leafy greenery creates a romantic atmosphere. You don't have to transform your whole yard into a cottage garden – you could get the same effect with a pretty planting bed. Develop a quaint cottage mini garden that makes guests feel right at home. Choose the Location A cottage garden typically features plants that require at least some sun.

Avoiding Root Rot By Spreading Mulch Properly
Mulch is a powerful growing tool that can help increase the spread and growth of a variety of different plants and trees. Unfortunately, it can also cause a problem known as root rot. Here is how homeowners can spread mulch properly to avoid this disease. What Is Root Rot? Root rot is a disease that affects just about any plant or tree and will quickly cause it irreparable damage. Once it starts, it will quickly spread across plants and trees in a garden and devastate as many as possible.

Beautiful Stack Stoned Wall To Enhance Your Landscaping
A retaining wall is a necessity to tame a slope, making flat places for walking and landscaping while preventing soil erosion. However, that doesn't mean you must have a utilitarian wall installed. A stacked stone wall can be a beautiful addition to your yard. Have contractors build a stone wall to tame your slope and enhance your landscaping. Stacked Stone Basics Essentially there are two types of stacked stone walls. The first is the traditional dry stone construction.

A Guide To Saving Time On Eventual Repairs Or Maintenance Of Your Commercial Irrigation System
If you're interested in having a new commercial irrigation system installed, but worry about the cost of maintenance or repairs in the future, it's important to remember that there are steps that your landscaper can take at the time the unit is put in to make those later efforts simpler. For instance, in-ground valves can be protected by a box, to diminish the need for repairs and make it easier to access those valves in the future.

Hate Mowing The Lawn? 5 Tricks To Save Money And Time Cutting Your Grass
Do you love a nice, green lawn but hate the work it takes to keep it that way? The good news is that there are several ways to make it easier to keep your lawn trimmed and beautiful. Here are 5 tips anyone can use. Keep it Curvy. The more times that you (or someone you pay) has to stop the mower to re-position it, the longer it will take to finish.

2 Signs Your Irrigation System Is Not Functioning Correctly
Maintaining your home's curb appeal requires a good amount of time and energy in your yard. From trimming shrubs and mowing the lawn to replacing mulch that has washed away, these tasks will keep your landscape design in great shape. If you are fortunate enough to have an irrigation system, you may feel your yard will take care of itself. However, that is not the case, since problems with your sprinklers can lead to water waste, expensive water bills, and damage to your lawn, flowers, shrubs, and trees.

Three Pruning Tool Mistakes To Avoid
One of the key components to properly pruning your trees is having the right tools and knowing how to use them. Otherwise, even a well placed cut can damage the tree or invite pests and disease infestation. Knowing what mistakes to avoid can help you trim properly Mistake #1: Using the same tool for all types of pruning Not all pruning tools are the right tool for the job. For more small pruning jobs you only need two tools – a pair of bypass shears and a small pruning saw.

4 Tips For A Kid-Friendly Backyard
Having small children means re-thinking the way you look at many aspects of home ownership. For example, it's important to keep your kids in mind when you plan your landscaping and maintain your lawn. A kid-friendly backyard can still be beautiful, while also being functional and safe for kids. Here are four tips for creating a backyard your whole family can enjoy: Invest in Lawn Care Services Keeping your grass lush and mowed means your kids can comfortably walk barefoot and play in the grass.

Four Pink Annuals For Your Beautiful Landscape
If you're designing your own landscape, make sure you include a little color! A bright color, such as pink, will offset all the greenery and give your space a more vibrant appeal. Here's a look at four types of pink annuals to consider planting. Pansies Pansies come in an array of colors, including light and dark pink. You can even find multi-colored varieties that are pink with streaks of yellow or orange in the center.

Utilize Stone In Your Landscaping
Creating a yard that you can be proud of can be tricky. There are so many different things that you can do that will really make your yard something of a art project. One mistake that a lot of people make is that they over do it with the amount of grass that they put down. Now, grass can look great and if you are going to be playing football in the backyard it is perfect.

Transform Your Sloped Yard Into Beautiful Terraces
A sloped yard generally presents a challenge, and with good reason. Depending on the severity of the slope, it can be difficult to walk on. Plus, water may erode the hillside without proper planting – and a slope can make watering plants difficult. The solution is to install a retaining wall, or, in this case, a series of retaining walls. A terraced garden is appropriate if you have a large yard, especially one with a 2:1 ratio, which the Landscaping Network describes as dropping one foot for every two horizontal feet.

Landscaping Ideas That Are Kinder To The Eco-System
If you want to create a yard or garden that fosters a healthy eco-system, try appealing to the local creatures and wildlife. By providing for some species, you could be doing yourself and your garden a big favor by keeping plants pollinated, insects to a minimum, and ridding the area of rodents. Some eco-friendly landscaping ideas include: Bring in the bees. Bees are a wonderful addition to any yard or garden, and they will pollinate the flowers to help them thrive and survive.

Landscape Your Property For Optimized Value And Energy Efficiency
As a homeowner, you are likely always looking for ways to improve your energy efficiency and increase your property value. While expensive renovations are one way to achieve these goals, there are several affordable and enjoyable things you can do to get the results you want. Consider using one or more of the following ideas for optimized property value and household energy efficiency: Build a Living Fence Line Instead of installing a fence around the perimeter of your property, consider building a fence line with living plants.

4 Backyard Landscape Tips To Create A Family-Friendly Rental Unit
As a landlord, you want to do everything you can to attract the types of good quality renters that you want. If you want a pool of stable, long-term renting families, it's key to consider what you can do to make your rental home more attractive to them. And, certainly, you can do many things inside the house to help your odds, including providing a good kitchen and having sufficient bedrooms and bathrooms.

3 Mistakes To Avoid When Trimming Your Tree
When it comes to trimming your trees, chances are you are doing it because you want to keep the tree healthy and encourage attractive growth. Unfortunately, there are some common mistakes homeowners often make when tackling this chore themselves. The following are a few things to avoid if you are planning to trim your trees. #1: Pruning in the wrong season Although you can usually do very light pruning or removals of damaged branches at any time of year, heavy pruning is usually reserved for late winter.

Tips For Removing A Tree Without Harming Nearby Trees
A dead, diseased, or damaged tree is a hazard in your yard that necessitates removal. It can be challenging, though, when there are other healthy trees growing nearby that you don't want removed. Taking down the problem tree without damaging the others requires some finesse. The following tips can help. Tip #1: Plan to limb the tree One of the biggest dangers to other trees is that they may become entangled in the branches of the tree that is coming down, which may lead to major damage to their healthy branches.

Considerations When Planning Hardscaping Layouts, Materials, And Features
When you remodel your yard, you'll have to take the hardscaping, or the non-plant and dirt features of the yard, into just as much consideration as you would the plant life. Each bit of hardscaping, from pathways to benches to stone bed borders, has a big effect on how you use the yard. At first, you'll likely concentrate on how the hardscaping looks, but as you continue to redesign your yard, start to take these other issues into consideration.

Set Up A Recreational And Sitting Area In One Portion Of Your Fenced-In-Yard
Set up a recreational area in one portion of your fenced-in-yard for your young children to enjoy while outdoors by completing the following project. Add patio furniture that is bordered by colorful flowering plants next to the play area so that you are provided with a suitable and appealing area to sit while watching your children or spending time with friends and family. Materials rake weed pulling tool large shovel topsoil grass seed sprinkler system water hose swing set slide sandbox sand rubber balls portable soccer net large paving blocks measuring tape patio furniture potted plants Clear The Property And Plant Grass Seed If Needed