About Me

Loving Your Little Landscape

I have never been a natural gardener. For years, I struggled to keep basic houseplants alive, only to kill them at the first opportunity. It was difficult and stressful to buy a home with a yard, but I knew that I might be able to learn what I was doing wrong and correct the problem. To start off, I focused heavily on the lawn, and tried hard to keep it trimmed and well-maintained. Next, I cleaned up the flowerbeds. It was a lot of work, but I knew that it would pay off in the end. When I was done, my front yard was gorgeous, and guess what--it even stayed alive. This blog is all about loving your little landscape.

Search

Tags

Loving Your Little Landscape

2016

Strange Spaces -- 4 Tips To Manage An Oddly-Shaped Yard

While most yards tend to be a nice, normal square or rectangle shape, that's not always the case. If your yard's overall shape can be best described as "unusual" or "vague," it can be hard to know how to turn it into a normal looking outdoor space. If this is your dilemma, here are 4 easy ways to tame its strange dimensions. Focal Point. If there are features you don't like about your yard, draw attention away from them by adding a focal point or two in other areas.

The Importance Of Proper Drainage In Your Retaining Wall

Retaining walls are a powerful tool for landscaping sloped properties and adding visual interest to flat ones, but they need to be able to hold back much more than just dirt. In fact, many if not most retaining wall failures are actually the result of improper drainage, as accumulating water pushes against the wall with nowhere to go. Besides damaging your wall, this can also create an unpleasant environment for any plants or walkways behind it, leading to swampy, saturated soil.

Gone Fishing—What to Know When Adding a Koi Pond to Your Backyard

Water features add charm and vitality to a backyard landscape design. But if a simple water feature—a small pond, a waterfall, or a bubbling fountain—isn't enough for you, you can also add the energy of having living things in your water.  However, a pond with fish in it isn't quite the same as just any other water feature. It has some special needs to understand before deciding where and how you will build your pond.

Three Tips For Caring For Your Landscaping

Ensuring that the yard is kept in the best condition possible is essential for any homeowner that values the appearance of their property. Unfortunately, it can be common for well-meaning homeowners to be poorly informed about the steps needed to care for their yards. As a result, they may benefit from learning a few landscaping tips to help them avoid some routine oversights. Use Gravel To Slow Erosion Erosion can be a particularly problematic issue for your yard.

How To Create An Enchanting Landscape On A Tight Budget

Designing a landscape your neighbors will be awed by while staying within a tight budget is possible and can be a lot of creative fun. You can create a landscape that will look great with a few dollars and a whole lot of creative energy. Follow these tips for learning how you can turn your lawn into an enchanting garden while sticking to your budget. River Rocks And Your Landscape

Minimizing Lawn Water Use

In drought-stricken areas, watering your lawn is a complete no-no. Even if you live in an area that is not currently hard pressed for water, you should be mindful of your water usage, particularly when it comes to watering your lawn. During a drought or the hot dry summer months, you have several options for lawn care: Keeping it green or letting it go dormant. Dormant During times of extreme heat and/or little rainfall, keeping your water green can take a significant amount of water.

Site Prep – Building A Good Foundation Under Landscape Pavers

Stone pavers come in a variety of shapes, colors, and styles. You can use them to build walkways, patios, or other surfaces to enhance your landscape. An important step in the installation of pavers is the foundation. Without a good foundation your pavers can shift out of place, or settle causing you problems. Here are some tips to make sure you prepare a good foundation for whatever type of project you choose using landscape pavers.

How To Work With Your Landscaper To Achieve A Beautiful Backyard

With spring here and summer right around the corner, you are probably already visualizing a beautiful backyard, a place to entertain your friends and family that will also be a place for personal relaxation. If you'll be working with a landscape contractor, you'll want to give the contractor a clear picture of what you want. Then, because of the experience and training your landscaper has, he or she will help you to fine-tune your plans to make them even better than what you envisioned them to be.

Eight Tips For Giving Your New Tree The Best Chance At A Long Life

Unfortunately, by the time most homeowners notice that one of their trees is suffering from a problem, its health is already in a very poor state. Skilled arborists can sometimes correct problems involving a tree's structure or help the tree fight off bacterial infections or pests, but the best way to keep your tree healthy (and avoid the need for removal) is to keep the tree from becoming sick or damaged in the first place.

Important Steps For Having A Beautiful Summer Lawn

Do you own a home with a front or back yard that's seen better days? Do you have patches of dirt showing through, where animals have dug up or otherwise disturbed your lawn? If you've already tried fertilizing and putting down seeds and had no luck, it may seem impossible that your landscaping will ever look good again. But don't despair, there are still things that can be done to make your lawn lush and beautiful for summer.

Three Common Problems With Shrubbery And What Commercial Landscaping Can Do To Help

If you own and/or work out of a commercial building, chances are that there is a lot of shrubbery in the landscaping around the building. If it is kept neat and tidy, shrubbery can make the property look very professional. However, tidiness is not the only problem you may encounter with the shrubs around your commercial building. The following three problems are the most common ones, and here is how a commercial landscaping service can help restore the professional look to the property's exterior appearance.

2 Quick Landscaping Solutions For The Summertime Heat

With the winter months long gone, it may be a good time to start thinking about transforming your outdoor spaces into usable and comfy areas where you can hold parties or call friends for a barbeque. If you live in a summer hot zone, shade is a must if you are to open up your backyard for outdoor living and entertaining. The sweltering summer heat can make staying outdoors unbearable or even cause young plants to wilt under the strain.

4 Signs Of Dutch Elm Disease

If you have a yard full of elm trees, you probably love relaxing in their shade. You also probably know that elm trees are susceptible to dutch elm disease, but you might not know what a tree diseased with dutch elm disease looks like. You should know the signs and symptoms of dutch elm disease in your elm trees. Yellowing Or Wilting Of Leaves Dutch elm disease is a vascular disease, and it prevents the proper nutrients from getting from the leaves to the roots of the tree.

How to Remove Tree Stumps Without Breaking a Sweat

Removing stumps is slow, labor intensive, and often infuriating work. Stump removal by hand involves a variety of tools, such as mattocks and axes. It also involved many hours, and a lot of hard work. Stump-grinders are can reduce the labor involved, but they're often expensive to own or operate. They're also known for being rather unkind to your yard. Just maneuvering a stump-grinder into position often leaves deep tire tracks on your lawn. It can also bust sprinkler heads, if you aren't careful.

Japanese Boxwood And American Holly Are 2 Great Hedge Plants

Hedging can make your landscape much more stylish while also adding definition to the hardscaping of your yard. You can plant hedges that will cover the exposed concrete of your home foundation. Similarly, you can plant a hedge along the pathway to add a little style to a pathway. The best type of hedge plants are those that can be sculpted, require little water and are easy to keep up. This article explains the characteristics of Japanese boxwoods and American holly.

Backyard Got A Slope? Landscaping Tips To Use This Area Effectively

If you have an area of your yard that is sloped, it can make it more difficult to do landscaping. Fortunately, you can use this area to your advantage by following the tips below. Planting Flowers You cannot simply plant flowers on the slope without making any kind of changes. It is not possible to till a slope, because the dirt will loosen and then slide down the slope. A landscape contractor can make some changes so that your flowers will stay in place once you plant them.

A Few Ways A Retaining Wall Can Save Your Home

It is common to think of a retaining wall being used to level the yard for landscaping purposes. Wind, rain, and snow can cause the soil to erode, sloughing off any grass or flowers as it moves down a small hill. The truth is, a retaining wall can also be used to save the foundation of your home. If you notice that the basement or crawlspace stays moist, or that more of the foundation is visible from the outside, you should consider having a retaining wall built.

Three Necessary Steps for Completing a Topographic Survey

Engineers perform a topographic survey before an owner makes changes to a property or before a change in the ownership of a property takes place. A topographic survey maps and identifies the contours of the ground and the existing features on the surface of the earth. After completing a survey, a contour map is created of your property. Read on to find out three steps taken during a topographic survey.

Getting Rid Of Uneven Terrain In Your Lawn Once And For All

One of the most common landscaping issues that homeowners face is an uneven lawn that puddles a lot. Low spots can be formed by natural forces and time, but most can be fixed with a little sun and a free weekend. You may even be able to make an invisible fix. So, how do you do it? Here's a handy guide to leveling your lawn without destroying it.  Look for Uneven Areas

Want To Add Natural Shade To Your Yard? Consider 3 Effective Methods

Shade is a highly desirable feature for a property, especially in the backyard. If you do not have shade, you need to determine where you want shade, how much shade you want, and what methods you prefer. Shade is obtainable in many forms and can be accomplished with just one method, but you should learn about some of the most effective approaches to make a finalized plan with complete confidence.

An Oasis In A Sea Of Green - 4 Steps To Designing An Island Garden Bed

If you have a large lawn and are looking for the perfect focal point to tie the whole thing together, why not create an island garden bed? An island garden is a colorful flower bed that is freestanding and set inside a sea of green grass or other large single yard feature (such as an oversize brick or flagstone hardscape). It is designed to be viewed from all directions and enjoy unrestricted and easy growing.

Pros And Cons Of Planting An Ornamental Chanticleer Pear Tree

Chanticleer pear trees are attractive ornamental trees that are popular both in municipal and residential plantings. The trees have striking white flowers during the spring and summer that make the chanticleer a great addition to nearly any type of landscape design. Pro: Attractive Year-round The white flowers of the chanticleer do shed when the seasons shift towards fall. But the tree does not go boringly barren. Instead, the waxy green leaves change color to a vibrant orange, red, or purple.

Own A Rental Property? How Drip Irrigation Can Impress Your Tenants

The process of finding a tenant for your rental property may be straightforward, but making an excellent impression and keeping an individual impressed over a long period of time is challenging. Building a positive landlord-to-tenant relationship will increase the chances of a lengthy tenancy, which will help you earn more money by minimizing vacancy time and giving you a chance to increase rent over time. A drip irrigation system is a feature that can help you achieve this goal.

Get Your Home's Deck Ready For Spring

Spring is almost here, and it's time to get your home's deck ready for the warmer weather! Over the course of the winter, your deck may have developed problems with mold and rot. Even if the boards on your deck are all sound, your deck may need to be resealed to ensure that it won't become vulnerable to moisture problems during the wet spring weather. The following tips will help you prepare your deck and get it ready for the coming year.

Four Family-Friendly Landscaping Projects

A great way to spend time with your family is having projects that you can do together outside. One place you can start out with is your own backyard. Regardless of what age your children are, teaching them about landscaping and taking pride in one's yard can start early on. Here are four family-friendly landscaping projects you can involve the kids in. 1. Picking Out Greenery Kids can have green thumbs too.

Three Great Benefits Of Hardscaping

Any time that you want your landscape to excel and glow for your property, you will want to get the help of a hardscape services company that can assist you. Hardscaping like retaining walls and stairs allow you reap a host of benefits for your property, increasing the value and the overall efficiency that you can expect. Take these benefits below into consideration so that you can make the most of your landscaping and take your property to the next level.

Tips For Mowing Your Lawn

If you are homeowner, you want your lawn to look great. This means mowing it down so that it looks properly maintained and neat. Here are some tips for mowing your lawn so that it looks great. 1. Leave Clippings on the Lawn First, make sure that you are discharging the clippings so that they stay on the lawn after you are done mowing. If you notice that they are coming out of your lawn mower in chunks or in rows, you will need to take a rake and spread out the clippings so that they cover the lawn evenly.

2 Common Weed Types That May Invade Your Lawn And How To Kill Them

Regardless of how well you take care of your lawn, you are bound to have a few weeds try to invade your turf over time. Here are two common weed types that a homeowner is likely to find in his or her yard and how to eradicate them:  Broadleaf Weeds Broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, should be treated with a broadleaf herbicide. Most home Improvement stores offer weed killers that can be applied to a large area of a lawn using a sprayer that connects to your garden hose.

Create A Unique Path To Your Garden Using Paving Stones

If you are interested in making a garden path from your home to your garden, there are many options available to you. The first thing you need to do is consider the look you want the path to have. The following guide walks you through a few of the options that are available to you when it comes to making a beautiful path to your garden. Create a Rustic Look

Use A Hydroseeder To Assist With Planting A Garden On Your Property

If you enjoy eating fresh fruit and vegetables and wish to plant a garden on your property, learn how to use a hydroseeder to assist you with the project by completing the following steps. A hydroseeding machine will evenly distribute seeds and fertilizer. Mulch can be added to the machine's tank so that the mixture is thicker. The mulch will protect the seeds and fertilizer from blowing away and prevent weed growth around the items that you plant.

Three Cant-Miss Landscaping Tips

Any time that you want to protect your property and the investment that you made when purchasing it, one of the best steps you can take is to stay on top of your landscaping. You will need to learn some valuable guidelines for landscaping your yard so that both the front, back and sides are well kept. Read the guidelines below in order to learn more about getting the most of your landscaping, some mistakes to steer clear of and some cost matters.

Have A Large Property? 4 Tips For Landscaping On A Budget

Some people end up buying a property with a lush landscape, but this is not always the case. If you have a large piece of land with plenty of room in your backyard and front yard, you might not know what to do to turn it into a place that you think is attractive and want to spend time in on a regular basis. It becomes an even larger issue when you do not have much money to work with to make additions or changes.

3 Reasons To Get A Sprinkler System Installed For Your Lawn

If you're like most homeowners, you likely take a lot of pride in maintaining the appearance of your property. Part of that includes not just the house itself but the yard or lawn as well. But if you find yourself struggling to keep up with regular watering on your own, perhaps it's time to consider another option. Plenty of homeowners have found a sprinkler installation can help them keep their lawn great all summer long.

Landscaping Problems: When The City Decides To Trim YOUR Trees

So you got a notice from the city that they going to trim your trees to make way for power lines. What's going on here? How can they just choose to interfere with your landscaping without your approval? And is there anything you can do to protect your trees from excessive trimming? Unfortunately, they have the legal right to trim trees in a certain area of your property, but you can keep your trees from getting too mangled.

Tips For Landscaping Beneath A Black Walnut Tree

A black walnut tree can be a thing of beauty in the yard. This dependable shade tree is prone to good health, and it has a pleasing natural shape that makes it a common choice as a street tree. It is also a toxic tree when it comes to other plants. Black walnuts produce chemicals that kill many plants that try to grow near them. This is an evolutionary tactic that would prevent weeds from encroaching too closely and competing with the tree for nutrients or water.

Before The Blooms -- 5 Steps To Creating Your Perfect Flower Garden

Planning a flower garden for your yard? Before you run out to the nursery and start buying flowers, give some thought to the planning process. By planning well, you can avoid mistakes that could detract from your enjoyment of your flowers. Here are 5 steps to designing a successful flower garden.  Size and Shape The best place to begin designing the garden is to know the general size and shape of the space you plan to use.

Water Conservation Is The Hottest Trend In Landscape Design

According to a survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the feature most customers are asking for is  water storage or water conservation elements in their landscapes. Native and drought tolerant plants came in second and third. What Does the Survey Reveal? The survey reveals a growing awareness across the U.S. of critical water issues. Even in areas not suffering from water shortages, customers are looking to the future and thinking of ways to lessen their water usage.

Four Clever Hillside Landscaping Options

If your home is positioned on a hill, part of your yard might be on a slope either backing into an incline or positioned down a hill. This might seem like a challenge when it come to landscaping, but there are plenty of creative things that you can do to work with hillsides functionally and aesthetically. Here are four landscaping options when it comes to hillsides. 1. Tiered Planter Boxes