Thursday, November 20, 2008

Landscaping Ideas - Making a Creative Yard

If you would like to upgrade and improve the landscaping that encompasses your home and garden areas but are struggling to know how and where to get started with such a project, then there are many different places that you can look to for great ideas. You might get inspired just by driving through a favorite neighborhood and seeing a landscape design that really "speaks to you." You could stop and take a picture or even see if the owner is home and ask about how they were able to create such beauty.

You can also get many ideas from the numerous books and magazines that are published on the topic of landscapes and design. And, these days there are many resources available online for designing and embellishing the landscape around your home. Many of these websites even offer sample landscape design plans, pictures of various ideas, tips from the experts for do-it-yourselfers, and contact information for professional landscape designers in your area.

Sun decks and garden patios are popular elements featured in landscaping plans. They are very popular because they not only create a wonderful focal point for a landscape design, but they provide additional space and functionality to the home.

Patios and decks give you a wonderful place to host family gatherings and other types of entertainment. At the same time, a small patio can be added to a special garden area to create a place to get away to relax and be refreshed by the beauty of the natural surroundings. Adding decks and patios, or making improvements to existing ones, is also a great way to add value to your home and increase your equity.

More and more often, fountains are becoming features of home and garden landscaping. There are the traditional, multi-tiered fountains that are reminiscent of country estates and European villas and which can bring old world charm to your surroundings. There are also the more modern fountains that utilize unique rocks and stones or huge ceramic pots which are becoming very popular in some types of landscape architecture. Of course there are many other beautiful and creative styles available to meet any taste and style.

Rock gardens are becoming quite popular as well. These have the benefit of being very attractive, but they generally incorporate very few, if any, plants. This makes them very low maintenance as they require either no watering, or very little, virtually no weeding, and in general need almost no attention, except to sit back and admire how your rock garden adds to your overall landscape design.

Emulating an English cottage garden is another popular inspiration for many home and garden settings. Such gardens are particularly noted for their overall lack of a formal plan. There is very little rigidity in design with English cottage gardens because the whole concept behind them is to let the plants "just grow" and develop in a more natural, or organic, way. These gardens have a certain special charm to them and often make people feel more relaxed and embraced by nature.

In many landscaping designs, the largest elements of the design are the lawns. Most all landscape plans will incorporate a garden lawn in some way. This is because lawns provide a great area that is both safe and inviting where family-friendly activities can take place. In addition, lawns are popular because they are easy to take care of and only require watering, fertilizing and lawn mowing to keep them looking beautiful.

No building is complete without some grass, a few plants and some shrubbery to help enhance the quality of the building. The enhanced curb appeal as well as the added value can make the final difference when selling a home or adding to the over all value of the house. Any little bit helps and you do not always need a professional to do the landscaping for you. There is no downside to get some advice from professionals or some knowledge prior to you beginning tearing up your front yard. Some trees, some pleasant green grass, and you will get it down pat before you know it Who knows? Possibly you will decide it as a line of work that you might be curious in pursuing. Below there are some basic frequently asked questions of landscaping so that you can get some idea of how landscaping is completed and how it might be simpler than you may think.

 


What is landscaping?

Landscaping is any alteration to the land. It can be through a variety of means. It might be through the use of flora. It may be through the use of fauna. There are different methods of landscaping and the forms of landscaping applied frequently depend on what type of environmental condition the area is situated. Landscaping also refers to natural structures and manmade structures such as terraces, decks, platforms and seating areas. Ponds and waterfalls can be natural or manmade depending on the terrain. In order to save money many people choose to take advantage of as many of the natural features of the area as possible.

 

If I decide to landscape my house myself, what are some designs as well as conceptions to help me?

There are many software programs out on the market at present that can assist you design your very own landscape. You will have to insert the shape of your yard and then pick from the type of terrain and climate you live in. The software can provide you with the recommended plants and shrubbery that is best matched for your yard. If you want manmade terrains or structures, you will want to contact a carpenter for suggestions or a do-it-yourself website on the internet for instructions.

 

How do I decide which type to plant?

The type of plant you select will be dependent on your environmental condition and the amount of water you want to use. It will also depend on the amount of sun your yard receives during the day. Some plants thrive in the shade while others will wilt. For those individuals who reside in drought prone areas, they should think about planting hardy plants which need small amounts of water and really help to maintain the soil from process of erosion. Numerous individuals elect to have rock gardens as well as cactus if they live in desert environments.

 

At what time is the ideal season for planting?

The ideal planting season is dependent upon what variation of plant you wish to grow. The best time to plany bulbs is in the fall so that they have time to root within the soil. Other types of plants are more suitable to planting during the spring months. Some plants will not produce flowers or fruits until one or two seasons later so you have to get ready for this. Trees will need to work through several years before they become substantial enough to give adequate shade or to produce fruit.

 

How can I protect my newly planted greenery and flowers from the weather and elements?

At the time of the beginning weeks and months numerous plants are in danger of dying because of the atmospheric condition however you can take the necessary steps to assist in preventing this from happening. Wind and rain are two of the biggest threats. To guard your plants from both you will have to provide them with protection. You can put down a a barrier to protect between the plant and the ground. This will help secure the roots of the plant and prevent too much water from absorbing into the earth. The added gain will be suppression of weeds from sprining up through the barrier. To prevent the soil from getting wind erosion, scatter hay or straw in the area of the plants to assist in protecting the soil. If you put a bag that protects around the plant that will maintain the plant warm enough to prevent frost.

To find out additional information Landscape Waterfalls similarly Landscape Ideas and go to Outdoor Landscape Lighting

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