Choosing Appropriate Landscape Maintenance Equipment
October 26th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
We all like to make our jobs easier and having the right landscape maintenance equipment would make keeping our landscape beautiful simpler. Below we have detailed descriptions of some of the most basic and important tools every home gardener should have in their shed.
The home gardener really only needs one good spade, a square shovel, a large and small rake, a hoe and a large and small trowel. Of course if you have a lawn you will also need a good lawnmower and a weed-eater.
A good shovel should be at the top of your list of landscape maintenance equipment. A pointed shovel is referred to as a spade. This is needed for digging up weeds, planting a tree, and for turning over the dirt. A square shovel is used to make a path smooth and for snow removal.
Two rakes, a large one and a small one, make a good addition to a landscape maintenance equipment storage shed. For the huge job of cleaning up all those fall leaves you would need a large rake. The smaller rake is for the intricate task of cleaning debris from around delicate flowers.
Thirdly are trowels. Trowels are available with long or short handles. A hand trowel will have a short handle suitable for planting small flowers or vegetables plants. A larger trowel with a long handle is great for creating beds.
Landscape maintenance equipment used for pruning is also very necessary and should be readily available. Shears are great for shaping a hedge and keeping it looking neat and tidy.
Pruners are needed during the time of the year that you want to severely trim back trees. This is especially important for fruit trees to bear a good crop of fruit in their next cycle.
A garden wagon or wheelbarrow is great for moving trees, bushes, sod, large landscape rocks or fertilizer from area to another. You can mix a small amount of cement in a wheelbarrow for those small repair jobs around the patio or yard. These are available in various sizes also. This tool has saved my back on more than one occasion.
These mowers can be used for the lawn, clearing brush, mulching, and even to pick up the leaves. This piece of landscape maintenance equipment will probably be your largest purchase. Do your homework, shop around and you may find one on sale near you.
More ideas on outdoor remodaling can be found here Japanese Garden Bridge
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Easy Landscaping Ideas For the Yard and Garden
October 22nd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
If you like to save money look for landscaping ideas for the yard and garden you can do yourself. For most outdoor projects you do not need to hire a landscape architect if you are willing to do the research and work yourself.
There are many places to search for outdoor landscaping ideas if you are new to this type of development. Local home and garden centers are a great place to start if you prefer to implement it yourself rather than hire a professional landscaping service. The Internet has a huge online resource of information for anyone that is a beginner or for someone who is knowledgeable in landscaping but just needs a few new and creative ideas for their home.
Measure the space you want to redesign. Put the dimensions on paper. Include the part of your house facing the yard with doors and windows noted. Layout where you would like to have a garden or play area or possibly a water feature.
Yes, you can install a water feature in just one weekend and with minimal cost if you are willing to do a little digging and move a few large rocks into place. Have a barbecue and invite a few of your friends over to help. There are pond and waterfall kits available that are easy to install.
Visit your local home and garden center to find out which plants flourish in your particular area. Easy care, high payoff perennials are wonderful because you can count on them to return every year without much attention. This will save you money in replanting every year.
Easy care, low maintenance plants and construction materials is what you should look for if you do not want to be chained to your backyard. Most of us want a place to barbecue and entertain but don’t like the raking, weeding, trimming etc.
Don’t be afraid to get rid of your lawn. It is a huge consumer of time, fertilizer and water. Try filling in with a large brick patio area with stepping stones inviting a visitor to explore your yard and gardens. Landscape with river rock meander around the yard to mimic a dry creek.
Landscaping ideas for the yard and garden you can do yourself are very rewarding. Anybody can write a check to a landscape architect but only a few could get out there and do it themselves. It will be your own creation designed by your imagination.
More ideas on outdoor landscaping will be found here Malibu Landscape Light
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A Garden Oasis Patio Sets the Mood
October 20th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Gazebo landscaping and a beautiful garden oasis patio will provide the perfect setting for your next outdoor event. Flagstone landscaping would complete the look and feel of a tropical paradise. Your guest will feel comfortable and relaxed as they sit around an outdoor dining table enjoying the evening.
Designing Gazebo Landscape
One option that we see more of is choosing gazebo landscape. In fact, some gazebos are actually connected to the deck or patio while others are further out on the property as a standalone structure. Regardless, some of the best options for gazebo landscape are to choose nice flowering plants around the base. In this case, short rose bushes, day lilies, or hosta are all excellent choices.
Then if the structure has lattice work or pillars, then the gazebo landscape could include some type of climbing vine that might include honeysuckle, clematis, ivy, etc. To create the perfect place for entertainment or even a romantic escape, you would also hand miniature lights around the perimeter at roof level, giving the area a soft glow. The possibilities are incredible, waiting for your own creativity to be added to the mix.
Long Lasting Flagstone Landscaping
Adding a flagstone landscape allows your guests to meander around your garden oasis patio and out to the gazebo landscape. This invites all who enter your tropical paradise to enjoy every corner. Having different destination areas for entertaining such as the gazebo or patio allows the guests to spread out and not be cramped into one small area.
If you do a lot of entertaining you may want to consider adding an outdoor kitchen or fireplace. This is a great way to visit with your guests while preparing the meal. If the evening becomes cool the outdoor fireplace will warm the garden oasis patio nicely. A gazebo with a fireplace and spa would create the ultimate romantic space.
On the other hand, if you plan to use your garden oasis patio more for spending time with family, then in addition to comfortable seating, you might also need storage space for toys but storage that does not take away from the beautiful outdoor area. The good news is that there are so many endless possibilities, as more and more people want to spend quality time outdoors.
Visit your local home improvement center. They will sometimes have gazebos, storage structures, outdoor kitchens or fireplaces assembled so that you can easily visualize the finished product. By looking online you see many photos and find a design for your own garden oasis patio or gazebo landscape. You can even order online and have stone for your flagstone landscape shipped directly to your door.
More ideas on outdoor patios will be found here Outdoor Patio Sets
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The Difference Between Indoor or Outdoor Pools
October 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
A swimming pool can be a fun and valuable addition to your home or backyard. Whether your choice is an indoor heated swimming pool or a great-looking outdoor pool complete with a water feature, diving board, slide, and natural landscaping, the addition of a pool can provide hours of enjoyment, relaxation, exercise, and entertainment right at home. Choosing whether to incorporate your pool into your home as an indoor heated swimming pool or to build it in the backyard as an outdoor swimming pool will depend on a number of lifestyle, climate, budget, and other factors.
How Will You Use Your Pool?
If you live in an area where the weather can stay warm well into the middle of autumn, an outdoor swimming pool may be the best choice. You’ll get five to seven months of enjoyment from your pool, and you won’t have to worry about the expense and maintenance concerns that go along with the installation of an indoor heated swimming pool. However, if you live in one of the cooler regions of the country, an indoor heated swimming pool can prove well worth the extra expense. It can offer you a place to unwind or engage in vigorous, low-impact exercise, even if there’s a foot or two of snow on the ground! Also, an indoor heated swimming pool can make a lot of sense for persons who, because of health reasons or age, may desire an increased measure of security or privacy in connection with a daily exercise or therapeutic regimen.
Some Considerations For Indoor Heated Swimming Pools
If you are considering the addition of an indoor heated swimming pool to your home, you will want to be aware, not only of the costs associated with installing the actual pool and its associated equipment, but also the expense necessary to insure the long term structural soundness and hygienic characteristics of your enclosure. Gathering and holding a large volume of water in an enclosed space guarantees elevated humidity levels, so you’ll want to be sure you know about and understand the various options for dehumidification of your indoor heated swimming pool space. Too much humidity leads to mold, mildew, and rot. Also, the diffusion of evaporated chlorine into the humidified air can create not only health problems, but degradation of structural materials, as well. So, make sure an adequate climate control system is part of your plan for your indoor heated swimming pool.
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Adding Value To Your Home With A Pool
October 17th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Even though swimming pools are mostly though of as enjoyment, exercise, and relaxing on hot days, they are also a great way to enhance the value of your home. If you’ve thought of selling your home or just enhancing the value, a swimming pool may very well be a wise investment.
In ground pools are a great way to add to the value of your home.They can be expensive, but also are the most versatile. You can choose to have a shallow end for children and those who are learning to swim, then add a deep end on the other side for diving boards and lap swimming.
Above ground swimming pools on the other hand are much cheaper, although they require a deck and privacy fencing for those who want their privacy.Another way to raise the value of your home is to build a deck around your above ground pool. Even though above ground pools aren’t that deep, they are great enjoying yourself on a hot day, or just getting out there and splashing water with your family and friends.
Instead of going with a swimming pool, you can also choose a hot tub. Hot tubs cost quite a bit of money, although they are an excellent way to relax. Hot tubs have been well known over the years to enhance the value of property. You can relax in a heated hot tub with your other half, or just let your kids relax in the tub with non heated water. Just make sure to buy some cheap hot tub covers.
Even though a inground hot tub is a great investment, most people looking to add value to their home choose to go with an in ground swimming pool. In ground pools cost the most money, adding instant value to your home.The location of the pool is critical, as this will have an impact on the overall value. Normally, in ground pools work the best and bring the most value if they are installed behind your home, with a fence going around them.
Keep in mind, that installing an in ground pool will take quite a bit of time. It also involves digging up your yard, which is why you want to select a location for it where nothing runs under the ground.Before installing the pool, the contractor will go over those things with you.When the pool is installed and completed, have an appraiser set a dollar amount for the home to see it’s value. Truth be told - you may find yourself simply amazed at just how much value a pool can add to your home.
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Energy Efficient Landscaping in Your Backyard
October 13th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
All of us like to save money. With easy energy efficient landscaping you can save up to 30% or more on your energy bills. Just a few simple adjustments to your existing landscape or by careful planning of your new landscape you can create an energy saving home.
So how does one accomplish energy efficient landscaping? There are various things that can be considered in both existing and soon-to-be-developed landscapes.
What About the Sun?
Where and how you can include energy efficient landscaping would greatly depend on the part of the country in which you live. Your home may be hit on three sides by the sun each day making the cooling system work extra hard during the hotest part of the season. Others may have a home that is situated on their property so that it faces morth-east with lots of shady trees on the south-west side making it very cold in the cooler months.
You can protect your home from the sun’s hot rays by a shade landscaping design, planting large shade trees on the south and west side of your home. Of course on the flip side, if you want your home to be warmer in the long winter months you would want to do just the opposite, creating large open areas so that the sun can naturally warm the home.
By planting deciduous trees that will lose their leaves during the fall this will also allow the sun to heat the exterior walls of your home as well as the cement patio, pathways and foundation.
Break the Wind
Wind chill can also cause your home to be cooler. A cold winter wind blowing through your home can quickly drop the inside temperature by as much as 10%.
Plants that serve as effective windbreaks include evergreens or trees in general. In fact, even fences placed in strategic locations can serve as windbreaks.
Keeping Your Home Cool or Warm
One of the primary culprits in the wasting of energy is the heat or cool that escapes through the home’s roof, windows and doors. It is imperative to find a way to keep heat or cool air inside the home.
Another way is with the energy efficient landscaping that includes thick shrubbery planted close to the home, but leaving a pocket of dead air creating a natural thermal space. Again, make use of your local nursery expert as to which type of shrubs would be the best and the proper amount of dead air space between the home and shrubs.
The end result of your planning should be not only a beautifully landscaped yard, but one that is also energy efficient. Energy effiecient landscaping will save you money and one you can enjoy for years to come.
Get more ideas on outdoor landscaping visit Outdoor Landscaping Ideas
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