Could your home do with a little more garden landscaping? Probably so, and that is a good thing. In fact you should be very excited about it because there is nothing more fun than garden landscaping, it will get your imagination working overtime and you will have a ball planting and rearranging your plants and flowers.

By layering your garden landscaping beds you will be able to add a whole other level of beauty to your landscaping design. Your yard is the first thing that people will see when they come to your house and giving a grand tour that includes a fabulous garden is always fun and exciting. You will be the talk of the neighborhood, and for all the right reasons this time, when you do some really good garden landscaping.

Layering your garden landscaping design is easy to do. You need to know the flowers that you are going to plant first however. The choices that you make as far as the flowers and other plants will affect just how your garden landscaping is laid out. For example you do not want to have the taller plants in front of the shorter ones. This is obvious but you should still make a rough sketch of where you want things laud out for your garden landscaping before you begin. This will help you to keep thins as simple as possible. Your garden landscaping will go a lot faster this way and you will run into fewer problems as you go.

When layering you should have about three layers. Your back row should face north, if it can, and the back row should have the tallest plants and as the rows descend so should the heights of the plants and flowers. The trick of this kind of garden landscaping is that oftentimes the plants we buy are baby plants. So you will need to talk to those working at your local gardening store about how large the plants will grow to be. This is key to successful garden landscaping. If the front or middle row of your garden landscaping design is going to grow much higher than the last row, then you will have to do some rearranging.

The layering affect of your garden landscaping design will add depth and make your garden much more interesting to look at. This is what will make your garden landscaping a success.

Have you thought about building a shed for your garden or yard to help with all your landscape and landscape design needs?

If this question ever cross your mind, let me answer it once and for all. I say this over and over and people still don’t seem to get it:

• You’ll be able to build a good shed much cheaper than the overpriced ready-made shed
• If you’re resourceful, you can build a reasonable shed for nothing at all.

Sheds can add both beauty, fun and practicality to your landscape design depending on your needs. If this is something that has crossed your mind then you have to take a look at 12,000 Shed Plans and Woodworking.

 Information Courtesy of Lowes Home Improvement Realtor Benefits
Neatly mulched beds improve the appearance of any landscape. But beyond its appearance, a layer of mulch provides many other benefits. Mulch protects the plants’ root systems and can add much-needed nutrients to the soil. Mulch slows the erosion of topsoil. Though applying mulch may seem like a chore, it can actually save you effort later in the season. Because mulch helps to prevent weeds and retain moisture, you’ll spend less time weeding and watering your garden and more time enjoying it. Inorder for mulch to work and look its best, you must choose the best material for your garden and apply it properly.

Mulch can be separated into two groups, organic and inorganic

Organic mulches are derived from natural sources. They enrich the soil through decomposition.

• Compost is one of the best mulches for providing benefits to the soil, but that rich medium also provides a great place for weeds. Some compost is not very attractive. If appearance is important, use compost as a soil amendment and find a more visually pleasing material to cover it.
• Lawn Clippings are in steady supply during the mowing season, but let them dry before using. Spread them thin. Dry grass clippings will mat if spread too thickly. Never use grass clippings from a lawn that has been treated with herbicide. The best bet may be to add untreated clippings to your compost pile or use as mulch in the vegetable garden. Rich in nitrogen, grass makes a good vegetable mulch.
• Leaves are plentiful and free in many areas. They look and work better if partially ground and decomposed; otherwise they blow away or mat down when wet. Matted leaves form a barrier that prevents air and moisture from getting to the soil below.
• Sawdust is easily available in many areas. Use sawdust that is at least one year old if possible. Fresh sawdustcan deplete nitrogen if mixed with the soil. However, sawdust on top of the soil should not present a nitrogen concern. Just keep an eye on the plants, and add a nitrogen-rich fertilizer if necessary.
• Wood Chips or Shavings are visually pleasing and provide all the characteristics of good mulch. Like sawdust, it is advisable to use older, decomposed material. Wood mulch that has not been properly aged or turned regularly can contain toxins and acids that are harmful to young plants. Fungal contamination can also occur with unseasoned wood mulch.
• Bark is sold as chunks, nuggets, or shredded. Bark is one of the most attractive (and more expensive) mulch materials, so it may be best used in more visible areas. Pine, cedar, and cypress are the most common varieties. In addition to its appearance, bark provides good weed prevention and moisture retention. Plus, bark nuggets will last for years.
• Straw is the leftover stem portion of harvested grain. It is lightweight and therefore not always easy to apply.It tends to blow around. It decomposes quickly and therefore needs replacing more often than other mulches. Its appearance may not make it a top choice for the landscape. However, straw does make a good cover for newly-seeded lawn areas.
• Hay, the stem portion of grasses, is often confused with straw. Hay is likely to contain weed seeds, so use it with caution. Both straw and hay are good plant nutrients and work well in the vegetable garden where weeds can easily be pulled.
• Pine Needles are sold in bales like straw which makes them relatively easy to transport and apply. They are long lasting and attractive.
Topsoil that is sold at garden centers is basically packaged compost, a good soil amendment.
• Manure may also be best used as a soil amendment. If you use it as mulch, make sure it is dry and well rotted. Odor will not be an issue, but the appearance may leave something to be desired. Manure often contains seeds — a good reason to consign it to the compost pile.
• Newspaper or Shredded Paper is readily available, and paper decomposes quickly. Newspaper can be used in sheets or shredded. Paper is another mulch best used in the vegetable garden, unless you plan to cover it with another more attractive organic mulch. Colored ink is not good for plants, so don’t use the comics or magazines.

Inorganic Mulches are man-made. They work well and seldom need replacing, but they offer nothing back to the soil.
• Recycled Rubber is a great landscape alternative to bark or stone. Made from 100% recycled rubber product, It is safe long-lasting and natural-looking. Rubber mulch does the things you want mulch to do: helpsretain moisture, moderates soil temperature, controls weeds and looks good in your landscape.
Available in various natural shades to provide the look of wood bark, rubber mulch will not fade. It is heavier than bark mulch and less likely to blow away or float away during a heavy rain. Rubber mulch only needs to be applied to half the depth of traditional wood mulch. This product is excellent for playgrounds and is approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) when maintained at a 6″ depth (comparedto a minimum depth of 9″ for wood mulches).
• Plastic warms the soil, plus blocks air and water. Plant growth is accelerated by the added heat and moisture retained underneath the mulch layer. Since plastic is solid, moisture must be provided by an irrigation system underneath or by careful hand watering. Usually sold in rolls, black or clear plastic can be used. Black is impervious to light, while clear plastic has been known to let weeds germinate and grow beneath. On the downside, plastic can overheat the plant’s roots or retain too much moisture, particularly if the plastic is covered with a layer of organic mulch for appearance sake. Plastic will freeze, so you may need to take it up in the fall. If used on slopes, any material placed on top of plastic will wash away or slide off. Plastic is well-suited for use in vegetable gardens.
• Brick or Stone offers a neat appearance but may not blend with every landscape design. They offer some weed control. Brick and stone (especially lighter shades) will reflect heat back up towards plants, which may be harmful. This mulch is certainly long lasting. Be careful — if pieces are strewn into the lawn, they can become potential hazards when mowing.
• Landscape Fabric (known as geotextile) is purchased in rolls and provides good weed control. Plus, unlike plastic, the fabric allows air and moisture to penetrate into the soil and plant roots. Overall, it’s the best inorganic mulch for long-term use. Roots can become enmeshed in the fabric, making removal difficult, so be sure to remove weeds as soon as you see th

Create Beautiful Landscape Design with Landscape 4 Home. Learn how to design many different and beautiful scenes!

“A well-planned landscape beautifies your house, wedding it with the surroundings and making it a part of a neighborhood or native terrain.”

The above quote from a fellow Realotr friend could just as easily serve as my opinion of the whole book -Landscaping4Home- comprehensive yet simple.

If you have ever read “For Dummies” books, I think you will agree that Landscaping4Home simplifies Landscape Design into ‘doable’ projects.

You will learn how to enhance your home’s exterior with stylish furniture, lighting fixtures and more. Make the ideal landscape to complement your home – complete with gazebos and pools, slopes and grades, fencing , plants and trees.  

Getting ideas to landscape your home shouldn’t be a problem. Landscaping4Home has a style for nearly every climate, country, trend, fascination, art form, era, and you name it.  You will be landscaping yards in no time at all.

Enhance your Landscape Design by Adding Water

If you feel that your backyard is lacking a certain something, a water feature might be just the thing to bring new life to your outdoors. There are many different types of water features to consider, such as a pond or a waterfall. Flowing or still water has a peaceful relaxing quality to it, and water features allow you to bring this natural beauty right into your own yard. You may be thinking that the care and upkeep of a water feature may not be worth the hassle, but they are much less labor intensive as you may think. By following a few simple guidelines and understanding how your water feature lives and breathes, you can enjoy this natural work of art for as long as you own your home.

Water fountains are considerably easier to deal with then a water garden. Fountains must be regularly cleaned, but really require little upkeep. If you want a successful water garden you will probably need to invest a little more time, especially when you’re first trying to get it established. When creating a water garden, it is vital that you understand the relationships between the plants and animals coexisting in this environment. If you want your water garden to thrive, you’ll need to take special care to choose the right fauna and flora.

Click Front Yard Landscape Ideas for more landscaping ideas.

Many new pond owners have problem with algae. If you don’t want to be cleaning out your pond every few weeks, adding a few fish can greatly help as can floating plants which help to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the algae. Ensure you don’t have an excessive amount of chlorine in your water, especially if you have fish. You may want to install a pump and/or a filter along with regularly checking the pH level of water (should be between six and eight).

If you’re having your pond installed for you, ask the professionals for advice on getting started. If you are still unsure about where to start you can also buy one of several books which can guide you step-by-step through the process of creating your own water garden. Once your pond is established you will likely find the upkeep to be quite minimal.

Many people find that adding a water feature to their yard can literally transform their entire surroundings. Ponds, fountains, and waterfalls add a natural beauty and serenity to any outdoor area, no matter how small or modest.

Click Front Yard Landscape Ideas for more landscaping ideas.

Balance is a principle of all art forms, design, and even landscape design. It implies a sense of equality. And while there may be just a little more to it, this is how I explain it to make it easier for first timers and do it yourselfers to understand.

A garden, landscape, or any form of equal proportions would naturally feel and look balanced. However, most gardens and landscapes are not exact or symmetrical in shape and form. They’re asymmetrical and abstract in form and are often without any natural balance of their own. So landscaping often relies on other elements to create balance and harmony through unity.

Many times, a lack of balance is directly related to a lack of repetition. Repeating alike elements such as plants or rocks throughout the landscape will help unify different areas to each other. As little as one repeated matching plant group, color, piece of decor, or hardscape can accomplish this.

A lack of balance is also created by placing too many or all non matching elements throughout a landscape design. This can sometimes seem cluttered and unkept when it grows in. In the beginning of your design, plan for less, place just a few matching plant groups throughout the garden, and keep decor matching and to a minimum. You can add more later.

So many of the questions that I receive about landscape design deal with the shape of a design . Shape is unique to each design and will ultimately follow all necessary paths and your visions. However, any shape or form can be filled with elements and still be either dull, void, loud, cluttered, and unbalanced. Balance isn’t necessarily dependant on shape. It can be but generally it’s not. So don’t get too hung up on trying to even things out entirely by shape.

Landscape design is an art form and so it deals with “all” the same principles that other art forms use. Repetition, unity, and balance are all principles of art that go hand in hand with each other.

Architects use repetition in design by making doors, windows, fixtures, trims, etc. the same sizes, shapes, and styles. Imagine how your home would feel if every door, door frame, window, and fixture were of different sizes, shapes, colors, and types. It would be uncomfortable and chaotic.

And so it’s the same with landscape design.

In order to create balance, appeal, and even comfort in a landscape that is lacking, we need to create some form of consistent repetition. As little as one matching element placed on opposites can create a sense of unity and consistency.

It’s easiest and most often created in the softscape (plants, ornaments, lawn, decor, etc.). However, it should be considered in the hardscape (walks, driveways, necessities, fences, walls, raised beds, boundaries, etc.) of your drawn design plan.

See Also:  Landscape Ideas For Your Home or Business

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and Make More Money?”

How to Turn High Grass Into Cold Cash!

But…What You Will Learn:

• There’s great money in starting a lawn care business.
• How you can own a full time lawn care business running several crews for a long time.
• Exactly and precisely how to run your own business to make an excellent yearly income.What you do with the information and how FAR you let it take you is up to YOU.
• How many people have been helped with starting their own successful lawn care and maintenance business based upon this information.They’re making money, and so can YOU

 How to Turn High Grass Into Cold Cash!

One of the many testimonials.

“Many Good Ideas After 5 Years”

“I have received many good ideas from your book and I’ve been in the lawn care business for 5 years. I appreciate the effort you put into it.”

Steve S.

Becoming a Landscaping Contractor can be a very profitable and rewarding way to work for yourself and manage your financial future. Organization and planning are the key to any landscaping business and must be maintained throughout it’s life is to be successful. A service business like landscaping is one of the easiest to start up and has the best chance of success. By tending to the landscaping needs of your clients and understanding landscape design you can grow your landscaping company into a very profitable endeavor.

Estimated Start up Costs:

The costs of a landscaping business start up are relatively low but they increase with the level of services you intend to offer. Essential to your start up will be: a truck or trailer of some sort capable of hauling your tools and equipment to client locations; a lawnmower and weed eater; a rake and broom; a cell phone; and a computer to help with invoices, bookkeeping, and marketing; understanding front yard landscape design and hand tools will all be needed to get your business started. Not including the truck or trailer, a person could reasonably finance a landscaping business start up for less than $1,500.

Pricing Guidelines:

Pricing definitely is dependent upon the range of services offered and how desperate you are to break into the market. A reputable Landscaping Contractor can reasonably expect to command anywhere from $25 per hour and up for residential services. Sometimes you will be forced to bid on entire projects and pricing depends on the level of expertise needed to complete the project.  This is one reason the study of landscape design can help you demand top dollar and possibly land you large jobs.

Marketing tips:

The most advisable strategy would be to begin with residential accounts and build up a good reputation. To do this, word-of-mouth advertising will be key to the growth of your landscaping business start up. In addition, farming local neighborhoods, contacting local Realtors or builders and online advertising are the best ways to get started at minimal costs.

All in all, with some diligence and hard work, you can build a nice business and be your own boss.  The more experience and knowledge you gain the more opportunities will present themselves.

Regardless of whether you are just venturing out into the business world or already have a successful company, budgeting your expenses will help to improve profits and the overall health of the business. The largest expenses that a landscaping business has are advertising and the cost of equipment. The prices associated with a print advertisement can be significant, which is why a growing number of business owners are turning toward an alternative way of spreading the word about their landscaping business. With a company that provides local services, such as landscaping, it is more important to reach a local audience as opposed to a national one.

The most common way to generate free publicity for a landscaping business is through a press release, which is distributed to local newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Whether the landscaping business has an actual storefront present, is home or web-based, this option may have a positive success rate. In order for a press release to be worthy of publication, it must feature some type of news. A terrific example would be a grand opening, the launch of a new website, a free landscaping project contest or similar newsworthy event. A photograph of the business owner would make a nice accompaniment to any press release and may even grab the editor’s attention. Press releases can be submitted via mail, e-mail or fax and should be directed to the editor’s attention.

Many businesses, including those that provide landscaping services, often choose to have a website. Although the internet does provide for national exposure, many local customers may surf the web for landscaping information. A website should be professionally designed, regularly updated and feature plenty of landscaping example photos to showcase your ability. With a website, the free promotional opportunities are unlimited. From press release submission websites to article marketing and search engines, there are plenty of ways to get the word out about your new web presence.

Just as there are a number of ways to generate paid advertising, there are even more ways to obtain free publicity for your landscaping business. Most local companies will find paid advertising works most effectively in the telephone book’s yellow pages, but may also find limited success with newspaper and/or radio advertising. The main problem with the latter is that newspapers are often discarded quickly and most people do not have a pen handy when listening to the radio in order to write down a contact number. When you reduce the advertising costs and increase profits, your company’s bank account will begin to glimmer just as much as the dew on a beautifully landscaped lawn.