Posts tagged "outdoor landscaping ideas"

Low Maintenance Outdoor Landscaping Ideas

Are you looking for low maintenance outdoor landscaping ideas?  Like most of us we love to see a beautiful yard with lush green lawn.  But that requires a lot of maintenance and water of course.  More and more of us are concerned about water conservation.  Here are a few outdoor landscaping ideas that do not require constant watering.

The first thing to do would be to get rid of the thirsty lawn in the front yard.  Instead have a woodsy garden, cozy patio or wild flower meadow.  One landscaping plan for the front yard would be to greet your guests with a natural stone walkway.  Transform it into a woodland garden by making a path using slabs of basalt or sandstone.  The path leading to the front door becomes a destination in itself with interesting plantings dotting the stones.

If you live in the Northeast or west try planting hydrangeas that bloom in the summer and to add a little color in the winter plant a red twig dogwood shrub. One showy perennial that does very well is the hellebores.  Belonging to the buttercup family it will have almost 50 blooms on one small shrub that can grow up to 18 inches.

Those living in the southwest are not new to drought resistant outdoor landscaping ideas and commonly utilize their front yard as an additional patio area.  They use a variety of plants in the cactus or succulent family that can be colorful and interesting.  Shade can be created by adding a pergola shading a cozy dining area.

The west is one of the biggest consumers of water that comes from other areas.  Those living in this area should be considering alternative outdoor landscape ideas.  Rosemary and lavendar are very useful plants for cooking, aroma and color.  They require very little maintenance or water.  Those in the west could create a lovely patio area in their front yard for entertaining.  This could be a lovely area to share a glass of wine with the neighbors.  

Look online to find the perfect plants for landscaping ideas in your region.  They will display photos so that you are then able to purchase them from the local nursery or even order the plants from these sites. A money saving suggestion would be to purchase small four inch potted plants instead of more mature plants.  You will be surprised at how fast they grow into lovely adult plants.

Posted by gardening - September 12, 2009 at 10:05 am

Categories: Landscaping   Tags: , , ,

Landscaping Ideas For Your Exterior

For those of us who are lucky enough to have an outdoor area of our very own, properly landscaping this area can create a living environment that can be enjoyed and rewarding for years to come. Whether you have a large yard or even just a small piece of yard off a backyard patio, the options for landscaping are endless. But before you head out to the local home and garden market for shrubbery and lawn enhancements, you should examine exactly what type of landscape idea you wish to implement and the maintenance factor that will come with your new yard.

There are many places to search for  outdoor landscaping designs. 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.

Take into account the amount of spare time you will need. You will need to allocate time in order to design, set up and take care of your new outdoor project. Some landscaping in the front yard will take quite a bit of time to design and set up, but will be worth it in the end since there will be relatively no maintenance from week to week. Some simple designs for outdoor landscaping can be implemented with practically no extra time, but require quite a bit of maintenance in order to keep it looking as it did when you first set it in place.

After you have decided what you want in your yard and where to put them do some online research to find the best place to purchase the plants or kits for your project. Some things may require a little more muscle but you can always invite your brother-in-law over to help.

Do a little research on the types of plants that will do well in your area. If you live in the Southwest you will probably not plant the same flowers and trees that do well in the Pacific Northwest or on the East coast. The local nursery would be a great source of advice and will have in stock most of the plants you may want.

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.

Unless you have to have a lawn for your children to frolic on try to lose it. It is such a time and water waster. Play areas can be created with sand or bark. Look into “rubber bark” that is made out of recycled tire and lasts long and looks great.

Just because you are not an expert gardener does not mean you cannot plan out beautiful and easy landscaping ideas for the yard and garden. You will build your confidence, as well as your muscles, when you have completed your backyard project.

 

Posted by gardening - July 8, 2009 at 11:44 pm

Categories: Landscaping   Tags: , , ,