Don’t Neglect Your Landscaping in the Winter

Chances are you’re one of the many homeowners that enjoys your outdoor space in the spring and summer, but what about when the temperatures start to drop? Any landscape designer will tell you that many people turn their backs on their landscaping in the winter.  While you may think it’s difficult to surround your home with colorful flowers and greenery in the winter, your landscape designer can recommend ways to improve the appeal of your outdoor space even when it’s covered with frost.

Tips From a Landscape Designer

 ·         Plant for the season in advance. Create a landscape that doesn’t disappear for half the year by considering all four seasons and all 12 months. It may be tempting to just decorate your yard with a few pansies to brighten things up, but the truth is, it’s much better to have evergreen plants, which will become more visible after other plants lose their leaves, such as camellias, hollies and laurels.

·         Add texture. Plant trees with needles like spruce and pine, along with those with leaves like hollies, magnolias and rhododendrons. Add ground cover and perennials that last like vinca and ajuga.

·         Use pots. When it comes to landscaping in the winter, pots are easier to take care of, allowing you to move them into the sunlight or closer to the house for extra warmth.

·         Light up the landscape. You can do a great deal with an outdoor lighting installation by a landscape lighting company to illuminate key features of your yard or just to brighten dark areas. The outdoor lighting installation can help to create interesting shadows from tree branches that can truly add movement and life to your yard. A landscape lighting company can show you the possibilities.  

·         Fire it up. Outdoor fireplaces offer a cozy natural gathering place where friends and family can roast marshmallows, drink nightcaps or simply enjoy a quiet night. A landscape designer can build an outdoor fireplace at the edge of your patio or next to the wall of your house – or anywhere on the property that will accommodate a large hardscape feature with a chimney.  Whether you’re looking for a traditional wood-burning fireplace or a more eco-friendly gas-burning unit, your outdoor fireplace can be made of stone, brick, stucco or concrete, even prefabricated for lower budgets.

·         Add architecture. In addition to choosing the right plants, you can improve the look of your outdoor space with architectural elements. Stone and brick walkways are important parts of landscaping in the winter because they are more visible. Plus, it’s pleasing to look out your window and see a winding path with evergreen plants.

·         Bring the birds. Birds can be the heroes of a winter landscape. The bare stems of your usual lush-growing plants no longer hide their beautiful songs in the winter.  To invite them, leave dormant perennials like coneflower, ornamental grasses and others over the winter. Their seed heads provide structural interest and birds can enjoy scratching for the seeds all winter long.

With a little planning and the help a landscape designer and landscape lighting company, you can create the right landscaping in the winter that not only boasts beauty, but actually truly demands attention. So, get ready to bundle up and get out there!

Go Green By Using Natural Materials for Your Patio

What could be greener than a custom-designed patio that allows you to reconnect with nature by spending more time outside? If you’re looking for a low-maintenance, long-lasting, environmentally friendly outdoor living space, the best place to start is with a natural patio. Working with one of your local landscape contractors and natural landscaping materials, you’ll be able to beautify your environment and protect it at the same time.

The Value of Natural Materials in Landscaping

Utilizing green design philosophies, environmentally friendly building practices and natural landscaping materials, your patio can be more enjoyable and affordable than going the more traditional route. That’s because they require less maintenance, last longer, are healthier for your family and are better for the environment as a whole. To get started using natural materials for your patio, search “landscapers near me” online and find one of your local landscape contractors to partner with. Here are some things to consider.

Building a Green Patio

Many patios are made from cement, concrete or asphalt, with chemically treated lumber for borders and steps. The production practices used to create these landscaping materials are environmentally destructive. Hard, nonporous cement and asphalt may provide durability, but they also add toxins to your environment during installation. Building a patio with natural materials is a much greener alternative.

Instead of building a deck or porch, design a patio using landscaping stones, brick or ceramic tile. Besides being beautiful and locally obtainable in most areas, they’re durable and re-usable. Patios are not only greener than decks and porches, but landscaping stones, brick and ceramic tile patios last longer and require less maintenance than wood porches and decks. Here are some natural materials to consider:

• Aggregates (gravel, crushed rock, pebbles) are best for covering a medium to large space, provide good drainage, are easy to install and are low-maintenance landscaping materials.

• Landscaping stones are great for pathways, terraces, borders and steps between patio levels. They’re nontoxic, natural materials   available in a wide selection of earth-toned colors and are reusable.
  
  
• Brick is best for pathways, surface areas and steps between patio levels. It’s nontoxic, durable, reusable and come in several color options.

• Recycled-content pavers, bricks, timbers are good for edgings, borders, paths and flat areas. They’re natural materials that are long lasting, nontoxic, easy to install for landscape contractors and splinter-free.

It’s important to ensure the grade slopes away from your home when your patio is finished being installed. Water will run away from your foundation instead of toward it, which can result in moisture issues in your basement and foundation problems and failure in the long run.

While committing to the use of natural materials in the scope of your remodeling project can feel overwhelming, don't let that scare you away. Many of the landscape contractors you find in your “landscapers near me” search specialize in architectural salvage, giving you an easy, one-stop option for using recycled bricks, landscaping stones or paving materials. And the truth is that any step toward environmentally friendly landscape design is a step in the right direction for you and your family, your new outdoor space and the environment as a whole.

Do You Need a Landscape Makeover?

Life can get hectic. As we try to knock out all the things on our to-do lists, it’s easy to forget the effect our home’s surroundings have on our health and well-being. It’s also easy to neglect your backyard in particular, seeing upkeep as a chore, and letting it become overgrown and unsightly. But it’s time to realize the potential your outdoor environment holds! With a little bit of time and the help of one of your local landscaping companies, your weed-ridden brush can be transformed into a tranquil paradise.

A To-Do List For You and Your Professional Landscaper

You don’t have to take an expensive vacation to deal with your stressful life. Instead, consider a landscape makeover to help you unwind and escape from the hectic hustle and bustle. Working with one of your local landscaping companies, all you will have to do is step out the door of your home to enjoy a beautiful respite. So, where do you begin?

1. Plan

Do some research online, drive around your town, get ideas and envision your end goal. What features about your landscape would you like to keep, and which ones do you want to get rid of? Would you like flowering plants, lighted walkways and a beautiful stone patio? Have your children outgrown the need for a play area? Could you transform that space into an area for entertaining with a fire pit and lovely outdoor furniture? The possibilities are endless and your professional landscaper can help you uncover them.

2. Think about color.

Color plays a huge role in relaxation. For your landscape makeover, consider accenting your lush green backdrop with bright flowers. Choose multi-colored flowers or would a theme with just a couple. Take your current colorscape into consideration, including your house. What would blend nicely with it? Next, think of your outdoor furniture. Could you use an update or are they still in good shape?

3.  Listen up.

Nothing sets a mood quite like sound. Landscaping companies know what it takes to reinforce your connection with nature and stimulate your senses by adding an aquatic soundtrack to your landscape makeover. Water features add life, movement and sound to your landscape like no other element can.  Depending on the design, they can provide drama and excitement or serenity and tranquility. Whether it’s the energized gush of a waterfall, a gently bubbling stone fountain tucked in a quiet corner, or a koi pond and moving stream along the edge of your garden, there are water features adaptable to every type of outdoor space.

4. Get wild.

Plants can be used to encourage the natural world to take residence in your backyard. Entice songbirds with bird feeders or fruit-bearing shrubs. Hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to bright nectar-bearing flowers. Your professional landscaper will know just what to plant to bring out the wildlife.

5. Go with aroma.

Imagine walking outside and being enveloped by fresh scents and intoxicating aromas. Landscaping companies know how to place plants strategically to create a noticeable scentscape. From basil and thyme to jasmine and lavender, your outdoor environment can be a source of aromatherapy to take your cares away.  

A small investment with a professional landscaper does big things for your lifestyle. With the right infusions of beauty and relaxation, your landscape makeover will help you feel more at ease and able to handle the stress of your fast-paced world.