How to Do Desert Landscaping

One of the most modern and popular forms of landscaping is called, "going green landscaping". Ironically, there is very little green in the actual landscape because it is a landscaping method that saves water.

To start our plan for a front or backyard landscaping plan, we will have to decide if we want to completely have a waterless yard with stone and small rocks, or a yard with a few plants.

Most yards need at least a few plants. Desert plants use such a small amount of water and can be watered with a drip system.

Let's design the yard by deciding where to put a water drip hose system. These drip systems are available at most hardware stores and they can be installed in just a few minutes.

The large poly tube carries the water to the garden where it is then reduced to the drip tubing which waters each tree and plant.

Before we put in the rocks and gravel, we need to plant the flowers, plants, and trees. There are many kinds of desert plants and trees that are beautiful, but if we don't live in a desert climate, most of these plants won't grow.

We can still use the desert landscaping mentality of water conservation with local plants and trees that will flourish with the water drip system.

For those that do live in a desert climate, there are some fun plants that require very little maintenance.

The Joshua tree is a favorite of the Mojave Desert. I wish they could grow everywhere but that would make them less special.

Palm trees are very popular and there are hundreds of species to choose from.

Plants and bushes add a touch of beauty and with the drip irrigation system, the plants get watered, not the weeds.

The part of desert landscaping that requires little to no maintenance is the rocks and stones. This also includes "pavers" which is pathway stones.

Rocks and stones can be used as ground coverings.

Or they can be used as a yard centerpiece.

Curbing can be a nice addition to a front yard landscaping project because it adds definition. It separates and gives a yard symmetry.

Sidewalks, steps and stairs add completion to a sloped area. There are many desert landscaping ideas that conserve water.

Quick Landscaping Tips For Busy Homeowners

Getting the home of your dreams is always one of the most rewarding experiences for every homeowner. Finally, they have the upper hand in doing everything to make this place their own comfort zone. That is why there is always a challenge to keep everything neat and in order all the time. A lot of homeowners find it easy to do when it comes to arranging the interior part of the house. But how about when you go outside? How can you manage to do the same to your garden? Here are some quick landscaping tips for busy homeowners like you:

Make A Sketch Of The Garden That You Want

This is where everything starts. But this can be as simple as getting a pen and paper to write everything down. Make a simple sketch of what you want your garden to look. You can even label parts of the landscape materials accordingly if you want. The more specific that you can get with your plan, the better. The purpose of doing this is for you to have a clear idea of what you want your garden to have after the makeover.

Your spouse or kids can help you elaborate on your plan by going online for some sample designs from landscaping companies. They can also cut out some pictures from home, gardening and modern landscaping magazines to get the desired look according to plan. But for a busy homeowner like you, making a sketch will do.

Set A Budget For Your Landscaping Project

Most landscaping tips remind you to do this so as not to break your wallet for your other needs. In order to make an informed budget, you have to quickly do a research online for suppliers that can give you an estimate. Garden landscaper websites usually have links to their suppliers, so check those and refer to your sketch so you can finally set on your working budget.

Know The Best Time To Get Best Deals

This is the same thing as waiting for a sale. If you did this when you purchased other items before, then you can also do the same when it comes to sourcing your landscaping supplies. You can even clip coupons if you get hold of some to get additional deals for the basic gardening tools and landscaping materials. You can even score deals on trees, shrubs, perennials, plant varieties, soil among other supplies especially if you are planning to do this landscape renovation project with your family on a weekend. But if you are planning to have someone do this for you then check out the next tip on this list.

Call Your Landscaping Professional

Only a professional landscaper can provide you with a team of trained gardeners to bring your desired project into reality soon. They already have handled landscape management services for a lot of clients and this will definitely help a busy homeowner like you. You can always ask for referrals from your neighbors or relatives and they will definitely be happy to give their contact details so you can get in touch with them right away. Who knows, your neighbor or relative can even give you some hints on how to get a better deal with these sources so it is always good to ask for their recommendations.

Just remember that a well-kept home means taking care of both interior and exterior parts of it. So aside from making sure that everything is well-organized inside the house, it is better to take action and check out if your garden is something that also needs a makeover soon. Read these quick landscaping tips to finally have the beautiful garden of your dreams.

Landscaping - How to Start

In the modern era the backyard or front yard is no longer just a yard. Today's outdoor spaces are designed with outdoor living in mind. The modern backyard or front yard is an extension of our home.

Where to start your landscape project can be a daunting task. The first step is to list what you consider to be the important functions of your outdoor space in order of priority, this will help you decide on a focal point. Here are some examples:
- to grow food
- to entertain guests
- a quiet relaxing space for the family
- a place to indulge the senses
- a place for the children to play
- a place to attract native wildlife (birds etc)

If I have decided that growing food and a place for the children to play are the going to be the functions of my garden, then my garden design will start with an edible garden as its centrepiece following this would be the children's play area.

Next, gather your landscaping ideas, use as many landscaping resources as you can to decide on a style of edible garden/vegetable garden and a children's play area that you like. Resources could include landscaping magazines, books, DVDs, gardening shows, open garden schemes even gardens that you like in your neighbourhood. To save money you could use the local library for books and DVDs. Once you have decided on the functions and style of your outdoor space, the next things to consider are:

- what is your budget and are you being realistic
- how much water is available (this will be really important when deciding on which plants to use)
- what is you soil quality, will you need to import large amounts of soil (this can be very expensive)
- the amount of time will you be spending in your outdoor space
- the amount of time you are willing to devote to maintaining your outdoor space
- doing all of the work yourself or outsourcing some or all of the work
- are you planning on staying in your property for a long time or are you thinking of selling in the near future? - this has big implications as you do not want to over capitalise if you are planning to sell the property soon after completing your project.

If you have answered these important questions (you have a budget, you know what your soil quality is etc) then start collecting your landscape ideas and start to build a picture of what it will look like. Once done, congratulations! you have jumped the 'where to start' hurdle and you will be well on your way to begin transforming your outdoor space into your ideal haven what ever that may be.

Pool Landscaping Ideas

Of course the easiest and best way of landscaping your pool is to plan it when you are planning your house and garden. However, things don't always work out that way. All too often people buy a ready built house and pool, or they buy a house and add a pool on later.

The most difficult scenario to work with is when you buy a house with a pool and the pool has been built in totally the wrong place. Perhaps next to the garage, or way down at the bottom of the garden. This is not impossible to live with, but it may involve alterations within the house itself.

Ideally the pool should be as near as possible to your living/entertainment area. You can sometimes add windows and doors to give you views and access to your pool, or even add a summerhouse, a poolroom or patio off the pool deck.

Assuming your pool is built and it is more or less where you want it, your landscaping will have to work around what you already have.

Now what you need to consider are the following:

-What view of your pool do you have from your living or entertainment area? How can you improve that view? Ideally the water itself should be clearly seen and spread out in full view. If it isn't, perhaps paving and/or a lawn leading to it would give that wide open effect.

-If your pool is out of sight, you could try and create a curving pathway through shrubbery or decorative masonry that leads the eye. There is something enticing about a pathway leading to an unknown destination.

-Vistas. If you cannot have a wide sweep of water in your view, how about creating hints of open spaces that are seen through narrow archways or other openings in shrubbery or walls. If you can get a glimpse of water, so much the better. A statue, a bird bath, a water feature, a part of your pool or even a part of the sundeck would all work as a focal point in that vista.

-Now, from your pool, what is the view from there? Presumably you want privacy from the neighbours or from passers by, so you would most likely have walls, hedges or screens. Depending on your style, you might like a natural woodland type of surround, or perhaps more modern, stark geometric lines and angles. In this case, you would concentrate on textures and the impact of specimen plants and planters.

-The paved surround or wooden deck beside your pool is probably the most important part of your pool landscape. This is mostly a question of personal taste, but your climate and amount of sunlight may also play a part too.

-If you have intense sunlight burning down on your pool surround, you will have to decide whether a wood decking can handle it. You do get very effective polyurethane and other dressings for wood, but you may decide to rather go for one of the new wood/plastic composites that look just like wood but can take the harshest sun's rays. They don't rot or warp either.

Amazing Landscaping Ideas - Turn Your Yard Into an Oasis

If you have an interest in the landscaping that surrounds your house but you are at somewhat at a loss for not knowing exactly where to begin, then you can quite easily discover many different inspiring examples. It might be simply driving around your neighborhood and stopping the vehicle to take a picture of a landscape design that is appealing to you. You may even knock on one of the doors and see if the homeowner will give you some advice on whether they use a professional or if they did it themselves.

Resources of Inspiration

Another good place to get many different ideas for your landscaping projects would be the numerous magazines and books that are published on the topic of design landscapes. Also, nowadays there are numerous different resources that are available online for designing and embellishing the landscape that's around your house. Quite a few of these websites even offer sample landscape design plans, numerous pictures of various ideas, as well as tips from experts for do-it-yourselfers, and contact information for professional landscape design that are around your area.

Some of the most common features in landscaping for homes are patios and decks. Patios and decks not only provide beauty and are a type of centerpiece to overall landscape design, but they can also add a functionality to your house and furnished outdoor living space as well.

Decks and patios provide you with an excellent place to host family gatherings as well as other types of entertainment. While at the same time, a small patio can be added to a special garden area to make a place for you to get away to relax and be refreshed by the beauty of your natural surroundings. Adding patios and decks, or making different improvements to existing ones, is also an excellent way to add more value to your home as well as increase your equity.

Fountains and Rock Gardens

Nowadays, more frequently, fountains are steadily becoming features of home and garden landscaping. There are the more traditional types, multi-tiered fountains that are reminiscent of European villas and country estates which can add an old world charm to your surroundings.

There are also more modern types of fountains that use specific types of rocks and stones or large ceramic pots which are steadily becoming very popular in different types of landscape architecture. Naturally, there are numerous other creative and beautiful styles that are available on the market today to meet any style and taste.

Rock gardens are also becoming quite popular. These type of gardens have the benefit of being highly attractive, however they generally integrate very few, if any, types of plants. The end result of this is that they are very low maintenance as they need either no watering, or very little, and virtually no weeding, and generally speaking need almost no attention, except to simply sit back and admire how your rock garden adds to the beauty of your overall landscape design.

English Cottage Gardens and Lawns

Emulating an English cottage landscaping garden is an additional home and garden inspiration. These type of gardens are notable for their overall lack of a formal plan. There is very little rigidity in their design with English cottage gardens since the whole idea behind them is to let the plants themselves "just grow" and to let them develop in a more natural, or organic method. These type of gardens have a specific charm to them and very often make individuals feel more relaxed as well is embraced by nature.

Lush green lawns are, in all probability, the most common and largest component of most of the landscaping design plans. A beautiful lawn is very popular since it provides for homeowners with an area where the family can enjoy numerous different types of activities. Lawns are also one of the simplest of the landscape components to maintain as well as staying beautiful for many years afterwards with basic maintenance routines.

Things You'll Find in Modern Landscape Designs

Landscape designs that may be termed as 'modern' are those that are simple yet functional. The belief in showing only what is needed is applied, or in other words: "Less is More," with the end result that may or may not look high-tech. What is important is to have a feeling of warmth whenever you look at the plants and other structures that make up the output.

People who may be interested in the above mentioned style must first need to look into their properties' architecture. A 'daring' house needs a strong ground that holds it. The home that you have should be in harmony with the scenery you create. This can be done through being careful in selecting plantings as well as determining properly where to place them.

The advanced technologies available today that produce new building materials are important in the process of making a setting that relies on modernism. This may either be utilizing old items by applying fresh ideas, or making use of innovative approaches on trendy supplies.

Concrete is the most popular stuff that is used when people want to have that contemporary look. This is because of its strength and flexibility. Even the color it has, which is gray, is considered the picture of credibility. That specific object also has a wide array of use, from columns to floors, to counters, and a lot more. Other types of article that may be used when an up-to-date appearance is what you want include glass, steel, metal, and even plastic.

Modernizing the setting may also incorporate themes such as Asian, Zen, English, etc. Through the use of lines, colors, textures, and the likes, your residence is not the only thing that is seen in a creative light, your personal tastes or preferences are also included. You may use maple trees brought in from Japan, wild grass from Texas, etc.; it surely has to be your choice. Lighting is also another important tool to help you form the mood you would want to have day and night.

Having an outdoor kitchen also adds to a view that is hip. Of course, it should be functional and should be tied together with your house and the vista. Constructing an open air living area is also advisable as it will make your abode look larger and at the same time hook up your indoor rooms with your outdoor rooms.

If you have money to spend, a luxury swimming pool is also a great idea. Make sure though that it is not formed into a boring shape e.g. rectangle, as to be inventive means coming up with a mesmerizing and sophisticated model which you can also combine with water fountains.

A person who wants to add life to his property should consider the application of landscape designs that are based on modernity. By taking this step, your yard or garden will be multi-functional, meaning that it is not only there to become something to look at; it is also the place where you can entertain your guests, bond with your family, or perform recreational activities.

Three Landscaping Ideas

Your outdoor space is just as vital and important as you're inside space. Landscaping can not only raise your property value and make your neighbors happy; it can be an exciting and creative project, a new spin on yard maintenance. So maybe you've just bought a home with a big back yard space, but it's just sitting there like a blank canvas in serious need of some lawn care. On the other hand, perhaps you've let your former design go, and you're ready for something fresh, either way, lawn care, can improve not only the aesthetics of your life, but also the financial value of your home. You'll want to start thinking about designs, what types of yard care are you interested in. With so many to choose from it can be hard to discover what you want, there are, Japanese, Chinese, modern, classic, do you want stepping stones or gravel walk ways, should you have water features? There are so many choices; we couldn't possibly cover them all, so we'll talk about three ideas to help inspire you to start your yard care project.

1. The Country English Garden

To fans of Jane Austen, and the like, it won't be hard to find inspiration in this classic form of garden. You'll want to spend hours reading beside the common aromatic plants so often found in the classic English landscaping design. At the time it was practical as well as aesthetically pleasing, and now, it can help add a sweet and constant fragrance to your space. Some ideas for types of herbs to plant would be sage, and lavender, both have strong but highly pleasant scents. If you plant these near the door, you'll find yourself wanting to leave the door open and let the scent in. The lavender will add not only scent but also one of the staple colors of the country garden. The English garden design offers you a infinite supply of romance, and a place to enjoy yard care. These are just a couple features of the limitless English country design.

2. The Tuscany

The rich earth tones of Tuscany designs are not only popular but also work well in almost any environment. The lush design often either features stonework, in the form of outdoor tile, or graveled off areas that could easily be used to entertain. Consider adding things like creeping vines to give your yard a more rustic and authentic look. Create your own private get away by using tall shrubbery, or perhaps a wall of grape vines to accentuate the rest of you space. Your yard care will be a breeze in this rich and rustic getaway.

3. The modern garden

Modern gardens are all about clean lines, richness, yet keeping things under control as to offer low lawn maintenance, for a modern lifestyle. This look is accented by walkways made of clean rectangular blocks spaced reasonably apart, and often emphasized by lots of lush greenery. Moss can be used between the walkway stones to make the gray pop and add contrast to the lines.

These are just three ideas, which would add value to your outdoor space, keep in mind the yard care that suits you best.

5 Water Garden Landscaping Ideas

Water gardens are not a modern garden landscaping technique like many people believe. These originated centuries ago in the Middle East and over the years have promoted themselves as a beautiful and peaceful addition to a house.

Homeowners take pride in decorating their home both inside and out. Such gardens not only increase the value of the property but also add a scenic and calm look to the overall landscape. This article will focus on some garden landscaping ideas related to water gardening that homeowners can apply to beautify their landscape.

1. Aquatic Plants - Beauty with Fragrance:

A common design that many people incorporate in their gardens are aquatic plants. Hard lilies and tropical lilies are generally the top pick. Both come in different colors and sizes and grace a water garden with their beauty and fragrance. One thing to note though is that tropical lilies only thrive in conditions where the temperature is below eighty degrees. Another thing unique about tropical lilies is that unlike most flowers these bloom at night instead of early morning hence why people choose them eagerly for their water garden.

2. Floating Plants - Appealing and Artistic:

In addition to aquatic plants, floating plants make for a very appealing and artistic water garden. These plants sit on top of the water with their roots hidden well below the water's surface. They are instrumental in reducing algae due to the extra shade they provide. They are also prone to extreme weather conditions like any other plant. Therefore it is best to consider the climate and local weather before investing in them.

3. Gold Fish - An Inexpensive Option:

Many people prefer to populate their water garden with fish. Goldfish is the ideal choice. They are fairly inexpensive and come in a variety of colors and types. They also have the great ability to adapt well to extreme climates. However, the decision to include fish should be taken before the water garden can be designed because fish require deeper water to survive than aquatic plants.

4. Koi Ponds - Popular But Costly:

Koi ponds are very popular in garden landscaping, but take up a large space because the koi fish itself is quite large. This makes for a very costly Japanese garden look. Koi fish do need to be feed regularly as they cannot survive solely on the surrounding environment. People typically install automated feeders in the water garden for this purpose.

5. Waterwheel - Breathtaking Atmosphere:

A waterwheel can single-handedly take water garden landscaping to a whole new level. It will add melodious, soothing sound of falling water to a garden scheme while feeding a rock-lined stream set in a perfect stretch of turf. It is a costly venture, but the final product is well worth it.

The landscaping for this garden's demand great care and attention and if designed and maintained properly, water gardens can enhance the look of the entire house and also make outdoor activities more enjoyable and memorable.

Landscape Ideas - Planning Your Dream Yard - How To Get Started

The garden is an important aspect in making the house look good. You can have a wonderful house, but if your garden looks bad, this will damage the image of your home.

Before trying to change anything in your garden, you should think about how to plan your dream yard. Choose the colors for your accessories, try to find out what accessories you might need, what plants you should place there and so on.

Not all the landscape ideas are good for your garden. Whenever you search for ideas on how to plan your dream yard, make sure that these are the right ones for your home. For instance, you cannot grow certain plants if you live in a cold climate area, also you cannot have tall bushes if you have a small house. The best of the landscape ideas come from pictures that you can find online or in catalogs for gardening. Because you can relate the size of your home with the size of the house shown in the picture, you will get to understand better what design fits your home.

If your house is small, but the architectural design and colors used are modern and extravagant, you should choose the same thing for your garden. A diversity of colored flowers, shaped bushes and perfect green grass would be perfect. But do not forget about accessories. You can have a table and wooden chairs, or beautiful lamps. If you are thinking about the traditional stand up lamp, you are very wrong. Today, you can find on the market a very special lamp for your garden, and its environmentally friendly too. The whole system has small LED lights that are placed inside the bushes and on trees. The wires are very thin and match the wood color. A special solar panel is installed in the garden. This is about 10 centimeters tall and 8 centimeters wide, so it is barely noticeable, especially when placed near a bush. During the day, the panel collects energy from the sun and at night, the energy is used to light up the garden.

There are other related products, and many colors to choose from, not just the standard yellow light. You can try multiple colors for a maximum effect.

Having a beautiful garden is important, especially for those that live in hot weather areas, because they spend their life mostly outdoors. It would be a shame not to be able to enjoy sunny days in a beautiful garden.

Go to Ideas4Landscaping to get over 7000 ideas for landscaping:

There are hundreds of photos and landscape design ideas for all types of landscapes.

Visit: http://www.Ideas4Landscaping.com.

Give Your Home The Ultimate Makeover With These Landscaping Ideas and Tips

When your house looks good, but your garden is a mess, this ruins the whole aspect of your living environment. To take the correct measures you need landscape ideas which give your home and garden a makeover.

In order to have the most beautiful garden in your neighborhood, there are a few things that you can try. First a great landscape design idea would be for you to try the newest technologies, like artificial waterfalls, or special illuminations.

When it comes to artificial flowing water, your options are very large. If you don't want a tiny waterfall around your flowers, you can try a small artificial river, to surround the garden. The installation is very expensive, but it has an amazing effect, and it looks just like a real river. If you have a big yard, you can place a pool, and even a fish pond. This is very difficult to maintain, not to mention the fact that you have to buy fish that can accommodate with the climate.

If you want to impress, special illumination systems are your answer. However, the beauty of them will be spotted only at night. No matter what landscape ideas which give your home and garden a makeover you choose, if you select a high performance illumination system, your garden will look amazing.

On the market, special; neon's that get installed on the ground and blend in with the day landscape, are very popular. These are of course very expensive, and because of the placement can be easily damaged. If this does not sound like a good idea for you, very small solar panels, to illuminate hundreds of minuscule LED light scan hold your answer.

The LED lights are installed into the bushes, the trees and even around flowers. Because these are very small and light, they cause no damage to the plants. You can also place them in the grass, in places that people won't step on them.

Another great idea for this particular design is the stand up lamps. If you have a classy looking home, these match perfectly. Basically, they have that classic style, but with a touch of a modern look, to give your home a very special appearance across the street.

Because of the fact that all such lamps are made out of a very resistant material, they last a lot longer than any other illumination devices, thus being a very good long term investment.

Go to Ideas4Landscaping to get over 7000 ideas for landscaping:

There are hundreds of photos and landscape design ideas for all types of landscapes.

Visit: http://www.Ideas4Landscaping.com