Cincinnati Landscaping
Cincinnati Landscaping
While a lot of people have already come across the word landscaping, not a lot of them actually know what the term stands for. This article is tailored for those who want to learn about landscaping but don’t know where to begin.
For starters, landscaping is the modification of a landscape such as a lawn to make it more aesthetically pleasing or to make it more functional.
A lot of homeowners landscape their homes primarily because they want to make their surroundings more attractive. But more than that, a landscaped house usually has a higher real estate value than one that isn’t.
People who want to have their properties landscaped usually acquire the services of professionals. Landscaping is a time and labor-intensive task, so in order to do that in no time at all, homeowners invest in landscaping services to turn their vision into reality.
But there are also those who want to take a hands-on approach to landscaping. Again, this is a task that requires a lot of time and energy on the part of the homeowner so the results may not be visible immediately.
A well-landscaped property is one that is well-planned and the plans should also be well-executed. However, the great thing about going through all this trouble is that it brings a great feeling of self-fulfillment to the homeowner after performing such a difficult task.
Depending on what the homeowner wants, the landscape design could be simple or complex. Simple ones make for easy maintenance while complex ones make for a lot of room for trees and flowers.
A Cincinnati Landscaping Lesson
Landscaping has often been likened to the painting of a picture. Your art-work teacher has doubtless told you that a good picture should have a point of chief interest, and the rest of the points simply go to make more beautiful the central idea, or to form a fine setting for it. So in landscaping there must be in the gardener’s mind a picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his landscaping project.
Should you include lots of bare open lawn in your landscaping theme? A large extent of open luscious green lawn space is always beautiful. It is restful.
This type of open landscaping adds a feeling of space to even small grounds. If you cover your lawn space with many trees, with little flower beds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. A bit like an over-dressed person. Not the most visual appealing result from your landscaping efforts.
When landscaping, a single tree or a small group is not a bad arrangement on the lawn. Do not center the tree or trees. Let them drop a bit into the background. Make a pleasing side feature of them. In choosing trees for your landscaping project, keep in mind a number of things. You should not choose an overpowering tree. The tree should have a good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit.
For the beauty of landscaping, the catalpa is quite lovely by itself. Its leaves are broad, its flowers attractive, the seed pods which cling to the tree until way into the winter, add a bit of picturesqueness. The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech all these are beauty points to consider when planning your overall landscaping arrangement.
Landscaping may follow along very formal lines or along informal lines. The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The other method is, of course, the exact opposite. You should consider the advantages and danger points in each.
In conclusion, plan for open lawn spaces in your overall landscaping design and keep a visually appealing tree to blend in the background. Think balance and you will come up with a beautiful landscaping design for your yard.
Adding a Water Feature to Your Yard
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.
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.
Backyard Landscaping Is About Many Different Things
Your backyard landscaping is going to have to be about many different things but the most important one of these if your well being. Most people get into backyard landscaping because they want to change the look and feel of their home, they want to make it a wonderful place where their family can feel safe and comfortable at all times. Backyard landscaping is a great way to add some more peace to your life whether you are alone or you have a large family and tons of kids. You will be able to create a sanctuary with your backyard landscaping that you have never had before in your life.
Backyard landscaping does not have to be drastic or hard. You can do your own backyard landscaping or you can hire a contractor to do it all for you. The choice is yours but doing it yourself can be a lot of work, especially if you do not have any experience in this type of thing. There are all kinds of things that you will need to learn about before you start doing your own backyard landscaping. You will have to take a crash course in landscaping and this course will be jammed packed with all kinds of info that you never even knew was out there. You may be able to save some money on the work if you do your won backyard landscaping but if you screw things up too badly you may end up paying even more to get everything fixed.
If you want to get some backyard landscaping done you should only do it yourself if it is going to be a simple and straightforward job. If you need irrigation things dealt with and planes and elevations leave it to the professionals that do it for a living. These things may be over your head entirely. You need to watch out how you go about your backyard landscaping or you could end up with quite a mess on your hands.
There are a couple of great places for you to learn some more about backyard landscaping such as the local public library and the internet. You can get many backyard landscaping books out of the library and these will help you to make the best decisions as to your landscaping needs. You can also get many do it yourself tips online.
Best Landscaping Practices
In order to make a great landscape, there are certain tried-and-tested practices that you can follow. Not only do these practices help you create a beautiful landscape, they also ensure that you do not waste any money and that you are not harming the environment in any way.
Here are some of the best landscaping practices that you can do in your own home garden.
1. Design your landscape in a way where water is retained well. This doesn’t only go for water that comes from your sprinklers but also storm runoffs.
By having this kind of set-up, you do not spend a lot on watering your plants and you also help keep your community’s water supply at bay.
2. Use fertilizers responsibly. Some people become trigger-happy when it comes to using fertilizers on their landscapes.
While putting in too much fertilizer can be detrimental to the environment, using organic fertilizers or choosing plants that are well-accustomed to the local environment will help in curbing the problem.
3. Take it easy on pesticides and weed killers – just like fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers can do more harm than good if used irresponsibly.
4. Schedule watering of the plants. Watering the plants early in the morning help in retaining the water much longer than doing it at noon for example.
While considering the time for watering the plants may seem like a small thing, it translates to something big when the water supply is put into the equation.