A.J.

10 Tips For Environmentally Friendly Landscaping

Author: Paula Brett

Landscaping can be an enjoyable activity. Make sure you consider your landscaping choices, your house's orientation on the lot and the size of your space. You will need some creative ideas and some passion for what you are trying to accomplish.

1...It is recommended that you use the view of the sky or big trees as the background for the scene you are trying to create, to frame your house. Essentially, you are creating a living landscape, much like artists do on their canvases. The tall trees are generally placed in the back garden and the shorter ones in front of the house, providing a beautiful, changing background on your living canvas.

2...Too much of the foundations staring out at the neighborhood can create an unappealing view of the house from the front. You can fix this with a careful selection of shrubbery of varying heights and shades of green. Adding some bright flowers can go a long way to beautifying the front of your house.

3...When planting trees, wherever you do it in your garden, leave some walking space of about three to four feet from the trees.

4...Place taller shrubs between the windows and remember to colour coordinate them and to vary the leaf textures to make an attractive picture.

5...Examine your garden, and, if you see nothing but straight lines and right angles,
soften these lines with vines or small trees grown in large containers in the corners or edges of your garden.

6...One nice addition to your new landscape is a vegetable garden. This will not only greatly enhance your family's meals, but increase your enjoyment and exercise when you plant, water and harvest the "fruits of your labour" Pick a spot out of the way of the usual traffic in your garden and where there is lots of sunlight.

7...Planting tall trees around the perimeter of your garden will focus attention on your house and soften the vertical lines. Adding smaller trees and shrubs as needed on the remaining parts of your landscape, working your way forward, presents a pleasing appearance from the street and the illusion of depth. One technique is to use plants with darker leaves in the background and plants with variegated leaves or brightly coloured flowers in the foreground.

8...When planning your living landscape, be sure to leave space for parking or for your children's play area. Vines on trellises and small shrubs can be options to cover the areas or direct attention somewhere else. Do not forget brightly coloured flowers in beds or pots, which gives a sparkling, friendly appearance to the outside your home.

9...Cover the things that are not pleasing to the eye, like clotheslines and
dustbins. Trellises and fences can be attractively concealed when vines cover them. For added beauty, take a look at flowering vines.

10...There are plants that grow faster than others and some that require less attention. A check with your local garden centre will help you make the right choices. Beginners are advised to start with plants that do not require major attention and tending in order to grow adequately.

Landscaping can be enjoyable if it is approached as a family activity and not as a "major dirt moving and backbreaking experience" Your garden is your living canvas. Creativity and passion is all that's needed to make it a masterpiece.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardenin...ng-207109.html

About the Author:
The author has been a Landscape Gardener for 15 years and runs the busy and successful landscape gardening business Absolute Landscapes which you can check out at http://www.absolute-landscapes.com

A.J.

Author: Scott White

Just like me I am sure you have noticed the yards in front of different houses you drive by. Maybe you see them every morning on your commute to work, or perhaps you live across from someone with an immaculate yard.

If you are like me then this should motivate you to spruce up your own yard. There are different looks and styles of landscape design out there today. I would like to discuss a couple of them.

When we think of places like Arizona or the desert we think of brown sand and rocks. Some people have taken this idea and plunked it down in their yard. Personally I think it is a great effect! Picture this; you walk into the backyard of a house belonging to a friend, or relative.

As you walk around the corner of their house you hear water splashing down. Once you are in the backyard you notice they have a waterfall pouring out from behind a rock formation. Not only is it a pleasant sound, but the appearance of a rock bed may be unusual, which makes it a great idea! Boulders or smaller stones can be put together in a way that is pleasing to the eye, once you have those embedded into the ground you can accentuate the look by adding a waterfall, or perhaps some flowers that would naturally exist with rocks.

You might be thinking that a waterfall in your backyard is difficult; and perhaps you are right, but once you enlist the help of a professional landscaper I am sure you will be extremely pleased with the outcome!

As we ponder the thought of a rock bed in the backyard you might wonder what types of flowers you would coordinate with. The beauty of landscape design is the amount of options that are available to you! Sure, we have all seen the flower beds that are full of dainty little color coordinated flowers just shining their faces up to the sun. Pretty? Yes. Easy? Yes. Common? Yes.

When I think of a gorgeous landscape I think of large flowers or colorful plants, I think of foliage that you would not normally see in a suburban yard. I am not talking about exotic flowers that need 24 hour care, but I am thinking a few steps above the normal daisies and tulips that you find in most places. I visualize color, texture and size!

I am enthusiastic about my yard, and I want you to be too! When you find yourself mapping out a landscape design for your yard be creative! Be different! And picture the day when you accompany some friends to your back yard and they ooh and ahh at the scene you have created. Enjoy!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardenin...as-199066.html