Landscaping Tag

05 Jun Selecting the Right Plants for Coastal Regions

Posted at 14:45h in Landscaping

One of the most important aspects of landscaping is selecting the right plants for coastal regions that can adapt to the local climate and suit the desired aesthetics. While it may not seem to be such a challenge, getting these two factors right can be a challenging task even for the most adept landscape designer.

Coastal regions pose a unique challenge, which can really test your ability to plan and design the landscape.

Coastal Region Soil

If you have ever been to a beach, you would notice two things about it: sand and salt. The soil along the coasts is predominantly sandy; as a result it is very porous. Porous soil means that the water is not retained and along with the water, even the nutrients are drained leaving very little for the plants to absorb.

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05 Mar Sustainable Landscaping : Power conservation

Posted at 19:30h in Landscaping

While a lot of the aspects of Landscaping including water features, fertilisers, harsh chemicals are commonly associated with sustainability, one of the most important but typically forgotten is sustainable designs for your landscaping.   

Interestingly right from laying the landscape to the garden maintenance, we use power. However, this is typically ignored when it comes to conservation. With proper planning and a good choice of landscape design you can conserve power in your lawns, and achieve sustainable landscaping.

Power Equipment

There is a host of lawn care processes, which typically require the use of power equipment. While power tools and equipment make life easier on a very large scale, many of the mid-sized and small lawn owners  opt for such equipment, and does not offer much in sustainable landscaping. There are many low cost, power efficient alternatives to lawn care equipment that can be used.

1. Lawn Mower: Gasoline mowers are very common. The primary reason for the popularity of such mowers was the reduced effort required to mow lawns. Traditional manual push powers were bulky and difficult to handle. However, with advancements in technology, the design and weights of push mowers have gone down significantly.

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15 Sep Understanding the soil for Landscaping

Posted at 19:13h in Landscaping

The devil is in the details they say – this is a very common phrase! It is very true even with landscaping. While many designers would like to focus on the kind of plants and the weather, the soil for landscaping is equally important to get the whole concept just right.

Different kinds of soil provide different kind of nourishment and moisture to the plants and hence understanding the soil is very important.

Sandy Soil

Sandy soil is typically found along the coastal regions. The most striking feature about such soil is that it is porous and is usually well drained. This means that if you were to use the soil for Landscaping, it will not hold water for long. Besides, with no water even the nutrients do not stay in the soil for long. Lastly, since this soil is typically found along the coasts, the salinity levels can also be high. In short, sandy soil is not ideal for growing plants. However, some special coastal region plants thrive in such conditions.

Clay

Clay is the fine shiny soil, which is also used to make pots and similar ceramics. Soil with high clay content is usually sticky and can be rolled up into balls or sausages. Clay has some very unique characteristics, which make it quite a difficult soil type to adapt to. Being sticky, clay can retain moisture for long periods unlike any other soil for landscaping.

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24 Oct Sustainable Landscaping: Reusing non-degradable Materials

Posted at 19:55h in Landscape Design, Landscaping

Sustainable landscaping is not just about ensuring the resources you use are biodegradable but by reusing non-degradable materials in your new design, you will have a wider impact in saving the plant.

And as a result of reusing non-degradable materials like glass bottles, plastic tubs or even tyres in your sustainable landscape, you will have a beautiful natural garden.

Here are many ways these discarded materials can be used to build works of art.

Buying New Things

People like their landscaping to be filled with trees and new artwork, this is a easy way out and expensive, while adding to the problem of waste.

Now imagine if you were to come up with an interesting piece of artwork from some discarded material in your own house.

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Sustainable Landscaping – Overview

24 Feb Sustainable Landscaping – Overview

Posted at 19:25h in Landscaping

Landscaping is important to any residential or commercial property, especially so when it is a sustainable landscape.  A well planned and designed garden is more appealing and useful than a randomly created one.  Today with growing concerns and realisation about the threats to the planet, sustainable landscaping is becoming important.

There are several areas around landscaping which require a different approach for sustainability.

Fortunately, it is more a change in thought and approach than basic principles so sustainable landscaping is easy to adopt. Besides, by taking care of your environment, you are assured of long term benefits from your lawn as well.

The sheer number of vehicles are increasing and this pollutants the atmosphere. You can grow plants that are resistant to some of the pollutants and improve the surrounding air quality.

Air pollution typically leads to ozone layer depletion and sulphur dioxide concentration. Plants should be used to reduce the impact of air pollution, and consequently enhance sustainable landscaping.

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Landscaping with solar lights

24 Sep Landscaping with solar lights

Posted at 06:23h in Garden Lighting

The long standing curse on garden lights has finally being crushed down, thanks to landscaping with solar lights. With solar lights coming in to your household’s huge electrical bill’s rescue, every keen gardener is looking at solar lights with a daze.

However, selecting the best suited solar light panels may still be a little confusing. So use expert advice from your local landscape designer to make the right choice.

If you were keen on adding garden accessories, solar lights could be a good choice as it will add beauty while lightening up your garden while providing increased visibility at night. Those automatic solar lights that light up by themselves is a good choice for anyone who is busy.

The batteries would charge up during the day time so you no longer have to worry about whether your garden lights have enough power to withstand the night, which typically makes landscaping with solar lights very easy.

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Weeding Out Your Plant Problems

02 Feb Weeding Out Your Plant Problems

Posted at 05:24h in Gardens

After the umpteenth dead rosebush in your garden there comes a time when one must admit that they do not possess this so called ‘green thumb’ that has been the success of many, all thanks to plant problems. Though a vast lawn is immensely attractive, it is important to not get carried away and reduce it so that it is of a maintainable size.

Easy maintenance plants are the answer to landscaping and plant problems faced by many in the field. In order to ensure that your garden lives even when you forget to weed a plant here or water one there, it is important to choose plants that can survive and look good for at least two or more seasons. Sprucing up your lawn is simple if done in an effective manner.

There are many beautiful easy maintenance plants that grow in various soils and consist of many varieties. Daylilies are an ideal example that come with minimal plant problems. They bloom quickly and survive cold winters, hot summers and are pest resistant. Rhododendrons are beautiful against the backdrop of other plants but can also be a site for sore eyes on their own as the plant boast pink, white, yellow and lavender blossoms. They are easy to grow and are very hardy.

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