Tag Archives: Proper

The Proper Plants for the Landscape

The Proper Plants for the Landscape

Exploring nature is a rejuvenating experience. However, exploring the forest may not fit into the daily schedule. Why not bring nature right into your courtyard?

Landscaping Options

Landscaping brings nature closer to home. It includes many elements: the area, design, weather and others. The over all look depends on the owner’s taste. Some want the effect of water (pools, waterfalls, etc.) and some like rocks, stones, etc.

To create a very natural feel, you must use plants. They are most helpful in creating the total effect of the landscape. It should not be just any plant; it should be the most appropriate plant for the area and climate.

Best Choice of Plants for the Landscape

1. Groundcovers
These plants are indispensable to a landscape as they can serve as backdrops for trees, shrubs, etc. There are many types of groundcovers to choose from.

Sun-Loving
Sunny areas are considered problematic. Many plants do not like direct sunlight. Juniper groundcovers and hardy perennials are very helpful in resolving this problem.

Shade
These plants cannot stand the heat of direct sunlight. They should be used in areas that are not exposed to the sun except for short periods of time. Most of the shade-loving plants are low-growing or mid-sized.

“Attractive”
Many flowering plants attract birds, butterflies, bees, etc. It is important to choose plants that grow pollens. Plants like bee balm, holly hock and red columbine attract hummingbirds.

Aroma
The garden can be made aromatic by using foliage plants. The lavender perennial plant’s flowers provide therapeutic scent. At the same time, it serves as a beautiful border.

2. Wet Plants
Some landscapes come with wet areas like artificial ponds or waterfalls. To avoid leaving it bare, plants that thrive in wet soils are used to give beauty and natural effect.

3. Repellent Plants
More than coming up with a good landscape, it is also necessary to maintain it and keep it free from intruders. Some plants are able to repel pests like the deer. Some ornamental grasses and flowers are used for deer control.

4. Grasses
These are also helpful in the garden. There are varying kinds of grasses, the ornamental type and the functional ones.

Functional grasses are those that are used in the background. Lawn grass is an example. It serves as an outdoor carpet.

Ornamental grasses appeal more to aesthetics. They are used for decoration and for landscaping just like flowers. These can be mixed with trees and shrubs or can stand alone.

Plants are beautiful, but the appropriate ones in a certain design must be selected and properly situated. They must thrive and be able to serve their purpose. This is the only key to bringing nature closer to the home.

Landscape Fabric-Is Landscape Fabric Really Necessary For Proper Landscaping?

Landscape Fabric-Is Landscape Fabric Really Necessary For Proper Landscaping?

Landscaping fabrics are by no means an answer to a no maintenance landscape. I know a lot of folks are under the impression that they can simply buy it, place it, cover it, and forget it. Forever.
First. There is no such thing as a no maintenance landscape. In many instances landscape fabric can make your life a lot easier. However, there is an upside and a downside to using it. And as with most everything else, proper installation and maintenance is required if you intend to use it.
Also, keep in mind that I’m referring to professional quality grade materials and not the flimsy products sold in do it yourself and home centers. If you’re going to use that, you might as well use newspapers or cardboard boxes under your groundcover.
Landscape fabrics have their applications. They aren’t necessary in all applications but might be preferred in regards to the type of groundcover you use.
Our company uses landscape fabric in 95% of the designs we create. It’s the nature of our business as we use decorative rock as the preferred groundcover around here. When using rock for groundcover and path work, it’s necessary to have a separator between the soil and groundcover. Otherwise, you’ll have mud rocks by the first rain storm.
In theory you should be able to use almost anything as a separator. I’ve seen do it yourselfers use anything from plastics to newspapers and cardboard boxes to old carpet remnants. Of course, as a professional, I can’t use or even suggest something like this to my clients. You’re on your own there.
Now personally, on any given project, I would much rather do away with fabrics altogether. I prefer to create living soil planting areas that are mulched and tended rather than being covered and forgotten. However, some areas are simply too large to apply this method and some folks just outright prefer to cover an area with decorative rock.
Both mulched living beds and rock beds underlain with fabric will require some work to keep them beautiful. Neither is maintenance free. As long as there is wind, rain dirt, and blown in seed, there will be something for you to do in your yard.
When we create a design using landscaping fabric and rock, I make the client aware of a few things. 1) There will be blown in seed and dirt. 2) Something will have to be done about it to keep it from accumulating. I assure them that with the quality of fabric we use, nothing will grow in from the bottom. However, we have no control of what blows in on the top.
Spraying the unwanted weeds with herbicide will take care of the weed problem. However, this does nothing for the dirt, leaf, and plant particles that are hiding under your rocks. And if you allow these to accumulate, they’ll continue to accumulate and you will never get rid of them. So periodic maintenance is required even if you do use landscaping fabric.
Periodically using a blower to clear out your bedding areas will slow down the accumulation of dirt and in some cases eliminate it altogether. How easy and thorough this is depends a lot on the type and size of rock you use.
Small pea gravel accumulates and holds onto dirt, and is harder to clean than rock of a 1 ½” nature. Not only does it hold onto dirt but has a tendency to be blown all around when being cleaned with a blower. Pea gravel works well for paths, walkways, and smaller areas but I don’t recommend it for covering larger areas.
As far as using landscape fabric under bark and mulch covered beds? In many cases this can actually be easier to take care of than living beds or rock covered areas as it can easily be picked up and replaced every few years. This will keep your landscape always looking new without having to blow dirt or mulch beds.
Remember. There’s no such thing as a no maintenance landscape. Landscape fabrics can make things easier in many applications but like everything else, they require a little bit of keeping up. No, they aren’t necessary in all landscaping applications. However, I believe you’ll find them to be your best choice for many types of groundcover.

How To Take Proper Care Of Your Fur Coat

Exactly How To Take Correct Care Of Your Fur Coat

Your fur layer, hair jacket, and specialty outerwear are valuable as well as be entitled to great care.

Allow your Fur layer or other garments proper area in a wardrobe. Never maintain your hair coat or various other important coat in a plastic bag. Your fur coat needs appropriate air blood circulation; Make use of a towel bag when traveling or transferring your hair coat to as well as from freezer. The scent of both moth and cedar rounds typically stick to hair coats and produces horrible smells.

Proper cleansing and conditioning of your hair coat and various other garments will frequently get rid of such and most other unwanted odors.

Do not sit for an extended time on your hair layer or outerwear – as this may cause undue the squashing and early wear.

Stay clear of too much use of bag straps and also various other shoulder straps while using your fur layer, and various other outerwear, as this too will certainly bring about premature wear.

If your fur layer gets wet, tremble it off and also allow it completely dry naturally. Making use of heat will trigger both hair and natural leather to dry. If your fur layer gets sopping wet it needs unique interest by a specialist master furrier!

Do have correct yearly care including cleaning, conditioning, firm of switches, closures and lining and also the mending of very early tears – some will be unnoticeable to you.

Conditioning is processes that restore crucial oils necessary for the durability of your fur coat.

Fix any kind of little rips instantly. Frequently times delaying of fixing can lead to an expensive replacement of pelts.

Your fur coat and other great outerwear will supply you years of pleasurable wear when they are expertly conditioned as well as kept.

Each spring you need to keep your hair coat in a temperature and moisture regulated safe. Keep your hair coat away from warm, home humidity and also moths.

A fur layer is a terrific point. Enjoy it for several years with appropriate caretaking.

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