Susan's Lawn Gardens

Susan’s Lawn Gardens is pleased to feature this article from today’s guest author, STEFAN HYROSS. He is an expert on real estate landscaping, so we feel very comfortable recommending his work to our visitors.

Suggestions For Great Backyard Landscaping

by Stefan Hyross

Everyone enjoys relaxing outdoors on a nice summer day. However, if your backyard needs some work, you may not be enjoying it to the fullest. You may be overwhelmed by the size of the landscaping project, especially is you try to do it all in one growing season. The solution? Sectional landscaping.

If you determine sections for your backyard and remodel only one section each year, you will be able to revamp your whole yard in a few years without breaking your back or spending a fortune. Sectional landscaping is particularly useful if you care on a budget. It will be easier to absorb $1,000 every year for 3 or 4 years than trying to spend $4,000-5,000 in one season.

The most important element of landscaping in section is the overall plan. Without one, you backyard will look like a patchwork of landscaping styles. Begin by sketching the existing permanent structures such as house, shed, deck, pool and trees. Now is a good time to take inventory of the existing plants and shrubs and decide which ones will not be part of the new landscape plan.

Play around with ideas. Make copies of your sketch and experiment with various options. Look for ideas in magazine or visit neighboring gardens. At this stage, the only limit is your imagination. If you have frequent backyard parties or family barbecues, keeping the layout of the yard open will work best. However, if you have a lot of space or don’t use the backyard much, incorporating an island bed, pond or walkways will create nice drama. Consider your lifestyle and the way you normally use your backyard and plan accordingly.

Here are some landscaping ideas to get you started.

Use plants as screens

This is particularly useful if your backyard is not fenced in. You may want to consider lining the edge of the yard with hawthorn, juniper, cedar, etc to create privacy but also to provide a beautiful backdrop for your future flower beds. A screen of evergreen will also protect your yard from drifting snow and heavy winds.

Creating a border flower bed

The biggest challenge when creating a border flower bed is choosing perennials that will complement each other in both color and height. With so many plants to choose from, you can really let your imagination run wild. However, consider planting an uneven number of the same plant for more visual appeal. Leave some space between the various perennials you choose for more impact. Do not overcrowd the plants and they need air and light to grow. Now would be a good time to pick up a gardening book listings various perennials to help you make your selection. You can also visit your local nursery and speak to the staff. They will be happy to help you.

Island Bed

To create an instant focal point in any backyard, an island bed is a great idea. It can planted in the middle of the yard or off to one side and is surrounded by a sea of grass. An island bed has the most impact in a large yard. The bed itself can vary in shape and side.  Use your imagination! Just remember to scale the plants and place the tallest in the center and decrease the height as you make your way towards the edges.

Water Feature

What could be more relaxing than the still waters of a beautiful pond or the gentle splashing of a waterfall? Building a pond is easier than you may think. There are a number of preformed liners available on the market. Alternatively, if you want a pond with a specific shape, you can dig and build it yourself. Look online or at the bookstore for how to guides.

Before you go out and and buy hundreds of dollars worth of plants, you should visit a garden center for some advice on soil preparation and drainage. Bring a copy of your landscaping plan with you and maybe a sample of your soil. You may also wish to bring extra cash in case you get carried away!

Stefan Hyross writes on topics that include real estate Collingwood and surrounding areas. For more information about the Collingwood area, related real estate articles or to search for Collingwood cottages, please feel free to visit the website.

Article Source: Suggestions For Great Backyard Landscaping

 
Susan’s Lawn Gardens is pleased to feature this article from today’s guest author, Jeremy Bolton. He is an expert gardener, so we feel very comfortable recommending his work to our visitors.

Advantages of Using Organic Fertilizers

by Jeremy Bolton

These days, there is so much hype about organic fertilizers and its benefits. Most of us who have gotten used to chemical fertilizers are still skeptical whether facts are stretched too much to make it more appealing. Let us take a quick look at some of the advantages of using organic fertilizers so that you can decide whether it is really necessary to switch to organic fertilizer and organic gardening.

Long before the existence of synthetic fertilizers, plants obtained nutrients from decomposed organic matter such as bone, blood, fish and other organic waste, however it was the growth of farming and crop production that brought about so called “need” for synthetic fertilizers. As more research and studies have been conducted, the detrimental effects of chemical fertilizers are being made aware and more people and environmental groups are beginning to tout the advantages of the organic fertilizers that are readily available now.

Probably the most noteworthy advantage of organic fertilizers is the fact that they are mostly insoluble and therefore are slower to release nutrients to the plant.  This reduces the leaching effect that results from most chemical fertilizers that causes so many problems.  Plants can only uptake so many nutrients at a time and in most cases the plants will not uptake all of the nutrients from a synthetic fertilizer application. Additionally, the likelihood of burning plants due to the overuses is almost non-existent as the overuse of chemical fertilizers can result in the burning and even killing of plants and turf.

Organic fertilizers also help to improve soil quality.  Poor soil can only be improved through the introduction of organic matter, which is what organic fertilizer is.  The consistent use of chemicals creates plant life dependent upon synthetic fertilization as these fertilizers only work at the plant level.  Consequently you may see fluctuations in the vibrance and quality of the plant in between fertilizations.  Through the introduction of organic matter and resulting improvement of the soil and stimulation of soil microbial activity, an environment can be created to better support plant life and provide a slow and consistent flow of nutrients to the plant thus creating a harmonious balance between soil and plant.

The other part about using organic fertilizers is selecting the right one as there are so many.  Typically organic fertilizers will only be high in one of the 3 key plant nutrients, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK). For this reason it is important to understand the needs of your plant to help determine which organic fertilizer or combination of organic fertilizers you should choose to provide the necessary nutrients.  Or, you may simply want to add organic fertilizers to improve your soil quality, in which cases there are products better suited for that too.

No matter how you slice it, organic fertilizers are the only option for creating a long lasting and healthy plant/ soil environment that is ecologically responsible economically viable for the long run.

Jennifer Howerton is author of article written on organic fertilizer & natural soil conditioner. For more information, please visit :http://www.naturalenviro.com/Article.php?ArticleSKU=Organic-Fertilizer

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If you do, you probably have gophers or ground moles. Do you know what to do?

Most household lawns are not large enough to attract gophers or ground moles in concentrated enough numbers to create a serious problem. Still, they can be a nuisance and cause damage to your grassy haven.

Telltale signs of ground moles and gophers…

Evidence of these animals are a little more obvious than most lawn garden pests. They deposit dirt hills on top of your lawn, usually next to holes… plus tunnels criss-cross beneath your lawn. An unsightly mess for sure. If these holes and tunnels cave in, you can have a serious ankle-turner.

If you decide the infestation is serious, you will need to take consistent, and sometimes aggressive, pest control measures. The first step is to find out what you’re dealing with, and then devise a method of control.

Read the rest of Do You Have Holes In Your Lawn…

 Susan’s Lawn Gardens is pleased to feature this article from today’s guest author, NICHOLAS WEBB. He is a gardening expert, so we feel very comfortable recommending his work to our visitors.

Patio Design – Expanding Your Home Outdoors
By Nicholas Webb

A patio can be just like another room in your house. Effective patio design can mean that your increase the floor space of your home, by adding an outside room that allows you to entertain like never before. A patio can just be a rectangular slab of concrete with some plastic chairs and griller, but it can also be so much more.

What comes to mind when you think of a patio?

Patio design gives you the opportunity to create an outside living area – an extension of your home – for entertaining and relaxing all year round. For instance, people who like to entertain may want to consider a patio with an undercover kitchen and dining area. By adding a barbecue grill, a built in fridge and some quality outdoor furniture, the patio can, in itself, become a feature of your home.

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Susan’s Lawn Gardens is pleased to feature this article from today’s guest author, KEITH KINGSTON. He is an expert on garden sheds, so we feel very comfortable recommending his work to our visitors.

How to Build a Shed
By Keith Kingston

The easiest way to build a shed in the backyard is to make a trip to the
local Lowe’s or other hardware shop to purchase a shed-building kit.

Never
choose one from a picture in a brochure or from the Internet. When viewing
in person, you can check for important quality control details such as
thickness of timber, overlap structure of panels, type of wood, whether it
is pre-treated with a preservative and the quality of flooring. Thick
timber is longer lasting. An overlap structure on wall panels is important
to prevent water leakage. It is beneficial for the shed to have been
pre-treated with preservative, but in your upkeep you will still want to
treat it once a year. Flooring should be thick so that it does not give
with the weight of tools and equipment you want to store.

Read the rest of How To Build A Shed…