Landscaping Companies Offer More Than Landscape Design

People usually contact a landscaping company for the first time when they want their entire yard or garden done over and they know they aren’t qualified or experienced enough to choose the right kinds of plants, shrubs and grasses. If you choose plants that aren’t hardy enough, shrubs that can’t withstand local temperatures, or trees that are difficult to care for, you can waste hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your lawn with nothing to show for it. That’s why hiring a landscape design specialist is always a good idea. They will carefully select trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that are ideally suited to your locale, the type of soil you have, and the level of care required from you as the homeowner.

All landscaping companies are happy to work closely with you to design your yard, install the plants and even install the hardscaping for patios and pathways, but many disappear once the initial installation is completed. The care and feeding of your yard or garden is up to you from that point on. It can be overwhelming, so be sure you’re working with a landscaper who can offer additional services to keep everything healthy and beautiful all year round. Ask about the following services when choosing your landscaper:

Spring Cleaning

Your garden and yard will be waiting to burst forth with new blooms and soft grasses to tickle your feet, but a long, hard winter and dry conditions can delay new growth by several weeks. Your lawn service should offer a spring cleaning service to loosen the soil and get your yard and flower beds ready for new growth. This may include aerating the soil, adding fertilizers, dethatching grassy areas and more. Your grass will come in greener and be lusher as a result.

Lawn Mowing And Maintenance

Having a lovely lawn is nice, but if you have to spend all your free time on mowing and maintenance, you won’t be able to enjoy its beauty. A lawn service can take care of everything, including aerating the soil, mulching, trimming and, of course, lawn mowing. Just imagine not having to worry about taking care of your lawn every weekend! And the best part is that your yard will be cleaner and greener than it’s ever been.

Trees And Shrubs

It can be tempting to simply lop off branches that are overhanging your house, but you’ll end up with an ugly tree that may not heal properly. Over-pruning or incorrect trimming are two problems you won’t have if you let a lawn service take care of your trees and shrubs. They will carefully prune larger plants and trees in order to optimize their health and stability. While trimming your trees, they can also check for disease or other potential problems and stop small problems before they grow into large ones.

Hardscaping

Hardscaping is the installation of outdoor patios, retaining walls and paths using flagstones, bricks, timber or decorative stone. Not all landscaping companies also handle hardscape projects, so be sure to ask. Ideally, you should hire a landscape design firm that can install your patio and other features so that the design is a cohesive whole where the hardscaping and landscaping complement each other beautifully.

When you’re ready to overhaul your yard or garden, be sure to choose a landscaping company that also offers complete lawn service for results you’ll enjoy all year round.

Ten Design Tips For a Perfect Landscaping Project

Warm weather, sunshine and rolling green landscapes provide the perfect panorama of Phoenix landscapes. However, those that create picturesque landscape and pool design have their work cut out for them. Designers must be knowledgeable about how to work around mountains and hillside drainage and irrigation. The following tips will help you decide what you want in pool and landscape design and the reality of what can actually be done.

Combine the design of both pool and landscape at the same time.
Designing the pool and the landscape at the same time, can head off any construction problems that might involve irrigation or drainage. It is always easier to find an alternative route to a foreseeable problem from the front end. Designing plans for both from the beginning, will also ensure there is enough room for the project.

Design the Largest Pool and Patio Your Budget Will Allow.
Phoenix is known for its outdoor entertainment. Design this party spot with the maximum number of people you anticipate would be entertained at any one time.

Protect Your Scenic View
A good landscape designer will help you design the patio and pool with the best view. You chose your house to be where it is for a reason. If the view was one of the reasons, make sure it can be seen when you can see it. On the other hand, if the view is what you want to cover up, make sure your landscape designer knows this also.

Follow the Rule.
The rule for interior decorating is to place items around the house in singles or in groups of three. Use the same rule outside when landscaping. Plant trees, shrubs and potted plants in singles, by their self, or in groups of three.

Winter spring, Summer, Fall, Plant Something Pretty for them All.
A good landscaper will know plants and what season they bloom. Make sure something pretty will be blooming in each season.

Create a Focus of Attention.
Focal points grab your attention and then guide the eye to the rest of the project. A large strategically placed fountain or beautiful large outdoor fireplace and kitchen, will easily attract attention.

Add Texture to the Design.
The creation of texture will increase the visual affect. This can be done economically by the simple addition of fish ponds, little rivers, walking trails or other breaks in the entertainment area.

Add personality by the Addition of Decoration.
Make your new patio area ooze with you. Add ferns, yard ornaments, outdoor furniture and other decorative items that depict your personality.

Seek Advice From a Contractor.
Let a reputable contractor go over the design plans. He may see something that could save you time and money.

How Will Time Treat This Project?
Take note of any suggestions the landscaper may make to increase value and longevity. You want to use your new pool and designed for you landscape for a lifetime.

Planning Walkways in Your Landscape

Walkways are a great way to enhance the look and safety of the outside of your home, and incorporating them into your landscape design plans is easy. But there are several things you should keep in mind when planning walkways for the outside of your home.

For one thing, take a look at the outside of your home and observe the natural paths that you and your family use on a regular basis. You want to be sure to have your new walkways installed along those paths since those are the ones your family is already used to using. That way, when planning your new landscape design, you don’t have to worry about breaking your family of any bad habits of walking through your flower beds since there will now be a walkway where they are used to walking.

Keep in mind that any curves or steps you have installed in your walkway will probably add to the landscape design and installation costs. If you really have your heart set on some steps or a fancy curve, make sure you budget for that and recognize that this could drive up how much you end up paying. If you are working within a tight budget, keep the walkway as straight as possible.

However, if the walkway needs to slope more than 10% or so, then a curve or some steps will probably be a necessary part of your landscape design. And sometimes steps or curves in a walkway can look a little boring, so you can enhance the look of the walkway by adding flowers or other landscaping elements to the curve or steps. This will make it more pleasant for you and your guests to look at and walk past.

In this day and age, decorative and stamped concrete are more popular than ever. Thanks to advances in technology and methods of installing concrete, you can get pretty creative with decorative concrete these days. You can make your walkways quite interesting and eye-catching if you have them made out of decorative or stamped concrete. But the more intricate the concrete, the more it will cost, so be sure to budget accordingly for that in your landscape design as well.

After your new walkways have been installed, you might want to look into having small shrubs or flowers planted along the edge of the walkways. Just keep in mind that you do not want to plant anything that will grow too tall. Try to keep those plants to around two feet high or shorter so they do not overwhelm the walkway or cause people to feel too crowded. Plus, smaller and less imposing plants will make it easier for you to carry groceries and other items into your home. You won’t have to worry about knocking into the plants and damaging them.

Finally, try to plant a variety of plants and flowers along your walkway, and try to find ones that bloom throughout the year. That way, you and your loved ones always have something pretty to look at when walking in and out of your home.