Taking a look at my blog

When taking a look at my blog I see some positives and some negatives to it. And just like anything in life there is room for improvement and my blog is no exception, but there are some things that are done very well. One of the positives is that there is a pretty good range of blogs that I have written for my viewers to read. By this I mean I haven’t just focused on one subject like plants, the lawn, or products. When looking at each individual blog they are a decent size for a reader to read and not to long so they won’t get bored with it or on the other hand they won’t get enough information out of reading the blog. Something else that is done well on my blog is the ads on the left hand side of the page. But going right along with that there are only ads on the left side and I should have some on the right side of the web page as well. This will give the viewers more opportunities to be able to find other links that they are interested in. Something else that I need to put on my blog page is some other pages. For example other bloggers have a list of clickable links on the top of their pages that will bring the viewer to another section of their blogs. I also took my blog another step further and wrote an about me page letting my viewers know a little bit about myself. All-in-all I feel like my blog is pretty well constructed but some improvements can be made.

A Sneeze Post On Getting Your Lawn Looking Great

There are a number of things that you should do to get your lawn looking great and keeping it that way. Here are a few of my past blogs that will help you to get your lawn look great in no time.

The first way is to dethatch your lawn. Dethatching Blog “An abundance of thatch can limit the amount of water and sunlight that your lawn is receiving which will obviously hurt it. So it is smart to dethatch your lawn every now and then.”

Another thing to do to your lawn to keep it looking great and being healthy is to aerate it. Aeration Blog “Another thing that these holes help out with is fertilization. The holes once again provide the nutrients in the fertilizer the easy access to get to the roots of the grass where they need to be.”

Something else that can be done with your lawn is to ensure that you keep harmful bugs and insects away from it. Grubs Blog  “grubs feed on the roots of your grass. So if the problem is grubs the section of grass will easily be lifted right off of your lawn.”

Watering your lawn is one of the most important things that you can do for it to help give it the luscious green look that will make you neighbors jealous of you. Watering Blog “A lot of people just rely on the rain to water their lawns because they think that will be enough and that isn’t the truth. Your lawn needs about one inch of water per week and it doesn’t rain that much.”

22 ways to enhance or keep your lawn looking wonderful

1.       Fertilize your lawn when necessary (around four to five times a year).

2.       Water your lawn weekly to keep that luscious green look.

3.       Cut the grass at an appropriate height to avoid scalping.

4.       Fill in any bare spots on the lawn so it looks full.

5.       Aerate your lawn in the spring and fall so that it can “breathe.”

6.       Dethatch your lawn when there is an excess of thatch.

7.       Power edge your sidewalks and drive ways for a “clean cut look”.

8.       Weed whack parts of the lawn not cut by your mower.

9.       Clean up debris as they come onto your lawn.

10.   Take care of weeds on your lawn but preferably before they appear.

11.   Keep the tree branches under control (no broken or low hanging branches).

12.   Add bushes around the house for more color and foliage.

13.   Do not let your bushes grow out of control.

14.   Incorporate an array of flowers for color.

15.   Add ground cover to keep weeds under control in landscaping.

16.   Water your plants regularly (brown dying plants are an eyesore).

17.   Add some landscaping decorations for an extra flare.

18.   Use mulch around trees, plants, and bushes so they don’t look so bare.

19.   Build a retaining wall for some structure.

20.   Use stones in retaining walls for a finishing touch.

21.   Add a stone pathway as an extension to the sides of your drive way.

22.   Add a bird feeder, bird house, and or a bird bath.

Spending to much time on your lawn?

Some home owners lover cutting their lawns and taking care of all of the different types of landscaping that they have put in around their house.  For these people it gives them a sense of accomplishment on how good their lawns look. On the other hand there are people out there that just despise cutting their lawns and taking care of the landscaping. For those people who hate to do those things there are a few things that they can do to cut back the time that is needed to maintain a healthy looking lawn all around. The first problem that people have is that their lawns are too large and it takes them to long just to cut the grass. There are a few simple things that you can do to try and shrink the size of your lawn. The first thing that you can do is build a patio. Building a patio in your yard will decrease the amount of grass that you will need to cut and will also give something more to your house and yard. Another trick you can use is to use mulch. With mulch you can extend any area which cuts down the amount of grass on your lawn. Something else you can think about adding to your lawn in a pond or even a “rock” garden with a bird bath and some other decretive landscaping. If you are annoyed of taking care of your landscaping think about planting perennials and also some small bushes that don’t grow at all really and need very little upholding.

Grubs

One day your lawn is looking healthy and green and then all of the sudden you start to get sections of your grass that looks like it is dead. If you own a dog these sudden spots may be caused by them, but if you don’t own a dog there are a few other things it might be. One thing it might be is just simply the lack of watering and too much sun. But the thing that it most likely would be is grubs. Grubs are the form of beetles’ larvae. There are two very simple indicators of the fact that your lawn has grubs. The first one is that sections of your lawn look brown and dead. The second one is if there are sections that have been ripped up. You may wonder why your lawn would be ripped up and simply put it is from animals that smell the bugs and dig them up for a meal. There are two tests you can do to make sure that grubs are the real problem you are having. The first test is to go to that section of dead looking grass and try to pull it up. You can do this because the grub feeds on the roots of your grass. So if the problem is grubs the section of grass will easily be lifted right off of your lawn. The second thing you can do is to cut a section of your healthy lawn and peal it back and search through the soil to see if there are grubs present. If there are grubs present you should go to your local hardware store and get some grub repellent sprays/feeds.

Sod

When trying to repair your lawn and using fertilizers and seeds aren’t working there is still another option; and that option is sod. Sod is very simple if you know what to do. There are only a few simple steps when putting sod in your lawn to replace a dead area of grass. The first thing to do is to measure the area that you want to replace. When going to buy the sod make sure to buy one quarter to one third more than needed just to be safe. Now it is time to prepare the soil that you are going to replace. First to make it easier on yourself make sure you cut the grass area in square patterns to match the sod. Also remove about another inch of good grass around the dead area so that the sod will have a better chance of molding in with it. Remove about two inches of dirt in the area and replace this with fresh topsoil and you can even mix in some types of fertilizers to enrich the soil and make it better for the sod when it is planted. Before laying down the sod make sure the dirt is well compacted and there is enough room for the sod to be placed even with the rest of the grass. Now it’s time to cut the sod and place it down. A little tip is to cut the sod from the bottom where the dirt is rather than trying to cut through the grass layer. This makes it easier and also allows you to cut straighter paths. Now lay the sod and also compact this down so it has a firm connection with the soil. Now the most important part, watering. Make sure to constantly water the area of sod that you have just replaced.

Watering Plants

When trying to keep your garden healthy so that it will yield a healthy and full harvest or trying to keep your plants and flowers looking beautiful there is one essential thing you need to do and that is constant water. Just like your lawn, your plants, flowers, and vegetables need water too. Many people think that a light dusting of water ever day or so over the leaves of your flowers, plants, and vegetables are all that they need to be healthy. Well this isn’t exactly true. First off it is better for your plants to be watered down at the root. When you water the plants at the roots it makes it easier for it so soak up the water and distribute it throughout the plant. Also when watering by the root this will keep the soil wet around the roots for longer allowing the plants to get all the water that they need. Another tip would be to water your plants in the evening or in the early morning. Watering at these two times of the day improve your chances of the plant receiving the most amount of water since less of it will have a chance to evaporate. Something else that many people don’t think of is reusing the water from inside of their house, called “grey water.” For instance when you are done doing your dishes in your sink you can take that water and use it to water your plants. The only thing that you need to watch out for is bleach and strong disinfectants but soaps and detergents won’t harm your plants.

Dethatching

Dethatching in its own ways is just like aeration. Dethatching your lawn in the spring and fall can really do wonders for it. But many people don’t even know what dethatching is. Well dethatching is basically removing the thatch from your lawn. Thatch is basically the buildup of debris on your lawn over a certain period of time. This debris can consist of grass clippings, pieces of leaves, small pieces of twigs, and anything small enough to make its way through the top layer of grass and sit on the dirt of your lawn and build up. Thatch can be both beneficial and harmful to your lawn. If there isn’t a large amount of thatch on your lawn it can help keep in some of the moister that your lawn would otherwise give off. Also thatch can be seen as a fertilizer, since when it is breaking down it helps by feeding your lawn. On the other hand if there is too much thatch it can hurt your lawn. An abundance of thatch can limit the amount of water and sunlight that your lawn is receiving which will obviously hurt it. So it is smart to dethatch your lawn every now and then. Also once you dethatch your lawn this is how it becomes like aerating your lawn. When you dethatch your lawn it puts cuts in the dirt when retrieving the thatch. With these cuts in the lawn it makes it a smarter time to fertilize your lawn. I say this because with these cuts the fertilizer will be able to better penetrate the lawn in turn feeding the grass roots much more efficiently. Also when you water your lawn after dethatching it, it will receive a lot more of that water more efficiently.

Garden

Many people put a lot of effort in the different things that they do around their houses, inside and out. One thing that many people try to do pertaining to the outside of their houses is that they try to have their own vegetable garden. People do this for a few reasons; it is cheaper for them, they know exactly what they are getting (pesticides and fertilizer), and also for that satisfaction of growing and eating your own food. But there are a few things that you should keep in mind before just jumping in and starting your vegetable garden. The first thing to be cautious of is the sunlight that your vegetables will be receiving. They should get a lot of sunlight each day. Going along with sunlight it the space needed for the plants. Some plants need more room than others so make sure you aren’t putting them to close together and they won’t be getting the needed about of sunlight. You also want to make sure that the area you are planting these vegetables in have a plentiful amount of compost and nutrients. If you aren’t having good luck with growing your vegetables in a normal garden you may want to try a raised up garden. This is exactly what it sounds like, you build up walls to a certain height and add in the desired amount of dirt, compost, nutrients, and other things that you want to put in it. This will give your vegetables a better chance at growing healthy.

Stepping Stones

Are you thinking of getting a walkway from the front of your house to the back of your house? Maybe people first think that the only option that they have is to get a cement contractor to come out and install a nice and expensive cement walkway into your backyard. Well this is not the only option that you have as a home owner. There is another option, which I even feel looks nicer, instead of the cement walk way. This options is to install a stone walk way. This alternative also leaves that natural look with your lawn since you will not be disturbing the lawn nearly as much as you would if you did the cement walkway. Installing a stone walk way by yourself is rather simple and inexpensive; all you need to pay for are the stone you decided to use and a shovel if you don’t have one. There are two ways that you can install the stones. The first way is to lay out the stones where you want them and to use your shovel to dig out the area around it, using the stones as a stencil. This way may be a little bit more difficult for the less experienced do it yourselfers. The alternative way to installing the stepping stones is to remove an area of grass that will be large enough for the stone to fit in and then fill in the open space around each stone with dirt and seed to fill the gap between the stone and your lawn.

Home owners with pools

Many people do different things to their backyards to make it unique and to fit to their style as a person or family. Some of the things that people do are have gazebos build, play grounds built, have a pool put in, or just leave it alone with a little bit of landscaping here and there. In this blog I am going to focus on those people who have put in a pool and get them a few tips to try and save some money. The first way you can save yourself some money when owning a pool is to cut back on the cleaning that you do. I am not saying do not clean your pool if it is dirty. Rather I am suggesting that you put a pool net over the top of the pool to catch things that are unwanted in your pool. The net will not catch everything from entering your pool so it is a smart idea to also put the cover on it when you are not using it. Another way you can save yourself some money instead of getting a heater is to use a solar cover. This warms up the water from the sun’s rays. Another alternative to buying a water heater would be to get a solar water heater and install this to your pool. This will be cheaper than a normal heater since you will not be using any gas but you will still need a pump to circulate the water through the system. Those are just two simple ways home owners will pools can save some money since maintaining a pool is expensive enough as it is.

Watering

Just about everyone takes pride in their lawns and landscaping. If you are trying to keep your lawn looking its greenest and best there are a few key things that you need to do to it. As mentioned before it is very smart to fertilize your lawn so that it gets the nutrients that it needs to grow healthy and obtain that luscious green look that everyone wants. But there is something else that is just as crucial as fertilization and that is watering. A lot of people just rely on the rain to water their lawns because they think that will be enough and that isn’t the truth. Your lawn needs about one inch of water per week and it doesn’t rain that much. A smart idea would be to invest in a sprinkler system for your lawn. With a sprinkler system you can easily set a timer so that it your lawn gets watered by itself. This also helps when you go out of town; you know your lawn will being taken care of and also will deter robbers since it gives the allusion that someone is home. I know sprinkler systems can be rather pricey so it is perfectly fine to just use any type of sprinkler that you can pick up at any local home improvement store. And if you are having trouble with a particular section of your lawn getting dried up and turning brown it is a smart idea to invest in a spinning sprinkler. This way you can put the spinning sprinkler in a certain location and focus on that part of the lawn. So even though you are taking care of your lawn in all the other aspects remember to always water your lawn.

Aeration

When getting ready for that first cut of the spring there are a few things that you should do to make your lawn a little healthier. Like I have mentioned in my previous blogs you should always take care of the leaves that ended up there through the few months and also make sure you remove the debris from your lawn. Something that you should also do that can be very beneficial to your lawn in the spring is to aerate it. Aeration is those little plugs on the lawn that look like geese poop. The simple break down of it is that the machine inserts hollow cylinder tubes, about three to four inches in length, into your lawn which then removes the dirt from the ground. The first benefit of aeration is that it opens up your lawn. By this I mean that your lawn will be able to get more oxygen than it would normally be getting. Also with the holes being in the lawn the water from either the rain or your sprinklers will have an easier path to penetrating your lawn giving the grass roots the water that it needs. Another thing that these holes help out with is fertilization. The holes once again provide the nutrients in the fertilizer the easy access to get to the roots of the grass where they need to be. Finally it can help your lawn with the thatch that may have built up over time without you realizing, but that is something for a different blog. If you want to know more about aeration check out my website at http://pictureperfectlandscaping.webs.com/aerating.htm.

Product Recommendation

The Algreen Cascata Rain Barrel is a wonderful product to purchase and use around your home. There are many positives to this product with only one little negative which can be justified. The first reason that I suggest that you buy this product is that it is very environmentally friendly. The whole concept of the rain barrel is to collect the rain water and store it for later use for your lawn, garden, and plants. I recommend this particular rain barrel since it has a few nice additions compared to the basic models and it isn’t an eye soar to your lawn and garden. One of the nice features is that is has a removable crown planter on the top which will allow you to plant things on top of it giving it an even more friendly look. There is also a corrosion proof screen on the top of the barrel so nothing will get in the barrel that will clog it up or make a mess and you also won’t need to replace it. Like I said there is one drawback to purchasing this specific product and that is the price of it. This model is going to cost you $150 which is a little pricey for a rain barrel. If you decide to purchase this rain barrel it will end up paying for itself over time. This is true since you will be using less of the water from your home and more water from your rain barrel; which will lower the cost of your monthly water bill. Overall this is a great product to buy and it won’t only help you out but also the planet.

Grass Height

Many home owners don’t really pay attention that much as to when they should cut their lawns or at which height they should cut it. With that being said, it is hard to find that perfect height so that you don’t cut the grass to short or go the opposite and not cut enough of the grass. There are some reasons why you don’t want to cut your lawn to short. The first reason is that it gives to a higher chance of scalping your lawn. Scalping your lawn is when the blade hits the bottom of your lawn giving your lawn a bald look. Also if you cut your lawn to short it will be more susceptible to get burned out from the sun and droughts. The first reason why you don’t want to leave the grass on your lawn to long is that it gives a better chance for your lawn to get weeds. Another reason is that if you have a tendency to keep your grass long you may begin to cut it less and less often and at some point in time your lawn just might get a little too out of control for you to keep up with. So when you are determining at which height you are going to cut your grass at remember that not only are your personal preferences a factor but that there are some legitimate reasons why you shouldn’t cut your lawn to short or not cut that much off of your lawn. 

Taking a look at another blog

Home garden landscaping tips is a very well established blog.  It has a very wide range of different blogs to make sure that the site caters to an array of different viewers. Something else that this blog does well is that they do a good job of incorporating ads and products into the blogs to try and create some sort of money growth. The layout of Home Garden Landscaping Tips is very user friendly. What I mean by this is that right on the top they have the different sections of their blog that you can easily redirect yourself to. Then on the top right side of the blog it has some clickable links which will bring you to their twitter and other links. If you scroll down a little bit you will begin to see links to websites and then a little bit further down you will see a section of products that the viewer may be interested in.  Continuing to scroll down you come across a list of the sites most popular blogs to date. Right beneath this list of popular blogs in a search box in which you can search the website for blogs or other information that you may be looking for. When looking at the blogs they seemed to be very well written. There seemed to be very little grammatical errors if any in each of the blogs. The author of these blogs seems to be very knowledgeable in the area of landscaping and home gardening.

Tree Care

Taking care of your trees can be very simple if you know what to do. It isn’t good for your tree to just let it grow wild. Some people think since it’s a tree and it’s so large that I don’t need to maintain it like my bushes, flowers, and lawn. This isn’t the case at all. If your tree isn’t maintained properly there may be repercussions that come of it. The thing that happens to most home owners who have a tree near their house is that the leaves fill their gutter in the fall and end up causing them a lot of grief. A simple solution to this would be to trim a few of the branches that are close to or even hanging over your house this way when the leaves fall it will be harder for them to reach your gutters. Something else that home owners don’t do correctly with their trees is when they go to “clean it up” or prune the tree. You don’t just want to go at the tree and take off anything that you think should be taken off. There are three types of branches that should be removed; dead, damaged, and deformed. Dead branches can be removed since they are doing nothing good for the tree. Damaged branches can be removed because if they end up breaking off at another point in time it could damage your tree even more. The last type of branch that can be removed are deformed ones. For example if one of the tree branches is growing into another one cause them to rub or even making the other one change its growing path it can cause harm to the trees structure. So don’t just let your tree grow wild on its own you may need to periodically take care of it and make sure everything is growing accordingly.

Burning or decomposing your leaves

Just like everyone else out there I too also am bothered by the leaves in the fall. We have discussed a few of the ways in which you can take care of the leaves once they have fallen. There are two other ways in you can take care of your leaves, one of them being not so good for yourself and others and one way that can be quite beneficial . The first way and not such a smart idea is to burn them. Many people chose this way since it is rather easy and cheap to do. But there are some negatives when it comes to burning your leaves. The first hazard is that in the fall it tends to be rather windy, so when your leaves are burning if the wind picks up and blows them around it is very possible that the burning leaves will catch other things on fire. Also when actually burning the leaves the smoke that is being created emits harmful toxins, like carbon monoxide and carcinogenic compounds. So I am not sure which is worse, potentially burning down your house or breathing in toxic fumes; you can be the judge of that. Another much safer and economically sound way is to make a compost pile. You can put your leaves, grass clippings, and many other biodegradable lawn products in this pile to decompose over time. All you need to do to it is periodically “stir” it up making sure that everything decomposes at the same rate. You can then use the decomposing materials as fertilizer for your garden and plants. So before you go ahead and decide to burn your leaves because it is easy, think about the consequences. 

Wright Stander RH Review

Today I am going to be reviewing a product that I personally know very well since I have been using it for about four to five years. This product is the Stander RH which is a stand on riding commercial lawn mower manufactured by Wright Commercial Products. There are a few different series of the Stander model and the RH model stands for rapid height. What this means is that there is a lever on the side of the mower that allows you to very simply adjust the height of the deck so you can cut the grass at different heights within the blink of any eye. This feature is very helpful if you have a large customer base and some of those customers like their lawns cut to a particular height. There are numerous positives to this mower such as the speed of the mower, the power of the mower, the turning radius/handling, rapid height feature, and many others. But like every product out there, there are some draw backs to it. The first one being that the cables hooked up to the battery tend to corrode rather quickly compared to other mowers. This is since the battery is in a box by your feet with a flip open top and it isn’t carefully tucked away within the mower protecting it from rain and other water. But this little problem is simple to repair just a minor little set back. Another problem is that since the deck of the mower moves all at once it means that it is one sold piece and this makes it easier to crack. If the frame cracks it will end up giving you an uneven cut when mowing. But once again this can be fixed but it is a little more costly and time consuming. Overall I would this mower 4.5 stars out of 5.

Link Post

When taking care of your garden and other landscaping needs around your house the tools you use are probably the most important aspect of getting the job done right. Not only are the tools you use essential to getting the job done right but also when you use the right tools it will make the task at hand much easier on you and your body compared to if you were using the wrong tools. Home Garden Landscaping tips has posted a blog about “Picking the Right Home Gardening Tools” (http://www.homegardenlandscapingtips.com/2008/10/picking-right-home-gardening-tools.html). This post brings up a lot of good points about picking the right tool for your home gardening projects. The first thing that was talked about is how people just go to the store and buy the first tools that they see and think are correct for the job. Like mentioned in the blog it is a good idea to ask for some advice once you enter the store since the employees there will be able to better assist you. Another thing is if you are trying to save some money you can shop online. Getting things over the internet is becoming very popular no a days since it is very convenient and cheap. I like how the author of the blogs goes a little into detail and gives some examples about what tools to use in certain situations and then also explains what might happen if you do not use the right tool for the job. Overall I agree with what was mentioned in this blog and that people should focus on getting the right tool for each job; even if it costs a little bit upfront it will pay off in the end.

Gnomeo and Juliet

Gnomeo and Juliet the movie has inspired me to write this blog. I haven’t seen the movie but just thinking about gnomes and how you don’t really see them used as an accessory to landscaping. I am not talking about just gnomes specifically but rather all garden props in general. You still tend to see the occasional bird bath and fake deer mixed in with the landscaping but for those cute little bunny rabbits, squirrels, and gnomes. First about the decrease of bunny rabbits, squirrels, and deer landscaping decorations it is like no one is putting that extra effort in or taking one more step to complete the look of their landscape. Maybe that’s not the reason at all. Maybe those types of decorations have gone out of style, just like how clothing changes style maybe the look of your landscape changes style. But I feel as if people should still be using gnomes and different types of decorations in their landscape because it doesn’t just add to the landscape itself but it also shows a little bit about themselves. For instance I can remember when I was growing up that in my grandpa’s back yard around his rocks and landscaping he had a little gnome with a fisherman’s hat on and a fishing pole with a fish on the hook. If people came by and saw this they would obviously assume that the person who did this landscaping liked fishing. I feel as if the landscaping decorations are a chance to express who you are and what you love.

Lawn etiquette

There is such a thing as lawn etiquette. Following some of the simple lawn etiquette rules you will please your neighbors, visitors, and people walking or driving by your house. The first and most obvious rule of lawn etiquette is to make sure you cut your lawn regularly and that it does not grow too long and looks like it is wild grass that no one is doing the upkeep for. The second and probably the second most obvious rule of lawn etiquette is to keep your trees and bushes under control. I don’t mean so that they aren’t misbehaving but rather, just like the lawn, do not grow to large and they look like no one is living at the house taking care of it. The third rule of lawn etiquette is to take care of your leaves in the fall. If you don’t take care of your leaves in the fall by either raking them up or mulching them up with your lawn mower there is a very good chance they will end up on your neighbors lawns. Most likely your neighbors are cleaning up their leaves and they don’t want to do any more work than they need to and clean up your leaves because you didn’t. Going back to the first two “rules of lawn etiquette” about keeping up with your lawn, trees, and bushes this rule is for a few reasons. One reason is to keep your neighborhood looking the best it can. You don’t want to be the reason someone doesn’t want to buy your neighbors’ houses. Another reason is to protect your house. If burglars were looking for a house to break into they might rob the house that looks like people aren’t there that often. So follow these few little rules of lawn etiquette and your neighbors and you will be much happier.

Equipment

When doing your own work around your house and lawn the equipment you use is very important to you. They are very important to you because if they break down or don’t work correctly the job either won’t get done at all or even done the right way. With this being said it is very smart and beneficial to make sure you buy the best and most reliable equipment and that you also take good care of them with the upkeep. So when it is time to buy your first, or upgrade your lawn mower, edger, weed whacker, hedge trimmers, and what other landscaping equipment it is very important that you pay attention to what brand you are buying from. Going cheap with these types of purchases is not always a good idea. It may seem like it in the short run since you are saving money upfront. But in reality you are most likely going to spend more money in the long run. You are going to end up spending more money in the long run if you buy cheap equipment since you are probably going to have to pay for repairs on it or even just toss it out and buy another new one time after time. I know this from personal experience with our landscaping company. We decided to go with the cheaper weed whacker to save some money and we ended up having a lot of problems with it and it broke on us relatively quick compared to the other ones that we have owned and own currently.

Backyard

There are many things you can do to your backyard to make it not so plain. The first and most popular solution to this is to do some planting. This can be a whole bunch of things, from a garden to flows and trees. This is probably the most popular since it is the least expensive and most convenient. Something else that people do to their backyards to give it some style is to get some patio furniture and decorations. This can range from a table set with chairs and an umbrella to just chairs and little tables kind of like a lounge. Something to add to this to spice it up a little bit would be to have some potted plants, wind chimes, or even some lighting so it feel more like an outside lounge (which it is) compared to an inside lounge. One of the more drastic changes that can be made to a backyard is by installing a pool. I say this is a drastic change for a few reasons. The first reason is that they are a rather pricey to install them, but it doesn’t just stop there. You have to keep up with it by adding chemicals to it and it will also run up your energy bill since you will need to run the filter for it. Another reason why this is drastic is because if you decide to move later on in life, you are going to need to sell your house. And many people think that a pool should add value to your house, but this isn’t always the case. So when thinking on ways to upgrade your backyard there are many things you can do to it.

Landscaping can be rather affordable or rather pricey

When thinking about landscaping most people thing that it is expensive. This is true to an extent. This is true because landscaping is a very broad array of things. Landscaping varies from just the basic lawn cutting to the very elaborate brickwork and there is a ton of different services in the middle. When taking a look at the basic lawn cutting it isn’t very expensive. Most companies are trying to give you a very fair rate just like any other business because they are trying to be competitive and get the most work that they can. But when taking a look at doing all the brickwork it is a little different. This is different since not all landscaping companies that offer lawn maintenance offer that type of service. Brickwork is the type of landscaping that becomes expensive. It is so expensive since the materials themselves are a little pricey and there are a lot of materials that go to work when doing brickwork other than just the bricks themselves. Another reason that makes this expensive is because it takes a whole lot more work to do this compared to the basic lawn maintenance. It takes more work and also more highly skilled workers, which also ups the price. It takes higher skilled workers because you have to make sure the work is done exactly right and it is much more complex process than it seems. If the work isn’t done correct, the bricks start to split apart and over a little bit of time it looks as if the work that was done is falling apart. This is something that happens when doing brick work that if it isn’t done correctly that it actually does fall apart. 

Paying attention

When cutting your lawn it becomes routine doesn’t it? Many people would say yes to that question but that is not the right response to that question. This isn’t the right response for a few reasons. The first reason that cutting your lawn shouldn’t be routine is that changing up the patterns is good for your lawn. If you keep cutting your lawn in the same pattern it will end up killing that grass where the wheels of the lawn mower go time after time. For instance if you cut your lawn horizontally one week cut it vertically the next, or even on a diagonal. The changing of the way you cut your lawn keeps it looking fresh week after week. By fresh I mean that the lawn will always be standing up to its fullest and won’t be falling down looking like it isn’t healthy. Another reason for always paying attention to your lawn when cutting it and not getting into a routine is that there may be thing in the lawn that you shouldn’t mow over. As said before you shouldn’t mow over large twigs or branches because it can damage your lawn mower. With that being said it is common for branches and twigs to fall off of trees. Another thing t be cautious about is the animals. The first thing to be aware about are the rabbits. Rabbits make there “home” in lawns and when they have their offspring they stay in those homes. When cutting your lawn the noise of the mower will scare them and they tend to jump out of that hole onto the lawn.  Another animal to watch out for is the birds since the baby birds can fall out of the nest onto the lawn. So always pay attention when cutting your lawn.

Front and back yards

When thinking and planning about doing the landscaping for your house, whether you do it yourself or if you hire a company to do it for you, you should never forget about the backyard. So many people do a wonderful job of creating a lovely look to the fronts of their houses but not to the backs. People seem to only do the fronts of their houses because to them that is the only place that most people are going to be seeing any ways. This isn’t completely true. For the most obvious part there are your neighbors, whether to the back, sides, or diagonal, that will be able to have a clear view to the back of your house. Well this may not matter to you exactly what your neighbors think about how the back of your house looks but there are two other instances when it might matter. The first example is when you are having a party or even a get together and people are in and around your house, they notice that you only took the effort to do the front of your house and not the rest of it. Once again this may not be such a big deal since you already know these people. But the last example I have is when you are showing your house off to potential buyers. Buyers like to see that not only everything within the house has been taken care of and looks nice but also that the outside appearance looks nice all around and has been taken care of. So for people thinking about doing landscaping work to their houses, don’t just focus on the front but rather the whole house.

Trees and plants part of your Landscaping

Many people may not like having trees or bushes in their landscaping but there are some positives and also negatives about them. The first positive thing about plants and trees being added to your landscaping around your house is that it is good for the environment. By this I mean that they produce clean oxygen to keep the planet healthier. The first drawback of having bushes and trees in the landscaping is that they can be bothersome to maintain. By this you have to trim a lot of different types of bushes and also trees if they grow too large and also in the fall you need to clean up the leaves after your trees. Another positive aspect of having trees and shrubbery around your house is that they create homes and protection for the wild animals in your surrounding area. The most obvious point of this is birds and squirrels nesting in the trees. Another drawback of having plants and trees incorporated with your landscaping is that during storms, if server enough, they can break the branches off of the trees which can then cause damage to your house or vehicles. Two things that are a little more minor compared to the other but are still positive aspect of having trees and plants around your house is that they can create shade for your house meaning you won’t need to use as mush air conditioning in the summer as you might usually have to. Also they make your house look that much more appealing compared to a house with no plants and trees around it.

Perennials

Don’t you just love the look of a house when you drive buy it and they have an array of different plants and bushes on the walk way to the front door and in the front of the house so it isn’t all bare. Many people like this look but either they feel they are too lazy to plant those plants each year and also take care of them. On the other hand they don’t want to pay a landscaping company to come out and do the work for them because it is going to be too expensive or they won’t like the work that they did. There is a simple solution to this problem. There are certain types of flowers and plants that are called a perennial. A perennial is a type of plant that keeps growing back after two years. This means that once you plant them on year you won’t have to worry about replanting anything else until you get bored of those one and want to change things up or just want to add more plants. There are also certain bushes that don’t grow very much at all and you won’t have to worry about having to trim them or anything like that. The hardest up keeping that you are going to have to do with these plants and bushes is just water them every now and then. But in the summer time when it gets really hot and dry you are going to need to water them more than usual just like you would have to do with your lawn.

Mulching or bagging your lawn clippings

When mowing your lawn you have two basic options on how you want to do it. Those two options are that you can either “mulch” the grass or you can bag the grass. There are reasons for doing both types of these cuts. The first reason for mulching your glass clippings and not bagging them is the most popular reason; and that reason is because it is cheaper and easier. By cheaper, I mean that you don’t have to worry about buying decomposable lawn bags to put the clipping in. And there are many reasons why it is easier. You don’t have to fight around with the lawn mower bag and the decomposable lawn bag trying to transfer the grass from one bag to the next. The positive aspect of mulching your lawn is that when the grass clippings are cut to a fine enough size they don’t just lay on top of the other grass, but rather fall down on top of the soil and act as a fertilizer. Many people decided to bag their lawns when the grass grows exceptionally fast. The reason for bagging in when it grows fast is because the blades of grass will be longer than normal and will not be cut up finely enough to act as fertilizer but rather just sit on top of the other grass not doing any good for the lawn and also decreasing the attractiveness of your lawn. A positive aspect of bagging you lawn is that you can use those grass clippings for a fertilizer in your gardens. You can spread the grass around the different types of plants you have and this will decompose and help feed the plants and also keep the moister in while doing so.

Lighting up your landscaping

Many people work very hard on the landscaping around the front of their houses to make sure that it looks really nice and that it helps make the house look more attractive. Once that sun goes down all the hard work trying to get your landscaping to look good goes to rest. This upsets people since they have been putting in so much effort to make it look that way and that once the sun goes down no one will be able to appreciate what they have done. Yes, many people have porch and garage lights but those do not do a justice of illuminating your landscaping. Once very simple solution to this would be to buy those little lights that you can just stake into the ground that will do a wonderful job of illuminating the landscaping. A positive aspect of getting these lights besides the fact that it will help show off your landscaping is that it will make it safer for people that are walking to or from your house. There are many different types of these lights that you can choose from. I personally would suggest getting the ones that have the solar panels on the tops of them. Buying this type of lighting for your landscaping will cut the use for batteries and you won’t have to plug them in wasting any energy. Also you wouldn’t have to worry about having to turn them on and off but rather they would turn on and off automatically. 

Getting a fence for a dog

If you are thinking about getting a fence for a dog there are a few things to think about before jumping strait in and getting it. If you are getting a fence to keep your dog contained without having to chain it up so it will be able to run around freely without straying too far there is another option. That option is the invisible fence. Many people know what the invisible fence is and how it works. The thing that they don’t advertise able the invisible fence is the nice part about maintaining your lawn without a fence. There are a few positive aspects to having the invisible fence for your lawn. The first and most obvious is that you don’t have to have an “ugly” barrier confining your lawn. Something else that many people forget to think about when getting a fence is the up keep. With wood fences, after years the wood and or paint may begin to chip meaning you would have to do something to it so it won’t be an eye sore. Another thing is that the wood may break making you have to replace that piece or section of fence. With the chain link fences they may begin to rust or also the paint starts to chip off of it. With chain linked fences it is much harder to replace since it isn’t just sections it’s a whole large roll of it. One of the more obvious positive of the invisible fence is that you don’t need to worry about trimming the grass along the fence line. This makes it much easier to upkeep your lawn. Also in the fall fences help a lot with keeping those bothersome leaves in your lawn.

Seed planting

There are two times of the year when it is a good idea to seed your lawn and you may want to seed your lawn because you have a few bare spots in your lawn or maybe your lawn is not looking as full as you would like it to look. Once you have decided you are going to plant some seeds in your lawn, now it is time to think about when it is the right time to do so. The first time of the year you can do it is early spring. There are two reasons why it is a good idea to plant your grass seed in the spring. The first reason why planting your seeds in the spring is a good idea is that there will be plenty of natural rain water so you won’t have to be watering your lawn as much as you would normally need to. The second reason why it is smart to plant the seed in the spring is because you will be avoiding the hot summer days when the seeds would need a lot of water and would have a much harder time of successfully growing. The second time of the year that it is a smart time to plant your grass seed is in the late fall. Many people don’t think that this makes any sense because the seeds won’t be getting that much sunlight if any. The positive of planting in the late fall is that in doing so when the winter snow comes the weight of the snow will help push the seeds down into the ground making sure that they are well planted. Also the periodic melting of the snow will help feed those seeds of some of its water needs over the winter months.

Come spring time, think about these little things

There are some things that are very good to do for your lawn when spring time rolls around. Like mentioned before it is a good idea to take care of those leaves that may have blown into your lawn and landscaping around your house. Something else that was slightly mentioned before was fertilizing in the spring. This will help ensure that your lawn gets the healthy grow out of it that you are always looking for. Another thing that this will do is help prevent bugs and other insects that are bothersome to your lawn from living there. One thing that not every home owner does to their lawns in the spring and fall is areate and dethatch it. Many home owners don’t do this because they don’t have the machines for it and or are not aware of the benefits of doing those two things to their lawns. Something you will not have to worry about during the first weeks and maybe even months of mowing your lawn is watering it. First of all there is the snow that will have melted on the lawn which in turn obviously waters it. Another thing is that in those first few weeks and or months there is usually a lot of rain. This is one of the major reasons why people tend to notice that their lawns are growing a lot fast and fuller during the early spring time compared to late spring, summer, and fall. It is a good idea to keep those few things in mind when spring rolls around and you are getting ready to start taking care of your lawn again.

Basic lawn mower care

Being a landscaper myself I know how bothersome it can be to try and keep your machine in its best working condition. If you think of it your lawn mower is sort of like your car. Both of them run on gas, need to check the oil (refill the oil and also replace it), and basically need to make sure that all the parts are working together so that they will be performing at the highest possible level that they can; and also to insure safety. Like stated before you always want to keep a close eye on your oil level since this can and will damage and break your engine rendering your lawn mower useless. Another thing you want to check often is the wheels. The first thing you should check with your wheels is to ensure that they are securely fastened to the mower. You want to check this because over time just from using your mower the nuts and bolts can become lose and or even break off. As you would imagine it would be very dangerous to lose a car wheel while operating, it is also dangerous to lose a lawn mower wheel while operating. Something else to be cautious about on your mower is that to make sure that all the wires are still fully protected like they were when you purchased it; if not this can be a hazard while trying to operate it. Another thing to mindful of is the underneath of the lawn mower. This includes two parts, the blade and the space in which the blade is able to operate. You want to keep your blade sharp to unsure that it will be cutting your lawn the best that it can. If you are a do-it-yourselfer you can sharpen them yourselves, if not you can take it to a local hardware store and they will most likely be able to do it for you. But even if your blade is sharp but the underneath isn’t clean you won’t be getting the best cut possible. You want to clean out the bottom of the mower from wet grass that has stuck there and harden in. This will give you the type of cut you are looking for.

Preparing your lawn for the first spring cut

Now that you have taken the time to check out your lawn mower before that first cut of the spring, there is something you need to be aware of before you take out that lawn mower and start mowing. The first thing to be aware of is that there is a good chance that you will have leaves on your lawn and in your landscaping. You should always try and clean out those bothersome leaves that always get blown around during late fall after your last cut and clean up. You should get them out of your bushes, whether it is at the bottom or stuck in-between the branches. This will allow your bush to grow easier, look fuller, and over look better (without debris in them). After you have taken care of those leaves you should take a look inspect your lawn and clean it off. What I mean by this is that there is a good chance there are twigs, small and large ones, on your lawn once all that snow melts and you don’t just want to be mowing over those when you cut your lawn for the first time. These twigs and branches get broken off of trees and bushes during the winter from the snow and or ice that accumulate on them. Adding to the fact that there is snow and or ice on those branches there are also strong winds that tend to help snap or break those twigs and branches off. You don’t want to be mowing over these things because if they are large enough branches they can damage your lawn mower in a few different ways, so it is a good idea to avoid cutting them up.

Getting the mower ready

After those four to five months of not having to uphold your lawn, spring is finally coming. With the weather starting to warm up you need to start thinking about getting back into the grove of cutting and taking care of your lawn. But there are a few things that you should be cautious of before just taking out your lawn mower and cutting your lawn. The first thing you should be aware of is to check you mower before you start it up. First of all you should check the oil level of your mower. You should do this because if you don’t do it right away you may forget to do it soon and without oil you will ruin your engine; trust me it has happened to myself and it is not fun replacing a mower or engine for a silly mistake like not checking the oil. Another reason to check your lawn mowers oil level is because there is a good possibility that you didn’t check it before you stored it for the winter. If there is no oil when you try and start it in the spring for the first time this won’t be good for your mower at all. Something else to check on your mower before starting it up for the first time in the spring is the spark plug. Your lawn mower won’t start if your spark plug is either unplugged or broken. You’re almost ready to start up your mower now you just have to put gas in it and prime it. But be cautious of what gas container you grab to put in your mower. I say this because many people have two different containers for their lawn mowers and snow blowers since they take different gas. If you put the wrong gas in your mower this will damage you lawn mower.

Mulch

A lot of home owners choose to use mulch around an array of different landscaping projects. You can use mulch around your tree so it doesn’t look so plan and simple. You can use mulch around your bushes, plants, and flowers. Another place you can use mulch around is your pool or house. When using mulch it doesn’t need to be inside a brick barrier it can just be edged around. There are a few things that make mulch the preferred choice of landscaping fill. The first reason that mulch is one of the most preferred choices is that it is pretty cheap compared to rocks and other landscaping fillers. Another thing that it is a preferred choice is because if people and to do it themselves it is much easier for them to use mulch compared to rocks. When decided what type of mulch you want to use there are a few questions that you should answer. The first question is how much you are willing to pay for the mulch. Some public works offer free mulch which just basically just plain chopped up parts of trees. Then there are places that have pretty cheap mulch and relatively expensive mulch. Another thing to think about when picking out the mulch, is what color will look best next to the siding of your house and the plants/flowers that you have planted around where the mulch will be going. Something else to be aware of is that some mulch holds its color and will last longer than others. For instance premium shredded hardwood will need to be replaces every year and on the other hand died red mulch which is pretty thick will hold its color for a few years and won’t need to be replaced every year.

Be cautious of your lawn even during the winter

After that last fall cut, leaf clean up, and hopefully fertilization you get a break from taking care of your lawn. Many people love those four to five months off from cutting and maintaining their lawns. There are some things that people should be aware of during those winter months when the snow starts falling. A lot of people use several different types of salts to try and keep their drive ways and walk ways from freezing so they won’t have the hazards of slipping and falling. One thing to be cautious about when using your preferred type of salt is to make sure to keep it away from your lawn. There are several chemicals in those products that can and will harm your lawn. It is very tricky since when you are worrying about keeping your drive way and walk ways clear of ice, you are not really conscious of your lawn at that point. Many people use the same spreader for their salt as they do for their fertilizer, which are the ones that spread the salt/fertilizer over a wide area. This is not the best way of applying salt to those areas. This is true because you don’t have the best control over where the salt actually gets applied even though it is the most preferred way to apply the salt. When applying salt in the future try and use the spreaders that just drop the salt straight down or even using your hands to apply it since this way you will have control over where the salt lands and will not harm your lawn.

Fall Mistake - Fertilization

Many home owners think that there is no need to fertilize their lawns right before the season changes from fall to winter, which is a mistake. Yes, your lawn will be able to survive the winter and grow in the spring if you don't fertilize before the cold weather and snow comes. But if you fertilize your lawn right when it is about to stop growing this will give the grass the nutrients that it wants and needs for the long winter. Since the lawn will have those nutrients the grass won’t be "fighting" for what nutrients are left in the lawn, in turn giving your lawn a much better and healthier grow when spring rolls around. Another positive of fertilizing in the fall right before winter is that you most likely won’t have to work so hard in the spring to get your lawn looking full and green just how you would like it to look. Another way to get your lawn looking like that in the early spring is to fertilize it then, but that in turn makes the lawn start growing again, and earlier than you most likely would like for it to happen. So when you finish that last cut of the season and have taken care of all of those bothersome leaves you are not quite done yet. Just take out that fertilizer spreader of yours and get the fertilizer out and apply one last application of fertilizer to your lawn so that over the winter you won’t have to worry about putting in so much effort in the spring to make your lawn look full and green.