Your Garden, Your Heaven

Design your Garden with latest trends

Landscaping has often been likened to the painting of a picture. Your art-work teacher has doubtless told you that a good picture should have a point of chief interest, and the rest of the points simply go to make more beautiful the central idea, or to form a fine setting for it. So in landscaping there must be in the gardener’s mind a picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his landscaping project.

Should you include lots of bare open lawn in your landscaping theme? A large extent of open lusious green lawn space is always beautiful. It is restful.

This type of open landscaping adds a feeling of space to even small grounds. If you cover your lawn space with many trees, with little flower beds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. A bit like an over-dressed person. Not the most visual appealing result from your landscaping efforts.

When landscaping, a single tree or a small group is not a bad arrangement on the lawn. Do not centre the tree or trees. Let them drop a bit into the background. Make a pleasing side feature of them. In choosing trees for your landscaping project, keep in mind a number of things. You should not choose an overpowering tree. The tree should have a good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit.

For the beauty of landscaping, the catalpa is quite lovely by itself. Its leaves are broad, its flowers attractive, the seed pods which cling to the tree until way into the winter, add a bit of picturesqueness. The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech all these are beauty points to consider when planning your overall landscaping arrangement.

Landscaping may follow along very formal lines or along informal lines. The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The other method is, of course, the exact opposite. You should consider the advantages and danger points in each.

In conclusion, plan for open lawn spaces in your overall landscaping design and keep a visually appealing tree to blend in the background. Think balance and you will come up with a beautiful landscaping design for your yard.

Many consumers don’t take advantage of the beauty and value a vibrant and colorful garden can add to their property due to the fear of time involved. There’s no need to feel intimidated when so many choices can make starting and maintaining your garden an efficient process. From using perennials to enjoying outdoor water fountains, your garden decor can have as many colorful elements as you wish with little work.

Perennial flowers are the ultimate time-saver when it comes to your garden. These plants grow in a fairly regular pattern every year. This perpetual process saves you a great deal of time and money. You only need to find the appropriate plants for your area and invest in them once. You can enjoy their beauty for years. Perennials come in a variety of sizes, colors and growing patterns.

Follow these tips to make your garden budget go further when looking for perennial plants. The first step you need to take is to consider what climate you live in. How long are your winters? How hot are the summers? A visit to your local garden center should answer all these questions and more. The staff there can point you in the appropriate direction for your creating your garden.

Once you see what types of plants are best suited to your region, you can start looking at the individual plants offered. You want the healthiest plants possible. Avoid the plant if the leaves have spots or the petals appear to have bugs. A diseased plant may improve in a garden, or it may simply continue to deteriorate. Many consumers don’t have the time or resources necessary to “nurse” a sick plant. If you take the plant home and place it in your current garden, there is a risk that the insects or the disease may spread to the other greenery. A broken stem or bruised leaf isn’t usually a cause for concern. These are the byproducts of poor shipping practices.

Transferring your chosen plants from the container to the garden should be done carefully. The hole should be large enough to accommodate the plant with a little room to spare. Gently squeeze the sides of the container your plant is in and slip the clump of dirt out. After gently massaging the sides of the packaged soil, set the plant onto the ground and cover. Pack the soil down atop the plant and water.

Outdoor water fountains are a desirable addition to any garden and improve the garden’s appearance as soon as they’re installed. The numerous benefits and joys of a water fountain make it as worthwhile an investment as the plants themselves. Outdoor water fountains add visual appeal while relaxing the body and the mind.

The trend for fountains began around a decade or so ago. This popularity hasn’t decreased, and with so many designs and sizes available, these beautiful elements help consumers around the world feel more peaceful within their gardens. Water fountains are the best gift idea for gardeners; they doesn’t lose their appeal over time.

Water fountains do far more for your outdoor sanctuary than just adding visual appeal. They create an sound that has been proven to relax and soothe away stress. They are a beneficial element to a chaotic and fast-paced world.

The primary reasons water fountains are the best gift is the selection available. Garden fountains have a variety of loudness levels and speeds. The resulting flow is entirely dependent on the construction of the fountain. Fountains can give off a soft trickle reminiscent of a tiny creek or the rushing flow of a stream.

The sizes of available fountains offer even greater flexibility. You can purchase a table-top model suitable for outdoor patio furniture or an full multi-tiered upright fountain. There are even fountains used as accessories for ponds and swimming pools. For the consumer with a small walled patio or veranda, consider a model that attaches to the wall, giving the benefits of a fountain without requiring a large amount of space.

Outdoor water fountains also give the atmosphere of your garden a cleansing feeling. The open running water provides moisture to the air around and works as a natural humidifier. The air feels clean and refreshing as after a rain shower.

The best garden is at your fingertips with some simple planning and the use of elements that are low maintenance. Complete your garden with perennial flowers and elegant water fountains.

So, you live in Orlando and you need to find a landscape contractor…but where do you begin? Begin by asking yourself what’s important to you. Of course, price will be a factor when hiring a landscape contractor, but there are many in the Orlando area that will provide low-cost landscaping assistance with exceptional service and value.

Orlando homeowners should look for landscape contractors who provide landscape maintenance, installation, pest control and much more. Exceptional service, presented in a timely manner, is also key when choosing your landscape contractor. They should stand behind their work to make sure that every Orlando homeowner is satisfied beyond a doubt.

When looking at all of the landscape contractors in the Orlando area, you can find one company that does it all…Commercial Landscaping and Maintenance, Mowing, Edging, Trimming, Blowing, Leveling – Fill Dirt, Tree/Stump Removal, Trash Removal, Sod Installation…and more!

But whether you are seeking the assistance of a landscape contractor in Orlando to recommend and maintain a few plants, or to plan an entire landscape for your home, be sure to ask if they are certified with the FNGLA (Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association). As a consumer, you deserve to have the most knowledgeable landscape contractor to handle your landscape needs. The FNGLA symbolizes knowledge and professionalism in the Orlando area.

As an Orlando homeowner, you should know that Florida has a horticulture industry certification program – the only one of its kind in the state – that provides landscape industry professionals with an opportunity to earn a professional designation as a Landscape Contractor or Landscape Designer. The FNGLA sponsors this unique industry certification program, and in order to receive full accreditation, landscape industry professionals must complete an extensive exam.

How else can you evaluate the qualifications of your landscape contractor? Well, start by asking the following questions of them.

1. Are you a certified member of the FNGLA as a Landscape Contractor in Orlando?

2. How long have you been in business as a Landscape Contractor in the Orlando area?

3. Do you have an Orlando-based business telephone and address?

4. Do you have a vehicle with your company name on the side?

5. Will you provide me with a copy of your Landscape Contractor’s certificate of insurance issued in Orlando?

6. Do you have a license to work as a Landscape Contractor in the Orlando area?

7. Can you provide a list of references in the Orlando area whom I may contact about your work as a landscape contractor?

8. Do you offer a warranty on parts and labor?

9. Will you guarantee that overspray will be at a minimum?

10. Are you going to zone the sprays and rotors separately to prevent over watering?

Any Landscape Contractor you decide to hire should be comfortable answering these questions and you should be comfortable with their answers.

If you want to have a better-looking lawn and a well-manicured backyard, then you may ask for landscaping experts to come over and see your place. You may also ask for assistance in all the different phases of designing your yard and house. You can also choose to have custom landscaping done, which indeed includes all the different aspects of landscape design, from constructing different buildings or parts of your landscape, to maintaining your landscape. Custom landscaping can work on individual houses, gated communities, or estates. Often, custom landscaping companies will have their own customer relations departments, in-house crews, and maintenance crews.

How does custom landscaping start? First, a custom landscaping expert will meet with you in order to get what vision you would like for your yard. As the name implies, custom landscaping is all about meeting your needs and what you would like to see in your estate. The problem with this is that it can get thorny when you try imposing or implementing your perspective without having the right expertise in order to do your redesigning and landscaping. A good custom landscaping person will use your ideas and execute them excellently.

For instance, some custom landscapers will provide you with pictures of different plans and grasses so that you can see which ones would fit your design better. They may show you pictures of different projects that they have already undertaken. Moreover, they will make suggestions with long-term visions in mind, because you will need to maintain your property. This will include factoring in your location, the weather or climate, and patterns of wind drift. This means that custom landscapers need to optimize your property so that you can get your design visions implemented without worrying about your landscape getting destroyed.

Different custom landscapers will have different strategies, but in general, a custom landscaper will provide you with information on how many plants you need and how much you will have to spend; and what fees you will incur in terms of keeping the finished product looking good all the time. Because custom landscapers work with your vision, you and your landscaper will be constantly contacting each other and talking about what you would like your property to look like. You may also find yourself making deals in terms of maintenance, or even remodeling after a certain amount of time. What is important is that you need to have a good relationship with your custom landscaper; this person has to be someone that you can trust, not just with implementing your design, but making efficient use of your money.

Orlando, Florida is known as the home of Mickey Mouse, Universal Studios, Sea World and a destination for tourists from around the world. One of the most attractive aspects of Orlando is its beautiful landscapes. Even people who are not specifically interested in plants and flowers cannot help but be impressed by the breathtaking floral displays and landscapes in Orlando. A perk of living in Orlando is the ability to grow fantastic, lush, tropical-looking plants and flowers year-round. For a fun and functional landscape installation in Orlando, follow these top ten tips.

1) Get help: Do it yourself projects can be fun or disastrous. While installing a landscape seems like it might be fun and easy, it is even more fun to have a team of landscape installation professionals do it for you, so you can enjoy your garden. For the best results, ensure that your landscape installation contractor is certified by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association. (FNGLA)

2) Research your plant selections: (Or make sure that your landscape installation contractor does research) For the most beautiful, year-round landscape in Orlando, you will want to select a variety of plants that bloom throughout the year. Additionally, not everything that grows in Orlando is evergreen, so you will want to choose some plants that are evergreen for foundation plantings.

3) Secure proper landscape installation permits: This is another area where are qualified landscape installation professional in Orlando can help. Planting a few flowers does not require a permit. Digging a well and installing a complete irrigation system does require permits.

4) Think about watering: Central Florida is rainy in the summer and dry in the winter-usually. However, Florida has been experiencing a drought over the last few years. In order to maintain a beautiful yard in Florida, you will need to water it. If you do not have an irrigation system, and you are planning a major landscape renovation, you will need to think about installing one. It is better to do this before you plant everything! If you do not wish to install an irrigation system, select plants that, once established, need little water.

5) Prepare a Landscape Design: Plan before you plant is a good mantra for landscape installation. You do not need to be a landscape architect to design a pretty foundation planting and flower beds. There are many internet resources, books and magazines available to help you. Planning ahead will help you control your spending at the nursery, and be realistic about the number of plants you need. (You will often need more plants than you thought!)

6) Plant for the Future: With its warm temperatures and rainy summers, Orlando is a great place for plants to grow-fast. When you install your landscape, be certain to give your plants room to grow. It might look like you have a lot of bare space for the first month or so, but sooner than you would expect, your landscape will be lush and beautiful.

7) Safety first: Whether you are installing a commercial or residential landscape in Florida, consider safety a number one priority. A certified landscape contractor should know the ins and outs of safety codes. Additionally, if you are installing your landscape yourself, you can read about types of paving to use or not use, and types of plants that are better than others. For example, if you have children, you will want to avoid planting oleander. While oleander is a beautiful flowering shrub, it is better for large-scale installations at places like airports or shopping malls. It is highly poisonous, and you would not want to risk your child deciding to eat it! (Children eat everything!) Doing a little bit of research before your landscape installation in Orlando will go a long way toward helping you create a beautiful, functional and fun landscape.

Want to spruce up your garden or yard? Nothing else does the job quite like a bird feeder does. A bird feeder will brings dozens of beautiful birds into your garden and yard, giving it a colorful, lively feel. To get the full benefits of a bird feeder, though, you must first learn about the different types and varieties of bird feeders, and how you can go about the best on for your needs. It isn’t complicated, but knowing a few things can go a long way towards making your bird feeder a success.

The first thing to consider with any bird feeder is the look. If it doesn’t fit with your garden and house, its not going to do you any good. Fortunately, you can get bird feeders in a wide variety of colors and styles. You can get sheet metal bird feeders, wood bird feeders, hanging feeders, standing feeders, solar powered bird feeders, and many more. Look with what fits in with your garden, and make your decision. While a stone angel feeder may look great in one yard, the gazebo style might be a much better choice for yours.

You also need to consider what type of feeder you want. The most common type of feeder is the traditional birdseed type feeder. These feeders take the traditional mixed birdseed, which will attract a wide variety of different birds. If you have a lot of finches in your area, a finch feeder maybe be for you. Since finches have long, narrow beaks, and can eat different types of seeds, you can attract these birds with a specialized finch feeder. These can be a great compliment to your regular feeder, as it will provide some nice variation. Finally, you can get a hummingbird feeder, which feeds liquid sugar to hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are always fascinating to watch, so getting one of these feeders is a great idea.

You should also consider some special features for your feeder. The most important feature, in my opinion, is squirrel proofing. If you have squirrels in your area, they will get into your feeder if you let them, no doubt about it. You will find out how outlandishly clever squirrels are once you start trying to keep them out of your feeder. Even though many of the squirrel proof designs aren’t perfect, if you don’t have this, you’re just giving them a free lunch.

Another interesting feature you can get with your bird feeder is a lighted feeder. Powered either by battery, or a rechargeable battery powered by solar panel, you can watch birds feed into the evening and in the early morning with the feeder. This makes it a great conversation piece for those summer outside parties. A very unique and wonderful choice for a bird feeder.

Overall, you can see that choosing a bird feeder isn’t an extremely easy decision, but neither is it that hard. Just make your choice among the wide variety of styles and options available, and you will get to enjoy the relaxation and aesthetic appeal that only a bird feeder can bring to your yard or garden. Just keep those squirrels away!

With Spring right around the corner it is never too early to start planning your garden… For those gardeners looking to be more innovative this year, we recommend using a special theme to help you design your garden.

The Zen Garden

A Zen garden or Japanese rock garden is an enclosed shallow sandpit containing sand, gravel, rocks, and occasionally grass or other natural elements. The main elements of a rock garden are rocks and sand, with the sea symbolized not by water but by sand raked in patterns that suggest rippling water. Plants are much less important (and sometimes non-existent) in many rock gardens. Rock gardens are often, but not always, meant to be viewed from a single, seated perspective, and the rocks are often associated with and named after various Chinese mountains.

We recommend this option if you have an unused shady lot on your property. Instead of trying to fight nature, clean up an area that would normally not support a garden.

Trial Garden

A trial garden is a test garden where gardeners try out new types of plant and/or vegetables. Any gardener might enjoy creating his or her own trial garden to see which plants fare best in a specific garden environment. Gardeners can evaluate their test plants for desirable qualities such as novel flower forms, flower colors, flower show above foliage, fragrance, length of flowering season, and disease or pest tolerances or resistance. Vegetables and fruits should be judged for such traits as speed to harvest, total yield, fruit taste, fruit quality, ease of harvest, plant habit, disease, and pest resistance.

By choosing to make a trial garden for a season, a gardener can improve their garden for years to come. This is a great way to find out how much work certain plants require and if they will flourish in your garden.

Virtual Garden

While researching this garden I found a great tool that lets you plan your garden on your computer. You can become your own landscape architect and easily add or remove plants and items from your virtual garden. The program comes in three versions available from the BBC… an online version and both a PC and Mac version which you can use offline. The program lets you save your gardens so that you can work on it when you have some free time. I love the idea because it allows you save your garden designs and compare them with the final product. Click here for the Virtual Garden.

Hose Reels

Another great idea for designing your garden is to get a hose reel. I recommend a No-Crank hose reel for design and watering purposes. No-Crank hose reels will keep your garden aesthetically pleasing and with the automatic hose reel rewinder you will never have to leave your hose laying in the yard again. No-Crank hose reels come in a wide variety of styles; I like the Country Hose Reel model, a wooden box which blends nicely into most gardens.

This commentary on landscape gardening will deliberate over the effectiveness of making use of tips on landscape gardening in order to work out various landscaping problems.

Provides You With Professional Advice

You are aware of what precisely you want implemented and wish that you could hire the services of a landscape specialist to execute the project. Regrettably, you are constrained by your finances. However, luckily, there are scores of tips on landscape gardening. By putting in a little effort delving into the subject, you can easily handle any landscaping issue by means of professional tips.

It does not make sense to commit the same faults previously made by somebody else and not to be forewarned. You do not have to resort to the difficult trial and error method when expert guidance is at your disposal. Tips on landscape gardening can help you carefully invest your time and resources.

Tackles Several Gardening Issues

Tips on landscape gardening can sort out a whole host of landscaping concerns:

1. The kind of plants that will flourish in the soil conditions present in your area

2. A cost-effective means of setting up a pond in your garden

3. The most suitable time to grow shrubs

4. The easiest method of doing away with old turf

5. Shortcuts that will expedite the landscaping project

6. Merging a novel landscaping project with a deck that already exists

7. Purchase of landscaping materials in an economical manner

8. Growing plants that bloom all through the year

9. Setting up landscaping beds to take into account seasonal factors

These tips are very useful for any kind of a landscaping project, and will help in structuring the process effectively, curtailing the costs, and in providing the latest expert advice and information.

Hi-Tech Suggestions

Living in a technologically advanced society has many advantages, one being that the latest information in the field of science and technology are instantly conveyed to the end user.

Tips on landscape gardening cover more than just suggesting the kind of plants to grow. These tips focus on locating the most modern landscaping supplies and techniques to resolve longstanding issues. Not long ago, landscaping called for loads of supplies, like wood logs, which needed to be restored every so often. These days, you can avail of tips on landscape gardening, which spot the most recent supplies available in stores that do not fall to pieces in the ground.

Some time back, a consumer was confronted with an insect problem, which lasted for a complete season before the consumer could get his hands on a product that could effectively eliminate the pests. The insects by then had damaged quite a bit of the landscaped area, necessitating expensive substitution.

Today, you can locate tips on landscape gardening on the web, which will provide advice on the latest insect repellents that do not pose a risk to the environment. These tips make available the latest and hottest information.

Personalized Tips

In this information age, tips on landscape gardening, apart from equipping you with the latest information, also provide you with a personalized solution to landscaping issues.

Online, there are specialists who will resolve your particular queries. A wide range of gardening issues are covered, right from materials, insects, shortcuts, fertilizers, pesticides, plants, landscape plans, preserving walls and footpaths, and decks. Every topic has associated tips on landscape gardening, custom-made for you!

Creating eye-catching landscaping isn’t just a fun and active hobby for homeowners, it’s also a way to increase curb appeal and property value.

According to the American Nursery and Landscaping Association, improving your home’s landscaping can add 7 to 15 percent to your home’s value. Also, homes with an “excellent” landscape can expect a sale price about 6 to 7 percent higher than equivalent houses with a “good” landscape, while improving landscaping from “average” to “good” can result in a 4 to 5 percent increase.

In addition to the financial rewards, good landscaping can increase your satisfaction with your property and make it feel like “more of a home.” Well-positioned trees and other flora can reduce energy costs and mask bothersome street noise.

The first thing you should do when improving your landscape is draft a master plan. The master plan should take into account what effect you’re shooting for with the landscape improvements, such as providing more shade, a privacy screen or just brightening up the yard. The plan should also set a budget for your projects and a timeframe for completion.

An important question you should ask yourself when making your landscaping plan is, “How will my yard be used?” Do you plan on using the yard for exercise or athletics? Do you have children or pets? Answering these questions will help you make choices. For example, if you intend to have a lot of outside social gatherings or want to play ball with the kids you’re going to need some lawn space. However, if you’d like to turn your yard into an isolated retreat, lawn size can be reduced in favor of trees to provide privacy cover.

When drafting a landscaping plan, you should consider some basics of design such as unity, repetition, balance and consistency.

– Unity: A landscape design achieves unity when all design elements mesh together to form an attractive whole.

– Repetition: The principle of using similar elements throughout a landscaping design composition. Repetition can be created by repeating certain varieties of plants, colors, textures, or hardscaping elements.

– Consistency: An extension of repetition; using a constant type of plant, color or texture helps to create a landscape that works as a unified concept.

– Balance: Visually balance the weights of objects in your landscape. Think of dividing the landscaping in half. If both sides attract the eye equally, the landscape is balanced

The great thing about improving your landscape is that, unlike other home improvement projects, it can cost as little or as much as you choose. There are a variety of low-cost plants that can be used to spruce up your home’s appearance, as well as more expensive solutions. Landscaping is often a year-to-year process of steady improvements – this is good because it often means you don’t have to buy everything all at once!

Orlando is the vacation destination for those who visit and those who are lucky enough to live in the city. For more relaxing and less work, hire a certified landscape contractor in Orlando. Landscape contractors can help you improve your business visibility, and your home life by helping you maintain beautiful, stress-free landscapes. In Orlando, where insects, fungus, weeds and hurricanes wreck havoc on landscapes, a good landscape contractor is worth their truck’s weight in gold!

Open the phone book and you will find hundreds of listings for landscape contractors in Orlando. How do you know which contractor is the right one for you? Investigate the following factors when interviewing landscape contractors to select the right fit for your needs.

Factors to Consider when Hiring a Landscape Contractor in Orlando

• First and foremost-is the contractor certified by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association. This is the accrediting organization for landscape contractors, nursery growers and greenhouse growers in Florida. Landscape contractors certified by the FNGLA have to take a series of classes and a test to be certified. They are taught ethical business practices, proper permitting procedures and landscape contractor skills.

• Does the contractor offer a free, written estimate? The contractor needs to be able to take the time to come to your job site and talk with you to learn your needs for the project. After visiting the site, the contractor should fax or deliver an estimate of expenses including materials and labor.

• Does the contractor have proper pesticide licenses? Once your landscape is installed, you will want it maintained properly. Anyone can go to the hardware store, purchase fertilizer and pesticide and apply it to your lawn. Only certified pesticide applicators should be doing this commercially, as they have the training and knowledge to apply pesticides and fertilizers safely and effectively.

• Does the landscape contractor have an in-house designer? Whether the contractor has a certified landscape architect on staff or not is irrelevant. You should ask to see pictures of landscapes, water features and hardscapes that were designed and installed both by in-house staff members, or by a close work associate. The biggest stumbling block down the road, once your landscape is installed, is a plan that came from somewhere else. In order to properly maintain the landscape, it is best if the design was done by the contractor.

• Does the contractor install and fix irrigation systems? Irrigation is a large part of Orlando landscape installation. If the sprinkler system breaks, you will need your contractor, who is familiar with your yard or commercial landscape, to be able to fix the system.

• Does the contractor provide emergency services? If a major irrigation pipe bursts, or a motorist runs over a retaining wall in a commercial property, you will need someone on location, fast. It helps if it is you regular landscape contractor, because they will be able to identify the problem, the source and quickly repair it.

These are just a few things to consider when hiring a landscape contractor in Orlando. In order to maintain a beautiful, safe and worry-free landscape, thoroughly interview the landscape contractor before signing a contract.