5 Tips for a Better Looking Landscape

There is no doubt that when landscaping one wants to save money, as well as have an attractive property. Not only can landscaping help you beautify your home, but it can also provide a source of satisfying exercise in the fresh air. When you take care of your yard on your own, it is possible to save money and to improve your physical conditioning. But if the landscape turns out to look bad, then that is so much time and money wasted. However, it is possible to ensure a better-looking landscape by following a few tips that can help you take better care of your yard.

1.Know your soil type. Some plants thrive in soil with more acidity, and others prefer a little more alkali. Additionally, sandy soil and clay soil, as well as the presence of a loamy soil, can make a difference in what types of plants will thrive in a landscape. You should have your soil evaluated in order to determine what types of vegetation should be planted on your property. When you purchase plants that will succeed in the soil conditions present in your yard, then you make a wiser money decision, and you end up with a more attractive landscape. If there are plants that you would like to use in your soil, but the soil is not quite ideal, it is possible to improve the soil to proper conditions. You need only add mulch or peat, or to add crushed limestone or clamshells, depending upon what you hope to accomplish. As long as there is not a great difference in what you have and what you hope to achieve, it is possible to make soil adjustments to be more accommodating.


2.Understand how much space each of the plants need. There are some plants that require more room for their root systems than others. If you choose one plant that tends to grow everywhere, and you do not have adequate space, you will find that your other plants may be crowded out or that they may choke and die. Also, make sure you understand the spacing requirements for between plants. Many shrubs and small trees need to be planted at least three to four feet apart to have enough room to grow.

3.Use native plants in your landscape design. One of the most effective things you can do to ensure a good-looking yard is to make use of native plants. Find out what plants grow best in your area, and what plants are indigenous to the region. This way you will already be ahead, in that you know that the plants you choose are adapted to the climate. You will not have to struggle against natural inclinations to keep your landscape looking beautiful. If you due use non-native plants, assure yourself that they come from a place that shares a climate similar to the one in which you live.

4.Plan your landscape around different blooming times. Different plants bloom at various times throughout the year. If all of the plants in your landscape are at their most attractive all at the same time, then your yard will look beautiful for a few weeks each year, but quite possible ugly the rest of the year. One way to help avoid this is to choose attractive bushes and shrubs that look good green, but also have some sort flower. However, it is a good idea to stagger plants among each other. Plant tulips and crocus among later-blooming plants so that in early spring the bulbs bloom, and then when those flowers time is up, the next plants will be in bloom. In this way the cycle of your landscape is in keeping with the seasons, and looks attractive all year round.

5.Use wood chips around shrubs, bushes and trees. Wood chips can help the ground around shrubs, bushes, and trees look more attractive. Not only do the chips cover the ground (often looking better than dirt), but they also help keep in moisture, repel weeds, and provide natural food as they break down. Likewise, attractive groundcover like chicks and hens placed around trees and shrubs can make the area more interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Landscaping Tips for Home Remodeling

▪ Please note, If you live in a very different climate, the suggestions will obviously need to be modified.



▪ To get started, I recommend that you take some photos of your house show them to someone at your local nursery (like Pike's). Explain to them how much sunlight you get in certain areas and ask for their advice about what to plant where.



▪ Grass is not as easy to get going as one might think. If you want grass quickly, you can pay for sod (strips of grass and roots that are already mature). However, sod can be very expensive and you must be sure that you are going to be around to water it while it is taking hold.



▪ Some areas are just too shady for grass, and you can get very frustrated trying to get it to grow. In these areas, I would suggest any of a variety of shade plants. My all time favorite plant is the azalea. This plant does well in the shade, requires little maintenance, can grow full, and has beautiful colorful blooms. Some special varieties of azaleas will even bloom twice per year. To get azaleas to look less "spindly" and more full, some homeowners will prune them shortly after they bloom. Ask a professional the best way to do this.



▪ Cryptomeria can be a fantastic option if you want to block a view. For example, my house is very close to my neighbor's house. To get some privacy, I planted cryptomeria between the houses. They grow quickly, are dense, and make look great.

▪ There are differing opinions about ivy. Some view it as an invasive pesky plant. Others think it is an attractive ground cover. I do not like the way ivy climbs up trees and completely covers them, causing an early death. It is important to get the ivy off of your trees so that the trees can get adequate sunlight. Also, yards that have a lot of ivy often have a lot of mosquitoes. If you do want to plant some ivy, you do not necessarily need to buy it from a store. You can easily cut a few pieces off of an existing ivy plant, relocate it in some fresh soil, and it will take hold in the new spot. If you are trying to control erosion on a steep bank, ivy clusters are a good option.



▪ It is easy and fun to plant trees and watch them grow. If you plant a very young tree, it can resemble a weed to a yard maintenance man in a hurry! Be sure to put a colorful piece of tape around it so that everyone knows that it is not to be destroyed.



▪ Japanese maples are beautiful trees that are easy to plant.



▪ Some colorful plants are "annuals". This means that they only bloom once. You have buy new ones and plant them every year. People use clusters of annuals strategically placed in their yards to provide some seasonal color. A popular annual in my area is the Pansy. Tulips are beautiful annuals, but they require a lot of special care in their storage and planting.



▪ My two favorite ground cover options are pine straw or mulch. It is best to use one or the other in your yard, but not both. Pine straw and mulch help to retain moisture around plants and keep the roots from getting too hot in the sunlight. If you have an area that requires a lot of mulch, try contacting a local tree care company. They will likely provide you with some mulch, which is ground wood chips, for free.

How to Make Your Bedroom Chic and Peaceful

How do you turn a humble bedroom into a place that radiates peaceful bliss?
If you can renovate the room, get the floors done in a rose beige or golden beige.

Go for a soothing beige color scheme with golden lighting for a serene and classy effect.

Paint the walls and ceiling in your chosen shade of beige or cream. The unbroken color give the room a sense of spaciousness and harmony.

Add a touch of luxury to the room with a golden chandelier at the center of the ceiling. Let it bathe the room in its gorgeous golden light when it gets dark. The effect in the overall scheme of things is simply beautiful.


Ideally, get a wooden bed and paint the bed frame with the same shade of beige as the rest of the room so it blends in seamlessly into your bedroom.

Keep the decor minimal. Absolutely no clutter is allowed. For that lived in touch, a sheep skin spread in front of the bed would make the room feel really luxurious.

If that sounds to cruel for you, you can always go for a large wool rug laid out in front of the ed. It makes the atmosphere more welcoming.


The dressing table and chair could be of painted wood in a pretty shade of beige to blend in with the surroundings. Just keep all your personal things in the drawer of the dresser and not on the table. At most, you could display a gorgeous bottle of perfume, or two, on the dressing table for the lived in look. Makeup and everything else gets hidden out of sight.

Likewise with the wardrobe. If you can, have a built-in wardrobe to make full use of the space. If space allows it, make it a walk in wardrobe. Whatever the case, paint the wardrobe the same color as the wall so it seemingly disappears into the wall. Keep your clothes and everything else out of sight. No clutter allowed if you want a peaceful ambience. Instead, have a vase of flowers, maybe the perfume bottles on the dresser and a few lighted candles to give your room a soothing ambience.

To break the monotony of an all beige color scheme, you could have a pretty piece of wooden furniture in a natural warm brown. It could be a beautiful book shelf where you arrange your books neatly, or if you aren't very organized, it could have wooden doors to hide the messy shelves.