Category Archives: Landscaping

Written By Guest: Clara Beaufort

Curb appeal comes in many different forms, and it can greatly improve your ability to sell your home quickly and for a great price. Even if you’re not thinking about selling just yet, it’s a good idea to consider your landscaping and other outdoor aesthetics, as they can significantly raise your home’s value. The lawn and garden are the main factors to address, but you can also paint your front door, replace your mailbox, or add some color to your porch.

It’s a good idea to think about how you can easily maintain your lawn area and how to take preventative steps to keep the front of your home looking great. This might include sealing a wooden porch against the elements or ensuring the gutters are sturdy and clean. There are lots of things to think about, so take it one step at a time in order to prevent becoming overwhelmed.

Here are a few tips on how to get started when you need to add curb appeal to your home.

Hire a Professional

Do you hate gardening with a passion? No problem. You can find a great gardening service in your area that will help you control weeds, plan out an easy-to-maintain landscape, and/or keep bushes and trees looking beautiful without wrecking your budget. A professional gardening service can also help you keep your lawn looking great all year round, which is essential for homeowners who live in parts of the country with unforgiving winters or harsh summers.

Repaint

Painting your front door, porch, columns, shutters, fence, mailbox, or garage door can liven things up a bit and give your home a pop of color without breaking the bank. There are a few different ways you can go about it; some people like to use spray paint because it allows them to control the area a bit more. But depending on the material, you can also use a paintbrush. Make sure you wipe down the surface carefully before applying paint, cover up any hardware with tape, and wait for the right time; for most of these projects, the weather will need to be just right.

Embrace the Details

There are many little things you can do to boost your home’s curb appeal, and focusing on these details rather than going big will help you save money. Update your welcome mat, replace lighting fixtures, add small flower pots to the porch, or add a new wreath to the front door. You can also find seasonal flags to hang that will offer a bit of color to the front of your home. Just be sure not to go overboard, as too much can be just as bad as not enough. Keep things symmetrical when possible, unify the color scheme, and make sure the lawn and porch are tidy.

Fix Up the Siding and Gutters

Especially important if you’re going to be selling your home, fixing up the roof, siding, and gutters can definitely help the house stand out. These things can be affected by the weather, trees, and extreme temperatures, and they can deteriorate even in just a year’s time, making it crucial for you to stay on top of them. Also, ensuring that there are no cracks, broken parts, debris, leaves, or mold can go a long way toward creating a better aesthetic for your home.

Boosting your home’s curb appeal doesn’t have to be a stressful job that costs a lot of money. With a bit of creativity, you can make some changes that will take your house to the next level and add to its value without spending money that you could be using for something

Written By Guest: Jordan Swift

For those of us who keep our dogs in the backyard, we know it can be a challenge to keep them entertained back there. There aren’t many doggy toys that can survive the test of time, and aside from chew toys or rawhide bones, it can be difficult to come up with new ideas for keeping them entertained. Thankfully, there are a handful of backyard design ideas that a dog lover such as yourself can use to keep your pups happy. In case you’ve got some furry friends in your backyard, here are some of the best design ideas that they’re guaranteed to love.

1. Add Some Shade
Most dogs have a lot of fur, so even in mildly warm temperatures, they can get uncomfortably hot. For this reason, all dogs love to relax in the shade. There are a few ways you can add some shade to your backyard, from putting up a small doggy tent to building a porch with a durable patio ceiling. Another option that many homeowners prefer is planting a beautiful tree that blends in naturally to your landscaping. Remember that plants native to your area will be the most steadfast and durable, requiring less upkeep. For any and all plant additions to your yard, be sure that they are not harmful or dangerous to your pet. 

2. Build a Deck
Adding a deck to your backyard provides some variety, and your dogs will enjoy the opportunity to hide their bones in a new spot. You can’t just build any old deck for your dogs though, it has to be especially durable to handle wear and tear. Depending on the size of your backyard and your dogs, you’ll need to do some calculations with a deck building calculator before you begin. 

3. Add a Water Feature
The only thing most dogs love more than shade is water. Adding a shallow pool, pond, or fountain for them to wade in will provide endless entertainment and just one more thing to occupy their minds. Alternatively, a pondless waterfall could be another great way to cool off your pup. You’ll want to include some paving, preferably of the permeable variety, around your pool. This will allow the spill-over from the pool to neatly drain away through the paving without causing mudholes and messy ruts.

4. Upgrade Your Fencing
Fencing is important to have if you own dogs. Unless they are house-trained, most dogs will wander off if they aren’t fenced in. A good fence allows them to roam free while keeping them on your property. Depending on your preferences, surroundings, and the disposition of your dogs, you can either go with solid fencing or see-through fencing. You might also want to lay down some solid footboard around the edges of your fence so your dogs can’t dig under it. Trust me, they’ll try.

It’s Not Hard to Keep Your Dogs Happy
A backyard can get boring fast for dogs. That’s why you should spice yours up with one or two of the ideas we’ve laid out in this article. From fencing to a shallow pool, a deck, and some shade, all of these ideas are sure to please your dogs and keep their tails wagging for the foreseeable future. You could even implement all of them and create a paradise that any dog would envy, it’s up to you.

Jordan Swift is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. He is a blogger and a content writer for the building materials industry with an interest in landscaping and outdoor remodeling. Jordan is focused on educating homeowners, contractors, and architects on innovative materials and methods of construction that increase property value, improve sustainability, and create a warm and welcoming ambiance.

Earth Works designs, constructs, and provides support for people wanting water features of all sorts including patio-bowls, pondless waterfalls, water gardens, koi ponds, and recreation ponds. With weather events such as tropical storms and hurricanes, all these water bodies require specific care and attention before, during, and after the storms.

Fishless Water features: The biggest concern besides direct damage to a patio-bowl or pondless waterfall may be the standing water-attracting mosquitos after several days without electricity.
• A simple solution is the mosquito dunks and bits available at large retail stores that will prevent mosquito breeding in these systems.

For ponds with fish: Water gardens, koi ponds, and recreation ponds have a more extensive set of concerns to keep those ecosystems and fish healthy in the event of storms and power outages.

• Reduce or stop feeding the fish several days before the storm to reduce their toxic ammonia output into the pond.
• Go ahead and do any regularly scheduled water changes along with checking the filtration system, cleaning skimmer baskets, etc.
• Assess the threat of pond water overflows and if that were to occur would it result in additional flooding issues or allow fish to escape? Might other hazardous materials enter the pond in flooding conditions? Sandbags could be useful.
• Some pond owners will remove the fish and hold in a protected area to weather the storm.
• If the threat of flying debris into the pond is significant netting or even sheets of plywood could be used for protection but must be safely secured.

• As filtration and oxygenation are critical for fish health backup generators are literally lifesavers! Battery-powered pond aerators are a quick, easy and inexpensive resource for situations where power may be out for only a few hours.
• API 5 in 1 Pond Test Strips are invaluable for monitoring the critical pond water chemical parameters that affect fish health. We regularly stock these at our garden center. SEE OUR YOUTUBE VIDEO DEMONSTRATING USE:

• Be aware that the greater the number of fish and larger they are the greater their oxygen requirements and output of toxic ammonia into the pond.
• EarthWorks carries a full-line of Aquascape Inc. products to keep your fish and pond healthy regardless of the critical situation they face.

Written By: Clara Beaufort

Water shortages are becoming increasingly common around the world, and the United States is no exception. It’s no wonder that people all around the country are turning to xeriscaping, permaculture, and other approaches to create a garden that requires low water input to thrive. You’ll be pleased to note, however, that you don’t need to sacrifice on aesthetics to put these techniques into practice. Here’s how to create a water-efficient landscape that looks great.

BUILD SWALES

A swale is a trench with a flat bottom, usually dug along the natural contour of sloped land, whose purpose is to catch rainwater and hold it temporarily. From there, the water can seep slowly into the soil, as opposed to running off quickly and dragging the topsoil along with it. Lining swales with trees or plants not only looks great, it helps retain water underground, from where it can spread to the landscape around the swale. Swales are more efficient than traditional rainwater catchment systems (that is, buckets and barrels) because the water is already exactly where it needs to be, and as a natural improvement, they look better too.

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CONSTRUCT BERMS

A berm is a manufactured raised area to the landscape. You can use them to add variety and interest to flat yards, using stones and careful plant choices to add aesthetic appeal. On graded land you can construct them at the bottom of the slope to catch rainwater runoff, and you can increase the efficiency of the berm by using it to direct water into a swale. In doing so, plants placed on the berm can then access the water in the swale, so they’ll need less maintenance. When planning out your berm, remember that the south side will receive more sunlight and heat than the north side — keep this in mind when choosing your plants.

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XERICAPE

If the dry season is hitting your area hard, xeriscaping is the way to go. Xeriscaping is a landscaping system specifically designed to conserve water in dry climates (the name stems from “xeros,” the Greek word for dry).

Xeriscaping follows seven principles:
1.Include water conservation in every aspect of planning
2.Improve soil quality — unless your chosen plants prefer unimproved soil
3.Limit lawn area, as grass is water-intensive
4.Use drought-tolerant plants native to your region
5.Do not have any areas of bare soil — cover it with mulch to retain moisture
6.Irrigate efficiently — ideally, with a system that irrigates deeper and less often
7.Maintain the garden regularly

Xeriscapes are not only water-conserving, they are low-maintenance, too. Once established, you’ll pretty much only be reaching for your garden gloves to re-mulch and de-weed.

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CHOOSE PLANTS CAREFULLY

The main principle for plant choice is to aim for plants with deep roots. Such plants can store relatively large amounts of water underground, helping them last longer during a drought. In dry areas, landscapers often opt to have a shade tree transplanted in — even if not fully mature, a tree can be strategically positioned to protect sensitive plants from the blistering southwest sunshine. You can use drought-tolerant shrubs like bush cinquefoil or Adam’s-needle yucca to provide a transition from the tree to the rest of the landscape. Although many drought-resistant plants have earthy shades, that’s not always the case – creeping phlox, nasturtium (pictured), and sedum are examples of low maintenance plants that can add a splash of color.

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PLAN PLAN AND PLAN

When resources like water are limited, planning is key. Spend a lot of time working out which modifications and improvements you’ll make to the land, which plants you’ll choose, and where they’ll go. Do all this in unison — a swale in one area will affect the plants you choose to put around it, a tree in another area means you’ll want plants that enjoy shade nearby. It takes some work, but if you’re mindful of what impacts your choices make on the plants around them, you can create a landscape that’s as efficient as it is beautiful.