Landscaping Tips

When you want to create a beautiful and functional landscape, the task may be overwhelming. Before the first shovel of soil is turned, close your eyes and picture your dream garden. Begin by asking what are your landscape goals. Some of the common reason to landscape include:

? Create privacy

? Invite entertaining

? Provide recreation

? Modify the climate

? Beautify the property

? Grow a kitchen garden

? Attract wildlife

? Reduce water use

When a landscape is thoughtfully planned, it does more than beautify the property: It can provide a recreation area and places to entertain. Well placed trees and shrubs can cut down on heating and cooling costs. A good design can also add more living space to your home in the warm seasons and provide a window to the natural world during colder months.

Following are some landscape design basics that apply to all designs. Every good garden design owes its effectiveness to certain basic design principles. These rules apply to all levels of gardens, from a simple garden border to an elaborate classical design. Remember, in any well-designed garden no one feature, plant or structure is completely dominant. Instead, all features work together to establish a sense of unity.

A. Repetition. Repeat certain plants, textures or colors.

B. Simplicity. This is the result of constraint. It keeps your design from being cluttered and unfocused.

C. Unity. A unified design ensures that the garden reads as one whole design rather than a hodgepodge of separate elements.

D. Scale. Scale refers to the balance between sizes of various elements, which includes the house, walkways, paths, fences, garden beds and plantings. No one element or feature should overpower all of the others.

Donna Evans is a landscape designer and website designer. Donna along with her husband own, Gizmo Creations LLC, http://www.gizmocreations.com, works with residential property owners and commercial property owners to create landscape designs that provide beauty and functionality to the site's owners. As well as having a landscape designer, the company has a licensed landscape architect on staff. In addition to working with nearby property owners, Gizmo Creations also does on-line landscape design through their site at, http://www.gclandscapes.com. Donna also teaches an on-line landscape design course. For information about the course go to http://www.gizmocreations.com. More articles on landscaping and sample plans can be seen on the website.

Latest News


Garden Calendar
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 22 hours ago
ONGOING Lakewold Gardens: The 10-acre garden estate offers a haven of gardening delights, historical features, statuary, landscape architecture by Thomas ...

The last of the lawncare -- there's still time
Franklin Park Herald Journal, IL - 8 hours ago
... Boots Landscaping in Arlington Heights, "but there still are a couple of things to do." Cannon's suggestions range from lawn care to gardening tasks, ...

Garden calendar for Dec. 4
The Columbian, WA - 9 hours ago
Naturally Beautiful Backyards: Free volunteer training in gardening and landscaping. Thursdays 6-9 pm, January 22 through March 26, at Clark County 78th ...

Gardening Texoma: Winter flowers for spring
KXII-TV, TX - 1 hour ago
This morning on Gardening Texoma, landscaping expert Jonathan Castro shows you what to do now in the winter time for beautiful spring flowers. ...

Botanical Garden Collects Used Plastic Pots
Lawn & Landscape, OH - Dec 3, 2008
Over the last five years, the program has further expanded to include collections from “green” industry businesses such as landscaping contractors, ...

Weekly waterings should help plants survive through winter
Las Vegas Review - Journal, NV - 8 hours ago
What advice can you give on winter care of a recently planted desert landscaping? I have lantana, Mexican bird of paradise, red fountain grass and others. ...

Gardeners love Christmastime
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, CA - 19 hours ago
Many of us have new gardeners in our lives. Our kids may have just bought a house and dislike the landscaping. Or they've been hearing about habitat gardens ...

Examiner.com

Native landscaping versus xeriscaping
Examiner.com - Dec 2, 2008
by Jaime Zaplatosch, Chicago Gardening Examiner Many people use the word "xeriscaping" liberally to refer to landscapes that don't require much or any water ...

Pride of Ownership '08: City, Rotary announce award winners
Ithaca Journal, NY - 8 hours ago
Minn's Garden Gate began as a practical barrier to deer but became artwork under the guidance of professor Nina Bassuk, landscape architect Laurene Gilbert ...

Weekly Vista

Garden stores have plenty to offer during winter season
Weekly Vista, AR - Nov 26, 2008
But, on the contrary, there are many things available at garden shops that are viable year-round. Village Garden and Landscaping At Village Garden and ...

Resources


    Sorry there are no resources available at this time