Green Thumb Corner

Browse though these landscaping design ideas and you’ll be well on your way to a perfect gardening season.

Landscaping design can be enjoyable, but there are a few issues you’ll want to be aware of before you get started.

Plant Selection - Choosing The Best Plants For Your Landscape

Plant selection is one of the most important aspects to any landscaping design plan. In fact, it is one of the most important secrets in successful landscaping and one that you should seriously consider. First you should know that there are certain growth habits and characteristics that need to be recognized.

Before you choose the plants for your landscape, be sure to consider the size that plants reach at maturity, light requirements, heat and wind tolerance, and soil preference. By taking into consideration these characteristics about different plants you will be able to determine which are going to work best for your needs.

Zoning - What Is Your Climate And Planting Zone? 

You will also need to consider the aspect of zoning in your landscaping design. It is extremely important that you know which planting zone you live in and then plant accordingly. There are going to be certain plants that you are not able to plant in your yard, depending on where you live and how close it is to the road, for instance.

Color Choice - Picking A Color Scheme To Enhance Your Home

Also when planning landscaping design, you need to factor in color. Colors that are similar to each other are going to have little contrast and will basically blend in together so you want to put plants of opposite colors beside one another. This will result in the greatest contrast and will have the best overall effect on your design.

If possible, your plant selection should include silvers and reds, silvers and purples, silvers and yellows, and other similar color combinations. Many people forget how important color is in landscaping and a lot of people do not think creatively, other than the basic green. There are a number of landscaping plants that you can use which come in bright vibrant colors and you should definitely incorporate as many of these as you can.

The height of your plants is also going to play an important role here, and you typically want to keep the smaller plants in front and have the larger plants in the back. You can also use plant height to create natural focal points. For example, if you have a couple of shrubs on each side of your driveway you may choose to make them one of the main focal points in your landscaping design.

For the ultimate advice on achieving the perfect curb appeal from your landscaping design efforts, click here now. 

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Landscape work is an ongoing process that never seems to stop.  Depending on where you live, you may deal with raking leaves, shoveling snow or even mowing the grass this time of year.  Regardless, your landscape says a lot about you and your home.

Upkeep is important and that goes without saying.  But if you do live in a colder climate where nothing much grows this time of year, it’s a great time to start thinking about spring.  Yes, already!

What will you plant?  Start researching various trees, shrubs, flowers and plants and get your game plan together.  Just imagine what your home and garden landscape will look like next year…

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Backyard landscaping ideas are everywhere you look these days - at the home improvement store, on the magazine rack and even on numerous television programs. In fact, if you’re trying to come up with a plan of your own, you might just have too much information.

Give it Some Personality

A good place to begin is to first identify the things you and your family enjoy. Successful backyards contain something for every household member and are a true reflection of the things that interest them. Don’t be afraid to be creative by choosing unique shrubs, trees and interesting garden decor.

Make it Functional For Your Family

Of particular importance is to be aware of what you want your backyard to represent. Do you like to play games outside? If so, you’ll want to make sure that your landscape choice doesn’t interfere with the activities you enjoy most.

Maybe you prefer to relax and take in the natural beauty from your patio or gazebo. If so, think about the colors and smells you want to surround yourself with. Do you want to gaze at beautiful flowering vines covering an eye-catching arch, for example? For those who like to entertain, keep in mind the atmosphere you want to reflect when you have guests over. It might even help to make a list of everything important to you about this part of your home.

Once you have a list of ways you want to use your backyard along with your personal preferences, then it’s time to look for examples of landscapes that incorporate these items into the design.

Get the Whole Gang Involved

After gathering some research materials, get the entire family together to review. Because you’ve already narrowed the potential winners, even the youngest members of the family can offer input on the ideas they like best. By getting everyone involved you can bring the family closer together and make them feel they had a hand in the design process.

An added benefit of this process includes everyone having ownership in the final landscape decision. You’ll never have to hear one of the kids complain about helping to maintain the yard because they had no say in it. That’s not to say they won’t complain, but it just won’t be for that reason!

Most of all, have fun with the process, pick one of your backyard landscaping ideas and implement it - you’ll enjoy it for years to come.

Want to find out how you can get free landscaping software?

Click here to learn how to improve the curb appeal of your home.

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by Keith Markensen

It’s an unavoidable fact that if left untended, for every flower and plant that adorns our gardens, a greater number of pests will also take root. The good news is that removing these scoundrels from infesting your vegetation does not need to rely on chemicals, nor should it. For each individual species of pest that shows up in your garden abode, there is a natural solution that is cheaper and most importantly, safer to use than pesticides.

Shockingly, North Americans use upwards of 130 million pounds of pesticide each year, both in their gardens and in their homes. This dwarfs the amount used by farmers by almost three times, and accounts for a high percentage of wildlife pest poisonings and contamination of surface water from pesticide use.

Cutting back on this problem requires educating gardeners and homeowners everywhere. Taking the initiative by spreading the word yourself can only help, and the best way to do that is to lead by example, and keep your own home pesticide free.

The following tips will help you keep your garden healthy and pest free without resorting to harmful pesticide use.

The most common problem gardeners will face is insect damage to their plants. With proper cultivation and gardening methods, this problem can be drastically reduced before having to resort to other methods. This means having well-prepared soil, adjusting the pH balance as needed, good drainage and air circulation.

As your garden continues to grow and take shape, remove and dispose immediately of any struggling plants. Be sure to keep your compost area for storing your weeds, discarded plants and compost well away from your main gardening area, as the compost heap will be sure to attract pests.

Keep your garden beds well mulched and top-dressed with compost to ensure healthy plant development. Ensure you’re using clean mulch, bought from a reputable dealer or cultivated yourself.

Be sure to keep your garden area clear of debris and things that will attract insects. If you have fruit trees near your garden, be sure to dispose of any fallen fruit immediately. Spoiled pears or apples will attract all many of pests.

Seaweed fertilizer sprays are useful for strengthening soil and promoting plant growth. They contain helpful minerals and trace elements like iron, calcium, sulphur and magnesium.

Mix up your garden beds with a variety of plant types interspersed throughout. This makes it difficult for plant specific pests to propagate and spread throughout your garden bed.

If you’ve used your gardening implements on infected plants, be sure to sterilize them before using them on healthy plants.

Finally, you can call on the power of nature itself to help you in your fight using a natural product like neem oil. By attracting or purchasing insects which feast upon the particular pests bothering your plants, you can remove them in one fell swoop of natural selection. Praying Mantises, Hover Flies, Ladybugs, Chalcids, Brachonids, and if they don’t frighten you, Wasps, are all insects which will help you battle common varieties of garden pests.

Having a healthy and beautiful garden should not be your number one priority, the health and safety of family should be. Thankfully it is not a choice of one or the other. By using any or all of the above tips, you can keep your garden looking great, and have no fear of your children playing near your plants. It’s truly the best of both worlds.

About the Author: What better time than right now to explore and learn more on the subject of neem oil pesticide. Visit our evergrowing library at Read full post...

by Julia Micheals

In addition to providing your home with a lovely, look, landscape lighting has many added benefits as well. Landscape lighting helps to prevent accidents or falls around the home in the dark and this type of lighting also helps to keep away burglars and thieves.

Many homeowners would like to include landscape lighting around their home, but they are discouraged by the high costs of most landscape lighting kits. Fortunately discount landscape lighting that provides safe and quality lighting is now available.

Two categories of discount landscape lighting that may be suitable your budget framework and the structure of your home include Kichler and Malibu. Kichler discount landscape lighting includes a medley of cuts and colors. These low voltage lights are simple to mount and totally secure to use.

While quite a few landscape lighting units come with a litter of materials, that need to be dug deep in the earth, the Kichler landscape lighting materials only come with fixtures, low voltage transformers, low voltages cables, and low voltage in-ground mounting stems. The Malibu discount landscape lighting is another low voltage lighting system that is excellent for landscape lighting amateurs.

These lights include easy to use programming manuals and are uncomplicated to install. Furthermore, the Malibu discount landscape lighting systems diffuse a cozy illumination around your home.

Discount landscape lighting is truly the best option for consumers who want an outdoor lighting system, but do not want to pay the big prices. These discount landscape options are also easy to use, safe to install, and can be moved to different locations with ease.

If you would like the safety and warm look of landscape lighting don’t give up, plenty of discount landscape lighting options can be located through many discount landscape lighting websites. These lights are made from quality materials, can be shipped to your home, and best of all they will not break your budget.

Also, remember that there are different advantages and disadvantages to each discount landscape lighting systems. Take some time to figure out what your needs are first and then go ahead and find the product that can meet those needs. Trust us, you’ll be glad you spent that extra time to make a smart purchase.

About the Author: Julia Micheals is engaged with an online landscape lighting project that informs enthusiasts through educational articles. Read valuable reviews on discount landscape lighting systems on the market today. Read full post...