Home Improvement

Image by by Juergen Kurlvink

When you have a fantastic looking garden and lawn it gives your home what is known as kerb appeal. This not only adds a fantastic deal of value to the home, but gives the homeowner a sense of pride and satisfaction in the home they own. A gorgeous lawn is probably the single largest factor in adding excellent looks to your home and it is often missing in areas of new buildings due to the site being dozed to level it.

Often the developers do not save the topsoil and place it back over the top after they have finished levelling. But grass cannot grow well on sub soil that is lacking the right nutrients. And lawn that is not healthy is more prone to disease and insect attack. In Brisbane, lawn grubs can be a pest and do lots of hurt in lawns, leaving them with brown, unsightly patches.

If your lawn is non-existent or growing on clay and looking shabby due to insect attack, it is imperative to add more topsoil. Companies that specialise in turf supply in Brisbane will usually advise on what must be done to prepare the site for new turf. Some will even do it for you. If they do not, make sure you do not go to the expense of laying new turf on sub soil, or you will simply have the same problem.

Once you have your soil and lawn sorted out, you will be able to spend some time in choosing landscape supplies in Brisbane. You may choose to have a pebbled section to cut down on mowing or just to add another colour and texture to your landscape design. Pebbles often look excellent with a water feature or as inorganic mulch over gardens.

In these days when costs are sky-rocketing and people often work all week, a low maintenance garden is necessary. By choosing easy-care perennials and permanent shrubs and trees any garden can look attractive all year round and give that kerb appeal to your home that will make the neighbours envious.

Image by by Stewart Leiwakabessy

6 Steps to Making Your Very Own Maintenance Free Landscape

on Long Island

By Kevin Godberson

In the world of landscaping, any reputable landscape company would tell you that the key to a maintenance free property starts with a proper (what we call in the Long Island community) ‘‘Spring Opening’’ or ‘‘Spring Clean-up’’.

We all want a maintenance free property… Don’t we?  So here are 6 steps to help you make your very own maintenance free landscape.

Step # 1 – Raking Leaves and Thatching Grass

Start by raking all leaves, sticks and acorns from all flower beds and thatch all grass areas. This will give you a clean foundation to start from. Now your lawn areas can breath and are ready for the first application of lawn crabgrass control with fertilizer.

Step # 2 – Weeding and Mulching

All beds should be treated with a healthy layer of mulch to slow down the germination of weeds. A pre-emergence weed control can be used to also stop the weeds from coming up. A excellent covering should be place down over soil before the mulch is spread. Who wants to weed beds on the weekend?  NOT ME.

Step # 3 – Crabgrass Control

For a lawn to really prosper it should have an application of pre-emergence Crabgrass control place down. This will stop crabgrass from flourishing later in the season. Spot seed all bare areas so lawn fills in. Be sure to keep fertilizer away from bare areas as it will stop the seed from germinating.

Step# 4 – Watering Your Lawn

At this time you should water the fertilized areas in order to green up your lawn. Make certain to go over all heads. If you have a sprinkler system, make sure you inspect each head for proper operation.  Rotation of heads and spray distance is vital to get entire lawn watered. We don’t want areas of your lawn to burn up as they take a long time to come back to life.

Step# 5 – Crabgrass Control – (revisited)

After about 4 weeks I like to go back and place down a second application of crabgrass control. This will ensure that you have covered the entire lawn. One application never works 100% and you may end up with some crabgrass that will seed itself across the rest of your lawn. Trust me the second application really works.

Step# 6 - Weed control

So in closing, follow the above 6 steps to your best ability and transform your Long island landscape into one that’s both extremely easy on the eye as well as maintenance free.

Image by by Chi King

About Goodway Landscape : Goodway Landscape will meet with you during the design process to ensure that you are comfortable with the direction the design is going in. We will meet with you once more before the design is finalized and provide you with an estimated cost. While the design doesn’t typically change much at this point, we can determine how much of the project will be installed during the first phase. Because financial considerations are given at the outset, Goodway Landscape is often able to accommodate your budget and therefore install the design in one phase.

For every pest in nature there is a predator bug that will leave the plant alone while dining on the terrible bugs. These are called beneficials and include ladybugs, praying mantis and lacewings. Protecting beneficials takes advantage of nature’s control mechanisms. Chemical pesticides kill both pests and beneficials, which leads to pest population explosions once the predators are gone. The new approach to pest control is through least toxic measures designed to protect beneficials while controlling pests.

To lower pH, ferrous sulfate and aluminum sulfate are often recommended. Ferrous sulfate, which also adds iron to the soil, is of the most help to plants that show yellow leaves as well as overall poor health. You’ll also lower the pH of alkaline soil over time by regularly applying organic amendments such as compost.

* You may have noticed that soluble fertilizers – like the liquid mixes – must be applied every week or two. The reason is that plants are only able to utilize seven or eight percent of the nutrients per application. So they need to be reapplied quite frequently which can be costly and tedious. Conversely, organic and natural fertilizers only need to be applied a couple times a year, because as they break down, they continue to feed the roots.

Goodway Landscape News Most projects start with tearing out the existing landscape unless there’s already nothing there. Be sure to let your design consultant know if there are any items you wish to remain so that we can incorporate it into your design. Before the tear out takes place we question you to tie bright colored ribbons or tape on the plants that are going to stay.

Plant more trees.

Many newer neighborhoods in this country just don’t have enough trees. Recent suburbs and developments are built on former farm fields with no trees. If possible, homeowners should plant trees. Trees, just like all plants, breathe oxygen back in to the atmosphere. They make shade which can cut air-conditioning costs for your home and they add all-season beauty.

Goodway Landscape Caring for a pond takes less effort than maintaining a lawn. The ecosystem you have helped to make by having Goodway Landscape install an Aquascape™ pond does most of the work for you. So aside from stepping out of the way and allowing nature to take its course, there are a few basic things you need to know.

Buys to Make and Tools You Need

* Mail in your warranty card for your Aquascape™ pump that came with your pond.
* Buy a digital thermometer for your pond.
* Pond and waterfall lights won’t last forever. Simply remove the bulbs and take them to your local hardware store. Easy to replace!
* Aquatic plants are necessary for taking up sludge and excess nutrients. Goodway Landscape installs plants for 90 percent of our customers; but, many of you delight in adding plants after we have gone, as well you should. When adding plants take them out of their containers.
* Algea are a natural part of any ecosystem and should never be thought of as something you want to completely do away with. but, string algea is best taken care of with a product call Algae Fix® . (Coming soon to our Products page.)
* Pond Salt only gets added once per pond filling and is optional. Add 1 cup of Pond Salt for every 100 gallons of pond water for healthier fish. Using more than this application will hurt your plants and is not recommended. Less is more, in this case. A excellent formula for figuring out pond gallons: Length x Width x Despth x 7.48 = Gallons. (Example: for an 11′ x 16′ pond the formula would be: 11 x 16 x 2 x 7.48 = 2,633 gallons or 25 cups of Pond Salt.)
* Test your pond water with an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Test Kit. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals sells a kit that provides a chart for aquarium solition / PH Balance / Pond Salt for Ponds with plants.

Image by by Richard0

When most people reckon of Long Island landscaping companies or horticultural designers, they reckon of people who mow the lawn, plant trees and flowers.  There is a lot more to the job of a landscaper.  Landscaping companies are capable of making an oasis in your back yard, around your pool area and other areas throughout your yard.  The following are examples of what a professional landscaping can do to improve your yard:

Decorative Lights: To any given environment, if the lights are used appropriately, they can make an immense difference and that is why lights used accordingly to your outdoor structure can enhance the design features and add beauty. Illumination techniques are very attractive especially when used in the right manner, providing you with a pleasing look at duck or evening.

Fire-pits: These are not limited to an occasion anymore, they are used extensively in homes nowadays and due to its benefit, nearly all homeowners want them. A fire-pit installed in your garden makes a perfect excuse to spend an evening outdoor, irrespective of the cold weather. Whether you like spending time outdoors or have some guest over a party, well having a fire-pit will not limit you indoors.

Patios: Patios have over taken an entirely new look and use as to earlier days. With all the innovations and efforts of landscapers, it is not limited to use. You can delight in your patio anytime and will certainly help you relax. You have many options to choose from for your patio, ranging from different shapes to diverse textures.

Fountains: Water fountains play a very vital role in decorating your outdoor, provided it is installed in the right location and style that goes along well with your outdoor theme. But, this is where you will require the services of a excellent landscaping company.

If you are looking to improve your landscape next spring, don’t wait until spring, now is the time to start plotting. For landscaping thoughts, there are several landscaping books and websites that offer fantastic landscaping tips.

Image by by shchukin

Landscaping consists of not only adding plants, bushes, trees and flowers it also includes water features, lawn furnishings and other decorative niceties to your lawn to make an attractive, comfortable garden.  You don’t need professional help to landscape your lawn or garden; landscaping makes a fun and easy project that you can do with your own two hands, and it will help the environment by reducing toxic greenhouse gases, preventing soil erosion and producing oxygen.

If you’re thinking of landscaping your garden, start by brainstorming some gardening thoughts.  You can find landscaping thoughts in books, gardening magazines and even at the homes of your friends and neighbors.  Once you’ve chose what you’d like your new garden to look like, plot a central feature.  Your central feature will serve as your jumping-off point when you start your project; it will also be the most dramatic element of your newly landscaped garden.

Here are some tips to help you landscape your garden:

When choosing permanent features (statues, benches, swings and bird baths) choose features that will please you.  Remember, you’re going to have to look at them for a long time. When choosing plants, remember that different plants bloom and flourish during different seasons. This gives you the freedom to plant a garden that will bloom all year or all season long. Some people choose a monochromatic landscaping scheme, in which they use different shades of one color.  Others use an analogous color scheme, which calls for the use of related colors, like blue, violet and blue-violet.  You might prefer a complimentary color scheme.  Use a color wheel to choose your colors. Plant large, robust plants next to smaller, thinner plants to add variety to your garden beds, or use plants with varying shades of leaves or even multicolored leaves.  Have a close look at your garden from every angle to make sure that it works well as a whole.

You might want to consider landscaping your new garden for function as well as form.  “Edible landscaping” means planting vegetables and fruits alongside decorative plants in your garden beds.  Use rows of kitchen herbs to separate patches of ornamentals.  Plant tomatoes and marigolds side by side; delight in pea plants as a lovely flowering vine.  Edible landscaping makes your garden even more eco-friendly by reducing your dependence on the fossil fuels used to ship food to markets; it will save you money on groceries and, of course, it’s tasty.