Spring Is The Time To Setup Outdoor Landscape Lighting

 

Spring is that time of the year when you can really enjoy being outside in your backyard and setting up outdoor landscape lighting for spring will give you that extra boost to be able to do this. Lighting makes it possible for you to be able to enjoy the beautiful views of your home without having to constantly put on and remove your outdoor light fixtures. This is a great way to make any home look elegant and welcoming at the same time because outdoor lights can add that finishing touch to any home. And this is one home improvement idea that is not very expensive at all. So if you are looking to change the look of your home for spring, here is where you will get started.

lighting

The first thing you need to do is have a plan and map of your outdoor landscaping lighting scheme. This will help you figure out what materials you will need to get the look you want for your home. It will also make it easier to work out an estimate on how much it will cost you to get this landscaping done.

Once you have your landscaping planned, then it’s time to start getting outdoor landscape lights. You should get at least three different kinds of lights that will be able to illuminate the area you need them to as well as the look you want. One reason that you need to do this is so that you can adjust the lights so that they are at the right angle to get the optimal amount of light for whatever it is you are trying to do. You should also have several different levels of illumination in order for you to be able to accent areas of your landscaping with different levels of light.

Another reason you should create a landscaping plan is so that you can choose the right light fixtures to complement the type of landscaping you have in your yard. You can have a variety of different outdoor light fixtures such as low-voltage lights that don’t draw much electricity and fixtures that use a higher voltage so that they can provide a brighter light. If you have a beautiful spring lawn, then you may want to consider having a floodlight or moonlight. These types of lights can really create an atmosphere that you enjoy because it’s easy to see your yard at night and it’s nice to have something that is uplight when you walk around at night. Sunshine Coast Tree Lopping has been offering tree service to Sunshine Coast, Caloundra, Buderim locals trust for Tree Removal Buderim, they suggested placing lighting to the trees on your yard as it cause no harm.

Once you have these outdoor landscape lighting in place, then you can start using them to accent your home. The best part about adding outdoor landscape lighting to your home is that it is fairly inexpensive. Even though you do pay more for a floodlight or moonlight, you are still paying a reasonable price for what you get. This is especially true if you shop around online for your lights. You can easily find deals and save money on your purchase by shopping online. In addition to being able to save money, you will also be able to shop from the comfort of your own home without having to get out of your car and drive around town.

Springtime is a wonderful time of year. You can enjoy the outdoors without worrying about getting lost in the dark. By adding some outdoor landscape lighting to your property, you can truly make your property come alive at this time of the year. You can truly have a nighttime garden while spending time outdoors under the starlight.

Landscaping Ideas Around A Hot Tub

how to do landscaping around a hot tubIf you want to learn how to do landscaping around a hot tub, you should start by putting in the spa and taking proper care of it. One of the first things that you have to do is waterproof the tub. A spa that is not properly protected will begin to leak within months. It would be best if you put the spa in your yard or garage, away from trees and other places that would hinder its installation. You can add more plants and flowers around the area if you like, in order to enhance its look and therefore make it more attractive.

Once the water is drained out completely, you can then pave the surrounding landscape. Since this is the landscape idea for landscaping around a hot tub, you need to pick an area where you can put the decking. You can place this in the backyard or on the patio. There are tubs that come with built-in decks, so you may want to check this out first if you want. If you do not have enough money to buy one, you can opt instead to just purchase floating floors that you can lay on the ground in order to cool down your tub.

Another option that you can have is to put the hot tub on an incline. This is particularly helpful if you live on a slope. You should however ensure that the incline is level, or else it might slip on the wet soil. You should also add some pebbles or rocks on top of the incline in order to prevent slips and falls.

If you want landscape ideas for landscaping around a hot tub that involve building a deck around it, you have to first put up a solid foundation for the pool. You can opt to use concrete, plywood, or any other material that is sturdy enough. Once you have these, you will need to fill the entire area with water.

After installing the deck around your hot tub, you can then plant trees and shrubs around it. This is especially helpful if you want to create a tropical-like landscape. Just make sure that your plants do not grow too close to the tub. Another thing to consider is that you should leave enough space for other activities in the area, such as a pool pump and a water fountain.

These are just a few landscape ideas for landscaping around a hot tub. Of course, there are many more that you can implement if you want to. If you are planning on building a deck around your tub, remember that it will be much more difficult, though not impossible, to clean. Also, you should keep in mind that a good landscape plan can help you achieve a more pleasing feel for the entire landscape.

Trees: The Hows and Whens of Planting them in your Yard

What kind of trees are you going to plant in that new home? It’s a good question and one that is going to take some consideration. A decision in haste can lead to future regret. Sure, a lot of trees grow more beautiful year after year. But others have the potential to create a lot of waste, problems, and decades of trouble by dropping messy fruit or causing dangerous sticks to point out and even hurt someone. That’s the reason why you should take your time in deciding what kind of tree you want to add to your landscaped area.

Begin by thinking: what kind of tree do I want in my backyard. Why do I want to place a tree in this area? Do I need shade? Privacy? Or does the tree just need to add curb appeal to my home?

The Growth Rate

A tree’s growth rate may also factor into your decision. Some trees grow much slower than others. For example, the hardwoods all grow slowly, but they also tend to live much longer than others. If you need trees to give shade then you need one that has a faster growth rate. These trees are typically smaller. They have softer wood and don’t live as long.

You also want to scale trees to the size of the home. Smaller homes need smaller trees and larger ones need larger hardwoods. Place smaller trees near the house and taller ones further away.

Trees can be either deciduous or evergreen. By deciduous we mean they lose their leaves in the fall and are bare during the winter. Evergreen trees and shrubs keep their foliage throughout the year. Some have broader leaves than others such as the pines which have needled foliage.

Assets and Liabilities

Every type of tree has an asset that suits special types of landscapes. But each also has special growing requirements. Some work well in cold areas while others are rated for hardiness in cold areas. Some work best in rich moist soils while others work more in acidic soils. Liabilities such as thorns should also be considered, especially if you have animals or children. Some trees are messy or weedy. All of these factors need to be considered when deciding to plant trees in your backyard.

Tree Health

When a tree is small that is not always a good thing. A small tree is not always a young tree. Trees can grow small because they are weak. A less sturdy tree will have thinner bark and it will be textured with furrows, flakes, and ridges, not the smooth texture that young trees normally have.

Certain trees are better suited to urban areas than others. They can withstand pollutants that come from industry and cars. They do well in areas of poor drainage and with night lights, salt sprays, and other hindrances of the city. They typically have shorter lifespans than trees in the suburbs or in the country.

The point is when you plan on planting trees you need to take all of these factors into consideration and then make your choice appropriately. Furthermore, Aussie Tree Lopping Canberra can give you ample advice on how to take all of the factors indicated above into reality. 

Build a Gorgeous Firepit for Cheap

My wife and I love to have an outdoor fire in the backyard. It’s a great way to entertain or just to cap off of the day, But building a bonfire on the lawn left an ugly Circle that grew larger all the time. the next day I was always cringing at the horrible look of the charred grass. Plus we worried that an ember could cause a significant fire to the nearby neighbor’s lawns.

That’s when we decided it was time to add a cool fire pit to our outdoor landscape. It was a great idea. But going from idea to reality, well that’s another question.  There are just tons of options and materials to select from. It’s fantastic, but it makes choosing the design, and more importantly, selecting the material, a really difficult chore.

Firepit

Pavers are Better than Natural Stone

So I talked to my neighbor, an expert Landscaping professional. He gave us some ideas to help us think of materials to use and decide on how to build it.  He told us that; as a general rule of thumb, you want to consider using concrete pavers instead of real rock. the reason is simple. pavers are uniform in size, lighter, and easier for you or the landscaper to work with. and the beauty of using pavers is that they now come with the look and feel of natural stone.

I decided to choose a paver that had a brick fire look to it. These were perfect for what I wanted to do. Plus I got a huge discount on a nice lot of brick pavers.

My next step was to decide how and where I was going to build the fire pit. My wife and I considered building a traditional brick fire pit on a concrete foundation. But we found out that this was going to take a  hefty investment. Instead, we chose to build the fire pit right over the charred circle we had already created on the lawn.

The Process

I dug up a 30-inch deep trench through the soil on the circular perimeter. I asked for help from a buddy of mine to pour the concrete in the trench and then to build up the wall high enough for a fire pit.

In the end, the process was not that difficult and it only took us a day to build a simple fire pit using a concrete trench and brick pavers. Today this is the fire pit that my wife and I enjoy. It is a place to sit with our friends and relax with a cold beer. The pit looks great and it safely contains any fire without burning the grass that sits next to it.

Landscaping Advice You Can Try Out Today!

Landscaping is one of the things that provides a lasting first impression of your home. Some simple things can make a big difference, in either a good or bad way. This article will give you ideas on how to make the curb appeal on your home jump up a few percentage points.

Prior to buying, have a detailed sketch of the garden you are aiming for. You should know exactly where things go in addition to which order you will proceed to create your landscape. Allow yourself a couple of weeks to review the sketches and make a few changes to them if needed.

Do not settle for a cheap design such as a patio or a deck if you are not going to use it. It might be worth paying a professional designer to help you create the kind of space and design you will use and enjoy throughout different seasons.

To help pay for your project, you should divide it into different stages. You will only have to pay for one stage at a time. If landscaping is a hobby for you, taking your time is important since creating the landscape is often more fun than maintaining it on a regular basis.

Use contrast to bring interest to your landscaping. Try to plant items that are very different from each other in color, form, and texture. Look at a color wheel, select the colors that are opposite each other, and then pair plantings of those colors together. This variety will give a better look to your landscape.

Purchase what you need in different stages. It can be very expensive to buy everything at one time. Think about your project, and separate it into several steps. Buy what you need one step at a time. This will keep you from going into credit debt, allow you to evaluate your project as you go, and help you make changes as necessary.

Gradually, buy materials. Not all people have the capacity to buy everything for their projects a bunch. Dividing projects into phases, assuredly you can pay for what you need as you go. As a result, it will save you money, you are on track of your own progress, and allows you to adjust plans ahead to your next phase.

In order for you to save a lot, you can plan out the time of the year you’re can buy supplies for your project. For instance, lumber does not cost as much in the winter as it does in the summer. You can also find better deals on trees, soil, and perennials later in the season when not as many people are buying them.

Don’t assume that you must complete your entire landscaping project at one time. Dividing your project into several steps that can be completed over a number of years will not only make your project more manageable but will also save you the money you would have paid in interest if you took out a loan to complete the project in one go.

For excellent results, opt landscaping elements that are native to your climate, soil type, and annual rainfall. This will significantly reduce maintenance costs, improve appearance, and promote longevity. It also ensures that your lawn and garden complement your home in its natural environment. This is ideal for those who enjoy attracting native wildlife like birds and butterflies.

Measure the amount of sunlight that your home and yard receive prior to choosing any plants for landscaping. If you don’t, you may find that the plant that you were relying heavily on, will not survive the amount of direct sunlight you receive. You’ll want to match plants to the lighting that you receive around your home, to make sure your landscaping stays green for a long time.

When hiring a professional landscaper, it is important to make sure they have a license and liability insurance. You wouldn’t want a tree to fall on your car, and not be able to collect for the damages! Always protect yourself, and your property by requiring proof of license, and insurance.

As you can see, there are a lot of simple things that you can do to seriously impact the appeal of your home to those driving, walking, or just stopping by. It is the first thing people see and good landscaping can vastly improve the value of your home.