garden design

Just recently my friend had his house appraised between $800,000 and $815,000 by two different independent house valuators. He spent two days hard work in the garden placing new grass on mats, bringing in new plants, putting creepers on the wall, and adding a water feature. He sold his house at an auction two weeks later for $853,500. It only took him a few hours of his work and a few thousand dollars to make a lot of profit.

Some people however believe that a good garden will only sell the house quicker. It is important however to not over-capitalize your garden. A good rule of thumb is for every dollar you spend you’ll get around $1.15 back. This still depends on the quality of the work done. Which is why if you know nothing about landscaping contact your local landscaping designer for help.

You must also think twice before deciding to put a pool into your backyard. In many cases these can be seen as a liability as they may cost several thousand dollars a year to run.

You must also think twice before deciding to put a pool into your backyard. In many cases these can be seen as a liability as they may cost several thousand dollars a year to run.

Here are some easy features you can implement that may increase your houses value:

-Mow your lawn! The most obvious. If your grass is dying plant some new grass or use grass mats.

-If you have a pond or pool make sure it is clean, put in fresh water if you have to. Nothing is more disgusting than having grime floating on your pool or dirty leaves. If you have water plants in your pond make sure they are nice eye catchers, for example colorful lilies.

-Trim your trees and shrubs.

-Get rid of all those weeds.

-Clean any pavement areas.

-Make sure your plants aren’t dying, instead colorful and vibrant.

-A hot, put scented plants or shrubs near your windows. This can give the house a very nice smell. Something like lavender.

-Weather protection. Be careful about to not spend too much on this.

On the other hand these may decrease your houses value:

- Adding a pool.

- Unmentioned garden, such as dying plants, weeds etc…

- Lack of weather protection.

- Too much concrete.

- Too much clutter. A garden should be spacious.

- Poor linking between garages, utilities, the pool, and the house.

This article is owned by http://www.use-your-equity.com and written by John Whiteside. Learn more about real estate investing, and how to create and use the equity in your home! The original article can be found at http://www.use-your-equity.com/Landscaping.html

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Maintaining a luscious and green lawn is best and easiest done by getting one of those lawn sprinkler systems. Not only do they provide you with the convenience of watering your lawn automatically, they also ensure that your turf gets the optimal irrigation it needs. While lawn sprinkler systems might be rather costly, it is not true that they are a waste of money, or only for people who are too lazy to water their lawn. In reality, lawn sprinkler systems could save you money because they ensure that you only consume the right amount of water for your lawn, keeping your water bills in check.

Why Get a Lawn Sprinkler System?

Using a hose to water your lawn wastes your time, effort and money. Aside from that, it also does not provide you grass with enough water because you would be quite difficult to ensure that you are targeting the roots correctly. But with lawn sprinkler systems, you are sure that your plants get the right amount of water in the right places. This decreases the likelihood of your lawn from experiencing drought, and thus avoiding the expensive ordeal of replacing dead grass, saving you even more money. In addition to all these is the convenience of not needing to devote much attention to your lawn because of automation. Furthermore, a lawn sprinkler system also raises the value of your property.

Kinds of Lawn Sprinkler Systems

There are many types of lawn watering systems available for different needs and budgets. Typical watering systems for residential use employ in-ground irrigation methods. This entails burying the sprinkler system underground. This allows you to avoid having eyesores on your lawns such as tangled pipes, irrigation valves, and sprinklers as they are all hidden from view.

Here are some variations of lawn watering systems:
1. Spray irrigation - this is the most common type of lawn sprinkler systems. As the name suggest, water is sprayed directly over the lawn with this type. Long tubes are imbedded in the lawn, and are attached to a water source. Water is then shoot out of the tubes using sprayers. Usually a center pivot is used where there are fixed points that form a large irrigation circle. Sprinklers are installed on top of the tubes and rotated throughout the landscape. Such types of sprinkler systems are good for light soil types. They can also be controlled by an electric device, making operation easier and more flexible.

2. Drip Irrigation - this type of irrigation is less common because it appears to be more complicated. Tubes with holes are buried under the turf. Holes are situated at set distances that are set specifically for the area where they will provide irrigation. The concentration of the holes can also be varied. Unlike the spray system, water is not sprayed into the air, but are sprinkled, or dripped near the plant roots, providing direct contact. Not only does this prevent people from getting went in the event that they pass through the lawn while water, drip sprinkler systems allow more precision when watering. Another great thing about drip sprinkler systems is that they use less water, saving you even more money while helping the environment. According to certain studies, drip systems use only about half the amount of water that spray systems use. Thus they are quite economical and practical.

Things to Consider When Choosing Lawn Sprinkler Systems

When choosing a sprinkler system to use for your lawn you should first check the capacity of the system to meet your landscaping needs. You might not need a complicated system for a small lawn area, but you might need something more complex for a large yard. You should also consider the water supply available as certain systems might need more water than others. Certain sprinkler systems may also be labor-intensive to install, if you plan to install them alone, you should consider the skills needed to use a particular system. The type of soil in your lawn should also be studied as some systems may be ideal to certain soil types. Lastly, you should check your budget and see if you can afford a particular type of sprinkler system.

A healthy lawn needs a good irrigation method. Using a lawn sprinkler system is the most efficient and effective way of filling this requirement for having a good lawn.

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No matter where you live, there’s nothing better than relaxing outdoors on a warm summer night watching your backyard landscaping ideas come to life.

Unfortunately, re-landscaping your entire backyard during the course of one growing season can be back breaking, expensive and requires major planning.

Here’s a simple solution: Break up your backyard into “rooms” and remodel one room each year. This is especially helpful if you’re on a budget. You’re results will be much better if you spend as much time and money as you can on one project, rather than trying to revamp the entire backyard all at once for the same amount of money.

Although you’re landscaping only one section of the yard at a time, you still need an overall plan. Using graph paper, sketch out the permanent structures on your property including the house, out buildings, deck and trees.

This is also a good time to consider which existing plants and shrubs won’t be a part of the new landscape.

Make copies of your sketch and experiment with different designs. Incorporate ideas you like from magazines or gardens you’ve visited.

If you host frequent cook outs you’ll probably want to keep the yard open and plant along the borders. If you don’t need the space, you could create real drama with an island bed, walkways, solar lighting and cutouts for comfortable furniture to relax on.

Here are some ideas you’ll dig:

Screening with Plants

If your yard doesn’t have a fence, you might want to consider planting a row of hawthorn, juniper, arborvitae, or a combination of these bushes to create privacy and provide a backdrop for future flower beds. A strategically place evergreen screen will also provide a windbreak from winter winds and drifting snow.

Planning a Border Flower Bed

The hardest part of designing a border is choosing flowers that complement each other both in color and height. The list of perennials I suggest here is for a six foot wide bed in a mainly sunny situation. Wide, in this case, means outward from the plant screen or fence, not the length of the bed.

Use 3 or 5 plants for each kind of flower and allow 16″-18″ between each plant. Allow 20″-22″ between the different plant groups. Planting an odd number of plants is more visually appealing than an even number.

Allow sufficient space at the rear of the bed for access. This will also prevent choking off necessary air and light from the plants in back.

These are my suggestions for a perennial border. They were chosen to give a long display, with the first flowers appearing in April and the last in October.

Tall plants for the back row: SEDUM ‘Autumn Joy’; RUDBECKIA Goldsturm; PHLOX White; IRIS light blue or yellow; VERONICA Blue; SOLIDAGO ‘Golden Shower’; and HOSTA fortunei ‘Picta’.

Shorter plants for the front row: GERANIUM grandiflorum; POTENTILLA ‘Firedance’; HUECHERA Pink; ASTER Dwarf Blue; SEDUM Dragons Blood; ACHILLEA ‘Moonshine’; and ERIGERON ‘Prosperity’.

Obviously, these plants won’t be the best choice for every climate. A worthwhile book to help you choose plants native to your climate zone is The Comfortable Lazy Garden. It’s also an excellent reference for beginning gardeners.

Island Bed

An island bed, as the name implies, is planted in the middle of the yard surrounded by a sea of grass. It can vary in shape and size according to your imagination and available space. Scale the plants from tallest in the center to shortest at the edges.

Preplanned Gardens

I understand all of this Latin mumbo jumbo can be daunting for first time gardeners, it was for me. If you would like a ready made solution, Direct Gardening offers a wide selection of preplanned gardens designed to take all the guess work out of plant selection and placement.

Water Feature

Imagine the reflective beauty of a pond or the gentle splashing of a man made waterfall. How about a 100 foot high waterslide? Maybe next year.

Do Your Yard a Favor

Before you buy any vegetation, visit a real garden center for advice on drainage and soil preparation. Also, bring a copy of your plan; a soil sample and an extra credit card just in case you can’t wait years to make your backyard landscaping ideas come true.

Visit Backyard Landscaping Ideas at Alternative-Heating-Info.com for a free copy of “How To Build Your Own Natural Waterfall”.

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