Today the majority of people have smaller gardens on smaller plots because of growing population and the need of space close to central points. This, however, should not prevent people from getting excited about their gardens, because even small gardens have the potential to be charming, welcoming and well designed. Less space can mean less costs and less work.
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In a country as beautiful and warm as South Africa, who needs an attractive interior if one can have a striking exterior? In a recent poll, it was determined that the landscape architect profession would have a larger than average growth within the next ten years, while architecture would only have an average growth. This proves that more and more people want to spend on beautiful gardens and as the world becomes more "green," why not join the movement and benefit in the meantime.
When you start designing your garden, the first place you start will obviously be the front yard or the first place people see when they walk into a property. This is why more and more people are applying creativity and landscape design to their driveways, because in most cases this is where your guests enter your home. It helps to have a driveway that stands out from the rest and that makes your guests want to know more. Landscaping a driveway entails considering all the typical elements of design, including size, theme of the house and even the ambiance of the neighbourhood.
Even more people these days are choosing cities over the country and cheaper apartment options over big houses is the suburbs. This, however, should not stop anyone from having a quiet corner of nature where they can relax and breathe after a fast-paced day. This is why courtyards have become so important and why landscaping them has become a growing trend.
Landscaping is a creative activity and provides an excellent platform for anyone overflowing with natural artistic juices. It is especially pleasing for those avid gardeners that truly want to display their inner talent and leave friends and family literally green with envy. Filling your garden with your own ideas and preferences can certainly work well after careful consideration and planning.
Designing a landscape for your front yard will greatly differ from the backyard, because they serve two completely different functions. The front yard is where people come in and leave; it should thus be the most striking and most accessible area.
"Kitsch" is defined as "sentimental, vulgar and with bad taste." In your garden, this could mean that you have unnecessary objects or elements that stand out from the rest, because they were not included in the original design and were most probably kept because someone did not have the heart to get rid of them. Your garden can also become "kitsch" if there are too many different plant species and too many colours, making the landscape cluttered and disorganized. You can easily avoid this and still follow your own individual style.
The design of a landscape in a corporate area will certainly have an effect on those entering or leaving the place. In a natural landscaping environment nature just has this knack of leaving a wow effect. This type of impact seriously affects one's soul. Immediately after being hit by such natural magnificence any form of depression or stress is released. Then a delightful sense of expansion is felt that leads to a deep awareness of happiness and joy. For any serious landscaper that is worth his salt this would be the most desired impression to leave on any setting.
The idea of "going green" has become one of the world most followed trends in the past couple of years and people are looking for more and more ways to live "green" and as environmentally friendly as possible. This is done by recycling and conserving water, but living "green" can go beyond this - even your garden can be designed to be eco-friendly.
When planning a landscaping project, it is crucial to always have a certain objective in mind and to know where you want to go. You do not want to end up with patches of different idea throughout your landscape. Ask yourself how the space will be viewed and what type of lifestyle and or picture you want to create.
Having a small garden is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, some would consider it a large blessing in a smaller package, since it takes far less maintenance to sustain a beautiful cottage garden. The following are tips to maximise the use of a small yard, where less is more and more is easily achieved.
Landscaping is defined as the act of adorning or improving (a section of ground) by contouring and by planting flowers, shrubs, or trees, or to arrange grounds artistically as a profession. It originates from the Dutch word landschap, belonging to painters who created artworks set on scenery of land. Now, it is more commonly used to describe creating a garden environment that is scenic, beautiful and matches the needs of the gardener.
Over 2.7 million years ago, ancient human discovered the use of stones. In that time, a wide variety of different stones were used for a multitude of different functions. Fast forward to ancient Greece and Rome, where stones were used to create map mosaics and other beautiful artifacts. This is one aspect that has not changed, since the use of stones, particularly when landscaping, is a timeless classic. Here are a few tips on how to incorporate stone into your landscape design. This is known to most as “stonescaping”.
Rock gardens are ideal for filling up spaces in garden or landscape that will not accommodate any other type of garden. It does not matter whether it is a hill, slope or a place with uncontrollable dirt; a rock garden is ideal for covering up and making these areas beautiful. Rock gardens are also used to stop erosion of soil and they cut down on weeds in a property. Other than being functional and low-maintenance, rock gardens can be truly beautiful and enhance a landscape immensely.
Lawn irrigation is the mock application of water to soil to assist in the growth of crops, maintenance of landscapes and the re-vegetation of soil in dry areas during periods with insufficient rainfall. It also protects plants against frost, controls weed growth and helps prevent soil consolidation. Irrigation systems are used to restrain dust, dispose of sewage and in mining for cooling and watering.
A healthy lawn makes a very good filter for absorbing many things that can be washed into streams. The ideal lawn is one that will grow best in your environment without lots of supplemental watering. We all read about people living in desert areas trying to grow lawns that require almost daily watering just to survive the summer heat. This is extremely foolish and short sighted. Turf grasses were never intended to grow everywhere. There are parts of the country where various turf grasses are well suited without the need for daily watering. In many places, grass can be grown without any supplemental watering, or only very minor supplemental watering. Turf grasses need approximately 20-30mm of water per week to remain green and healthy. It is thus important to consider the following when planning irrigation:
Watering the awn does not automatically accompany the first warm days of summer. It is, in actual fact, true that if a lawn grows under mild drought stress at first, its rooting is increased. Monitor footprints or marks remaining after walking on the lawn, instead of leaves bouncing back. Grass tends to turn darker when under drought stress. It is a good option to thus let an expert sample root soil to determine how your soil holds water so you can plan and set your irrigation effectively.
An advantage of irrigation (and especially drip irrigation) is that water is put where it is needed. These water lines water the roots of plants, allowing it to saturate soil underneath each plant. There is no over watering and species that need a period of dryness will get it. It is most effective to give each individual plant the water it needs so you will save water. Irrigation also means you do not water unnecessary areas like rock gardens and sidewalks. Drip lines reduce runoff water drastically, so you ultimately save water and money.
Irrigation systems are quite inexpensive and are very easy to install. Drip irrigation systems are easiest to install. These systems are also very easy to expand for when you need more lines when adding plants to your garden.Two-way and three-way splitters can be installed anywhere on the line, allowing water to be re-directed and placed just where you choose. When you have installed your irrigation line, it requires little to no maintenance. Occasionally, you will have to replace and clean parts, but they can work for years without problems.
The greatest advantage of these systems is that you do not have to turn it on and off. You merely adjust settings according to the seasons so your irrigation system will effectively take care of your garden. If you are not sure how and when to set the watering, ask a landscaping professional.
Your backyard is the place in your garden where you ultimately spend the most time and where you ultimately take your guests. This place should thus be an ideal place where you can be surrounded by nature while being relaxed, recharged and feel a constant sense of tranquillity. It should be an area where you and your friends and family will want to hang out and play. It is also usually the biggest part of a garden, which means it has the most potential of being transformed into magic. There are many ways to make a landscaping project of your backyard so yours can stand out and be a place of great interest.
Bird watching is a popular hobby and not many people can afford to frequently pursue this hobby in the wild or on a holiday, so they have to resort to what they have: their own backyards. The wonderful thing, however, is that you can now make a mini nature reserve out of your own garden if you plan your design carefully and incorporate elements into your design that will attract a large array of wildlife and bird species. Different types of birds are attracted to different seeds and colours, while others would just like a place to cool off during summer – the trick is to give the birds what they want and soon they will be “knocking” on your door.
“Good fences make good neighbours?” If you apply this famous old saying to creativity and original decorative ideas, of course it is true! Fences in yards or gardens do much more than just separate different areas or separate people from one another; they add to the aesthetic quality of a garden and can make or break the design of a landscape. Fences should link parts of your landscape; fences should complement the style of both your garden and your house and fences should provide decorative borders.
Landscaping or landscape architecture is no new art. It can be traced back to 600 B.C. where landscape design was used in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and which is considered today as one of the seven wonders of the world. The famous Mayans used landscaping principles without even knowing it when they created walkways to and around their temples, surrounding them with intricate, carefully constructed flowerbeds and bushes. Romans used landscaping in courtyards and created borders around their land. Good landscaping was seen as a sign of wealth in the 17th and 18th century and in Jamaica, plantation owners lined walkways with palm trees. People would even ship in different rocks and stones to build walls in their gardens. The Great Wall of China was not built for aesthetic purposes, but was a necessity to keep enemies at bay. Landscaping through the ages has been magical, especially when you look at wonders like Stonehenge in England. These stones were transported from Wales, which means them being there is somewhat of a miracle.
Who wants an Olympic sized swimming pool in their backyard? What about a tennis court? All right, there are some people who would, but why want something like that when you can have a cosy, low maintenance and immensely charming smaller backyard? It might be appealing to think of rolling hills and acres of grass, but remember someone has to mow and prune that! There are endless possibilities when it comes to designing a small yard’s landscape and it is the best way to save money and keep the effort as low as possible. Most people today have smaller yards because of the number of people on our planet, so new creative ideas are seeing the light every day.
