I see a lot of books on designing large gardens, but we live in California and have a very small back yard that we'd like to liven up (right now it's just mulch). Is it worth hiring a contractor? Is there good landscape design software we could use to help do it on our own?

HGTV offers an online tutorial.

If you are cramped for space. I'd plant vertically...Tall, skinny shrubs, climbing plants, hang baskets from fence, house, etc. Save all the ground space you have for you to move around in and enjoy. Potted plants offer lots of versatility. If you get tired of where they are or need that space later, just move them.

P.S. Keep the mulch away from the foundation of the house. It give bugs easier access to basements and crawlspaces.

front yard is on a slope and i have a huge tree that has outgrown the box someone put around it. The tree roots are all over so i cant build on top of them. any ideas?

Another alternative to building a larger box is to try and establish a ground cover in the area. Some ground covers require very little maintenance, one of my favorites is Vinca. It has periwinkle like flowers and the leaves are medium glossy green. Does quite well. Building a bigger box around the tree has some potenital disadvantages to it, one is that by filling in with topsoil etc around the roots you may restrict the trees ability to uptake air and water. And this can be a factor in whether or not the tree will live.

the stones are for walkways and i want them for cheap. please dont give web stores or home Depot or Lowes because i know them already.

Are you looking for the square tiles? If so and depending on where you are, you can have ours free but you have to come and lift them up, clean them up and pick them up!

We will be lifting them up later this year (don't know when) but if you want them now, come get them. We are in Vancouver area.

email justforjunk0000@yahoo.com

Nowadays many folks are worried about the environment, and for excellent reasons. As time goes on the threats of global temperature rises and quickly decreasing carbon-based fuels continue to grow. Sustainable landscape design is one way some owners are doing their bit to help preserve energy and help our world while beautifying their outside area. Without landscaping, the front and rear yard areas of your property would be plain and less practical. Adding natural touches that do not hurt the environment can make things much more tasty and make your yards places you need to spend some time in. There are lots of differing types of gardens, including Japanese gardens, English gardens, modern style gardens, water gardens and so many others. Bearing this in mind, you are probably wondering where the viable part comes in. This sort of landscaping tries to decrease poisons in the environment, so ecological gardening is an absolute must. Minimizing the wasting of imperative resources like water is one other thing to struggle for when organizing a garden of this sort. Then naturally there's the issue of solar power. Gardens frequently look their best when lit during dusk or night. This is particularly so if you do after dark entertaining.

For the front area of your house, you might need to look into solar motion sensor lights that store up energy from the sun then cut on when you walk past. These are perfect for lining paths and outside paths. You can also find solar powered porch lights. To take it a step farther, you might even build a solar energy box to help power your house and scale back your use bill. There are numerous uses for solar energy when it comes down to tolerable house and garden environments.

Enticing wildlife and providing a safe and pleasing home for local beasts is another target of viable landscape design. As it does take lots of planning, you can hire a pro who works in this area or read up on the subject and try some projects alone. Here are 1 or 2 book titles available that might be of help : Supportable Landscape Construction : A Guide to Green Building Out of doors , 2nd Edition by J. William Thompson and Kim Sorvig, Supportable Landscaping For Dummies by Owen E.

Dell, and Energy-Wise Landscape Design : A New Approach for Your house and garden by Sue Reed.

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The bedroom community of Westlake Village is noted for its outdoor life, being located around Westlake and within just a few miles of the Malibu Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Hiking, biking, sailing, and golfing are just some of the outdoor activities that can be enjoyed here, and the locals make the most of it.

One way in which residents of Westlake Village appreciate the environment they live in is evident in the beauty of the exterior designs of homes and commercial properties in the area. Landscaping Westlake Village is an endeavor that people take seriously, and the results can be seen in the variety of approaches that are undertaken to this end.

Those who are lucky enough to live around the lake take great pride in their homes, and well they should. The ability to walk out one’s back door and sit on the patio furniture while gazing across the water and basking in that famous California sun is a pleasure that can only be understood by experiencing it. The many ways that these people show their appreciation for having the opportunity to live in such an inspiring atmosphere is by finding unique ways in landscaping Westlake Village.

This will most often include an overall patio design scheme that takes advantage of the view of the lake. Since so much time is spent on the back patio taking in the sights, the patio cover is perhaps one of the most important features of the backyard area. There will be simple vine-covered lattice work over the patio, with some modest but tasteful furniture to relax in. Other homes will have more elaborate patio covers made of cedar or redwood, complete with stone barbecue pit installed for those outdoor gatherings that are so popular in this neck of the woods.

Stone work can also be found extending throughout the backyard area. Deck floors and pathways around the backyard will often be made of natural stone or textured concrete, sometimes color-matched to highlight the theme of the patio furnishings. Creative lighting designs will also be part of the exterior design. This is perhaps one of the easiest and cost-effective ways of landscaping Westlake Village homes, yet it’s overall effect can be invaluable.

Of course, floral designs are also a big part of landscaping Westlake Village homes. The wonderful year round climate of Southern California lends itself to gardening, and flowers can be found in abundance throughout the area. Carefully planned and elaborate planting schemes are a source of pride for the entire community, as evidenced in the beautiful flower and vegetable gardens that grace many homes and public green spaces.

The city of Westlake Village is one of the most well-designed and rewarding places to live in the state, if not the country. A major reason for this is the thought and effort put into landscaping Westlake Village, not only by the proud homeowners who continue to redefine the look of their habitat, but by the city planners who have joined in the campaign to beautify this corner of paradise.

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When the idea strikes you, it can be tough to resist the enticement to speculate in a good yard swimming pool. What is not to love - it's a smart way to show how successful you are you can ultimately head off somewhere everyday to let off some steam or cool down. Dependent on the part of the country you live in go, having a great pool can snooker you in the investment angle. In the northwards states, having a home with a pool can really bring the cost of your house city when it is time to sell. Property agents will regularly ask you to fill your pool up and plant flower beds there instead. Down in the warmer climes, having a place without a yard pool can bring the value of your home down though . But all that apart, a pool is a genuine money pit. How you ask? Just look at these numbers. For a yard pool that you dig into the ground, dependent on the dimensions of the thing, they can cost anything above $30,000 to install. And if you account for the costs of the accessories and the extras, landscaping round the pool, a fence to keep kids out when it isn't safe and the concrete skirting around it can cost thousands more.

If you live in a cool area, you can count on $500 annually to heat the water, and about as much to maintain it every year with pool cleaning chemicals and filters. If you live in a fairly cold area though , you must close down the pool when it becomes too cold, and open it again in the summertime. That is quite a cost in itself. And, since water and building materials actually don't play well together, you had better be prepared for tile replacements, crack repairs and such like.

And obviously, the vinyl cover you've got to refer your pool does not last for all time either.

If you've ever cared to watch closely how your mates run their pools, you may possibly notice that nearly every personal yard pool has a tendency to remain new the majority of the time. When the inescapable upkeep costs appear in the shape of broken filters or pumps, pool owners hate to cough up. It is a sufficiently large deal to take a position in the entire thing to start with. Paying lots of greenbacks all of the time to keep things running can be tricky.

But of course, if you delay working on your pool correctly, it becomes a source of illnesses. You might take the simple route out naturally and hire a pool servicing company. But that may cost as much is $500 every month. So fundamentally, a pool will cost at least $4000 a year to run and maintain. But nobody gets a genuine notion of what their pool costs them till they work out what they'd make if they invested the money instead.

If you put the thirty thousand you'd invest in the pool in the bank instead, that would make you five per cent. So the cost every year would be about $5000 even though you do all of the tough work yourself every year. It could be a ton less expensive to just send your youngsters to the community pool. They will have all of their friends there, and they will likely like it that way too.

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that is Landscape company, they have shop around select citywalk mall, plz let me know if any one know about this.

Hi! Yes The Green India shop is in garden street, 1st Floor, Balcony ,shop no 13, select citywalk mall, saket, new Delhi , 9811125738

Currently it's a dirt lot with a lot of weeds on it. Bout 40ft by 80 ft. I want to do something cool, but I don't have a huge budget. Looking at 1000$ tops.

I've seen some really interesting ground sculptures.
You basically make a sculpture out of the dirt then plant your grass seed. So instead of plain old yard you have cool sculptured knolls.

You could do a sleeping woman, a couch an animal. Whatever you like really as Simply or elaborate as you like.
Heres a link for really elaborate ones take a scroll down that page

http://www.euphoria-magazine.com/photography/34-photography/166-sculptures-made-of-grass

at about half way down this page is some less elaborate ones

http://www.carolynlee.co.uk/17_s-cornwall/s-cornwall2.html

We are looking to re-do our backyard

Try the Better Homes and Gardens website they are very useful!