by [evancparker]

Landscaping; Why to Plan your Landscape Projects During Winter Months

Article by Landscaping, Doylestown ; C. Orser

The ideal garden consists of many things. Color, placement, variety and longevity make for seasons of delightful viewing and enjoyment of your garden. January and February are the perfect months for planning your garden. Put on your coat and walk around your garden to see what is there, writing down what worked in last year's garden and what didn't work. By learning from your past joys and mistakes you can consider removing plants that didn't do well and replace them with ones that will.

Think about what kind of garden you want to have. Is your garden shady, sunny, or perhaps both? Now comes the fun part - selecting the plants that will make your garden plan blossom. With an abundance of seed catalogs on the internet and by mail, you can order seeds for starting plants inside and then transplant the seedlings into the garden when the danger of frost is gone. Many varieties that are available in seed, especially new cultivars, are not available as plants in your local nursery. Plus, seeds are cheaper than live plants. Be bold - try something new in your garden! Summer flowing bulbs such as gladiolus and daylilies can be purchased now for spring planting. Keep them inside and plant them once there is no danger of frost.

Another option available for bedding plants is to take cuttings from indoor plants. Coleus, which comes in a variety of colors and shapes, are a common house plant. Take several cuttings and root them in a container filled with water. They will thrive as annuals in your flowerbed. Order your seeds and be ready to plant upon arrival. Make sure the containers you use allows for proper drainage and keep the seeds in an area where the temperature is at least 50 degrees. Enjoy watching your seeds germinate and grow for the next several weeks.

Chris Orser Landscaping, Inc. has consistently been providing high quality services to the Doylestown, PA and Bucks County areas for over 15 years. We are a complete design & build company. Chris Orser Landscaping, Inc. specializes in all areas of landscaping: design, brick and paver patios, walkways, retaining walls, ponds, waterfalls, pondless waterfalls, and other water features, plantings, lawn mowing, spring clean-ups, fall clean-ups, pruning, tree removal, fertilization, lawn aeration, pest control, snow plowing, de-icing, gutter cleaning, and firewood delivery.

Contact us at (215) 249-1236 http://www.orserlandscaping.com

We also carry Magic Salt, which is a highly effective deicing product that is environmentally friendly, leaves no white residue, and has a residual effect. These benefits lead to using less product, saving money and time for the contractor and homeowner. Visit http://www.magicsaltpa.com or call (215) 285-9161.

Technorati Tags: During, Landscape, Landscaping, Months, plan, projects, Winter

by Rick Smit

Question by Ralph B: Where can I find a program on the Internet to plan a landscaping project?
I am looking for a program where I can plan my landscaping project. A program that will allow for the placement of plants, boulders, decorative stones, etc., movement them around for the best effect. I want to be able to see how the various items work together.
Thank you.

Best answer:

Answer by MLS
The bbc website has a virtual garden planner - never used it but it appears to offer at least some of what you need - http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/design/

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Technorati Tags: Find, Internet, Landscaping, plan, program, project

by Fylkesarkivet i Sogn og Fjordane

Impressionist Landscapes: An Art Lesson Plan For Third To Fourth Grade

  Impressionist Landscapes

Outcomes-To learn about landscape art, get a feeling for 3-D space in a 2-d work “depth”, an impressionistic color and theory

Materials: 8 ½ X 11 inch white cardstock.  Oil pastels.  Small reproductions of paintings from Impressionist masters, pencil.

Art History: Recognize works by Monet, Van Gogh,  Seurat, Gauguin.  Look at websites.  Wikipedia actually gives a very nice overview and images at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism  .   Other links include http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/impressionism/  and  http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp   

Steps:

Look at and talk about what ‘impressionistic’ landscapes are.  Feeling in the painting, rather than photographic realism, and talk about why this occurred-advent of the camera and change in the way people thought about art.
Look at several small examples of paintings and point out shapes and colors in each one.  Have the children talk about things they see in each.
Divide the children into pairs, and either have each pair choose a picture to copy or give each pair a reproduction at random.  Reproductions should be small, fitting on an 8x11 piece of paper.  They should be made in advance and it would be advised to laminate each, if it is available. 
Give each child a pencil and a piece of white cardstock.  After writing their names on the back, flip the paper over and help them identify major shapes in the picture, and then have them draw those shapes on the page, to help them reproduce the painting.  Encourage them to use the whole paper, not putting little things all in the middle.
Pass out cups of oil pastels, and encourage them to press down and mix the colors on the paper.  It’s okay to be a little messy!
No white of the paper should show through on the finished product, even if white is used in the painting.  Use a white oil pastel!
When finished, display pieces and talk about the differences in the reproductions and the originals.  What do they like about them?  What did they find especially difficult about them?

More Landscaping Articles

Technorati Tags: Fourth, Grade, Impressionist, landscapes, Lesson, plan, Third

www.LandscapeDallas.com presents a sample virtual tour of a customer's property based on a 3D landscape design created by David Hawthorne, lead designer and owner of Signature Landscape Designs. This video contains both day and night views of the property.

Signature Landscape Designs has been producing high-quality landscape designs in the Dallas Metroplex for over six years. Signature Landscape Designs specializes in both 2D and 3D landscape plans and offers a variety of landscape design services for projects ranging from residential yards and gardens to apartment complexes and commercial properties. Signature Landscape Designs will plan your garden area to suit your budget while laying out a professionally designed landscaping plan with additional stunning 3D visual effects. Signature Landscape Designs drawings are conceptualized on a computer while the landscape plan itself features a hand-rendered look such as one would purchase from the finest architect with a landscape architecture service. Signature Landscape Designs has beautified many gardens in the North Dallas, Plano, Richardson, Garland, Flower Mound, Allen and McKinney areas. PH: 972-890-2420 Website: www.landscapedallas.com

Duration : 0:4:55

Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: 3D, Allen, com, david, design, designs, Fort, garden, hawthorne, Landscape, landscapedallas, Landscaping, Mckinney, plan, Plano, projects, quality, Richardson, Services, signature, Texas, tour, virtual, Worth, www, yard

Things to consider when landscaping your backyard are numerous, get expert landscape design tips in this free video.

Expert: Gale Gassiot
Bio: Gale Gassiot makes her own organic compost or "gardener's black gold."

Duration : 0:1:14

Read the rest of this entry

Technorati Tags: Backyard, bed, beds, design, edging, flower, flowers, grass, Landscaping, mulch, outdoor, plan, plant, plants, stones, tip, tree, trees, yard