How To Do Landscaping
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Curb Appeal
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e all know the say- buyer ing “you only get as they view the interior one chance to make a and exterior elements first of a home. impression.” The same is true when selling a house. The front yard is usually the first view a potential buyer has when shopping for a new home. In a slower housing market this impression can be So what can be done what intrigues or to improve the curb apattracts a buyer to look peal? First it might be at a home. helpful to view your house Creating curb appeal from the street. Look at and can make or break your yard as a potential the sale of a home. buyer would as Many buyers have they approach for the difficulty visualizing the first ti potential of a me. Notice any unruly home’s landscape. Pro- or tall shrubs that may viding a well maintained be yard can create blocking interesting arcomfort for the potential chitectural features
or views. These can easily be pruned back creating a more manicured look and open the landscape. Keep lawn areas mowed and fertilized. A well kept lawn and it s surroundings will let a buyer k now that the house is well cared for. Pull or spray weeds that may be growing in planter beds and look fo r grasses growing up through walkway cracks. A buyer’s opinion of a hom e will begin to develop as they walk towards the front door. Keep this area clear of debris and consider adding seasonal color along the walkway. A decorative pot of bright colored flower s is always a welcome
at the doorway. Don’t forget about the backyard. This area may not be visible from the road but can be just as important as front yard curb appeal. Perspective buyers may drive by a house prior to a viewing and peak over fences or find
vantage points to explore the outdoor surroundings of the hous e for sale. Keep toys and garden tools st ored away so they don’t distract from the overall feel of the yard. Make sure patio and walkways are kept swept and clean. A few quick ways to brighten up the backyard include coloring existing concrete, adding season
al color to flower beds and adding lights to brighten the yard and patio area. Lighting can be a quick fix to enhance evening curb side appeal. Outdoor lights can be placed along driveways and walks to welcome guests. They can also be strategically placed to illuminate shrubb ery and other landscape elements. The shadows cast by lighting can create a beautiful look for a home. Lights can also be a dded to the exterior of the house to enhance the visibility of an entry way and add architectural interest.
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Winterscape
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beauty in the stark winter surroundings.
he last of the fall color is drifting off the trees and the win ter months are upon us. In Northern Don’t stop with evergreen trees; Nevada our landscape there are goes dormant as our temperatures many shrubs, groundcovers and drop. There are still many ways to capture t he beauty of our high desert gardens by focusing on our winter landscape. Once y ou’ve removed fallen leaves and spent plan t material it is time to prepare and think about the winterscape. The key to creating an intriguing garden is to have areas of visual interest. De signate areas in your garden to place evergreens. Try using a variety of tree shapes from columnar to prostrate to weepin g. There are a variety of plants that can add hues of green to your yard from the dark jade of the yew to the blue sparkle of a sp ruce tree. The Evergreen trees will also capture snow on their br anches, creating color contrast and
deciduous tr ees that can provide winter beauty in the yard. To add some holiday color and festiveness th ink about adding plants like cotoneaster, holly, witch hazel, bearberry, and mountain ash some of which wil l have bright red berries in the winter months. Berries from these plants will also attract birds to your yard. Our Deciduous trees provide us shade and color during the warmer months play a role in the winter season too. Trees
like crabapples and hawthorns, can provide te xture in the yard with a variety of bar ks and branch structures and many of these trees will hold snow on their limbs.
and our soil is warm. With the onset of winter our trees go dormant and can be successfully moved in the garden. Take advantage of the season to change your garden by adding or relocating interesting plant s to more appealing positions.
Ornamental grasses are a favorite of the winte r interest plants. There is a variety of grasses that grow well in this climate leaving large
Hardscape features in the yard also prov ide a point of interest in the wintersc ape. In the desert landscape of northern Nevada many yards have gazebos, trellises and arbors to prov ide shade and unique open air retreats in the yard. These structures will maintain their attracti ve appeal throughout the winter m
bunches of stems with slender leaves that will bi llow and sway in the winter winds. Remember our fall season is a good time to plant while day temperatures are cool
onths. Stone and paver wa lls also add interest as they protrude from the s now covered ground creating depth in the yard.
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Landscaping slopes
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he increase of residents to northern Nevada has lead to t he development of housing communities off the valley floor. These home owners are often presented with the challenge of landscaping a yard with one or more slopes. It can be difficult for some to incorpor ate a sloped section of yard into their landsca pe as these areas can become the cause of many concerns if not dealt with correctly. The slope, if unprotected, can become the main cause of erosion in your yard. If left unattended it will get worse, degrading the slope, creating rills, and leav ing deposits of soil at the base, all of which can potentia lly create a drainage problem in your yard. There are several ways to avoid erosion problems and create a stable beautiful slope; they
’re not mutually exclusive. Before approaching this type of landscape project it is nece ssary to determine the drainage patterns that exist. Look around your home to determine what type of dr ainage is in place. Some yards have drai n grates in place that direct water underground to another location. Other yards may have drainage swales that dire ct water over the land surface to a low point where it will then drain towards the road. You will not want to disturb the drainage patterns created in your yard. If the drainage is a problem or needs to be changed to incorporate a planting plan you sh ould consider the advice of a profe ssional as you may disrupt the drainage causing further problems in the yard.
Once you have determined how the water is draining off y our slope, you can begin creating a design. An easy and attractive way to decorate the shape and hide the swales is to create flowing river beds within the drainage. These drainage areas are usually straight cut outs in the landscape that are a few inches lower then the surrounding grade. These areas can be filled in with rock that compliments the surroundings. For a more dramatic look the drainage can be gently widened, on either side of the low point, creating a more natural s shaped creek bed. Now that the drainage has been a ddressed the slope garden can begin to take fo rm. A gently sloping hillside can be planted with a variety of plants and acc ented with native rocks and boulders which can spill in to the flat of your yard.
Choosing woody, low growing shrubs that have fibrous root systems will help to st abilize the slopes soil. As the plants mature the roots will hold the soil in place elimi nating the concern for future erosion problems. Another consideration when landscaping a slope is the possible us e of walls and terracing. There are a few options that can be contemplated when choosing the type of retaining wall you will build to contain and enhance your slope. You’ll
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Holiday landscape and surroundings. he last of the This can be as simleaves have fallen o ple adding a wreath. A ff the trees and the beautiful northern accent in our cold cliNV landscape is now mate, the wreath accentuated by the adds bright color to any surrounding mountains glistening from the first dusting of snow. The winter season is once again home. These o upon us and it’s time to ften round shaped decprepare our orations come in an landscapes for festive abundance of sizes gatherings and are made using and colorful holiday many types of material events. s. From evergreen cutting There are numerous s to deciduous branchways to begin planning es a your landscape for wreath can be made the coming months. simply or somewhat el Many people associate aborately using berries, this season pine cones, ornam with the addition of ev- ents, ribbon, feathers, ergreens to their home etc. These
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warming accents will make any outside space welcomi ng and inviting in the harsh winter months ahead. For something a little different you can spruce up your yard by placing potted evergreens in the landscape. Almost all evergreen plants will grow well when pott ed and they can be moved around the land scape or introduced to the ground at a later date. There are a variety of ev ergreen shapes and sizes that will add texture, form and diverse effects to a yard. The use of pots will create an opportunity for you to add dimension, color, and inte
rest to the surroundings. However, make sure your pottery is frost proof! If a potted evergreen isn’t for you, you can still make use of y our pottery and planters. In stead of storing pots in your garage till the next growing season try placing some around your entry as if they were large vases. You can fill them with bright colored branches, twig s with berries, and evergreen branches. Don’ t stop with pots; use your imagination and decorate with objects like bird cages, urns, and baske ts. The arrangements can be decorated with lights and changed throughout the season for special o ccasions or everyday splendor. Lights are a welcome
sight throughout the cold , dark winter months -not just during the holidays. They can brighten a landscape and bring life to your yard. T
here are many types, shapes, colors and sizes of lights that can be used in your landscape. They don’t have to be confined to the branches of trees and evergreen shrubs. Patio furniture, posts, and sculptures can be used as accent pieces in the yard. For a more energy conscious choice , take a look at windproof
outdoor candles and use them to light a path or visible outdoor space. Northern Nevada is well known for its strong winds. Don’t le t this deter you from decorating your trees and shrubs outside. From bows to trinkets there are many sparkling and eye catching ornam ents that can be placed, safely, on tree
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