Category: Outdoor Living

How to Landscape on a Budget

Landscape on a Budget

Not everyone has the experience, knowledge, or inclination to work on creative garden makeovers themselves. And that’s okay because there are plenty of landscaping experts to lend a helping hand. However, if you are trying to bring your property up to scratch on a budget, a landscaping business owner who’s trained in that very task may not be within your reach.

If that’s the case, then you must try and battle through on your own. While it’s going to be tough without the help of someone with years of experience, it’s not impossible. Here are a few helpful hints to help you landscape on a budget.

Use Spreading and Sprawling Plants

The larger your yard, the more plants you have to use. The bigger the number of plants you have to buy, the more money you need. The problem is, not everyone has a massive budget to spend on plants alone. Therefore, you may like to consider purchasing spreading plants that take up a lot of space as a single plant. You can then buy fewer of them, however the garden maintenance of them should also be considered.

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Easy-Care Plants to Enhance Your Landscape Design

Easy-Care Plants

While landscaping and landscape design is important to many people, very few would want a yard that seems to use up all their spare time. But how are you supposed to strike a balance between a beautiful yard and one that takes minimal effort to maintain? Easy-care plants could be the answer. Here are a few easy-care plants in Australia that are worth considering to enhance your landscape design.

Liriope

Liriope is a landscape design expert’s best friend. Not only is it beautiful, vibrant, and full of life, but it’s low maintenance, affordable, and versatile. You can use Liriope for border planting, green walls, and mass planting, and grow it from a cutting. As soon as you have one substantial plant, you can then split it into smaller plants and grow those to your heart’s content too.

This easy-care plant is robust, ideal for sun or shade, and you can cut it back to allow for new growth. What more could you want?

Rhoeo

If you’re all about attitude, colour, and a little bit of pizzazz, then you’ll get that with Rhoeo. Also known as Moses in a Cradle, it’s a beautiful purple and green plant that both looks attractive and doesn’t need a lot of care. It will fill any area you plant it in – be it sun or shade – and will not ask for much love or your time. The only thing to consider is that this plant does not like wet soil and will sulk if you place it somewhere sodden. (more…)

The Importance Of Always Using High Quality Stainless Steel Pool Fence Fittings

Stainless Steel Pool Fence Fittings

A lot of people forget just how important fittings are to high quality glass pool fencing. Although the glass panels are the main component of the fence, and probably the one which people notice the most, the fittings and other hardware that holds the panels together needs to be installed right.

If you use poor quality fittings to put your pool fence together, they will be obvious. They will corrode or rust, will gather dirt and will lose their shine in no time at all. This will result in pool fencing that looks average at best, even if your glass panels are clean and well maintained.

Below thanks to ClearAzGlass we’re going to look at a few reasons why it’s so important to make sure that you always use high quality glass pool fence fittings that are made from a tough, durable material like stainless steel.

High Quality Fittings Will Last

If you’re spending money on a glass pool fence – and most glass pool fences aren’t cheap – then there’s really no point trying to save by using poor quality fittings and other hardware. They will wear out and lose their shine within a couple of years, and will detract from your entire fence.

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Getting The Most Out Of A Small Space

Small Landscape Design

Designing a new garden can be both fun and rewarding. However, it can be hard to know exactly what to do with small spaces. Should you ignore landscape design and just throw a few plants or a fruit tree in, or should you spend time and money employing a professional to come and sculpt it to perfection?

Unfortunately, there’s no real correct answer. Some people will prefer not to waste their time and money on a good quality, experienced landscaper, while others would jump at the chance to turn their small outdoor area into more than wasted space. With this in mind, I’ve put together a few things for you to think about with respect to getting the most out of small outdoor spaces.

Start With A Clear Plan

Planning becomes essential when you’ve only got a small outdoor space to work with. Before you do anything else, you need to sit down and think about the following questions:

  • What sort of elements do you want to include in your landscape design?
  • Who’s going to be using your outdoor area? Do you need to make it child friendly, or should it be designed for adult entertaining?
  • What sort of budget do you have?
  • How much time do you have for garden maintenance?

The answers to these questions will help you clarify exactly what sort of things you should include in your landscape design.

Don’t Waste Space

If you’ve only got a small area to work with, whether it be inside to create a small home office or outside to create a garden, it doesn’t make any sense to waste space. Make sure that you use every bit of your yard wisely. Having a clear plan in place before you start landscaping is the best way to make sure that you can fit everything you want in your backyard.

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8 Different Types of Materials for Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor-furniture

When you design an outdoor area for your home you want it to be a place you can use for many things, from relaxing on your days off to entertaining family and friends. It can be a great place for kids birthday parties too, saving a great deal of wear and tear in the home. However, when purchasing outdoor furniture it’s important to consider what material it should be made from to ensure it suits your lifestyle and budget, while still looking good and lasting.

As with most things, the cheapest is not necessarily the best choice. Even if your budget is low, paying more initially for top quality alfresco furniture can pay off because it will last a lot longer. However when it comes to the materials such furniture is made from, there are many choices.

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The Subtle Beauty of a Native Garden

Australian Native Garden

If you are considering some garden landscaping help to nudge your garden into shape, why not go with Australian natives?  The beauty of them is that they don’t gobble up water and they actually don’t even need to be fertilised to the same extent that many other species do. Not only will this save on costs, it also helps to protect our resources.

Another benefit is that they don’t have the kind of lush growth that attracts insect pests or other diseases, so there is less need for pesticide use.

You may think that the flowers of Australian natives are not as showy as say, roses and many of the annuals popular these days, but they have a beauty that is more subtle and must be examined properly to be appreciated. They have many qualities that make them a good choice for gardens that must endure the often hot, dry conditions found in this country.

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